The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1884-01-23
THE PRAIRIE KING.
THE PUMA OF THE WESTERN PLAINS
stirring Picture OF His Preparations for
IA Fenst-The wild Horse.

IRON the Detroit Free Press.
Look ont There is gurgle-a grow
"A warning OF danger which sends tn
chills creeping over you, and from tn,
high grass springing up around th,
skeleton furthest away head is lifted
into view. II is the head OF the Ameri
can lion-the puma Of the plains IT
CLASSY eyes are watching you-its yellow
faDgs work as If they were tearing youi
flesh Is he crouching for spring
Has he been waiting and watching for
this last half hour?
Now there is u whine Of hunger and
pain, and as you watch for that horrible
head to be raised again tawny form
creeps out OF its hiding-place and pulls
itself out upon the short grass and into
the full glare Of the sunshine. Soho !
The king is q cripple! He is dragging
a shoulder and leg after him as he moves,
and he is willing to vacate without
fight.
Now you have the mystery. The key
is five miles up the valley, where you see
that band of wild horses coming down
at n round trot. The king has had
fat thingof it. The grove was his palace.
That big cottonwood with his claw marks
by the hundred was his throne. The
wild horses came here to drink, and his
royal highness has Toasted az becomes n
king. A fat horse Oh the grass-a spring
at his heels no one to modest him ut his
meals or during his slumbers-who
wouldn't be a nabob?
These skeletons are clean-pickeo.
That proves much. 1t was weeks ago
that the last horse was borne to the
ground in "A terrific struggle for life. He
did not save himself, but he inflicted such
damage that his royal highness has been
plcbian cripple ever since. Pain and
hunger have made him whine and beg,
and the coyotes have dared to invade his
realm and gnaw at the bones within a
hundred feet of his bed. In his strength
they feared and respected him; in his
distress they mock him and exhibit con.
tempt.
The palace of his royal highness has
been invaded, and he must go. He who
has never shown mercy can expect none
The forest will give him hiding place,
il not food and drink, and he will drag
himself across that weary stretch Of
grass to secure cover. He moves
slowly Every foot of progress gives
him pain, and at every ten feet he pailses
and looks back and seems to wonder if
it would not be more in keeping with his
record to limp back and have it out
with the invader.
Let him alone and watch the horses.
The whole band have halted. Every
head is up, every nostril is shifting the
air, and every eye is watching the Grip.
pied king as he slowly increases his dis.
lance from shelter. He IS growing and
complaining, and has eyes only for you.
Now he hobbies on three legs, uttering
short barks-now he draws himself along
on his belly and growls as if he had a |
victim within reach Of his fangs.
Watch the horses They stand stock |
still, every head thrust ont and every
eye marking off the distance between the |
crippled king and the grove. In quar-
ter OF an hour there is half mile of |
open ground between the first cotton.
wood aud the spot where the fugitive
has halted for Il long look backward. |
He hns turned his face toward the forest
when there is sudden movement |
among the horses The band divides.
a portion rush to the right to cnt of
retreat to the grove-the rest bear
slrelght down upon the king. He hears
the rush OF fect-he raises his head for
one swift glance, and then there is a roar
OF mingled defiance and despair
His royal bighness is cornerod. his
escape cut of. He makes dozen bounds
forward, forgetting for the instant his
broken shoulder, and then he hats and
laces the rush, whining, begging, growl.
ng--a coward i'll the face of danger. A
coward? Mol He weakened in the first
moment of despair, but now his courage
leturns and he roars defiance. If he
must die it shall he the death of king.
Watch the horsesl They have
formed circle about him and are closing
with rush, but slowly and
coqllettlshly--pawing at the earth
III alarm--tossing their heads
to distract his attention. But for his
hurt the king would ride away upon one
If their backs. He settles down in the
eyes glare-his tail move,
lervousl y-his claws dig into the sod
ook ont for him
The circle is not fifty feet from him
When the advance suddenly ceases. and
stout, rangy stallion, whose muscles
tand out in ridges and whose eyes are
brighter than stars, steps ont alone. Hc
) the king of the wild horse band. II b
king against king. He looks straight u
ito the eyes of the crouching beast as t
advances, and every nerve IN | mus !
@ is playing with excitement. Step =
ep! step! Look out! That growl d
cans blood The eyes of the crippled c
ng take on greencr glare-the claws
& deeper-there he springs!
FREDERICK ZrNssER, RESIDENT of
onnecticut, had an unpleasant expert
nee during q recent visit to his old
ONE in Germany, from which he has inst
'turned. Within few days after his =
rival there he was taken into custody "
y the military authorities for service in
lie army. He produced naturalization m
lpers, showing nineteen years resi-. ",
,nce in the United States, and that he "
ms citizen of this country, but the
liberties refused to accept them. til
inally, after being in uniform two DAYS. Y,
> accepted the alternative of paying n vi
IN OF money in lieu of service and was Il
leased. He says he will never revisit
q old home. a,