Evening star., 1896-01-11
A DANGEROUS ANIMAL
Which IL Loose and Often Disturbs
Peaceful Citizens.

Which IL Loose and Often Disturbs
Peaceful Citizens.
The Star reporter was making a winter
tour of the geological garden the other day
with friend, and as the two stood looking
at the bear den the friend broke into an
animal story.
Il had an experience the other night
he said. which I don't care to have re-
peated''
"a whale swallow you?" suggested the
reporter.
THANK goodness, I'm no JONAH" he
laughed.
Possibly the bears rushed out of the
wood and tore you to pieces?'
Il m somewhat Of a bald head" he said.
taking off his hat in evidence, but it
wasn't bears"
Then what was it?'
III tell you. 1 had had good dinner
and after it had gone to my room to read
for couple of hours. 1 had fixed myself
in an easy chair close under soft-lighted
reading lamp and for an hour had been
poring over my book with great pleasure,
when 1 began to have a queer feeling. l
couldn't just explain it, but it was that
kind of feeling you know, when you
tnlnk somebody is in the room who
cughtnt to be there. L looked up and
around, but saw nothing at first. In a
minute my eyes became accustomed to the
shadows. and over in the far corner of the
eyes.
MY first thought was that it was my
Maltese tomcat, fine large fellow, but
saw in minute that it was something
forty times bigger than he was. and my
impulse was to fire an ipkstand or a paper
weight at it, but I thought better of the
impulse and concluded to wait for develop
ments. The fact is l felt kind of over
powered, don't you know, and / don't be-
lfeve could have mustered energy enough
to have thrown anything at the brute.
watched it, though, most intently, and in
very short time it began to move and
came out of the shadows toward me. Then
l thought it was a st. Bernard dog that
had strayed IN and been shut up in my
room during the day.
"As it came forward slowly, creeping like
cat, the dog delusion was dispelled, and
I was at loss to determine what it was.
But it kept creeping up on me, and 1 SIM
ply sat watching it with strange fascina-
lion. l thought of birds, charmed by
little fellows felt, for tried to make some
show of resistance to the thing, but
couldn't to save my life. The strain on me
was fearful, for / could feel that, and was
almost smothered by it. Still the brute
kept creeping forward. and when it had
reached point about six feet away from
me noticed it crouch low to the rug, and
1 braced myself for what was coming. be-
cause l knew that was the preliminary to
a spring. and 1 was to be the object on
which the animal was to light.
My suppoSitionS were entirely correct,
and On the instant the brute rose like a
bird and dropped square my chest. /
expected to be torn and scratched all to
pieces, but for some reason it did not bite
or scratch, but seemed to be smothering
me. Sucking my breath as the children say
cat does. Anyway, the shock of the i'm
pact seemed to rouse my dormant physical
faculties, and began to struggle. l could
scarcely move at first, but the more effort
I made, the greater my strength seemed to
be. and, finally. in my struggles ! upset the
chair. ana over we went on the floor, with
awoke.'
Come off, exclaimed the indignant lis
tener. What the deuce did you tell me
that kind of yarn for. That was only
nightmare
Yes" concluded the yarner, "the one
dangerous animal everywhere common, and
still not mentioned in any natural history
that know Of