Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1894-09-01
v CY A SHAWL.
The Adventure Of q Honduras Woman
with "A ~.IaEnar.

IF she would my wife could tell q
story about that tiger rug on the floor
and about The skin of It's kitten, that
covers the back of her chair; but as she
will not tell it ! may as well" said our
hosS as VS. seated ourselves in the sala,
where the ne%ver-failing breeze from the
sparkling caribbean drew fresh through
open doors and windows. and the music
Of the snrf on the sandy shores rose and
fell in soft cadeuces.
I'VE had tired Of the monotony of a
diet Of cassaya and coc0s, of beef, of
bananas, poultry and peccary, of turtle
eggs and tarpon, with nothing but Or
anges and %pine-appies, mangoes, and
m~aranones for desert-the things we
have to live on here, YOU know, most Of
the time. So / asked her to 90 with me
duck hunting one morning.
We padded to where the bayou
widened into a little lake, and saw a
flock OF muscoyies feeding among the
pond lilies and water peoples on the
further side. Wife stepped ashore
where there was a little clearing and /
padded away TO steal near enough for
a good shot at the ducks. The sun
shine fell on her as | went, and | saw
her take the bright red shawl from her
shoulders and fold il c~arefull and hang
it over her arm. Then n bunch of
fGschia bushes on the point hid her from
me-.
Il had put my paddle down and reach.
ed for my gun. when ! heard Anna
scream. OF course. / turned and pad
pied for dear life. and / felt like heap
ing abuses on the man who invented
so clumsy, 20 Ioggy a device as a dug
ont.
when ! rounded the point | saw
Anna standiug on the edge Of the wa
ter, staring mtently at the bushes, while
she beckon me
"'What is it?' | shouted; what is the
natter
ats a tiger she answered! it's a big
tiger
That was matter enough, and / dug
the paddle down into the water and
pulled for the shore. The instant the
pitpan grounded on the sand ! had my
gun in hand and spraug ashore.
where is he-where Is the brute?"I
gasped.
ut was right there where my shawl
lies. scared It away. When il crept
up to me threw my shawl in its face
and it ran away
Il picked up her shawl and took a
look at the sign. 1t was plain enough,
for the imprints of claws showed clearly
in the sand. We pushed of from the
shore and padded FOR the mouth of the
bayou.
II stood there watching YOU until
the bushes hid you from me, said my
wife. L was wishing that | had asked
YOU to pick "A lot OF those white pond
lilies and water peoples after YOU had
shot the ducks. Then ! heard a rnstling
in the grass behind me. and turned
around quickly, for ! thought there
might be n man there or "A waree, or
something savage behind me, and there
was the tiger not four yards from me-
"'But for heavens sake, what did the
tiger do?
"'Oh, yes. | forgot the tiger. just
screamed as loud as 1 could and threw
my shawl into its face. Then il turned
away, and ! screamed again -IttssJS@
to the bushes then; but | vas afraid it
would come back"
"lIow inconsiderate women can be"
murmured the Captain. The tigers
nerves must have been unsrung by
such treatment"
"Well. her nerves We're unstrung be-
fore night, anyway" replied Burch, for
when | had seen my wife safe in the
house | got the best Of our Waika hunt
ers and the best tiger dogs in the viii
lage AMI went back TO the place
where it was seen by Anna. TIE dogs
took tina trail at once. OF course, and in
n few hours we had the skins of the old
one and of her half grown kitten. No
doubt the big cat would have lit on my
wife an instant later If Anna hadn't
happened to turn just then and thrown
that bright-eolorel shawl straight into
the face OF the te."-F0rest ana
Stream.