The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1902-09-12
THE END OF A FAD.


Ills latest exploit, however, came so near
being fatality that he has pulled himself
together and made a solemn promise to
Mrs. Benedict not to promulgate any new
theories in the next five years. She hopes
that by the expiration OF that time-limit
he will be satisfied to leave the occult, the
illimitable, and the unfathomable to the
investigation of posterity, and take more
immediate interest in things mundane which
are necessary to the comfort of mortals
whose wings are not grown.
Mrs. Benedict did not seriously object
to an invasion of her home by lizards,
snakes and ella monsters-for her hus-
band assured her that these interesting
horrors were to illustrate the book he was
writing on the subject of evolution and re-
incarnation, nor was she angry when he
came home half-leading, half-dragging an
immense shaggy animal, which she be-
lieved to be mastif On the contrary, she
patted his tawny head, and was about to
possess herself of one of its great paws,
when her husband said:
Isn't he beauty? l got him from the
keeper of the zoo. Only cub, but such a
magnificent fellow! / know now why | have
always been so attracted to the lions cage
| was lion in my first stage of existence.
Can't you believe that, MabelY"
81 think you are donkey" answered
Mrs Benedict, with emphasis, as she
climbed on the library table and eyed the
lion cub with strong disfavor. Il never
heard Of such nonsense in my life. just
tell you, Martin Benedict, that if that brute
stays, l leave. It's bad enough living with
crazy man, without having menagerie.
/ draw the line ri0ht here :"
My dear, there is not the slightest dam
ger, for you know | have the power that
controls the widest animals. Let me look
in the eye, and / can hypnotic it to do my
bidding. This fine fellow opens a new world
of Investigation before me. | will show a
power that can tame the king of beasts, a
feat never yet performed. Hypnotism shall
conquer him"
Martin, you couldn't hypnotic a cat
you tried it and the cat had fit from
fright and that's all your hypnotic will ac-
complished. Keep hold of the strap until |
would like to eat mel" and Mrs Benedict
edged from the room, closing the folding
doors after her.
Whether Mr.. Benedict could hypnotic
the lion cub remained to be seen, but he did
hypnotic his wife into permitting him tc
keep the great brute, but almost any wife
can tell how that is done. There is moth
ing occult about the method, persistence and
blarney bringing the desired result. And
for once Mrs. Benedict was getting her re-
venge without knowing it. Instead of Mr.
Benedict hypnotizing the lion it was hypno-
tizing him. He could not take his eyes
from that cruel face, and it did really seem
as if his own features were taking on the
expression of sleepy alertness and wicked
watchfulness expressed in the leonine fea
lures. He neglected every other pursuit tc
feed and fondle his strange pet, and when
he took his walks abroad was summed by
the townspeople, who fell over each other
in their haste to get out of the lions way
The small boy followed at respectful dis
lance, awed for once by superior faculties
for destroying, and horses instinctively
SHE'D as they recognized an enemy from
the jungle The animal keeper at the zoe
did not want the animal returned, anC
Mr.. Benedict dare not let it go at large
He was in communication with several cir
Gus managers, and hoped some of then
would come to the rescue before he himsel
died of nervous prostration.
Mrs. Benedict, good woman, did no
know anything of this. She had accepted
the cub as she would have accepted an!
other fate, and made the best of it. Whel
her friends called, she saw to it that tn
animal was locked up, and she had beer
SO busy with her own fads of picking ant
preserving to make her home comfortabl
that she had not bothered her head abou
Martins idiosyncracies except once, ant
the whole character of the woman showed
in that one action. 1t was not the frs
time she had taken time by the forelock.
In a neighborhood where burglaries wer
imminent, Mrs. Benedict had supplied her
self with a revolver, every chamber of whicl
was loaded. This revolver Travelled up ant
downstairs with the basket of solid silver
which was the joy of her housekeeping soul
So that night or day that weapon was within
easy reach, for, as she naively said: "Whel
| need it | shall need it quick, a man
phrase unadorned by unnecessary adjec
tives.
One day Mr.. Benedict was sleeping on
lounge in the library, when Mrs Benedic
looked in to see if everything was right Tn
cub lay at full length on the floor, facin
him and watching his siumbers. The ami
mails immense paws, the claws of whic
were always sheathed, gave such an idei
of depressed strength that even with he
dislike undated Mrs. Benedict gave tn
massive brute his need of praise. But sh
did not care to attract his attention, ant
wondered how her husband could sleep un
der the baleful light of those green gra!
eyes. Then she closed the door and sa
down to some needlework in the mex
room.
She was disturbed by growl. 1t did no
reach the dim ension of a roar, but she hat
heard her husband say that when the cul
growled it would want meat, and then i
would be dangerous and must be shut up
She waited a moment, another and deepe
growl. Way did not Martin speak to it
Was e using his hypnotic influences? Sh
rose softly, reached her hand into the draw
er of the sideboard, took out the revolve
and opened the door OF the library. Ant
this was what she saw. Mr.. Benedict lynn
white and still on the lounge, his hand hang
ing over the side, the blood dripping from
it as the cub licked it with horrible inten
eity, while the unfortunate man dared no
move an eyelash lest the savage brute hav
ing tasted blood should rend him limb from
limb. And the next moment the ANNA
crawled under the lounge with six bullet
in his body, while Mrs. Benedict stood hal
fainting by her husband. When woman
shoots she always shoots to kill.
NeitAer of the two are squeamish abou
fine rug with a mounted head whicl
adornes the library but while Mr.. Benedic
is proud Of it as a trophy Of his wife's marks
manship, to her it represents the complete
deliyeranee Of her husband from fads O
glotesque proportions that threatened t,
wreck their happness.-Chicago Record
Herald