The Opelousas courier., 1897-04-10
THE LION tanner


Gus, laughed at the predictions of hi
assistant.
"Iou may laugh as much as 70,
please; but some day you will find
am right, and that to your sorrow,
though then it will be too Late
81 have performed with all the ami
mails for some years, and never hac
any difficulty"
you forget the one at Longtown.
"'That didn't amount to much. ]
soon brought him to subsection"
"Bat the trouble commenced with
this same lioness.'
Eyes though it wouldn't have been
so bad if those cats of hunting Loop
ards had not set up q yell, and drawn
the black tiger into the ARRAY"
"Shc las a bad temper when it is up
lis the most t]reacherous beast I ever
fed or had anything to do with. I have
been watching her close for q couple
of days." continued the assistant.
"and know she is mighty CROSS
grained. So, depend upon it, you are
going to have trouble"
II don't see why moro than ut any
other"
"There are times-and you know it,
if you will only reaect-and this is
one OF them. II I was in your place,
I wouldn't try to show of today with
any extras, but just give common
performance, and get out OF the cage
as quick as I could"
"You know what we advertise, and
what a crowd has gathered"
"Yes," with a laugh; "and + know
We never have or do one half there is
in the bills. Paper is cheap, Joe, but
human life is precious. Think how
poorly off you would leave your wife
and child if anything should happen
to you, and what would become Of
your wife if anything should happen
to the child2"
"Do not mention it'll"
The man who had handled and
tanned and toyed with the savage
beasts as If they had been harmless
kittens, groaned aloud at the thought.
A man of the most ardent, ever pas
sionate nature, he bowed down in
worship to his wife and little girl. And
that day it had been advertised that
he would take his child and q pail of
blood into the cage with him.
1t was a very daring, foolhardy pro-
ject at the best; but how much mo re
sc when the beasts were doubly savage
and out of temper-when the slight.
est thing might arouse them to all
their pristine fury, and the fierce blood
of the wilderness assert itself in all its
tcLupcStuUuS WEAtus
The old lion in the cage, though a
monster in size, was ~inoffensive, tame
and obedient. In the language of the
keepers, he was '.good for nothing
but to make a show and sit back in
the corner grind his teeth and growl."
Besides, he was his friend, and upon
more than u occasion he had acted
the part Of peacemaker. The leop-
ards--a pair of spotted cheetahs-
we're scarcely to be taken into consid-
GRAFTON. The black tiger, the most
rare and strikingly beautiful animal in
any collection. was ordinarily quiet,
though when fully aroused not to be
trified with.
But the lioness was the especial on 3
to be watched. She was a beast of
uncommon power, with massive arms,
long curving claws, 1.-the and nervous
a serpent, teeth sharp as needles,
~treaunerous, smooth, tawny
and yellow eyes that flashed
Never, even in her best
moods, had she been submissive, and
her mildest play was rough in the
extreme.
The lion tanner turned from his
to go and dress for his
attractive but dangerous perform
a9ce but before doing so, be visited
ed the double cage, and made a cri-
examination OF the beasts, who
any instant might be to him as fate.
There was nothing to especially awak.
en- fear and, half yexed with himself
having been needlessly disturbed,
40 passed from the great canvas into
smaller compartment, and found his
and child waiting for him-the
one . young and beautiful woman, and
the other . very fairy OF a child, whose
hair hung down upon her back, as the
brightest and finest Of spun silk.
Il am sorry, Joe," said tho wife
and mother, al her husband entered,
''that You have consented to so fool
q performance as the one adyer-
for today"
ssVhy, May?n and hs lookea roos.
earnestly at her.
because the ordinary performance