The Portland daily press., 1873-08-16
go Mrs. Graham" said he, 'it's all my

ION, I've been such a self-willed fool!
When l went for the horses l met Mr.. Moore
and he told me he had just heard that the IT,
ger had got loose, and l never let him know
that we were gong to Galoosa, because was
sure if l did he'd come up and put stop to
our ride; and didn't want to drive round by
the mill, for l thought the captain might
have heard, and all because l was so deter
mined to show | could drive and to have my
own way, and do what I'd set out to do, aid
| wouldn't believe there was any danger till
after we had started, and thea it began to
come over me what had done, and that was
why | wanted to take the short road, and
now l have killed you and Diana!'-and
poor Dick hid his face with moan OF re.
morse and despair.
Poor Dick Many piece OF boyisa wilful-
ness and selfconfdence l had known in my
time, but none that seemed likely to bear
such bitter fruit.
''Oh Dickr' was all that Diana said.
| 1t was no time for reproaches, AMI used
none, am glad to think; but 1 confess that
| for a moment [ felt bitterly resentful. Inc
beast below. hearing our voices, reared
| himself on his hind legs; and, as MS head
| nearly touched the boards on which we stood
| he tore at the wall with his claws until the
whole house shook, and the great spnters
| flew from the solid oal: logs. He switched
| his tail to and fro, and whined and chartered
his teeth like an angry cat that sees a bird
| just out of her reach, and then resumed his
| swift, restless movement to and fro. 1 could
not but gaze with a sort of Mortified admira-
| ton at the creatures dreadful beauty, the
| union of perfect grace and tremendous power
| displayed in every motion. The dog pressed
close to my side, and licked my hand; and
| then, as the tiger repassed the opening in the
| floor, he set up his bristles with low, deep
| howl. don't know how long we sat togeth-
| . ,opo tI,n in, no turili
garnet was hot and close, but we dared not
| open the shutter for a breath of all.
After time, our foe seemed to weary CT
| his restless march, and throwing his vast
weight and length along the floor, lay with
his eyes fixed on the hole in the ceiling, like
cat watching a mouse-hole. Even now some
times in dream, see those eyes as l saw
them then. 1t began to grow dusk, and the
little light there was in our prison grew
| DINNER.
| Suddenly, the dog began scratching at the
window-shutters, as though anxious to get
out. l tried to quiet him, but in vain; and
then, longing for breath of fresh air.. l ven
tuIed to open the shutter by fingers breadth.
The instant did so, the dog forced his way
| through, and from the roof of the little shed
| sprung to the ground, and sped away to the
swamp, but not toward home. / bolted the
shutter instantly, but the noise had reused the
| tiger, and, starting to his feet, he made the
| place echo and re-echo with his hoarse roar
Had he been genuine wild beast, used to
providing for himself and to hunting his own
dinner, our lease of life would have been
short; but having been brought up in cage,
he was not acute enough to look for another
opening into the place where his expected
| prey had taken refuge. l have seen petted
house-cat wholly at a loss to account for the
| disappearance OF a mouse, which she had
| chased into a crack having an opening al the
end opposite to that where Mrs. Puss had sat
down to watch, quite confident that the game
was her own. Darker and darker it grew,
and still the brute would not leave his place.
wondered that no one had come to seek
us; but did not know till afterwarl, that
''the colts, instead of going back to Maysville,
| had returned to their old home, eight miles
away from the village.
Diana kept herself very quiet, and poor
| Dick, except word or two of remorse
| and self-reproach, was equally silent. l
thought of our oldest boy our Ion, expected
| absence; OF the two little ones at home, and
their father, and for time there came upon
me horror OF great darkness.
The least grew more restless. He whined
and snarled, and struck savagely at the rafters
overhead; but the great beams held. Then
it seemed suddenly TO occur to his mind that
| there might be other means of reaching us,
and he rushed out doors and began prowling
| round aud round the house, as we could see
| through a crack or two between the logs.
We knew that, unless help came soon. we
were lost, and we drew closer together There
were few words of whispered prayer, and
then Dick, pale and determined, took his
place near the window.
I'VE heard he don't take but one when he
springs. Its my pace, SAID the boy.
Dana chung to him, sobbing for the first
time, and he gently mt her from him The
next instant the creature bounded to the roof
OF the shed. The crack in the shutter was
darkened; we heard him shutting impatiently,
ana then the shutter shook and trembled.
DICK opened his clasp-knite, piteously insult
no na "eapoi AGAINST she 4eariui claws IhaG
were .hen rehulhg ana tearing at the trail
"o .s0
m 0pen SnS LID - III rot =;
We oan ?wi ~ oeiselvcs uo"h auu set away.
~, Iuulu 1he i Gl pu' Di a Gun W
IL ,,,, lnuosl neTi W. ion ss
anan we couiG ,i nase nopeu, icr saw taa' .ne
, u,ei1 "ouu NC upon a9 in anotm ,,da n
- re",,sa ~ h;s attnoI ne rlonn Io,a
w pa ;ls an oi' 1s a.'aoA wa ro,
low niss en- anu mn,s',e, Ioar,
noS 'ar' , SnIue "a ,'1u .nGa an .t t s,aai
enahlsd ~ 1u oa t o inc e Ra ,hs
t .tan,,. Inc " recosni@e 'ne WIFI Vi 'he
'ni Nv. a L,a.au o,. 800,
Not caring 10 9eneVe tnat we were saved,
ato Str9oe ,rh;e, rne d uur '',o o.,
hoo was o M, of l;M Me co Tb medi tE on So o
Delow NC" a. VI. Ur sIShC tne enouI-
NY Snu .ire a., nan Gn9heu roai vi Ine tIser we
s,.;n,,s Ie'i Tue us uuS uathins "nu saoM,s
iutiouSiS. III lew minutes he callie Lying
| into the lower room' siiu anaole W leacn me-
Ne yeiped ana oance. III ilaIi'ic eA ii;
| he was followed ny d ta,i, iair, 1iue ta
giant OF man, VINO, onnoiulliS it'uy an ,
MN, CLIMBED up tne wal more iihe cav .nai
plan, and, reachlnS our place VI rei3Se; 'eI
marked as TO society III general: Weli' I
swami and then, hndIng tnat expression OF
feeling inadequate, wen 1 10 yum
rs the creature dead l askeu. g..
wen, no, ma am, say oilo ,,1t 10
such ne was; ne an, ueau, Su' ,- ne 80 sa,e
enough. You see, ne 'all' . Mii,u =, a.,
animal; ana ne am oau' 90 ''soi' So no
concluded IN tone Vi apoiosf. ,.
Here poor DIANA, WIN az ou.se
OF tears ana laughter, salu wa. nc 4iiSnt . hoI
be as bad, as tigers went put Il!al; as they
stayed, she thought Nun nighiy oo?scoioniao,e,
wen, spose ne 49, mss, salu oui new
iriend ;put we never calculatH W nave nun ~
IN around loose. DllC ne u VdlidDlc