Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1902-05-10

pended that 1t reflected the floor OF the
gun room rather than the wall In front
of 1t. Miss Hope who faced me with her
back to the mirror. was not imaged In the
shining surface. but it had been the
movement Of some living thing reflected
there which had caught my gaze and
held 1t. a sheet Of tawny fur. q pair of
glittcring eyeballs. sinuous form
crouching, as IL about to spring!
The beautiful. silent woman seemed in
stinctively to know that a cry for help
would be but the signal for the crawling
yellow mass to gather itself together and
leap upon her.
Somehow she must be saved. With my
eyes l measured the window through
which I leaned. 1t was small. but not
too small to prevent the passage Of my
body. II I could leap down to the fioor
of the gun room. only ten or twelve feet
below. I should alight behind the tiger.
I drew myself upward until ! knelt,
| crouching down. on the sill; and then,
with diz.ying vision under my eyes OF
a slow, striped and tawny length crawl
Ing across the floor lit would have ta-
bic to cross or skirt round before It could
reach Miss Hope), dropped my feet over
and let myself go.
For an instant the shock half stunned
me. A myriad Of stars seemed to fall In
a cataract out OF the darkness, and the
roaring Of the cataract was In my ears.
1t was not 80 much Of a jump-ten or
dozen fcet-if ! could have taken II In
the right way: but had fallen anyhow,
actuatcd solely by the desire to drop, In
what manner 1t mattcrcd little, yet In
less time than Is occupied In telling had
staggered to my knees and would have
been on my feet had not had to reckon
with the tiger.
There had been sharp cry from Miss
Hope. but when I would have looked
for her through the falling stars the room
was blottcd out by the dark shape that
had whirlcd and doomed over me. A curl
Gus pungcnt stencil was In my n0strils,
and, with blind impulse bidding me
clutch at the creatures throat, In the in
stinctive desire for sclf.prcserva ton
which never quite leaves MS, went down
again under the blows Of the great sledge-
hammer paws.
There was grinding pain In my arms
and shoulders. a sense Of sitting under
hot. ill.smelling fur. a rebellious, though
scarcely terrified. knowledge that this
moment would be my last on earth. that
I was graphing with death In grimmest
form. and being Overmastcred by II.
That was all. And In the midst came o
shot. fired 30 close at hand as to he deaf.
ening. a squirt OF thick. warm blood over
my face and a yell Of mortal anguish.
Blood-not my own-drippcd over my
eyes. and dashed II away with the one
hand could lit. My left hung helpless.
and for the moment life seemed far away
and utterly undesirable.
Then ] felt her soft fingers grasp my
arm with all the will. II not the power, TO
bring me to my feet again. and the sight
OF her face NO near my own, the sound
OF her painting breath In my ear, gave me
new strength and inspiration.
'Thank heaven! Thank hcaven!' she
was crying.
] dragged myself up from the floor, but
I could not stand. and. Keeling back. l
leaned against the table. my breath com.
Ing In hoarsc sObs. Something l had
stumbled against rs I staggered across
the floor. And now saw that It was a
gun, still smoking.
The tiger lay still. a supine mass,
stretched out ut length. half on Its back.
the soft fur dabbled with the blood In
which It would wallow no more.
~ have killed It" she said. I'VE are
saved! But. oh. the horror Of III"
Don't think Of it-don't look!' ! pant.
cd, scarce knowing yet what ] said. feel
Ing still In Imagination. and the thr0b.
hing OF torn muscles, the death-grip of
the tiger on my body. "You saved my
life with magnificent courage. and--and-.
l."
"And you? 1t was you who saved mine.
But. y Mr.. DarkmOre, It's over now! The
strength has gone out Of me. Will no one
ever come and-takc that awful thing
away? ! must look; l can't help II. And
I'm SO deadly, deadly sick"
! sprang forward, forgetting my weak
ness and my pain. On my right arm,
which was uninjured. caught and held
her up. She lay against my breast, her
exquisite body soft and pathctically Yield
ing In inconsistencies, and I felt my
strength coming back to me with u rush
Of fire through my veins.
Then there were sounds on the stairs
and In the hall outside, with loud rat
Ting Of that door Of the gun room which
opened into the passage.
"FOr the love OF heaven, what's hap
pened hereY' Sir Thomas bluff voice was
exclaiming. "Whoever's In there, unlock
the door,"
II can't get to it, I cried In return
"COme round to the door on the lawn
As shouted my answer, felt deli
cate thrilling and stirring Of the girls
body In my arms, and faint sigh told
me that her senses were returning.
They've cOme-at last" she murmur
ed. "But-but she had locked the door
ON the outside"
LOCKED the door on the outsider"
asked, In amaze. "Who could have don,
such a thing?"
But Miss Hope gave me no answer.
"Tell them not to be alarmed" ! re-
piled to Sir Thomas questioning, hearing
. the terrified voices of women In the dis
lance. "Miss Hope has-killed the tiger
that's all, thank heaven!
There was a general Outburst of excla
. nations, but no one cared to stop FOL
more inquiries. The obvious thing to dc
was to take my advice, and satisfy al
curiosity by coming to us as speedily as
possible through the other door. A few
moments later We could hear the soft pat
! ter of feet as they ran over the frozen
lawn, and then the gun room was invad
ed by the men OF the house and severa
; servants In various stages of deshabillc
} Everybody In the house had fathered
! In the smoking room, with only two alb
sentees-Paula and the invalid Jerome
One OF the gr0oms had been sent ~
pOst-haste to the village, mile away, fol
surgeon to dress my wounded shoulder
; There seemed a strange fascination 70,
| A. all in n,Et ttnp