Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-07-25

DlhCk panther ulu Wuile ago. 1uo
strange part OF it was, she seemed
anxious to avoid me the moment my
performance with the lions was over.
I couldn't for the life of me make out
what she was up to; it worried me;
and. to tell the truth, Mark, didn't
altogether like the look of It.
"We moved on to another town.
Well, I was done with the girl now, at
any rate, l told myself. Not bit of
it! She turned up at the evening
performance, went through the same
part, and disappeared. Next day the
show was at Stalybridge; and Florence
Mayhem was there, too. Night after
night, no matter where We went, she
came and stood in front of the lions
cage, never addressing a word to any.
one, but Watching me through the
bars as if that was all she had to live
for.
81 was getting to dread that girl,
because l know she had grudge
against me; and women generally
have queer way of revenging them.
selves. What she was driving at, what
her motive was in following me about
from town to town, was constant
worry to me. To be haunted in this
fashion, without having tho faintest
notion OF what it meant, is bound to
tell upon you in the long run. l was
completely in the dark; that was the
worst of it.
"When this sort of thing had been
going on regularly week after week, I
felt that must get at the bottom OF
it somehow. sat down in the tent
one night after the performance was
over, determined to puzzle the matter
out. Bit by bit l got at the truth. l
understood the meaning of it all now /;
I saw what that she.devil was up to.
Good heavens! Mark, it gave me q
creeky sort of feeling in spite OF my.
self. No one but woman could have
hit upon such an extraordinary way of
gratifying her malace, and set about
it in this cold blooded fashion,"
"What was it?" demanded Rad.
ford, with an eaeerness which showed
a deep interest in Farrelli's singular
story.
"Just this: I needn't tell you that
when man steps in among the lions
he requires to have all his wits about
him. 1t is ticklish business, no
matter what people may say. Your
eyes must be in each corner of the
cage at the same time, Watching every
twist and turn of the hrutes. If your
attention should be drawn off for q
single instant You are done for And
that is what the woman was trying to
do!'
He got off the wall. took his friend
by the arm, aud the two began pacing
slowly up and down.
eff you had known her, Mark" he
went on. thoughtfulIy, lyon wouldn't
wonder ut her doing thing of this
kind. You see, it was an easy way Of
seeking to revenge herself upon me ::
all she had to do was to watch and
wait. She must have felt that the very
fact of keeping her eyes steadily fixed
upon me night after night was bound
to take effect sooner or later. And
she was right. More than once
caught myself on the very point Of
looking round at her. l had to fight
against the impulse; it was dra ging
at me from the moment entered the
cage-and every night it seemed to he
growing stronger"
"What did you do to get rid OF herr"
"Nothing. At first, in q sudden
burst OF rage, made up my mind to
wait for her outside the tent the next
evening, and strangle her on the spot.
Then something prompted me to fight
it out with her, and not give her the
satisfaction of knowing that she had
have stuck to that ever since and this
silent, deadly struggle is still going
on between that woman and myself.
How it will end, God only knows"
"But why the deuce don't yo1 have
her turned out?" cried Radford, vehe.
mently.
"No, Mark, replied the other. with
fierce decision: 81 have pitted my will
against her; and, call it obstinacy,
perversity you like, but l
won't bulge from that. This thing is
bound to run its course now, and will
last until one or other of US caves in.
"Wel, Peter, if were in your
place, I'd be long sorry to risk my life
IN this way, merely for the sake of
splitting woman"
"Perhaps so; but, my dear fellow,
there are no two OF us alike. After
all, you must remember, Mark, it WAS
by my hand her lover met his DEATH
though it was done in self Defence
and l won't deprive her OF the chance
of requiting;: me for it, if she can. I
can pretty we'll defy her so as stick
to the lions only; I've got such
a hold over the brutes by
this time that I feel fairly at home
with them. But the first night it falls
to my lot to enter one OF the other
cages, where I'm not at all 80 sure of
my ground, and have to watch every
twist OF the tail, every blink of the
eye, it will be quite different matter
then. That's the reason I don't feel
easy in my mind about the panther.
And do you know, Mark" he added,
pulling his companion up suddenly,
cts queer idea, but when I watch
that creature prowling about his cage,
it almost seems to me as il the woman
had bewitched him. They both appear
TO regard me with the same deadly en-
nifty; he looks at me exactly as she
does"
"Peter," sold his friend, sententi-
ously, "you're not yourself, old man.
You let this thing prey upon your
mind too much"
The spacious tent was crammed to
it's utmost extent. The dromedary
camel came in for good deal of at
tention, and the willy elephant Jared
sumptuously upon biscuits and cakes.
The greedy little eyes of the monkeys
cleaned with delight at the many
hands stretched ont with nuts, while
The brown bear devoured buns with
BETTING solemnity. .. .