The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-06-11

lIs
scarce realizing his unwontad freedom
and struck by the stranpeness Of his
surroundings, his bluodshot ewes rolling
uneasily and his quick, gasping breath
disturbing the dust beneath his lilated
nostrils.
Paolo had braced his limbs to give
himself strong position in expectation
of Scipio's onrush, his weapon conceal
ed i'll tho hollow of hiss,and. and ms he
stood i'll all the grace aud strength of
his magnificent manhood, every symp
tom of fear vanished, he felt within
himself that no almost welcomed the
moment that would bring to him vic
tory or death.
Little time for thought, however, had
Paoio. With one fell spring the mighty
beast was at him, his open laws drip
ping froth, his bloodshot eyes blazing
with fury.
But not this time did he grasp his in
tended prey, for quick as thought the
practiced eye of the acrobat detected
the movement, and bending forward,
head and knees almost touching the
ground, he made rapid shift in the op-
posite direction and avoided by almost
hairbreadth being crushed breathless
beneath the lions bulk.
Quick as lightning's flash the lion
turned once more, crouching low in the
dust, his eye warily seeking some weak
spot in the armor of this strange an
tagonist, whose 1.-the limbs and sinuous
movements puzzled him, and who show
ed less signs of fear facing him here i'll
open fight than the crowds of frail hui
manity who had Knocked and jeered mt
him so often from the safe side of his
prison bars, but who shrank back af-
frighted when i'll his wrath he gave his
awful battle roar
This time, with catlike tread, he
slowly advanced upon his adversary,
striving, as though conscious of his
power and strength, to drive him Back
and pen him helplessly and without
chance of escape against the side of tho
ring, and then to seize him mt his
leisure.
Paolo was also thinking. When would
tho soldiers come? Could he survive to
carry on the unequal struggle till they
arrived? But while thinking not u mus
Gle relaxed
Seeing the lions tactics, he gradually
managed to skirmlsh toward the ring,
though by SO doing he passed within
few feet of his nose.
Come on, Scipio,'' he said aloud,
with gay bravado he little felt, "this
is not how lions fight" And he made {,
slight fcint, as though playfully to touch
his adversary Oh the head.
With a deep, hollow roar of anger
Scipio reared aloft OH his hind legs, and,
throwing all prudence to the winds and
realizing that the momentous struggle
had come at last, Paolo rushed madly
at him, man and beast closing in q ter
rible death grapple, the lion continuing
erect. as though wishful to wrestle on
equal terms with the brave biped.
In the swift onrush Paolo dropped his
dagger, and now, weaponless but fren-
zied with rage and despair, he exerted
every atom OF his marvellous strength
and with one giant upheaval overthrow
the wild beast
But Scipio's mighty claws were busy,
and the blood lust was OH him too.
Crimson streaks through Paolos tunic
made it apparent to the fascinated
beholders that this little wrestling bout
was not all that it seemed, and many a
timid heart, sickened by the sight of
blood, edged furtively toward the near
est outlet.
But what sound is this that breaks
the spell and causes the low whispers
of inquiry to swell into babel of
tongues? In another moment the semi
solitude of tho arena is broken by the
appearance of body of soldiers from
the neighboring barracks, all converg-
ing rapidly Oh one point where lay the
doughty conlbatants.
The young officer i'll command, has
tily disengaging revolver from his
belt, fires one, two, three shots into the
PROSTATE brute's ear, and with one
mighty groan the spirit of the erring
Scipio returns to haunt the solitudes of
the African deserts.
Tender hands lift Paolo, unconscious,
bleeding and nigh to death. He is borne
from tho arena as the audience slowly
files out of the building under the mas
terful direction of some of the soldiers
told off for the purpose-silent, awe
stricken, sobbing, praying, walking as
in trance.
In peaceful little God $ acre just
outside the walls of Paris sleeps Paolo.
His grave all the year round blooms
with lovely flowers, and its fond tend
ing shows that, though his body has
passed away, his memory still flourishes
rs brightly rs the blossoms that wave
over him. London Answers.