Wichita eagle., 1889-06-06
A NIGHT OF TERROR.

CnanC DONG business IN the CITY or new
York, resides in one of the numerous
suburban towns of New Jersey. The
train takes him to his business in the
morning, and returns him safely to his
home at night.
Last Thursday evening a surprise
awaited him on his arrival home. The
usually peaceful suburb presented a
scene of extraordinary excitement. Sub
stantial and staid citizens were patrolling
the principal streets armed with shot
( guns and revolvers, and the whole vii
/ lage appeared to be as il on the eve of a
sanguinary revolution. On inquiry Mr..
Hartley learned that this unwonted con-
dition of affairs was occasioned by the
escape of large Bengal tiger, said to be
of the man eating species and very
fierce, which had that afternoon made
its escape from travelling circus which
had been encan1ped just outside the vii
lage for the last two days. Up to that
time, p. NJ, no trace of the animal had
been discovered.
The proprietors of the circus thought
that he had taken to the woods, and
knowing from experience that animals
which have been long confined do not,
as rule, wander far from their cages,
they cheerfully predicted his easy cap
ture in the morning.
On reaching his house the merchant,
in lieu of the warm welcome which usu-
ally awaited him, found all the doors and
windows tightly closed. For the first
time in their married life Mrs. Hartley
was not at the front door to meet him.
Instead, he found her with spectral face
peeping timidly through the parlor win
dow.
''Oh. my dear, such an awful thing
has happened"-
I've heard all about it, interrupted
the husband. "You needn't be at all
frightened. The beast is miles off by
this time, deep into the woods"
When the time for retiring had ar
rived the merchant had succeeded in
laughing away his wifes fears, and by
dint OF much verbal soothing strip had
restored her badly shaken nerves to
something like their normal tranquility.
Thus treasured, Mrs. Hartley soon sank
into a sound slumber; but, try as he
would, the merchants attempts to fol-
low his good lady's example that night
proved singularly abortive.
Hour after hour passed, which he had
vainly occupied in going through ali the
we'll known formula for producing
sleep, such as counting droves of pigs,
sheep jumping by rnyriads over impossi-
bic fences, and running the gamut of
those curious devices popularity sup
posed to induce slumber, when he sud
denly became aware by that peculiar in
stinct which man shares in common
with the lower animals, and which in
times of danger sometimes becomes in
tenSely and abnormally acute, of an I'M
seen presence in the apartment.
Another minute crept slowly by, dur
ing which the merchant lay in state of
nervous apprehension, vainly endeavor-
ing to shake off the indefinable feeling
of dread which had taken possession of
him 1t was while he thus lay listening
intently that he became for the first time
conscious of low, deep, ominous whiS-
per, which seemed 70 issue from the
further corner Of the room, into the re-
moter parts of which the rays of the
from the neighboring tree tops, barely
penetrated.
He listened to this peculiar noise for
some moments, the sound increasing in
volume and seeming to move from place
TO place, and gradually deepening into
hoarse and cat like purr, sound which
sent cold thrill of horror through his
whole frame, as at the same instant there
flashed through his mind the words, 1.-The
tiger! the tigerl" Hardly daring to
breathe, he slowly raised himself on his
right elbow and peered cautiously in the
direction from which the sound pro-
ceeded- As he thus raised himself, the
moon, which had been for few seconds
obscured by passing cloud, broke forth
from its fleecy covering and shot pale
CLEAN of light into the interior of the
apartment.
The hoarse purring sound still con-
tinued. and as the merchant concentrated
his gaze in the direction from which it
came, with catlike and noiseless tread
there slowly emerged into the strip of
moonlight an object which held him
motionless in a sudden paroxysm Of ter
ror, as with straining eyeballs he saw,
brought out in full relief against the fur
Their wall. the head and shoulders of
full grown Bengal tiger. Even in the
extremity of his terror he could not help
noticing it infinitely. 1t was an enor-
NOUS beast. Without trace of name,
its smooth and sinuous form upholding
the small but ferocious head, 1t seemed
the embodiment of resistleSs strength.
a bright tawny yellow, its body was
beautifully marked with dark transverse
bands, passing into pure white on the
under parts. The tail was long and full
and undulated in snake like movements.
1t fang Ike teeth, barred by the dropping
under jaw. shone white and cruel in the
moonlight. The expression on its face
as it moved silently forward, and raising
its head shifted eagerly in the night air,
was appalling. 1t was the expression of
a demon
Mr. Hartley does not know what pre-
vent him from screaming aloud with
terror. Perhaps the thought of the help
e. less woman sleeping in peaceful uncon-
sciousness bY his sidei perhaps sheer in