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Article A MARRIAGE IN THE GRESSONS IN 1792. ← Page 2 of 4 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Marriage In The Gressons In 1792.
our destination , when an accident occurred which had nearly changed our party of pleasure , for such it really was , into one of sorrow . From the late rams which had fallen , the Winter Rhine had considerably risen threatening to overflow the bank along which our narrow path lay a small arch intersected the bank , secured by flood-gates for the purpose of admitting the stream into the various canals which fertilized the surrounding country . This was crossed b lank ovable at
y a narrowp , rem pleasure for the purpose of opening the gates . One of the youths , a thoughtless fad full of frolic and spirits , pushed the plank after he had crossed it , so far back that the sli ghtest weight would cause it to precipitate the person who trod upon it into the stream , —an accident attended in ordinary tides with no worse mishap than a sound ducking but which by the rising of the waters was now danaerous in the extreme .
_ 1 he first to cross the arch after this foolish trick was Peter Lutz the intended bridegroom ; a splash and a loud shout of mirth from the mischievous youth told the success of his scheme , but the mirth of the party was quickly changed to terror , when they saw their companion out of his depth , and unable to struggle with the rushing waters . Fortunately I was an experienced swimmer , and instantly I was the happy means ' of saving the poor young fellow from an early grave . Never shall 1 forget the alternate
joy , sorrow , ancl remorse , of the cause of our disaster ; he laughed , wept , ancl sang by turns ; one moment vowed an offering to the Virgin , and the next pressed his watch , the most valuable of his possessions , upon my acceptance ; and seemed hurt at my declining to accept it ; the gratitude of the rescued bridegroom ' was of a different character , he squeezed my hand , and as a tear trembled on his eye-lid said , My mother aud Lissette must thank you . " To the young Swiss accustomed to all changes of weather the ducking was of little consequence to me it was different , and by the time I reached Tusis , I was benumbed with coldand mv tppth fTiatrovinr . .,. « ... i , „„ , i jvuuiii
, '" -J - —v " _ _ , " ¦ '{ S i 11 XLi J -1-lttH ** No sooner was our escape known in the village than we were surrounded b y the inhabitants . Peter ' s uncle the cure , with whom he and his mother resided , insisted on my taking up my abode with them : and ma short time , I found myself comfortably tucked up in bed , a huge bolster of feathers over my feet , and one of my host ' s flannel night-caps on my head . Lissette herself brought me a bowl of whey , and vied with her future mother-in-law in expressions of gratitude . So well attended it would have been miracle if had
a I not risen the next morning without any symptoms of illness ; my embarrassment was to avoid attentions winch were almost oppressive , and I was obliged to promise to remain their guest till after the wedding , the two intervening days to which I amused myself m sauntering through the village and its picturesque environs . H Tusistowards the close of the eihteenth centurypresented far less
_ , g a imposing appearance than at present . About thirty stragling farmhouses , divided from each other by gardens and offices , were situated in the neighbourhood ofthe church ; of these one of the most important was the maision of my host the cure , who to his sacred profession added the more profitable one of farmer , and carried on in common with his neighbours a lucrative trade in breeding horses , for which as now the Gressons were celebrated ; the huts of the labourers and peasants dependant the farms dotted the sides
upon of the mountains or were perched upon the most accessible of their peaks . The manners of the inhabitants were as primitive as their habita-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Marriage In The Gressons In 1792.
our destination , when an accident occurred which had nearly changed our party of pleasure , for such it really was , into one of sorrow . From the late rams which had fallen , the Winter Rhine had considerably risen threatening to overflow the bank along which our narrow path lay a small arch intersected the bank , secured by flood-gates for the purpose of admitting the stream into the various canals which fertilized the surrounding country . This was crossed b lank ovable at
y a narrowp , rem pleasure for the purpose of opening the gates . One of the youths , a thoughtless fad full of frolic and spirits , pushed the plank after he had crossed it , so far back that the sli ghtest weight would cause it to precipitate the person who trod upon it into the stream , —an accident attended in ordinary tides with no worse mishap than a sound ducking but which by the rising of the waters was now danaerous in the extreme .
_ 1 he first to cross the arch after this foolish trick was Peter Lutz the intended bridegroom ; a splash and a loud shout of mirth from the mischievous youth told the success of his scheme , but the mirth of the party was quickly changed to terror , when they saw their companion out of his depth , and unable to struggle with the rushing waters . Fortunately I was an experienced swimmer , and instantly I was the happy means ' of saving the poor young fellow from an early grave . Never shall 1 forget the alternate
joy , sorrow , ancl remorse , of the cause of our disaster ; he laughed , wept , ancl sang by turns ; one moment vowed an offering to the Virgin , and the next pressed his watch , the most valuable of his possessions , upon my acceptance ; and seemed hurt at my declining to accept it ; the gratitude of the rescued bridegroom ' was of a different character , he squeezed my hand , and as a tear trembled on his eye-lid said , My mother aud Lissette must thank you . " To the young Swiss accustomed to all changes of weather the ducking was of little consequence to me it was different , and by the time I reached Tusis , I was benumbed with coldand mv tppth fTiatrovinr . .,. « ... i , „„ , i jvuuiii
, '" -J - —v " _ _ , " ¦ '{ S i 11 XLi J -1-lttH ** No sooner was our escape known in the village than we were surrounded b y the inhabitants . Peter ' s uncle the cure , with whom he and his mother resided , insisted on my taking up my abode with them : and ma short time , I found myself comfortably tucked up in bed , a huge bolster of feathers over my feet , and one of my host ' s flannel night-caps on my head . Lissette herself brought me a bowl of whey , and vied with her future mother-in-law in expressions of gratitude . So well attended it would have been miracle if had
a I not risen the next morning without any symptoms of illness ; my embarrassment was to avoid attentions winch were almost oppressive , and I was obliged to promise to remain their guest till after the wedding , the two intervening days to which I amused myself m sauntering through the village and its picturesque environs . H Tusistowards the close of the eihteenth centurypresented far less
_ , g a imposing appearance than at present . About thirty stragling farmhouses , divided from each other by gardens and offices , were situated in the neighbourhood ofthe church ; of these one of the most important was the maision of my host the cure , who to his sacred profession added the more profitable one of farmer , and carried on in common with his neighbours a lucrative trade in breeding horses , for which as now the Gressons were celebrated ; the huts of the labourers and peasants dependant the farms dotted the sides
upon of the mountains or were perched upon the most accessible of their peaks . The manners of the inhabitants were as primitive as their habita-