Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1877-09-21
TIL LION Tanner.

s'That lioness will be the death Of you
yet, joe"
"Psnaw!" and Joe Amberly, "the lion
tanner" Of a large travelling circus, laugh
ed at the predictions Of his assistant.
"You may laugh as much as you please:
but some day you will find l am right, and
that to your SORROW, though then 1t will be
too late.''
II have performed with all the animals
for some years, and never had any diff
Guilty"
you forget the one at Longtown."
t'That didn't amount to much. [ soon
brought them into subjection.''
"But the trouble commenced with this
same lioness.''
Eyes, though it wouldn't have been so
bad if those cats Of hunting leopards lad
not set up a yell, and drawn the black IT,
ger into the ARRAY
"She has @ bad temper when it is up
she is the most treacherous beast L ever
had OF had anything to do with. l have
been watching her close for @ couple Of
days" continued the assistant, land know
she is mighty cross-grained. So, depend
upon it, you are going to have trouble
81 don't see why, more than at any
other time"
"There are times--and you know it, ii
you will only rehect-and this is one of
them. If I was in your place, l wouldn't
try to show off to-day with any extras,
but just give a common performance, and
get out of the cage as quick as l could.'
'You know what we advertise, and
what d crowd has gathered
eyes, with a laugh; ''and we never
have done one-half there is in the bills.
Paper is cheap. gJoe.. but human life is
precious. Think how poorly off youwould
leave your wife and child if anything
should happen to you, and what would
become Of your wife if anything should
happen to the child?"
''Do not mention it -
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 az
dent, even passionate nature, 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 q pail Of
| blood into the cage with him.
1t was a very daring, foolhardy project
| at the best; but how much more so when
the beasts We're doubly savage and out Of
temper-when the slightest thing might
| arouse them to all their pristine fury, and
! the fierce blood of the wildern ess assert it.
| self IN all its tempestuous wrath.
But the husbandly and fatherly emo.
| tions were soon conquered, The habit Of
years and its 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 a mon.
ster in size, was inoffensive, tame an(
obedient. In the language Of the keepers
he was s'good for nothing but to make q
show and sit back in The corner, grind his
teeth and growi." Besides, he was his
friend, and upon more than one occasion
he had acted the part of a peace-maker
The leopards-a pair of spotted cheetahs-
were scarcely to be taken into considera
ton. The black tiger, the most rare anC
/ strikingly beautiful animal in any col
lection, was ordinarily quiet, though whe1
fully aroused not to be trifed with.
But the Honess was the especial one tc
| I,o +ol,o hn
mon power, with massive arms, long curry
| ing claws. 1.-THE and nervous as a serpent
teeth Sharp as needles, fleXile, t1eacherous,
smooth, taWny skin and yellow eyes that
flashed fercely. Never, even in her best
moods, had she been submissive, and hel
mildest play was rough in the extIeme,
The lion tanner turned from his com
panion to go and dress for his attractive
but dangerous performance; but before
doing SO. he visited the double cage anj
made d 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 himself fo7
having been needlessly disturbed, he passed
from the great canvas into a smaller com
partment, and found his wife and child
waiting for hinl-the one a young ant
beautiful woman, and the other very
fairy Of child, whose hair hung down up
on her back, as the brightest and finest o.
spun silk.
81 AM sorry, joe said the wife ant
mother, as her husband entered, "that yot
have consented to so foolish performance
as the one advertised for today
why, May?" and he looked most earn
estly at her.
"Because the ordinary performance il
hazardous enough
''Then you think this more so ?''
81 don't know that it isl she replied
having the utmost confidence in her hus
bands ability; "but somehow don't al
together fancy having Inez taken into thu
cage"
"You know my reason for consenting
and that it would never have been giver
had your assent not been first obtained. ,
"Certainly, and it was very good of yor
Il joe"