The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-05-18

loved but once, we are led TO believe, and
with her whole heart Her trust in the
peasant was naturally answered. Only
her Oriental nature. and the fact that
she was accustomed 10 carnage in arena
evolves the theory that she might let
loose the tiger.
/ For, when she ssSnalled him 10 open
the rsght-hand door Hope was upper
most in her mind. 1t would crush her
If the tiger appeared: II would madden
IL the lady come forth She had pom
dered long. As long as there IS life there
remains Hope. She might yet change
the King command. snatch him from
her rival and be reunited with her FIRST
and her only and passionate lover. And
when the cheering of the multitude an
nounced that the woman had stepped
from behind the open door. she was then
planning her second crusade against Fate.
This is Henry T. Finck's solution:
Perhaps Shapespeare's "Othello" has
not given rise 10 more discussion Of the
nature and the effects of jealousy than
Frank Stockton's ingenious story. The
Lady or the Tiger" Ii is said that
Stockton received more than three thou
sand letters asking him for the solution
OF his story-puzzle
The situation. as he himself remarks.
involves a study OF the human heart
which leads US through devious mazes
OF passion. out OF which it is difficult to
find our way" Yet. while he refused.
to the end or his life. to give any hint
as to whether the Princess chose 10 see
her lover mangied by a tiger or mar
Tied before her eyes 10 a beautiful rival.
he gave in the story itself several subtle
ciews, which in my opinion. make il pos
sible to give an authoritative answer.
Il all depended upon what kind OF a
girl the Princess was. There are men.
even in modern civilized countries. who,
IL refused by a girl they covet. shoot
her. Such cases OF dog-in-the-manger
Jealousy are reported in the newspapers
every week. If 1 cannot have her. no
one shall have her." is the motto OF these
fiends.
Nor is IL the men only who are goaded
to such atrocities by jealousy. Think Of
Medea sending the poisoned robe OF her
husbands innocent bride and Staying her
own children to spite him. Jealous
squaws bite of a rivals nose and other
wise horribly mutilate her. Herodotus
relates how the wife OF Xerxes cut of
parts Of her rivals body and gave them
to her dogs.
The pertinence of all this to Stockton's
story il obvious. Had his Princess been
a civilized European girl the outcome
could not have been doubtful She
would have sacrificed her own happiness
instead of her lovers life But she is
the daughter of a ''semi-ba rbaric king
Stockton adds expressly. Think OF It,
fair reader, not II the decision Of the
question depended upon yourself. but up
on that hot-blooded semi barbaric Prin-
cess. her soul at white heat beneath the
combined fires Of despair and jealousy.
She had lost him. but who should have
him?"
Moreover. with all the intensity OF the
savage blood transmitted to her through
long lines of wholly barbaric ancestors.
she hated the woman who blushed and
trembled behind that silent door"
II we read these two sentences in the
light OF the facts have given regarding
the results OF jealousy among savages
and barabrians. we have the key to
Stockton's puzzle. Beyond all doubt. not
the lady. confronted the courtier when
he opened the door on the right.