The morning call., 1891-08-01
TIE LION KINGS SECRET

The lion man, as we always called him,
was great feature in our show, and he re-
ceived, rs / was told, good round salary.
Men in his line were scarce, and he took adj
vantage of it. He earned a good deal of
money, was what we Yankees called close +,
and he held on TO the coin with grip that
was never released, except from necessity.
At the same time we had with us an eques-
trienne. She was either Spanish or Italian,
which | never knew, as she spoke both Ian
guages; hut she was dark, very beautiful
and most magnificent rider-the very best
in all Europe.
My lady also got a big figure for her serv-
ices, and divided the honorS with the lion
man, and the rider was just as miserly as the
subduer Of Wild beasts.
If any one gained favor in her eyes it was
the king OF the lions, aud it got to be a habit
of hers TO remain to the finish of the per-
fArmance and witness his entry into the iron
bound den.
Every mothers son of ne, and the daugh-
tiers. too, We're jealous of the pair. The men
envied the lion man, and the wOmen-WelI,
they were IN a state OF mind.
They were in love! Well. I can't say that
they were moved by the tender passion. as
you will learn as l progress. They were
mercenary; YOU comprehend that, and viii
20 on with the warn.
Each knew That the other had q goody
sum Of money accumulated, and cupidity, il
not Cupid, played part in the drama.
Their intimacy grew as time few, and one
uay the lion man betrayed - the object OF
his alteration a secret, his great Secret-the
aiding place Of AL his wealth.
he lifted up a trap-d0or in the center of
the lion den and showed the eQueStrinne his
store OF gold, all his gains of years.
This" lie said, us my bank" and pat
ting the great beasts on their heads. eX-
claimed, us lie laughed Sardonically, land
these are my watchmeu"; and then he
added, land you can share this with me, if
you will"
The woman coquettishly lodged the IS
sue, but the lion man felt sure that the gold
had turned the scales in his favor
From that instant the woman had but one
purpose, and that was TO possess the gold of
the man who had, rs it were, put the money
al her feet She smiled upon him; she was
radiant; she was happy.
Would he teach her to enter the den? At
first he refused; then she pouted prettily,
with assumed dspeasure and called him
"a great big beast" and told him that he
cared more for his lions than he did for his
lady.
Then he weakened, perhaps convinced by
her Cabling that there might be CONNER
cial side to the argument, and when she
actually kissed him and said so pleadingly,
Pleas" and affected to weep, he con-
sented, and she capped her hands in glee
and cried, They shall not only see lion
king in the den, but your queen."
For prudential reasons her entrance into
the non 5 ueu was IN private. That woman
must have had nerves Of steel, for she faced
the dangers without culver.
Tie lion man now felt that his suit was
well won, for lie had the field entirely to
himself. Each day tlR beautiful rider smiled
more sweetly upon him, and each day she
became more familiar with and on better
terms with the monster lions the giant
guardians of his fortune.
There was never day in the life Of the
lion trainer that he did not peep into his
strange treasure chest. One morning he
came as usual when the circus was unteE-
anttd, and 10 his horror and amaZement
found the gold gone and its hiding place
emptyl
Gone, all gone; not a coin left He had
been duped. The truth flashed upon him
instantly. She was the despoiler. He
rushed with brain of fire to her lodgings
The eQaeStrlenne was gone, and the EVIL
dences left behind indicated a hasty de-
paTture.
He flew to the police, but to no avail.
The authorities made careful memorandum
Of the facts, and the secret police smiled at
his relation and his simplicity.
He acknowledged that he was penniless,
ruined; and man IN misfortune without
money does not excite much sympathy in
this world. The distracted fellow was in
llNhLt VA AJubbs 44C NulStut u6 SMUIc, lie
wept!
The news of the robbery was quickly told
about the town, and at the hour of perfor-
nance the exhibition place was packed and
all the vicinity of the circus crowded, with
many more unable to gain admission. The
theft had awakened a new interest in the
lion king, and the managers looked upon
the occurrence as an advertisement that
made good for the loss of their principal
rider.
The lion mans performance was always
the last number of the show, and when it
came time TO send the big den in, the lion
King had not yet made his appearance
Neither had his den been opened, as was
usually the case.
The thought that he might disappoint had
not occurred to the management. The
music cue had already been given. the an
noGncement was being made, and there was
hurrying and scurrying behind the cur
tains. 1t was but the work of a moment to
throw up the top doors and take down the
bottom ones.
Not man nor a woman spoke; not soul
had the power of speech.
The lion king and the beasts lay dead up
on the bottom of the cage, all poisoned
Boston Hearald.