Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-05-14
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY.
Three Successive
o-EmotionS
IOriginal.l

When secured Il contract on one or
the largest railroads in India, l took
my wife and little daughter with me
and established them in a bungalow
on the line. l was away all day, some
times for days together, but 1 left
plenty of servants at the house and
felt no concern as TO the safety of my
family My wife, who was troubled
with insomnia, slept alone, and our lit
tie girl, seven years cid, slept in n
room with Inc. In that hot climate 1t
is impossible to keep the doors and
windows closed. and when came in
late ut night had no trouble in enter
ing.
One night l went home and, finding
the door closed. climbed into my room
through an open window. AS l did
not care To waken Rosie, who slept in
n crib in one corner, l took OF my
shoes before entering and stepped
noiselessly. Undressing with the same
caution, / got into bed and was soon
asleep.
l was awakened by a low growl.
Thinking that my big dog Bruin had
get up and put him out when l was
startled by another growl, unlike that
of a dog, but strangely resembling
some one of the wild animals with
which the country abounds. But what
sent thrill of horror through me was
that it came from ROsie's crib.
The chamber door opened near my
bed-that is, 1t opened toward me in
stead of away from me. Here was
n possible exit for me, if indeed 1 gave
up my child for lost and chose TO make
an attempt to save my own life. l
might slip out of bed and through the
door. 1t is said that self preservation
is the first law of nature. and / confess
1 practically illustrated the saying.
Catching sight of two glarinS eyes in
the corner in which the crib stood. l
lost consciousness of all but one thing
my own immediate threatened death.
Springing from the bed, I pulled open
the door. which fortunately stood
slightly ajar. slipped through and pull
ed il shut behind me. At the same in
slant l heard the sound of heavy
body striking against it. and a terrible
growl, which l now recognized as that
Of the man eater (the tiger of India.
There was nothing to do but hold
the door. True. the tiger would not
unlatch it. but l did not care to take
even the most remote chance of letting
him into that portion of the house oc-
cupied by my wife and the servants.
There was n transom above. and very
soon glass shattered by the tigers paw
fell on my head. Looking up. / saw
his nose protrUding. but fortunately
the space was too small to pass him.
Realizing the fact, he abandoned this
point of egress. and l heard the thud
of his fore paws on the floor. l ex-
pected he would go out at the window,
but he did not seem inclined to do so.
Hearing a step behind me. 1 turned,
and there stood my wife in her night
clothes. 49,
Roster moaned. fsss a.
"What of herr <JSsesss:|
Lost"
Without n word the mother sank in
n swoOn.
Now comes n surprise in my story,
for which, whenever 1 think of it,
lift my eyes to heaven and utter n
THANK Godv Rosie herself came run
ming along the hallway. \ few hasty
questions and answers explained her
presence. She had heard low growlS
from the tiger under the window be-
fore he entered and, terrified, fed to
her mothers room and got into bed
beside her without awakening her.
Then came servants, but so great is
the terror of the man eater among the
natives that when l explained that 1
had left one in my room most of them
fled. My wife revived, saw her daugh-
ter and swooned again, this time
through excess of joy.
One feeling now took possession of
me- a desire to have the blood of the
creature that had so terrified me. that
might have killed my child. Directing
the servants to take my wife and
daughter to their sleeping room and
lock them in, 1 called for my repeating
rifle and. going into the yard, took POI
sition near the window through which
the tiger had entered. There was no
sign of him. and feared he had gone,
when 1 saw a bit of yellow fur above
the window sill. 1t was the ridge of
I his back. l should have waited till he
put his paws on the sill preparatory to
jumping through the window. but l
could not brook the delay. l called to
the servants to bring me something on
which to stand so that could see into
the room, but none of them dared APP
proach. Finally one Drawer than the
rest threw me n box. Taking it to
within a few yards of the window. l
mounted it in time to see the beast put
his fore paws on Rosie's crib and in
this elevated position stand looking
about him. There was no time to
spare. He would soon see me and
come for me. 1 have never before or
since known the perfect poise of nerve
with which l pointed my rifle at him,
aimed behind the shoulder and fired.
The tiger sprang to the ceiling, then
fell back dead.
What has since puzzled me are nv