The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1873-03-04

oiehuS, "ilic tuS tiSCi pe'uiuCo w anu
fro over the switch he held for him as if
his sleek curves were made Of nothing
but caoutchouc. 1t was plain that the
creatures loved the man; they reached
out their long, rough tongues and licked
him-he had fed them and tended them
As l thought thus, ,Bartouro flung aside
the first partition Of iron bars with
thrust, and was in the central cage, step
ping quickly to the lioness aud switching
her till she rose upon her feet; catching
the hairy little cubs in his arms, and
throwing them about like juggler's balls;
calling the hon to his side, and lying
down between them all, as if for peace
fnl repose in the bosom of his family
Meanwhile the tiger came and stretch
ed himself at his feet, and one of the
leppards amused himself by boxing an
experiment little cub, while another
leopard retired to the furthest corner of
the cage, and appeared to keep watch
like sentinel over the domestic scene
II was, after all, charming sight, and
the place rang with plaudits,
Suddenly, the DauntIess Bartouro
sprang to his feet, bowed again to the
audience, stepped and threw open the
last partition. My tongue clave to the
roof of my mouth with horror; the
whole amphitheater hung upon one
breath. The three compartments were
now single cage-bnt the animals in
the 4 st portion hurriedly huddled them
selves together in the remotest part, cow
ering and whining, and trembling ab-
jectlv. -
But, with a magnificent fearlessness,
Bartouro trod swiftly toward the lion,
who still stood erect, holding by his tre-
meidous paws to the side Of the cage,
his huge black name rising and bristling
round him as If instinct with savage life
itself, while he turned his head at the
clang of the iron bals, and glsred with
red hot eyes upon Bartouro.
Come back For heavens s sake, come
back! y cried the circus master, darting
across the arena toward the cage. sit
is the new lion, you are a dead man!"'
The whole audience rose. Oh, the
cruel handsome faces of those dead and
gone Roman women these were not
their ghosts. But Bartouro did not
vouchsafe him glance -only he trod
swiftly forward, aud struck the great
beast tingling blow in the face.
1t was the death blow of coursge. The
lion, amazed for one heart beat, with the
next did not pause to crouch ere spring
ing, but had thrown himself in one mass
upon Bartoaro, who tottered and half.
fell, but rose again, and lifted his arms
that were like springs of steel, to thrus
the beast away. Then, as if lightning
fell, the arms dropped powerless, the
man sank slowly down, his eyes wide
open and staring on the lion, his fact
tvhiter than ashes, the blood pouring
from his side.
Women were fainting now in the au
ldience. children were shrieking, mel
were springing forward; the people O
E,he menagerie were running to get som
weapon, an ak, a pistol. anything; Their
was not one who dared to enter the Gag
and snatch his prey from the dreadful
thing which would devour it before ou
very eyes for all we knew.
All at once,in that swift breathless in
stant. ball Of tire shot through the al
from one end of the cage to the other
1t was the leopard who had sat sentinel
In moment his mate had followed, =
Oae had no time to note their superl
beauty, nor to wonder at their furiou
spring, before the tiger had hurled him
self after them, and all three had falle
with yell on the lion, who tore hi
claws away, and half forgot Bartouro t
tdrn on them. 8a a#
Whether ii was love of their masters o
whether some forest scent, still lingering
, about the wild brute, had reused tn
never before-swakened rage of thei
, blood, no one can say; they were givih
! their lives for Bartouro-so much wa
, certain "a bsS ,i1-.
Come outcome outn we cried j
one voice. "Oh, you are mad, Bartot
ro!'
He did not deign US look; but hi
voice rose over the snarla and roar an
cry of the struggling beasts, and owe
the uproar awakened in the neighborin
cages, like blast. of wind:
s.And leave my leopards to die ?"
/, In moment he had darted forwart
the helpless arm dangling from h
shoulder, but his right hand grasping hi
whip; and as the lion, turning at the sic
= glance which he caught of his first az
sailant. regardless of the leopards {
+ tigers, shook them off with might
:, shudder, and collected himself for Sc
ono leap upon him, Bartouro ran up wi
his whip, and Suddenly. with the preci:
:. ion of marksman, he had fecked j
thong first in one eye of the lion, al
4 then in the other, slipping aside as I'll
r liop rose on its spring with a yell of pa
q and y,and fell sprawling and rolllr
! over, striking against the iron sides
The cage, gathering itself together agai
and crouching as still as the sphinx.
Another ray of light never enter'
81 those thong -fecked eyes-the hon W
stone blind from that day.
4 The whole scene had not occupi
three miautes. AT its close, Bartoa
I caught his torn leopards and toss
+ them into the other end of the inclosul
single-armed. drew his tiger, althou!
q badly manned, away by the jaws;clang
down the iron door betWeeu Stepp
r. out, shut the cage behind him, bowed
Il. the audience-just as the circus mast
a. and his assistants dashed in with gu
ne and swords-and ran off as If he had
re more than trod upon fly r9
,f But never since that time have ste
re- ped inside the pavilion Of any Gre
is Moral Exhibition.
e H"Do you believe in forerunners
is asked old Mrs Quilp of Bob Hasting
y Il