48 The Mountaineer 



the rest, the member of the club who lives most in the 

 mountains, and took off his hat before he began. 



This opening tribute to the subject of his poem, no 

 less than to the poet and his words, was felt imme- 

 diately as an expression of character borne out, in 

 every line and feature as he stood there in the leaping 

 firelight, picturesquely outlined against the tall black 

 firs. 



Those Sunday night quotations were a revelation, 

 by the by, of the love of true poetry and the verbal mem- 

 ory possessed by the Mountaineers. The more out- 

 doors the person, the more quotations he knew. It was 

 something worth while when the man from Alaska gave 

 "Under the wide and starry sky," and when the second 

 in command gave, 



"Here's what I love, the blue sky above, 

 The wide clear space, and the open place, 

 And the life that fills." 



Or when Mr. Curtis, with such impressive voice, 

 quoted : 



"Oh, East is East and West is West, and never the 



twain shall meet. 

 Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great 



Judgment Seat ; 

 But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, 



nor Birth, 

 When two strong men stand face to face, tho they come 



from the ends of the earth !" 



Beside all this the president of the club proved a 

 veritable poet-laureate. From time to time he with- 

 drew to a cloistered space in Marmot Park and built a 

 friendly fire. Warmed by this and soothed by unfail- 

 ing cigars he celebrated in turn our mountain. 



