The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-08-15
THE LION tanner.

THE LION tanner.
"That ioness will be the death Of
you yet, Joe" ,
"Pshaw p and Joe Amberly, "the
lion tanner" Of large travelling circus,
laughed at the predictions OF his as
sistant.
"You may laugh as much as you
please; but some day you will find am
right, and that to your sorrow, though
then it will be too late"
81 have performed with all the AMI
mails for some years, and'never had any
difficulty" .,
"You forget the one at Longtown."
"That didn't amount to much. l soon
brought them to subsection"
"But the trouble commenced with
this same honess.'
'"Yes, though it wouldn't have been
so bad il those cats of hunting leopards
had not set up a yell, and drawn the
black tiger into the affray."
"She has q bad temper when it is up
is the most treacherous beast | ever
fed or had any thing to do with. have
been watching her close for couple OF
days," continued the assistant, "and
know she is mighty cross grained. So,
depend upon it, you are going to have
trouble"
"Idon't see why more than at any
other time"
"There are times-and you know it,
if you will only rehect-and this is one
of them. IT I was in your place,
wouldn't try to show off to-day with any
extras, but just give common perform
ance, and get out Of the cage as quick as
could." -
"You know what we advertise, and
what a crowd has gathered.
eyes" with laugh; ''and know
we never have or do one half there is
in the. bills. Paper is cheap, Joe, but
human life is precious. Think how
poorly off You would leave your wife and
child if anything should happen to you,
and what wolld become of your wife if
anything should happen to the child?'
"Do not mention it u
The man who had handled and tanned
and toyed with the savage beasts as if
they had been harmless kittens, groaned
aloud at the thought. A man of the
most ardent, even passionate natule, he
bowed down in worship to his wife and
little girl. And that day it had been
advertised that he would take his child
and pail of blood into the cage with
him. '-''
It was very daring, foolhardy pro-
iect at the best; but how much more so
when the beasts were doubly savage and
out OF tempe--when the slightest thing
might arouse them to all their pristine
fury, and the fierce blood of the wilder
ness assert itself in all its tempestuous
wrath.
But the husbandly and fatherly
emotion was soon conquered. The habit
of years and his natural strength gave
him self-reliance; and it would take
more than idle words to turn him from
his purpose, no matter how dangerous it
might appear: to others.
The. old lion in the cage, though q
monster in size, was inoffensive, tame
and obedient. In the language of the
keepers, he was "good for nothing but
to make show and sit back in the cor
ner, grind his, teeth and growl." Besides,
he was his friend, and upon more than
one occasion he had acted the part OF a
peacemaker. The leopards-a pair oi
spotted cheetahs-were scarcely to be
taken into consideration. The black
tiger, the most rare and strikingly beau
tiftlf animal in any collection, was ordi-
narily quiet, though when fully aroused
not to be trifed with.
But the Iioness was the especial one
to be watched. She was beast OF un-
common power, with massive arms, long
curying claws, 1.-THE and nervous as q
serpent, teeth sharp as needles, fexile,
treacherous, smooth, tawny skin and
yellow eyes that flashed fiercely. Never,
even in her best moods, had she been
submissive, and her mildest play was
rough in the extreme.
The lion tanner turned from his COM
panioa to 60 and dress for his attractive
but dangerous performance but before
doing so, he visited the double cage, and
made q critical examination of the
beasts, who any instant might be to him
as fate. There was nothing to especially
awaken fear and, half vexed with him
self for having been needlessly dis
tlrsel, he passed from the great canvai
into a smaller compartment, and found
his wife and child waiting for him-the
one young and beautiful woman, an6
the other very fairy of child, whose
hair hung down upon her back, as the
brightest and finest of spun silk.
. - g l am sorry, Joe, p" said the wife ant
mother, as her husband entered, "tha
you have consented to so foolish a per
formance as the one advertised for to
day
"Why, May ?" and he looked mos
earnestly at her.
"Be,ause the ordinary performance il
hazardous enough"
"Then you think this more SO %
81 don't know that it is, she replied
having the utmost confidence in hel
husbands ability; "but somehow
don't altogether fancy having Inez takel
into the cage" -
u "You know my reason for consenting
and that it would never have been give1
had your assent not been first obtained.
Certainly, and it WAS very good O.
you, Joe"
"That it was promised on account O
my salary being raised"
"Yss.'
And TINT it was to secure the rise o.
sMary, SO as the sooner TO accumulate