Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1882-11-16
THE LADY OR THE TIGER?
Thrilling Romance, with Conclusion of
Painful Interest.

Painful Interest.
In the very olden time there lived
seml-barbaric King, whose ideas, though
somewhat polished and sharpened by
The progressiveness of distant Latin
neighbors, were still large, horid, and
untrammeled, as became the half of
him which was barbaric. He was man
of exuberant fancy, and, withal, of an
authority so irresistible that, at his will.
he turned his varied fancies into facts
He was given greatly to self-commun-
ing, and, when he and himself agreed
upon anything, the thing was done.
When every member of his domestic
and political systems moved smoothly in
ITS appointed course, his nature was
bland and genial; but whenever there
was little hitch. and some Of the orbs
got out Of their orbits, he was bander
and more genial still, for nothing pleas
ed him so much as to make the ground
straight and crush down uneven places.
Among the borrowed notions by which
his barbarism had become senrilied was
that Of.
THE PUBLIC ARENA,
in which, by exhibitors Of manly and
bcastly valor, the minds Of his subjects
were refined and cultured.
But even here the exuberant and bar
oaric fancy asserted itself The arena
Of the King was built, not to give the
people an opportunity Of hearing the
rhapsodies Of dying gladiators. nor to
enable them to view the inevitable con-
clusion Of conflict between religious
opinions and hungry jaws bat for pur-
poses far better adapted to widen and
de- -lop the mental energies of the people
This vast amphtheatre, with its en-
circllng galleries. its mysterious vaults,
and its unseen passages, was an agent
of poetic justice, in which crime was
punished or virtue rewarded by the de-
crees OF an impartial and incorruptible
chance.
When a subject was accused of a
crime Of sufficient Importance to inter-
est the King, public notice was given
that on an appointed day,
THE FATE OF THE ACCUSED PERSON
would be decided in the Kings arena,
astructure which well deserved its name
for, although its form and plan were
borrowed from afar, its purpose eman-
ated solely from the brain Of this man,
who, every barleycorn a King, knew no
tradition to which he owed more allegi-
ance than pleased his fancy, and who
migrated on every adopted form of hui
man thought and action the rich growth
of his barbaric idealism.
When all the people had assembled in
the galleries and the King, surrounded
by his court, sat high upon his throne of
royal state on one side of the arena.
ne gave signal a door beneath him
nnnnQn and tho apettsa1 t,ioof e.f.o
out into the amphitheatre. Directly OPP
posite him, on the other side of the
inclosed space, were two doors. ex-
actly alike side by side. 1t was the
duty and the privilege of the person
on trial to walk directly to these doors
and open one of them. He could open
either door he pleased; he was subject
to no guidance or influence but that
of the aforementioned impartial and in
cOrruptble chance. If he opened the
one, there came out of it
HUNGRY TIGER,
the fiercest and most cruel that could
be procured which Immediately sprano
upon him and tore him to pieces us Il
punishment for his guilt. The moment
that the case of the criminal was thus
decided, doeful iron bells were changed
great walls went up from the hired
mourners posted ON the outer rim of the
arena, and the vast audience, with
bowed heads and downcast hearts.
wended slowly their homeward wav,
mourning greatly that one 50 young and
fair, or SO old and respected, should
have merited 50 dire fate
But, if the accused person opened the
other door, there came forth from il
LADY.
the most suitable to his years and sta
ton that his Majesty could select among
his fair subjects, aud to this lady he was
Immediately married rs n reward of hi
Innocence. 1t mattered not that he
might already possess awife and family,
or hat bis affections might be engaged
81 ipon an object Of his own selection;
the hiug allowed no such subordinate
arrangements toiu'-rfere with his c!eal
scheme Of ruWiJdtion and reward. me
exercises, as IN the other instance, tool,
place in the arena. Another door open
ed beneath the King. aud priest. fol-
lowed by q band of choristers and dane
ing maiiens blowing Joyous airs on
golden horns and treading an epitha!a-
mic measure. advanced to where the
par stood, side by side. and the wedding
was cheerily solemnized. Then the gay
brass bells rang forth their merry peals
the people shouted glad hurrahs. and
the innocent man, preceded by children
strewing flowers on his path, led his
bride to his home
This was the Kings semi-barbaric
method of administering Justice It's
perfect fairness is obvious. The criminal
could not know out of which door would
come the lady; he opened either he
pleased, without having the slightest
idea whether in the next instant he was
TO be
DEYOURED OR MARRIED.
On some occasions the tiger came out
of one door and on some out of the other
The decisions of this tribunal were not
only fair, they were positively determin-
ate; the accused person was instantly
punished if he found himself guilty, and
If innocent he was rewarded on the
cot, whether he liked it or not There
was no escape from the judgments of
the Kings arena.
The institution was very popular
one When the people gathered to-
gcther on one of the great trial days,
iltiN HtNtt kiANN hHtliitl iuGN NClt W
witness bloody slaughter or a hila ious
wedding. The element of uncertainty
lent an interest to the occasion which it
could not otherwise have attained.
Thus the masses were entertained and
pleased, and the thinking part of the
community could bring no charge of
unfairneSs against this plan. for did not
the accused person have the whole mat
ter in his own hands9
This semi-barbaric King had
A DAUGHTER As BLOOMING As HIS MOST
FLORID FANCIES,
Gnd with I soul rs fcrvent and imperi-
GUS as his own. As is usual in such
cases, she was the apple of his eye, and
was loved by him above AL humanity.
Among his courtiers was Young man
OF Jbat tneness of blood and lowness OF
station common to the conventional
heroes of romance who love royal maid
ems. This royal maiden was well salts
fled with her lover, for hpwas handsome
and brave 20 a degree unsurpassed 10 40
this Kingdom, and she loved him Wita
an ardor that had enough Of AarbariSm
in IL 10 make it exceedingly warm and
strong. This love affair moved on hap
pity for many months. until one dav