Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-09-27
sufficient manhood remaining to ven

sufficient manhood remaining to ven
ture the opportunity.
My heart glowed as watched her.
| She picked bone from the hitter on
| che pavement and beat off its head
by blows against the wall Then with
her teeth she fashioned the point to
still further sharpness. could see
her teeth glisten white in the moon
rays as she bit with them.
The huge cave-tigers, which stood
as high as her head as they walked,
came nearer to her in their prowlings,
yet obviously neglected her. This
was part of their accustomed scheme
OF torment. and the woman knew 1t
well. There was something intoler-
able In their noiseless, ceaseless pad
dings over the pavement. l could see
the prisoners breasts heave as she
watched them. A terror such as that
would have made many victim sick
and helpless.
But this one was holder than had
thought. She did not wait for a
spring; she made the first attack
herself. When the she-tiger made it's
stroll towards her, and was in the
act of turning, she flung herself into
sudden leap, striking viciously at
It's eye with her sharpened bone. A
roar from the onlookers acknowl-
edged the stroke. The cave-tiger's
eye remained undarkened. but the
puny weapon had dealt it smart
flesh wound, and with great bel
low OF surprise and pain it scampered
away to gain space for rush and a
spring.
But the woman did not await its
charge. With shrill scream she
sped forward, running at the full Of
her speed across the moonlight di-
rectly towards that Swallowed part
of the encircling wall within whose
thickness had my gazing place; and
then, throwing every tendon Of her
body into the spring, made the great
est leap that surely any human being
ever accomplished. even when spurred
ON by the utmost of terror and des.
peration. In an after day I meas
ured it, and though of certainty
she must have added much to the
tally by the sheer force Of her run,
which drove her clinging up the
rough surface OF the wall. 1t is sure
thing that in that splendid leap her
feet must have dangled a man-height
and half above the pavement.
say it was prodigious, but then
the spur was more than the ordinary,
and the woman herself was far out
OF the common both in thews and
intelligence; and the end Of the leap
left her with five fingers lodged in
the sill of the arrow-slit from which
| ! watched. Even then she must have
slipped back if she had been left to
herself, for the sill sloped, and the
stone was finely smooth; but shot
out my hand and gripped hers by the
wrist, and instantly she clambered
up with both knees on the sill and
her fingers twined round to grip my
wrist in her turn.
And now you will suppose she
gushed out prayers and promises,
thinking only of safety and enlarge
ment. There was nothing of this.
With savage painting wordlessness she
took fresh grip on the sharpened
bone with her spare hand. and lunged
with 1t desperately through the ar
row-slit. With the hand that clutched
mine she drew me towards her, so as
| to give the blows the surer chance,
and so unprepared was / for such
an attack, and with such fierce sud-
denness did she deliver it, that the
first blow was near giving me my
quietus. But grappled with the
poor frantic creature as gently as
might be-the stone of the wall
separating us always-and stripped
her of her weapon, and held her firm
| ly captive till she might calm herself.
THAT was an ungrateful blow" 1
said. "But for my hand you'd have
slipped and be the sport of tigers
paw this minute"
"Oh, must kill some one" she
painted. before am killed myself"
"There will be time enough to
think upon that some other day; but
for now you are far enough off meet
| ing further harm"
"You are lying to me. You will
| throw me to the beasts as soon as I
loose my grip. l know your kind;
| you will not be robbed of your sport"
II will go so far as to prove myself
to you" said 1, and called out for the
warder who had tended the doors be-
low. IBID those tigers be tethered
on a shorter CHAIN" ordered, "and
then go yourself outside into the
circus and help this lady delicately
to the ground"
The word was passed and these
things were done, and l too came
out into the circus and Joined the
woman, who stood waiting under the
moonlight. But the others who had
seen these doings were by no means
suited as the change of plan. One
OF the great stone valves of the far
ther door opened hurriedly and q
man strobe out, armed and flushed.
"By all the gods!" he shouted. "Who
comes between me and my pastime2"
| stepped quietly to the advance.
81 fear, sir" said, that you must
launch your anger against me. By
accident I gave that woman sanctu-
airy, and had not heart to toss her
back to your beasts"
His fingers began to snap against
his hilt
you have come to the wrong mar
ket here with your qualms. I am cap