St. Landry democrat., 1883-06-16

from the tiger and give him to her rival. Th
raising her right hand, indicates that he shal
open the door on the right. He advances t.
-obey-there Mr.. Stockton leaves him. TIL
story aroused great deal of curiosity, an
many solutions have been attempted. TIL
Wlttiest and best of them all Is by MajO
Joseph Kirkland, of Chicago, and is pub
lished in a recent number of the Century, a
THE PROBLEM.
"A monarch wise; two ladies fair;
A youth not blessed with rank or money,
A Royal Tiger from his lair;
These are our dTGnlGtis persona.
The King was great! That potentate
Full wisely steered the ship of State;
And d most nos Of all his shrewdness showed
An amphitheater nobly used,
Served as court where each accused
BY his own act strict justice got;
Or twas has fault if he did not.
The culprit, real or supposed,
Was placed before two portals, closed;
Then, uncontrolled. self-guided quite,
Behind the one, in wait for him,
a tiger lurked, severe and grim.
The other mid lovely maid,
Young, rich, for Wedlock all arrayed.
Which door to open2 Death or life?
No wonder If he gasped and tarried:
We all do when we'er killed-or married.
The trial. from its institution,
Down to the final execution
Not having any lawyers in it,,
Took just the space Of half a minute.
In this grand scheme of penal laws
So free from doubt, delay, excitement
Each of the tigers separate claws
Was separate clause " In the Indictment
Said we not well this King was shrewd
Who this strong, simple plan pursued2
The crowd amused-Law yindcated-
The tigers fed-the maidenS matedi
The Kings own daughters inclination
Was toward youth of lowly station.
And since he was, like Barkis . willin',
He must have been hardened villain.
So the police pursued him, caught him,
And to the Colosseum brought him;
And thither came the monarch proud,
The Princess, and the baSer crowd.
Behind the scenes another maiden
Mhe eo w a. al bah nsr g
The tiger-With his appetite.
The throng now see the culprit enter
And pause at tho arenas center:
Turn, face the royal box, and bow;
Alas. How feels the Princess now2
Knows the dread problem of the gates
Which hides her rivals hateful face,
And which the tigers lurking-place.
Her luckless lover vainly tries
To read her secret in her eyes.
What sign can reach his straining sight?
She lifts one lily hand-the right!
He sees the sign: he must obey;
He bows again and turns away;
Faces the double-gated wall,
Advances firmly, and-thats all!
Right here the story lalts. The sequel
Its author left with chances equal.
Did Love decree the youths survival,
Although united to q rival?
1.-THE SOLUTION.
This tiger, savage, sleek and strong,
Had tasted there alone and long,
And grown to be far hungrier than
Wild quadrupedal Doctor Tanner.
He shifted the wall that did divide
Him from the maid on t'other side.
One sniff, two shifts, three shifts were all;
Then he forthwith tore dotcn the apaa.
Sir Tiger now has had his fill:
Another pound would make him i'll.
He's.no more need for persons raw
Than Barnum's tiger stuffed with straw
Too long we've let our hero stand
Since his fair Princess raised her hand.
Boldly he opes the right-hand portal
Then staggers back in terror mortal!
From out the gateway, crouching low,
The tiger steps, sedate and slow.
Stops, stoops, unsheathes and sheathes his
g5S3 claws,
While all may note the awful pawsl
He gives the youth scornful glance,
And passes on with looks askance.
He does not seem to care to eat HIM
Meets him, in fact, but doesn't meat him.
He smooths his whiskers, walks the ring,
Winks at the Princess and her lover,
Then smiles serenely at the King
And scans the multitude all over.
His Iordly form and bearing made
Fit setting for the part he played.
He on the sands of that theayter
From top to toe looked glad he ate her.
He pcered and purred and paced awhile,
with that same soft, seductive smile,
Then to a shady corner crept
And laid him down and sweetly slept.
The King in this portent Sees
Ouoth he, while quake the royal knees:
.sGo, daughter. quickly as you can
And wed that praiseworthy young man.
The Princess trips across the sands
To where her lover, waiting, stands.
They re married fast, mid cheers and laughter,
And then--live happy ever after.
OFT did the swain in later life
Demand the secret from his wife;
And by all arts strove to Oblige her
To tell apfich door had hid the tiger
But she, as all historians say,
Kept silent to her dying day:
So no step further ever made he
10 solve the problem death or Lady
sThe g is soft here.
MISS HILDRETH.
III must have q peacock, John, !" said
Miss Hildreth, as She met her man-ser-
want on the lawn. He would look 50