The Washington times., 1902-03-16

ANU So. lily SISTER tthAibiNu W iShisr
you have all your hunt for nothing,
The royal quarry seems to know some
thing about flank movements and strategy
as well as your own gallant selves"
Really, l don't understand. Miss Brad
ford" said the puzzled soldier. What is
all this about escorts and flank move
ments All, Miss Blithedale, as that
lady appeared, apparently nerved again to
welcome encounter with the major;
this is most charming coincidence. But
explain. please, Miss Bradford
Then my sister narrated as follows:
The two ladies in question, bored to
death at the absence of the only object of
interest-the men-had decided on little
expedition of their own.
They had hired one of the native
"jaunting cars" as we called them, with
its zebu team and native driver, and stow
ing a luncheon ha;lper in the boot" had
driven out before the MONDAY heat for
the park
Already in sight of the grove, they had
been Mortified TO see the sudden appear
ance of a great tiger, who stepped out
from the underground beside the road,
disclosing his superb proportions and bril-
liant coloring as he first gazed curiously
toward them and then lowered his head
and began to stalk after them in long
strides.
, Miss Blithedale uttered a terrific shrek;
the driver, turning, saw the beast, and,
wild with fear, first whipped up his bull
| locks and then incontinently fed into the
jungle.
Meanwhile, in the same moments, my
sister had been equally appalled,. But
Belle is a girl of pretty strong nerves, as
you may know, and though white with
fear. she uttered no cry, but silently if
wildly looked around for a weapon.
There was none, of course-but stay,
the cherry parasol, She snatched it from
the nerveless hands of her companion.
opened it with a vicious snap, and thrust
it sheer into the face of the beast. who
was not four feet away.
At the same time she closed her eyes
from sudden faintness. but recovering in
stantly she looked again and-he was
gone. She could just see the tail disap-
pearing rapidly as he crawled among the
leaves in dire fright.
! Without an instant's hesitation my sis
ter sprang to the box whipped up the
slow bulls drove the few rods to the
bungalow with Miss Blithedale clinging to :
| her and alternately moaning and screech-
| ing. as we learned in private.
That was five hours before; Miss Blithe-
! dale had absolutely refused to return
| with the cowardly native driver. who had
arrived before them. and my sister had
4 hot in hat she
would go back alone, asking no better
protection than the cherry parasol.
You have revolutionized the tiger hunt
for the future, Miss Bradford" said the
| Major, with his eyes full of admiration at
the tale which my sister told so lightly
| and laughingly as to rob 1t of any trace
of egotism. Hereafter we may expect to
see long lines of beaters file through the
| jungle armed with red umbrellas. and
flaming cotton stockades about the vii
| lages.
There was some discussion az to the
| identity of this particular beast, but 1t
was generally allowed to be the same
we had been hunting, if for no other
reason than to turn the joke against our
selves, the empty handed Nimrods.
| we SIaTttu DaCh ~ to"h dho JchihSi-
made great show of surrounding the
car as protection on every side.
But it turned out to be no Joke. When
half way back (he Major and myself rid
ing beside the carr there arose frighten-
ed cries ahead. and the leaders of the
| cavalcade came tumbling back upon us
| in the widest fear.
The major and / dashed to the front.
| There in the middle of the road stood
his kingship, glaring at the procession
with blazing eyes.
We flung ourselves from our horses,
unsIung our rifles and He had been
creeping slowly toward US; now he
sprang at me just as the Majors rife
cracked.
The bullet could not stop his advance.
| felt a terrific shock as the tiger fell at
my feet with outstretched claws. One
| paw dug into my neck as he descended,
| and tore down over my breast deep
through the clothing and into the flesh,
pulling me down with terrific force up
on his own body.
! sprang to my feet and saw that he
lay dead
The majors shot true to the mark be-
tween the eyes, had caught him in mid
| air.
AS he lay there. the type of ferocious
4 beauty and brute power, we all maryeled
that such q magnificent beast should have
been frightened off by a mere parasol,
! even though ii famed like the fires of
Aetna.
We were met at the edge of the town
by a piece of news that went far to ex
plain this improbability. He had salts
fed his hunger on low caste Brahmin
only an hour previous to the roadside en-
counter with the ladies'.
The major claimed the skin, and no one
thought of denying 1t to him. But he
only wanted it to present TO Belle, and
as they were married the following year.
he got it back again.
My sister, however, backed by all her
friends, made a demand on Miss Blithe-
dale for the cherry parasol, and she has
it yet as her peculiar trophy.
Indeed, Miss b. was quite resigned to
parting with 1t, as she at the same time
| procured a substitute in a gay scarlet
/ Jacket that covered the noble form of
Lieutenant the Honorable Algernon Binks.
H. NJ. Ninety-seventh Fusiliers.