The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1902-04-29

on the cloak rolled it between his Ga
padded It, smoothed II and peeped
beneath it's hem, as IL seemed suddenly
to spread and spread. The silence OF
curiosity, II not OF respect, fell upon us
but ! confess that my hair stood
on, but l confess that my hair stood
on end and | could feel the goose
flesh on my spine, when the wizard
jerked away the cloak and disclosed q
chubby, bright-eyed, naked Indian boz
sitting squarely before US upon the
sand It could have been no ordinary
hallucination. for the child leapt MIN
bly, to his feet, chatting to his creator
Ali Beg. as we exchanged cries of won,
der I'm afraid I'm telling 1t verJ
badly. am + Auue2" CThls to Mrs
Montford, who had come to listen al
the doorway But she said: mo. it'i
all right. Only don't go past the place
where come in. please, Harry"
"All right, Anne. Then, let's see,
Oh, yes, the boy was there as real as
any boy ever saw at night by the
light Of either moon or torch. The
adept bowling and grinning like Q
pleased Chimpanzee, now dropped tn,
cloak again, went Historically to work
with his lean hands, turning from his
task only twice to look at the BOY who
stood silent beside him gazing about al
the white faces Of the fascinated audi.
ence. When the cloak began to as.
sumo the form and size that seemed t.
satisfy the adept he whipped It away
again, and there as plain as hims
or the boy, yawning as If just awaken
ed, its mean furtive yellow o~cs ar"
ing lurld gances upon us l-y r1'
grown leopard tie hair c7 D.
back rising angrily 8s Aii "i
Into a standing posture h ne,
breath coming 10 our nostri.s rs
Enarled with rege. his tail w'
the sand into our faces as he lashed II
about. Oh, it was a real leopard. |
think. At all events, remember some
of us who happened TO have them slip
ped out our pistols.
But it was the climax OF the wlerd
spectacle which followed. ny series
Of vindictive kicks and cuffs the adept
was working the sinister beast into a
fury. The great cat was sRarling and
swapping. leering and striking AZ him.
when he suddenly furled the cioab.
round the boy, who. all calmness and
silence, was standing near. Then
thrusting the drab mass OF boy and
cloak at the creature Ali stepped
aside and stood motionless while the
brute fell tooth and claw upon the
covered boy. There was a roar q
fountain of sand. the men jumped up
some scared, some furious, some rau
10 the house for weapons, and II would
have gone hard with All Beg and his
diabolical beast II Pitcairn had mol
, jumped up, cool as a veteran on dresi
parade. to restore order. But we were
all standing, excited and panic-strick
en-. over the boys fate, when the bow
Ing oriental suddenly laid his hand or
the leopard. withdrew the cloak and
1 showed us that the boy was gone. De
q youred? Vanished?
{ u don't know, gentlemen. said MajoI
Montford, Il can't tell what became o
Z the little black fellow Ali Beg ha'
y no sooner made his low obeisanc'
b (they call IL 'saiaAm) 10 Colonel Din
9 wlddie and the circle than he wavol
{ the empty cloak few times. spread /
2 above the leopard's head and coyerel
Z that chop-licking demon. AS we look
l. ed the cloak dropped down, down, I'll
Z II lay fiat and spreading on the sand
q The leopard was gone picked al
o the ill-smelling cloak myself. and
5 the earth had opened and swaliowe
r the beast. Il could not have disappear
, ed more thoroughly, Well, that's near