The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-08-23
A GENIAL,
LOVABLE MAN
How Frank R. Stockton Is Remembered By
His Friends.

denly at Washington on the morning
If April 20, is remembered by his
friends as most genial. lovable man
and good companion. He must have
I,nowu that his days We're numbered,
because he spoke of his death only
week before he passed away as some
.bing to be asked for soon. says the
Now York Tribune This was at the
looms Of the Authors club in this city.
He told a friend and fellow member a
etorv which he intended to make the
foundation of a novel. Il will not live
m write it, he said, and 1 want you
IN write it for me-
StocktOn's most striking success was
achieved with the story, The Lady or
the Tiger" which is the story of a
semi barbaric king who lived lin the
very olden time who amused himself
by dealing in a picturesque way with
subjects accused of crime. The ac-
cused man was brought into an arena,
where he decided his own fate The
story says:
Directly opposite him. on the other
side Of the inclosed space. were two
doors exactly alike and side by side. 1t
was the duty and the privilege of the
person on trial 70 walk directly to these
doors and open one of them. He could
open either door he pleased; he was
subject to no guidance or influence but
that Of the aforementioned impartial
and incorruptible chance. If he opened
the one there came out of it a hungry
tiger. the fiercest and most cruel that
could be procured, which Immediately
sprang upon him and tore him to pieces
as a punishment for his guilt. The mo-
ment that the case of the criminal was
thus decided. doleful iron bells were
changed, great walls went up from the
hired mourners, etc.
But if the accused person opened the
other door there came forth from it
lady the most suitable to his years and.
station that his majesty could select
among his fair subjects, and to this
lady he was Immediately married as a
reward Of his innocence. Ii mattered
not that he might already possess a
VIE and family, or that his affections
m.gnt be engaged upon an object of his
own selection; the king allowed no such
subordinate arrangements TO interfere
with his great scheme of retribution
and reward. The exercises, as in the
other instance, took place Immediately,
and in the arena. Another door opened
beneath the king, and a priest, followed
by band Of choristers and dancing
maidens, blowing horns and treading an
epithalmic measure, advanced to where
wedding was promptly and cheerily
solemnized. This was the king S
semi barbaric method of ministering
justice. Its perfect fairness is obvious.
The criminal could not know out of
which door would come the lady: he
opened either he pleased without haY-
ing the slightest idea whether in the
next instant he was to be devoured or
married. On some occasions the tiger
came out of one door, and on some out
Of the other. The accused person was
instantly punished if he found himself
guilty, and if innocent he was rewarded
on the spot, whether he liked it or not.
This semi barbaric king had daugh-
ter as blooming as his most fiorid fam
cies and with a soul as fervent and
imperious as his own. AS is usual in
such cases, she was the apple of his
eye, and was loved by him above all
humanity. Among his Courtiers vas a
young man of that fineness of blood
and lowness of station common to the
conventional heroes of romance who
loved royal maidens. This royal maid
en- was well satisfied with her lover,
for he was handsome and brave to a
degree unsurpassed in all this kingdom,
and she loved him with an ardor that
had enough of barbarism in it to make
it exceedingly warm and strong This
love affair moved on happily for many
months, until one day the king hap
pened to discover its existence. He did
not hesitate or waver in regard to his
duty in the premises. The youth was
Immediately cast into prison. and a day
was appointed for his trial in the king
arena
The story goes on to say that the fair
far fnap nv 1
penditure of gold in which cage the
tiger would be, and also that a beau
tiful girl who had looked with loving
eyes on the unfortunate youth had been
selected as the lady" in the case, and
adds:
The only hope for the youth
in which there was any element of GER
tainty was based upon the success of
the princess in discovering this mys-
terry, and the moment he looked upon
her he saw she had succeeded, as in
his soul he knew she would succeed.
Then ii was that his quick and anxious
glance asked the question, Which"
1t was as plain to her as if he shouted
ii from where he stood. Her
right arm lay on the cushioned para
pet before her. She raised her hand
and made a slight. quick movement to-
ward the right. He turned. and with a
firm and rapid step he walked across
the empty space. Every heart stopped
beating, every breath was held, every
eye was fixed immovably on the man.
Without the slightest hesitation he
went to the door on the right and
opened it. Now, the point of the story
is this: Did the tiger come out OF the
door, or did the lady?
How did the princess decide? To save
her lover. so that he might be anoth-
FRS or to have him torn to pieces?
The question of her decision is one
not TO be lightly considered, and it is
not for me to presume to set myself
up as the one person able to answer
it. And so I leave it with all of you:
Which came out of the door, the lady
or the tiger2
The little story. while it created
much comment, was a stumbling block
for Stockton. For a long time his
stories We're returned to him by pub
fishers who thought that the public
would want something better" from
the author of The Lady or the Tiger.
His Wife's Deceased Sister" anoth-
er Of Stockton's stories. was written
with a view to telling of the disad-
vantages under which a man labors
who has produced work of eXtraor-
binary value or one by which he be-
comes popular" His Wife'S Deceased
Sister" is the story of man who had
received his manuscript back from the
publisher only because it was not VI
TO the standard which the writer had
set for himself in story which was
the result Of an inspiration. The young
author was finally compelled to write
over another name in order to find q
market for his works. The story says:
Time passed on very pleasantly; one
year, another, and then a little son
was born to us. 1t is often difficult, ]
believe for thoughtful persons to de-
eide whether the beginning of theil