The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1881-11-18
HERNIA, THE LI0N-TAMER:

1t was in the beginning of the year
1859 when the famous Harsberg men
agerie came to Bucharest for the first
time. All the town was in state of
great excitement about the number
and rarity of the animals, the beauty
OF the lions, and above all about the
tanner, who performed some remarkable
feats of strength. Herman Dalstren
was her name she was young Sweed,
beautiful, distinguished, bold and un-
approachable. 1t is true that she was
supposed to be the mistress of the
owner of the menagerie; but the rich
Boyards who lavished homage upon her
in order to win her good grace were
met only by cold politeness and sar-
castle haughtiness which drove them
away. She lived with the Harsberg
family at the first hotel in the town,
went to the managerie and returned
rom it in carriage like a lady of
high degree received no visits, and
was never seen alone either in the
street or anywhere else. This vestal
severity puzzled the galiants as we'll as
the ordinary mortals, so that the
Swedish lion-tamer soon became as
popular at Bucharest as La Catalina
and Lola Montez.
One night Prince Maniasko, the
spoilt child of the ladies of Bucharest.
who had just returned from an excur-
sion to Paris, came to the managerie
He reviewed the different animals in
company with some friends, was highly
amused by the explanations and by the
feeding, and at last stopped before the
lions cage awaiting the arrival of the
beautiful Sweed with a special smile
on his lips. Suddenly a little door
opened in the back wall of the cage
and Herman appeared in the midst of
frantic applauses. She threw of, with
an indescribable movement of pride,
the large silk cloak that covered her,
and advanced into the cage dressed in
a costum OF white satin bordered with
ermine, a whip in her hand, tall, slen-
der, with the nobelest face in the world,
to which her golden curls and her fresh
color impaired an irresistible grace.
The prince was at once fascinated; he
followed each of her movements with
feverish agitation, His heart beat
when she placed her pretty head in
the terrible lions mouth, and he trem-
bled, half for pleasure, half for fear,
when she began to harangue the dis
obedient animals and kick and fog
them.
Hardly had Herman left the cage
when the Prince Manasko was bowing
down before her while she put on her
cloak with the aid Of Edgar, Harsberg's
son, a young man OF remarkable beauty.
She fixed her blue eyes, astonished and
almgst frightened, upon the ideal of
a beautiful, almost femme figure she
did not reply to his questsons proudly
nd.coldly, but with embarrassment and
and with smile of indescribable sweet.
ness.
The prince came every night, and
Herman received him not only with
atfability, but she even looked for him
with rapid glance as soon as she en-
tered the cage, and when she left il she
stamped her foot II the prince was not
there to help her on with her cloak.
But that was all the prince could
obtain, and the more untractable she
showed herself to his prayers, the more
he was urged on by a diabolical desire
to possess her. An unexpected rival
came to his aid. Edgar said to HERNIA
one night with trembling voice be-
fore she entered the cage.