The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1900-03-02


of water from the hose which the fire.
men had been attaching to a hydrant
fed by pond up in the hills The col
umn of water struck the cage and play
ed among the lions. They spied the
partly open door and made dive to
escape. When the first lion saw the
dark and narrow quarters he was
heading for, he stopped and tried to
turn back, but he was only one to
three. The other lions, pursued by the
relentless stream of water, pushed him
on, and one by one they disappeared
into the reservoir. 1t was a tight
squeeze, but they all got in. The trap
was closed and fastened, and with a
ringing cheer the firemen started on a
run for the Jail. By similar tactics the
animals were transferred to the main
corridor. Malby had placed hunks of
raw meat in four cells. Each lion as
soon as it was released made bee line
for the nearest cell, which was prompt
ly shut and locked by means of a pat
ent mechanism worked from the Jail
er's Office.
AS soon as the word was passed
around that the lions were safely lock-
ed up the crowd, which had temporari-
ly withdrawn, reassembled, and cheers
were given for the fire department, for
the sheriff, for John Malby and for the
lions.
Malby looked at the throng that filed
the street in front of the Jail, and, lean
ing toward Dixon, he whispered:
Sheriff, it's going to cost you a heap
of money to feed those lions"
'Me? YEP said the sheriff laconical-
ly. 1--WE attached them lions, and
there they be. Soon as 1 kin advytise
'em, I'll sell 'em. But jest as soon
sell 'em defunct as livin ruther reck-
on"
"Well, me, then," assented Malby,
with groan. Il put dollars worth
of meat in those four cells, and those
four lions swallowed it at gulp. See
that crowd. Every one of 'em would
give 10 cents to see the lions in Jail.
Let me show 'em off, and I'll go snacks
with you"
THAT'S another great idee of yers,
John," said Dixon. go over ter the
town clerks Office and git a show IL
cense. It'll only cost ye $5, and I'll go
ye. Here, I'll lend ye the money"
For three or four days the lions in
Jail proved potent attraction, but by
the time Malby had paid for the IL
cense, divided with the sheriff and fed
the animals his dividends were meager
enough. When the attendance began
to fall off, he could not make both ends
meet. He had been obliged to give up
his job in order to look after the lions,
and, though he bunked in the Jail with
them, he had to have something to eat
as well as they. He began to fear that
they would all five starve to death be-
fore the sheriff could realize on the ami
mails. TO add to his distress, the lions
showed unmistakable signs of illness.
He tried dog medicine on them, but
they appeared to grow worse.
''I'll tell ye," suggested Dixon when
Malby came to him with his tale of
woe. 'We'll call in DIR. Irving. He's
the county physician, and he's bound
ter dose 'em fer nothin.'
The medical man expressed consider.
able doubt as to whether his contract
could be construed to cover the cases
of lions in duress; but at last he con-
sented to look at them when he had
made it understood that he did so as a
favor.
"Mr. Malby," he said when he had
made his visit, 'I've never made a
speciality of diseases of lions, but if
any of my patients should show SIM
liar symptoms should say they need
ed exercise"
There! You heard thatw Malby
turned to Dixon when Dr. Irving had
gone. ''Those lions have got to be ex=
ercised. You haven't accorded them the
privileges that would be given to the
meanest pickpocket
"All right, all right. assented the
sheriff. Exercise 'em. I don't keer as
long as I don't have ter do 1t. Yer still
q special deputy. Exercise 'em all We
want"
1t was large contract, but the case
was desperate. If Malby could not
afford to buy them food. still less could
he afford to let them die. The wall of
the jailyard was high, and, going into
the jailer's Office, he turned the levers
that opened the cells, and the lions
went tearing out into the sunlight. All
day they gamboled about in the yard,
rending the air with their roars, which
sent passing children by on the dead
run.
The question now was how to get
them back into their cells. Malby's
original device recurred to his mind,
and, procuring four chunks of raw
meat, he sneaked into the corridor
when the lions weren't looking and put
a piece in each cell. To get back to the
Office he had to cross the jailyard
again. The exercise had evidently
done the lions great deal of good, but
1t had also whetted their appetites.
They smelt the fresh meat on Malby
and jumped for him instead of going
to their cells. Malby saw them coming
and in his nervousness tried to open
the office door the wrong way. The
delay was fatal. The littlest lion reach !
ed him before he could get through
and bowled him over like a tenpin.
The other three were not far behind,
and as John AIalby felt their breaths
on his face he gave himself up for lost. !
At that instant a woman darted
through the door into the yard and
with a few sharp words drove the
beasts away and had them locked up
in their respective cells in a jiffy.