The morning times., 1895-09-06

Continued from Yesterday Evenings Times.
The Arabs would probably have killed
me yesterday" he SAID, and considering
himself dead already he awaited his
enemy's Weakening with anxious curiosity.
The panther opened her eyes suddenly as
the sun rose. Then she violently stretched
her paws as though TO quicken them and
disSipate the cramps. At last she yawned,
ing friEhtful array OF teeth and rorked
tongue rough as crater.
''She IS like a girI,' thought the French
man, watching her roll and make the soft
est and most Coquettish movements She
licked the blood which dyed her paws and
nuzzle, and rubbed her head with Ofr-re-
peated gestures fuIl Of prettiness.
Good. A bit OF toilet" D." said the French
man 70 himself, and gayety coming back
with his courage Vow we VIII say good
day" and be seized the short dagger Of
which hc had relieved the Arabs.
just then the panther turned her head to-
wards him The fiXeduess OF her metallic
eyes and their unDcarubIe clarity made the
proveucaI tremble as she approached him;
but ne looked at her caressIugly ana tried
to magnetic her, then as she came near,
with a movement a. gentle and loving as If
he We're touching a pretty woman, he
passed his hands down her body from the
head to the tail, scratching the flexible YER
tebrae OF the backbone with his nails
The beast erected her tail voluptuously;
her eyes sof1eued, and when the French
man accomplished his interested nattery i
lffsFf
our cats express their pleasure This muir
mu- came from such a powerful, deep
throat that the gTOttO res0Uuded ike a
church az the last vibrations OF the organ
The prOvcucal, seeing the Importance OF
his Caressc>. redoubIed them so as to as
tonish and stuprfy this IHperiuoS Couuesan.
when he thought he had ext.nguiShed
the ferocity OF his capricious companion
whose hunger had 50 fortunately been
satisfied the evening before, he arose and
went. out OF the grott0. The panther lei
him 60, but when lie had reached the hill
top She bounded after him with the light
ness of a sparrow hopping from branch e
branch. and rubbed against his legs, arch
ing her back Ike a cat Then looking al
| her guest with eyes whose glare had be
come less rigid, she gave The savage cry
! that uaturalists compare 10 the noise OF {
| saw
'She is exaCting,'' - said the Frenchman
| smiling. He venuured to toy with hel
| ears, to stroke her belly, to scratch
| her head vigorously with his nails. PerCeiv
ing his success he uckled her skull witt
| the dagger point, searching for the spot It
| kill her: but the hardness or the bone mad,
| him fear an attempt
| The sultaDa OF the desert approved he
| slaves talents by raising her head anC
stretching her neck, ackno owledging her in
toxication by the tranquility OF he ratti
| tude. The Frenchman suddenly saw tina
! to murder the fierce princess with on,
| blow he must stab her in the throat. ant
he raised the blade, when the panther
doubtless satisfied. threw herself graceful
| y at his feet. gazing at him from time t,
! time with an expression in which, not
| withstanding its native rigor, good Wi
| could be seen.
She was examining the soldier with com
| mercial prudence. The examination wa
| doubtless favorable to him, for when he ha,
| finished his meager meal Of dates sh
licked his boots, and with her strong
rough tongue, took off all the accumulate
dust in the folds.
But when she is hungry" thought tn
| provencaI. Notwithstanding the shudde
| this idea caused him, he began Curiously Z
measure the animals proportions. certain
| ly one of the most beautiful of her species
She was three feet in height and four fee
! long without the tail. The head, as large a
a young lions, was remarkabIe for an in
| preston of rare artfuIneSs: the cold. cru
city of the tiger was dominant, to be sure
but there was a vague resemblance to tn
face of a designing woman.
At this moment this solitary queen ha
a sort of gayety like that of Nero whe
| drunk; she had Stacked her thirst in bloc
and wished to play.
The soldier attempted TO go and come
the panther left him free, content to fo
low him with her eyes. He saw the re
| mains OF his horse not far away-the pan
tber had dragged the carCeSs there; tive
thirds of it had been devoured Tht
| explained her absence and the respect Sh
had had for him in his sleep. This piec
of good fortune encouraged him as to th
| future and he conceived the mad hope O
keeping house with the panther all day
negecting no means to tame or to Wi
her good graces.
He walked up 10 her and with UuSpeaB
| able Joy saw her move her tail with an al
most imperceptIble motion; so he sat dow
by her and they played together; he hel
her paws, her muZzle, twisted her ears
rolled her on her back, aud rubbed he
warm, silky flankS. She let him do il
and when he tried to smooth the fur of he
paws she carefully sheathed her claws
as sharp as Damasc Gus blades.
The Frenchman, who kept hand ON hi
dagger, thought Of plunging it into tn
stomach of the over-confidiug animal. bu
he was afraid of being Immediately StraI
gled in her death struggles. Then, toe
ne felt something in his heart which bi
him respect an inoffensfve creature. II
seemed TO have found friend in th
measureless desert.
His mind reverted involuntarily TO hi
first sweetheart, whom he had ,ronican
named Mignonne because she was o jealou
that he all the time feared the knife wit
which she menaced him. This souveni
of his youth suggested to him 10 make th
young panther answer to this name, nov
that be could admire her grace, agilit!
and suppleness with less fear.
Towards evening he was so accustome