Mary Baldwin College - Bluestocking Yearbook (Staunton, VA)

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8 The Augusta Scmluary Annual. Eoropean Sl etclnes, I. R ' Walk in Switzerland. All of us were up early on Friday morning read} ' for our long anticipated drive from Interlaken to I auterbrun- nen. The road lay through a narrow valley between high precipitous cliffs, with the full glory of the Jungfrau before us. Just below the Staubbach Falls we stopped at a queer little shop, examined the wood-carving, the peasant woman ' s lace, and bought our alpenstocks. Then we pedestrians saw the others start back to Interlaken, and ourselves set out on our walking tour. We followed our guide and por- ter, a sturd} ' little mountaineer, but so small that the com- passionate heart of one of our trio wouldn ' t let her burden him wdth her cloak. For two hours or more we walked, stopping now and then to gather the flowers which lined the path on every side, blue-bells and butter-cups, wild sweet- briar and dainty little forget-me-n3ts, while the cataracts blew their trumpets from the steeps and their echoes through the mountains thronged. Before us stood out the Jungfrau in all its purity of eternal snow, and in the valley below, women in the dress of the canton — picturesque in the dis- tance, — raked in the new-mown hay. As we neared Trach- sellauenen, the roar of the Schmadribach Fall almost deaf- ened us, and, though it was July, close at hand we saw snow, and the flowers growing thick at the very edge of it. Here we rested awhile, and had dinner, then went on our steep way toward Ginmielwald, climbing with both al- penstock and umbrella. Soon our umbrellas were put to another use, for as we stopped to gain breath, and gazed back over the valley, the clouds, which had long ago covered the mountain tops, gathered down lower and lower, until finally we were in them, and then a few drops of rain fell. What must we do ? Go back ! ' ' Our guide said we had gone half way, so we turned outfaces upward and toiled on, for hours it seemed, while the rain poured in torrents, and we trudged around water-falls, and even under them, until, on another hill above us, we saw a frame house, the regular Alpine chalet

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The Aiti usta Seminary Annual. 7 thoiij;ht Mrs. Darrow was going to have hcr ' s then, etc. There seems no end to the questions. Did you know to- day was composition reading? Oh, is it? Tlien we won ' t have news class, and I have lots of news to tell. In the midst of the chattering a step is heard just outside the door, and everything instantly becomes quiet. Oh ! it is only one of the girls, who, while working at her short-hand and type writing was attracted by the noise; and she has a startling piece of news for us. Miss Baldwin has said that the Lotus Glee Club will be in Staunton Tuesday night, and we can go. What shall I wear ? was uttered as if from one voice, by every one in the room. A question as puzzling as the same last week about the Tacky ball. In the midst of these conferences we are startled by Mr. King ' s coming in to ask one of the girls to sign a check, and before we get noisy again the Librarian returns. I do not now care to go back to my reading, and so begin to ask questions about the queer looking — photograph, shall I call it ? — that hangs under the large painting of Stone- wall Jackson. Others become interested in the discussion, and it is found to be a photograph of the original copy of Magna Charter, and the ever new problem, Is it French ? Is it Latin ? Is it English or Chinese? again comes up, and each girl finds a word to prove the truth of her solution. The little bell rings now, and we are compelled to be quiet. However, we are hardh ' quiet, when the music from a minstrel band calls us all to the front window. Just as the last wagon disappears, the dinner bell sounds. Some of us loiter for a while, pleasantly chatting as we put our books in the right cases, while others hurry out to see who got express packages; but the thought of ice- cream for dinner quickens every step, the key of the libra- ry is turned, hidden under the organ cover in the hall, and we all go to the dining-room. Janie Brawner.

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The Augusta Seminary Annual. with projecting roofs held down by stones, quaint carv ' ed wood devices, weather-stained timbers, and, hanging under the porch, bundles of dry herbs, the only dry things under the heavens. We quickened our steps toward the house as to a haven of refuge, but when the door was opened to our knock by a witch-like, withered old crone, and the mingled odours rushed out, we meekly asked permission to sit on the porch until the rain lessened a bit. A few minutes satisfied us, so we started on to Gimmelwald, and reached it before dark, but in such a plight ! — soaked so thoroughly we had to go to bed to have our clothes dried. And how the rain came down ! All that night it fell steadily and softly, and all the next day we watched it. The monotony of that weary day was only broken when we would hear a sound like that of a distant cannon, and would turn to the window to see an avalanche, like the softest spray of a waterfall, dashing itself over the precipices of the Sefinen- thal; and, looking at the avalanches and at the snow falling fifty feet above us, we remembered with difficulty that it was Jul} ' . The little hotel was built on the side of a slope so steep that at the back of the house the windows of the fifth storj ' were only four or five feet from the ground. It was built only for summer use, of thin boards, the partitions be- tween the rooms were so thin thai conversations could easily be heard two rooms off. We overheard a very interesting one between two Englishmen as to the relative merits of the pronunciation of English in Cambridge and Oxford, each man being prejudiced in favor of his own college. The house was filled with Englishmen, among them, two clergymen. Yet on Sunday these two were not enough, but late Saturday night here came another plodding through rain and mud to conduct the service, the notice for which was the first thing we had seen in the hall on entering. Early in the morning all the people in the house gathered in the parlor. After a while the door opened, and the clergyman robed in his black vestment slowly entered, carrying in solemn dignity a large empty soap-box. We looked on in wonder, but, seeing the grave faces around us, didn ' t dare to smile. Placingthe box on end upon the ' table.