Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-01-31

| played see-saw waltz.
/ And all the while their great eyes
famed with the detestation of the
thing and their black upper lips curled
away from their long fangs in protest
of this hourly renewed humiliation and
| degradation.
/ And one of the others, while waiting
/ his turn to be whipped and bullied. sat
up on his launches and faced us and
looked far away beyond us over the
heads of the audience-over the con-
tnent and ocean, as it were-as though
he saw something in that quarter that
made him forget his present sur
| roundings.
You grand old brute" muttered
| Toppan: and then he saiu: do YOU
know what you would see if you were
! to look int his eyes now? You would
! see Africa, and unnamed mountains.
and great stony stretches of desert,
with hot blue shadows, and plains of
salt, and lairs in the jungle grass, and
lurking places near the paths the stein
hok make when they go down to
water. But now he is hampered and
! caged-is there anything worse than a
Gagged lion?-and kept from the life he
| loves and was made for'-just here
the tanner spoke sharply to him, and
his eyes and crest dropped-"and ruled
over" concluded Toppan, 'by some
one who is not so great as he, who has
spoiled what was best in him, and has
turned his powers to trivial, resultless
useS-some one weaker than he, vet
stronger. All, well, old brute. it was
yours once; we will remember that"
They wheeled out a clumsy ve1oci-
pede built expressly for him. and.
while the lash whistled and snapped
about him, the conquered king heaved
himself upon it and went around and
around the ring, while the band played
a quickstep. the audience broke into
applause, and the tanner smirked and
bobbed his well-oiled head. I thought
of Samson performing for the Philis-
tines and Thusnelda at the triumph of
Germanicus. The grand beasts, grand
though conquered, seemed to be the
only dignified ones in the whole bust
ness. | hated the audience who saw
their shame from behind iron bars: l
hated myeslf for being one of them,
and | hated the SNUG, staggering
tanner.
The latter had been drawing out
various stools and ladders. and now
arranged the lions upon them so they
should form pyramid, with himself
on top.
Then he swung himself up among
them, with his heels upon their neck's.
and, taking hold of the Jaws of one
wrenched them apart with great show
of strength. turning his head to the
audience so that all should see.
And just then the electric light above
him cracked harshly, guttered, dropped
down to pencil of dull red then went
out. and the place was absolutely
dark
The band stopped abruptly with a
discord and there was an instant of
silence Then we heard the stools and
ladders Gathering as the lions 1eaped
down: and straightway four pairs of
lambert green spots burned out of the
darkness and travelled swiftly about
here and there, crossing and recrossing
one another like the lights of steam
ships in storm. Heretofore the lions
had been sluggish and inert; now they
were aroused and alert in an instant.
and we could hear the swift pad-pad
of their heavy feet as they swung
around the arena, and the sound of
their great bodies rubbing against the
bars of the cage as one and the other
passed nearer to us.
l don't think the audience at all ap-
preciated the situation at first, for no
one moved or seemed excited. and one
shrill voice suggested that the band
should play when the lights go out"
keep perfectly quiet please" called
the tanner out of the darkness, and a
certain peculiar ring in his voice was
the first intimation of a possible dan
ger.
But Toppan knew: and as we heard
the tanner fUmbling for the latch Of
the gate, which he somehow could not
loose in the darkness. he said, with a
rising voice: "He wants to get that
gate open pretty quick"
But for their restless movements
the lions were quiet; they uttered no
sound which was bad sign. Blink
ing and dazed by the garish blue
Wilderness of a few moments before,
they could see perfectly now where
the tanner was blind.
"Listen." said Toppan. "Near to us
and on the inside Of the cage. we
could hear sound as of some slender
body being whisked back and forth
over the surface of the floor. In an in
slant I guessed what it was; one of
the lions was crouched there, whip
ping his sides with his tail.
when he stops that, he'll spring."
said Toppan, excitedly.
Bring light, Jerry-quickr' came
the tanners voice.
People were clambering to their feet
by this time, talking loud, and we
heard woman cry out.
"Please keep as quiet as possible.
ladies and gentlemenr' cried the
tanner; sit won't do to excite"
From the direction of the voice
came the sound of a heavy fall and a
crash that shook the iron gratings in
their sockets.
Hes got himr' shouted Toppan.
And then what a scene! In that
thick darkness every one sprang up.
stumbling over the seats and over
90 nj nth oil CHI