The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-05-27
A NIGHT OF TERROR.

morning. ana returns nun h,lttN 10 Ills
home mt 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 stail citizens were patrolling
the principal streets armed with shot
guns and rcvolvcrs. and the whole vii
lagc appeared TO bc as if on the eve Of a
sanruinary revolution On inquiry Mr..
Hartley learned that This unwontcd con
dition Of affairs was occasioned by the
escape Of largo Bengal tiger, said TO be
of the man eating species and very
force. which had that afternoon made
It's escape from a travelling circus which
had been oncampcd Just outside the vii
lage for the last two days. Up 70 that
time. 6 p. M, no trace of the animal had
been discovered.
The poprietors 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 "a rule. wander far from their cages
they chccriuily predicted his easy cap
ture i'm the morning.
ON reaching his house the merchant,
i'm lieu of tho warm welcome which usu-
allg awaited him, found al thedoors and
windows tightly closed. For the first
time I'M their married life Mrs Hartley
was not at thc front door 10 meet him.
Instead. hc found hor with spectral face
necping limidly through the parlor win
dow.
"Oh. my dear, such an awful thing
has happened -"
"Tvc heard all about IT," interrupted
tho husband. you needn't be 40 all
frishiencJ The beast is miles oil lay
this Gmo deep into The woods
Whcl the time for retiring had ar
rived the merchant bad succeeded in
laughr. away his wife's fears, and by
dint of much verbal soothing sirup bad
restored her badly shaken ncrycs To-
eanefiine like their normal tranquility.
Thus rca surad. Mrs. Hartley soon sank
into a SQUAD slumbcr but, try as he
would. the merchants attempts TO fol-
low his good lady's example that night
proved singuIarly abortive.
Hour after hour passed, which he had
vaiuly occupied in going through all the
we'll known formula Tor producing
sleep. such as counting droves Of PIGS.
sheep Jumping by myriads over impossi-
hio fences. and running the gamut OF
4. f.nf.ffIufIT
nosed 10 induce slumber, when he sud
doniv became aware by that peculiar In
sfinct which man shares In common
with tie lower animals and which II
times of danger sometimes becomes il
tcnsclg and abnormaliy acute, OF an I'M
seen presence in the apartment
Another minute crcpt slowly by, dur
inc which the merchant lag in q state OF
nervous apprehension, vainly ondcayor-
inc TO shake of the indeinable feeling
of dread which had taken possession OF
him 1t was while he thus lay listening
intontlv that he became for the first time
conscious of low. deep, ominous wills
ncr. which seemed to ISSUE from the
further corner Of the room, into the re-
molcr parts OF which the rays Of the
younr moon. but then hardly arisen
from the noighborins tree tops, barely
penetrated.
He listened to this peculiar noise iof
some moments. the sound increasing ~
volume and seeming TO move from place
TO place and gradually deepening INTO
hoarsc and cat like purr, a sound when
sent cold thrill of horror through MS
whole frame. as at the same instant there
flashed through his mind the words. "Ihe
Gcer, the ugerl" Hardly daring 20
breathe. ne slowly raised himself on his
rieht elbow and pcercI cautiously in the
direction from which the sound pro
ceoled. As he thus raised himself the
moon. which had been for Is few seconds
obscured by passing cloud, broke fotIb
from its neccy covering npl sho: q pale
CLEAN of light into the interior OF the
apartment
Tho hoarso pairing sound still con
tinucd. and as the merchant concentrated
his raze in The direction from which u
came. with catliko and noisclcss tread
tbore slowly emerged into the strip OF
moonlight an object which held hlm
motionlcss in sudden yaroxysm OF ter
ror. as with straining cyeballs he saw,
brourht ont i'm fun relief against tho fur
thor wall. the head and shoulders OF o
full grown Bengal tiger Even IN the
extremity OF his terror ho could not HELP
noticing il minutely. il was an enor
nous beast. Without trace OF name
its smooth and siauous form upholdine
the email but fcrocious head, II seemed
g,e embodiment OF resistless strength.
4 BRIGHT tawny yellow, It's body was
beautifully marked with dark transverse
bands passing into pure white on the
under parts. The tail was long aud fu'l
and undulatcd in snake like movements.
II fang like teeth, barred By tho dropping
under law, shonc white and cruel III ihc
moonlight. The expression on its face
ms il moved silently forward, and raising
its head shifted eagerly in the night AIR.
was appalling 1t was the expression Of
q demon
MIR. Hartley does not know what pre-
vent him from screaming aloud WIN
terror. Perhaps the thought OF the help
less woman sleeping in peaceful uncon-
seriousness by his side; perhaps sheer IN
ability TO utter an articulate sound pre-
vented him. Fascinated by the beast
the feeling grew upon him that II ne
should once remove his eyes from the
fierce and glaring orbs which glistened
with such baleful CLEAN as they met
his own. that at that moment theanima'
would spring upon him.
Rapidly. as he became by degrees
little calmcr, he resolved in his mind
tho best thing to be done. lie must
wake his wife, but how to do so without
attracting the attention OF tho animal
and h;stening the impending attack was
a rroblem difficult of solution. Some
how or other, as with really brave men
in the most trying situations when race
TO face with danger, his innate courage
49,. a.. a.. ctnarpcncN.