Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1898-06-25
TESTED COURAGE.

nc linperturDaDlllty with which they met
thuir doom at the final hour
Henri Caillot grew excited.
1T Is couragoP' ho exclaimed. "It Is
mettle, fortitude-mado of a strong stom-
ach and nerves Of IRON
"PshawP rejoined Roussell, the sculp
tor "It's nsthing Of the kind. It's COW.
ardice more likely"
lyon call 1t terrorp'
"I do, and believe name 1t rightly"
Then you are coward yourself. You
have no stomach, no pluck, no nerve"
Several strangers crowded round the ia.
hlcs, and passorsby formed an attractive
group upon the pavement. A pretty scene
was expected, but they were mistaken
Jean Roussell looked very unlike an in.
suited man thirsting for revenge.
Perhaps" he replied quietly, "you are
unable to imagine yourself in the unique
position Of n man doomed to the guillo.
tine, but you may not always be SO unfor.
tunato"
"I should know how to die, /" said Gail
lot spitefully.
Certainly. You would die as you were
told. There would be no option"
"Our opinions of my courage are at
variance, NJ. Roussell. l am willing to
put 1t to tho test"
The crowd grew expectant again.
"A show of bombast is not my idea of
courage" replied Roussoll Courage is
exhibited, II ut all, under unfavorablo con
ditions. Good evening, mossieurs "
And Roussoll, to everybody's intense
astonishment and disappointment, arose
from bis table and walked away
Henri Caillot kept a bookstnll at one of
the galleries outside the OduOn thcater
and it was his custom each evening TO
take constitutional In the Luxembourg
garden opposite before udjourning to q
cafe In the Boulevard Michel.
The rnin one night prcmaturcly dro,r
tho band out of the PGrGen, and the idlCrs
with 1t, but Caillot was not to bo deferred
from his exercise. Ho had regular course
i'm at the northeast grtp, around tho
fountain and across the garden to W here
tho gay parterres that night looked swamp.
ed and sorry. He usually sat on bench
near the western ratings, hut the rain
was too heavy and darkness was falling
rapidly, so he took a return pnth, strollng
leisurely, with his umbrella well down
over his shoulders OF sudden no stop.
ped, lifted his umbrella to aid his vision
and listened
"That surely wasn't thunderl" he said
aloud.
He was answered by an uncarthly shrek.
The unexpected reply made him start and
look behind him. But no human thing
was visible. He peered right and left into
tho semidarknCss and assumed his original
position. Neither man nor beast could he
see. His impulse was to walk quickly
away, and he was about to obey it, but
was arrested by repetition of the noise,
close at hand.
He felt creepy
That sound emanated from no human
throat. The strongest lungs were incapa.
bic Of yielding so eerie blast, no vocal
chords produce IL. BY accident his eyes
fell upon the bronze statuary near the
ratings not 20 feet distant, representing n
aun playing with a panther.
"Holy VirginP - he exclaimed involun
tarily.
The jaws of the panther were moving
And when they had opened they below.
I'd again, more terribly than before.
A cold shudder shook Caillot. He would
have fed, but he was powerless. Tho
.lO"l luONlDB Ju" anu
with strange regularity, fascinated him
He knew the animal well. He had scanned
1t with curiosity many time when 1t
was mere lump of immovable bronze,
with jaws riGiuly set that now parted and
closed, and eyes benignly gazing that now
glared with the zest of coming meal.
And he was sure the beasts head was
swollen with expectation.
"Holy Virgin he exclaimed again and
crossed himself, expecting each second TO
see the animal spring, to fcol its hungry
breath and the blow Of its striking bedy.
But the panther did not spring. 1t Gnly
moved its massive jaws and beloved and
until the garden echoed with the
blasts, and Caillot's head began to swell
and his nerves to grow limp. He was sick
unto fleeing, but his feet were glued. He
could have fallen prostrate In "a fit of ter
ror, but the rain refreshed and preserved
him So no stood where he was, fascinat-
ed, as bird to the tortuous gyrations Of
a snake, and gazed upon tho panther's
head until, as he looked, the animals
Jaws shut TO and remained closed, the bel
lowing ceased, and instead he heard a
voice that in cultural tones snapped out
an imperative commands:
Count six, monsieuri"
Caillot made no reply. His senses had
been SO stupetied by the sight of the living
statuary that he did not realize the mean.
ing of the words until another sound
reached his ears and terrified his brain in
TO action.
The statuary moved The panther was
preparing to spring; he was sure of it.
Count six, monsieurr The command
was repeated
Holy Virgin save me" entreated
Caillot ~ will give"-
Count sikh" interrupted the voice i'm
peratively
And Caillot INTERESTINGLY counted them
as coberently as his ohattering teeth per-
mitted.
In an instant he was surrounded by
friends. Every tree and statue In the vi.
oinity yielded one, and before Caillot real.
zed tho meaning of their grinning faces
and mocking railleries Roussell leaped