Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-12-13

UoWp0T, 6uO tuf0W 70 VQo mOQ80
plentiful portion of the food provided
for himself The animal devoured il
share without any effort to resume
any of its tricksy familiarities. and an
attempt of Luigi's to coax it within
reach of his hand was unsuccessful
At the end of two or three days more
the prisoners condition had become
pitia5le. The tray now descended but
three times in the day. and the scanty
provision which it brought made him
look forw ard to each new arrival with
feverish anxiety. He did not deny the
mouse a share, but threw it the crumbs
with grudging hand. and the secret
hostility between the two grew hourly
stronger. The mouse no longer plagued
him with excessive attentions. but
would take refuge on some niche in
the stones above Luigi's head. and
there sit for hour after hour in the un-
broken silence of the cell. its black and
sparkling eyes staring at him with q
persistence which he could not escape.
1t was in vain that he tried to distract
his attention by turning his mind to
scenes of his own past life. or
letting it linger over such philosophi-
cal speculatiOns as would formerly
have sufficed to Danish every other
thought. Through all the windings of
his brain the consciousness of that UNI
changing gaze pursued him. If he
tried to battle more openly with his
enemy, and to stare down his OPP
ponent, matters were still worse. He
could not look into the mouse's eyes
for more than a few seconds without
their seeming to dilate and glitter
with a harder light, until his mind felt
paralyzed in the grasp of some wicked
and incomprehensible power. Every
time he subjected himself to the trial
it was more difficult to shake of the
influence. until he avoided
the mouse's eyes resolutely. and when
the consciousness that they were fixed
upon him forced him for an instant to
turn and meet them, he fairly
screamed with dread. He might have
banished the creature by violence, but
he had an inexplicable repugnance to
thus acknowledging his fear Of it, and
proving by a recourse to such brutal
means the reality of its weird hold
upon him.
Added to this were his physical
sufferings from the daily decrease in
his allowance of food. so that he now
experienced the pangs of
hunger. Three days more passed.
The shelf now descended but once in
The twenty-four hours. and even then
brought him. in the shape of a crust
Of bread and a sip of water. barely
to sustain life. There was
now a constant struggle between
Luigi and the mouse as to which
should secure this pittance 1t was
true that the greater strength of the
man enabled him to keep the mouse
off when it approached him too closely
At his meals But strength. he learned.
was not the only thing in question.
The want of food rendered him sleep
ess, and ,orce, unsatisfiod with his
nockery of q meal, he watched for
hours, without rest. for
he return Of the shelf. When the
my portal burst asunder he leaped
Onward and stretched his hand into
he opening. only to find the mouse
here before him. After a brief strug-
.le. Luigi. although weak from his
succeeded in rescaling the
precious morsels from the animal,
hough at the cost of some severe
bites. The two glared savagely at
ZACH other while the man devoured the
'read.' The mouse jumped down just
n time to escape the rapid ascent of
he shelf, and contrary tn its usual |
custom. retreated from the coll.
luigi. with his hunger still unap-
watched uneasily for the re-
urn of his little prosecutor. but it did |
lot come back. and there suddenly
ell upon the unhappy man q dull
which he could not shake
fl. He rose and paced his dungeon.
tut finally stumbled and fell from
heer inability to lift his feet He
rould have been unable TO resist for
moment his desire to sleep. had it
ot been for dread of his enemy. Sup.
'ose the shelf should descend during
is slumbers? But even this fear was
insufficient to stimulate his tagging
overs; the forces of life slowly with
rev to the remote recesses Of his
rain. and he sank into sleep that
'as almost swoon. All day his face.
launched with suffering and hunger.
leaned white aud motionless in the
sint light of the cell; all night his
so weak it scarcely stirred
ne heavy air, trembled through the
lack silence.
Suddenly he woke with q start He
ad been reused by some sharp noise.
everting to his last waking thought,
e sprang to the shaft, only to see the
louse sitting on the empty shelf be-
de an overturned Watering and an
mpty platter. The creature seemed
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