Connecticut western news., 1901-12-05
THE LOST FINGER {,
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A Story of Pioneer Life In
 Central America.

a fort. Many acres of cultivated land | showed long lines of sugar cane and | tall trees laden with bananas, in sur | prising contrast to the dark, impene- | trable mass of wild bushland which in | the distance surrounded the settlement. Sonora Diaz was one of the tropical | beauties of whom Murillo dreamed. "I am going to test your gallantry," | she said, coming out on the veranda where I sat, 'by asking you to help me to water my flowers, for with my lame hand 1t is not easy for me to lift the heavy watering pot"
 "I am at your service, but allow me am I wrong?- remind you that yoa promised to tell me the story of how your hand was lamed."
 Certainly. As soon as the flowers are watered we will have coffee on the veranda, and you will hear all about | it."
 Accordingly I was shortly afterward | slipping coffee with the little Lolita, my hosts only daughter and my pet, beside me, while her mother rolled a | cigarette, lighted it and began as fol lows:
 When we came here this was a very wild place, and we had to endure a number of pests. For instance, when Lolita was baby, my husband and his men went off one morning to work as usual, and the child lay asleep on mat at the end of the room. Sudden ly I saw on the floor the skin of mouse, from which the whole body bod knew at once that snake must be | near, for they feed on mice and eat them in this fashion, but, carefully as looked about me, 1 could see no snake, till all at once 1t occurred to me that it might be under the baby's mat. I snatched the child up and placed her in safety. Then I lifted softly part of the mat and there it was-the long, slimy, green and gold | reptile coiled up and fast asleep. An, how I jumped! I ran out into the courtyard to call for help. Luckily our man, Jose, was there, and he kill ed the reptile. But as we cleared more acres the snakes left us to hide | themselves in the forest. I began to hope our cares were ended, but they were only just begun. Wild beasts now first appeared on the scene. One morning while we were at 1 breakfast one of our herdsmen brought the news that our cattle, which graze | In the tall grass on the other side of 1 the river, had been attacked by a | jaguar that had killed one of the bulls. The man who told us this had escaped | with his life, yet he would have scarce | ly done so if he had not misled the | beast or had there not been a fat OK | there.
 | A week passed without new alarm, | and we had come to think less about | it, when suddenly three or four Indians rushed in to tell us how a great jaguar had broken into their camp and killed C. woman and one of their dogs. | When my husband heard the story, l he judged that 1t was the same ami | mai that had attacked our bull, for the
 Indians described 1t as creature of singular color. far lighter than any they had seen about there so that they named 1t '"The White Death"
 We all thought 1t high time to do something, and my husband called his people together to go out and hunt the animal
 I remember that morning distinctly. They went away checrfully enough, each man with his gun and hunting knife, and Moro, our bloodhound, was | with them. My husband turned around
 just as he entered the wood and kissed
 his hand to me. Then he and his com panions vanished in the forest.
 When I found myself with Lolita alone in the house and thought of what
 might happen if they met that terrible
 wild animal, such anxiety seized me
 (although I never thought I could be in
 danger) that could not be contented
 till had locked every door in the
 house, and then seated myself in the
 great sitting room, took Lolita on my
 lap and tried to tell her a story.
 Suddenly I heard a scratching along
 the roof, and then a dull thud, as if
 something heavy had fallen.
 Anxious and nervous as I was, l
 started up with a cry, although l had | no presentiment what it was.
 The next moment I heard just over
 me a sound which I could not mistake
 "a long, passionate roar-a cry that I had often heard from the woods at
 night and never without feeling as if
 my heart stood still The thought rush.
 ed through my mind, "Oh, heaven, the
 jaguarv'
 shall never forget that moment!
 For a second I was quite rigid and
 helpless, as If life had departed, and
 then thought flashed upon me. The
 jaguar was not to be kept off If he
 penetrated here from the roof, for most
 of the inner doorways had only draper
 ies. In my dining room was a great
 wooden meal chest, nearly empty and
 large enough to hold six or seven per.
 sons at once. If Lolita and I could get
 there, thought I, we are saved.
 seized the child, ran with her into
 the dining room and crept into the
 chest. Unfortunately it had spring
 !ock, so that was forced to hold the
 id open with my left hand to guard
 against Its locking and immediately
 stiflng us. But 1t had more than ar
 Inch of outer rim, which completely
 hid my fingers.
 It was not a moment too soon. w
 were scarcely hidden when heard the
 great claws scratching along the floor
 and the hungry smiling of the jagual
 showed me that he was In search oi
 food.
 He came straight to the chest and
 paused moment, as if he feared 6
 trap. Then he put his head close tt
 the small opening, so that could fee |