Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-05-16

feeling grew upon him that if be shoulC
once remove his eyes from the fierce and
glaring orbs which glistened with such ;
baleful CLEAN as they met his own, that a
that moment the animal would spring upor
him. Rapidly, as he became by degrees
little calmer, he resolved in his mind the
best thing to be done. He must wake hi:
wife, but how to do so without attracting
the attention Of the animal and hastenins
the impending attack was problem difficult
Of solution. Somehow or other, as will
really brave men in the most trying situa
tons, when face to face with danger, hi:
innate courage nerved him TO the emer
gency. Keeping his eyes steadily fixed
upon the tiger, ne placed his left hand be
hind him and very slowly and with infinite
caution pressed it gently down over Mrs
Hartleys mouth. 1t was dreadful mo
ment If she should cry out the ferociou:
beast, which had already begun to show
symptoms of anger, and appeared to be
gathering itself for spring, would IN
dOubtedly leap upon them.
At that moment Mrs. Hartley half reused
herself from sleep. She murmured some
thing unintelhgible.
my dear" said the merchant, in a low
constrained voice, ''are you awake!"
Yes, came back the dreamy response
and again he pressed his hand. this time
more decidedly, upon the face of the half
conscious woman.
What is it!'' she asked.
'Hush! Do not stir, on your life. Looh
over my shoulder. Quietly; be brave, lit
tie woman; remember, your life depends
upon your silencer'
The unfortunate man felt his wife trem-
BILE from head TO foot, as in obedience to his
| instructions, she glanced in the direction
indicated, where their awful foe confronted
them.
Il see it." the whispered. But beyond
this, and the involuntary tightening of her
grasp upon the husbands arm, the plucky
woman made no sign. Face to face with
| danger, her courageous nature asserted it
self, and the woman who would have run
shrieking from a mouse lay comparatively
calm and collected in the presence of almost
certain death.
| Having thus awakened his wife to the
| dangers of their situation, the merchant. a
man of much resource, was quick to act.
The bed upon which they lay was an old
fashioned and heavy one, solidly built of
mahogany. Like most old-fashioned bed
steads, it stood close to the floor, so that a
man could but barely squeeze under it,
|
ing able to get beneath this shelter before
the animal should make the fatal leap which
they were now every moment expecting.
With admirable coolness, never for a mo-
ment removing his eyes from those of the
| tiger, he instructed his wife to creep out
softly on her side and get under the bed.
she being next the wall. In few mo-
F, ments, the words 'All right coming from
beneath, assured him that the plucky little
woman had successfully accomplished the
feat. Now to get there himself Suddenly
Selling all the bedclothes in his hands, with
loud cry the merchant sprang towards the
tiger, and ere the startled beast could ex-
trlcate himself from the coverings thus
hurled upon him, Mr.. Hartley had also
squeezed his way in under the bed.
THE corner! The cornerl he shouted
desperately, and realizing the intentions of
her husband, Mrs Hartley assisted him to
push the heavy bedstead up into the corner
of the room, thus leaving only two sides of
their ingeniously -contrived fortress open to
attack. 1t soon came With bloodhound
ling yell, having disentangled himself from
the clothes, the enraged animal sprang
forward. Maddened at the escape of his
prey, he thrust his huge paws again and
again beneath the bed, uttering deep
mouthed cries and endeavoring to force his
massive head and shoulders beneath the
bedstead. Realizing that their lives de-
pended upon keeping the bedstead upon the
floor, the tsrror-stricken pair chung desper-
ately to the stats. Twice the animal sue
ceeded in forcing the forepart of his head
underneath, and twice he was compelled by
the weight above him to abandon the advan-
tage thus gained. o, if the bedstead was
Onl i'm 4,r,o
James," shouted Mrs Hartley, remove the
castorsn
Quick as flash the merchant, dragging
himself to one corner, raised with his back
the heavy piece of furniture and withdrew
the castors; and this he did to the other
three corners in succession as the the oppor-
tunity occurred, thus bringing the bedstead
down so low that the animal could no more
than get his nose under the sides. The
merchant, however, was by this time so
much exhausted by his terrible exertions as
to be physically incapable of longer holding
the bed down upon the floor. Breathing
heavily, the perspiration streaming from
every PORE he awaited with a feeling
akin to despair the moment when the
huge man-eater, which, bafied for mo-
ment, had drawn off to little distance
should renew his fierce attempts to reach
them. Just then his foot struck against
a hard substance. 1t was the sharp edge
of a small box of tools which he had
but short time previously given to his son,
boy Of twelve, then absent on a visit to
schOolmate in New York, and which the
little fellow had, no doubt, placed under his
parents bed for greater security during his
absence. Thank heavens, his own gener-
osity to his son now provided means of
deliversnce. If the tiger would but remain
where he was for minute longer he could
screw the bed down to the floor and thus
effectually prevent the animal from reach
ing them. With trembling hand he drew
the box toward him. What if it should be
locked! A cold sweat broke out upon him
as it resisted his efforts to open it. No, he
was trying to open it on the hinged side
The other! 1t opened readily, and little
fumbling brought to light four long screws
and good-sized screw-driyer A gimlet,
also, rewarded his further search In two
minutes the bed was securely screwed to
the floor, and not moment too soon, for |
aroused by the noise which this operation |
rendered necessary, the Infatuated animal |
again sprang to the attack. Time after |
time he savagely thrust his head as far as |
he could reach under the bed the desperate |
man, guided more by the sound of the ami |
mails breathing than any thing else, thrust |
ing fiercely at the bristling muzzle with the |
sharp screw-driver. Suddenly, however, |
the huge cat changed his tactics Taking |
rapid turn around the room as if to reconoi- |
ter, with furious bound it sprang upon the |
bed, and with its sharp claws rapidly |
stripped the two mattresses from its sur |
face. A woven wire mattress and the stats |