Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-12-20
faE LADY ON THE TIGER.
A sequel 10 "a half Told Magk.
zine Story.

~ -
A majority Of The reading pubic Of
sau Francisco is inst now amusing
itself over the momentous question,
"Who came out Of the right hand
door?s The Century for November.
contained O BIT Of grotesque absurdity
b. Frank Stockton, entitled THE
Lady or the TigeI?" TO appreciate
the interest which the question has
excited, it is necessary to understand
the story. A powerful and absolute
Eastern King, Just enough inoculated
with civilization to be consistently
and ingeniously barbarous, after can
vsssing the relative merits of the test
BY hemlock and hensbane and Of trial
BY Jury, conceived the following
scheme Of perfect justice:
He caused to be constructed a vast
amphitheater called THE Kings
Arena" Whenever any one was
accused Of a crime sufficiently black
to merit the attention of the King the
accused was cast into prison and it
was announced that on a certain day
he would be brought into the arena.
On the floor Of the arena, opposite
the Kibg'a high throne. were two
doors. When the prisoner was brought
into the arena he was allowed'to look
once around The vast ampbitheater.
He then bowed to the King, and i'm
mediately thereafter crossed the arena
and opened one of the doors. Now,
behind one Of those doors was a lady,
generally youag, fair. amiable and
with a generous dowry, but always
suitable for the age, station, temper
and character Of The accused.
Behind the other door crouched
a fierce and furnishing tiger.
The accused could not
possibly know behind which door
lurked the tiger or waited the lady.
Hence the exact Justice OF the scheme
The accused might open either door
he pleased, and blind and impartial
chance decided which door, if the
accused opened the lady's door he was
married to her forthwith, whether he
had another wife or not.
s: smoothly worked this plan that
the divorce will Of the kingdom was
kept running at its maximum capacity
in order to free those fortunate or
unfortunate husbands who had found
the lady's door. But after a while a
pr,s1mp Jus youth Of the people
dared to fall in love with the Kiug's
pet daughter, whom the King loved as
the apple Of his eye. The King's
daughter returned the young man.
love, for. though not of royal blood, be
was handsome and brave and good, and
drove the finest tandem in all the
kingdom. But they met once too
often, presumably at tho free library,
and the royal papa found ii
on.. The daughter was taken home
and the young man dragged to a dun
geon cell. The next day it was an
nOunced that the culprit would be
brought into the Kings arena. I'm.
mediately society, 10 a body, decided
to be in at the death. On the morn.
ing Of the trial the amphitheater was
packed. But the Princess had not
been idle. To the cunning Of barba.
rian she added the persist.
snt cleverness OF a civilized modern
detective. She had bribed the most
trusted servants Of the King. When
her lover was led into the arena the
Princess knew behind which door
crouehed the tiger, behind which
waited the lady. And the lover, read
ing his sEeethesrts eyes, to all others
inscrutable, to him eloquent with
meaning. detected a swift signal. and.
acting thereon, opened the right hand
door.
Nov here the story closes. Whether
the lady or the tiger was behind the
door Is not told. The question, the
author tells Us. demands for its sOlu-
ton . knowledge Of al the intricate
mechanism OF human affection. bar.
barian as we'll as civilized. Love and
hate, trust and Jealousy, selfshness
and self a~bnegation, must all be
weighed, measured and put into an
equsuon Of two or more unknown
Quantities before any decision fairly
may be reached. Until put into
action a wOman's ideas Of good or of
al are always unknown qualities. So
1t seems idle to seek 10 determine
whether the Princess would have
counted the agony Of seeing her lover
welded 70 another less or greater than
the horror Of seeing him torn into
sanguinary tit-bits by a proper raven
Gus tiger. SO much may be said on
both sides that q is reminded of the
famous problem Of the owl. ibid
the irst owl come from the egg or the
nrst egg from the owl?" Msnifestlv
1t would have been unjust 10
rest the solution Of so perplex
ing study upon anything 50
Intangible as the analysis Of a woman's
reasoning, Fortunately there is no
need William Taylor, of this citv. a
gentleman profoundly versed in The
folk lore OF India, has uuearthed the
Following sequel 70 the story SO exas.
p%eratingly broken Of 10 the paraphrase
OF MI. Stockton. Without the slightest
hesitation he went to the right hand
door and opened it. He did not know
That his royal sweetheart had threaded
All the devious mazes Of passion"
ere she arrived at her decision. He
believed that she knew that life at the
price named would not be worth the
having. So he believed that behind
tne right hand door lurked the
tiger. he opened it and there
stepped forth the lady. The lover
looked at his sweetheart reproacb.
fully, at her rival respectfully, but
sadly; Then he turned away, walked
rapidly to the left hand door and
opened that. There was a bound a
roar, a shrill scream. a siokeninS
welter. But il was not the lover
whose mangled limbs the savage beast
was Hereby %crunching. With the
u1talling accuracy of discrimination
which is a trait Of his royal lineage
the tiger has chosen the lady for lis
rspast, ard the lover stood unscathed
he would have been unworthy i'm.
mortality if he had not taken The
iargess Of fate at its face value. ps
did. He passed through the doorand
closed Il, The Princess tainted. the
hing relented, the lovers were wed
and In lieu Of trial by blind chance the
generous monarch instituted the sys.
tenn of an elective judiciary.
The Combination OF Ip,ro0,.