The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-05
CUB PETS ARE IN FASHION.
LIONS. LEOPiRDS AND BEARS
ESPECIALLY IN DEMAND.
They Are Fascinating. hut Are Apt to Give
Their Owners Unpleasant Surprises
Adventure Of q woman Who Bought
a Pair or lion d'Vsbs-Sature Books
Responsible for the Fashion.

Cubs, especially lions. leopards and
bears, are the latest fad i'll the pet line,
said a dealer in wild animals, The demand
has increased ten fold within the last few
years.
There is no denying that cubs make
mighty interesting, almost fascinating pets
Bat il is fad which is also frequently at
tended With some inconvenience.
Some time ago lioness which had
bo,,gh, from the Hagenbeck people give
birth to a couple Of cubs. The cubs lad
grown lust large enough to be playful when
New York woman happened to visit my
place. Those cubs won her heart IN an
instant.
"They would haze won the heart OF any
woman, for they were plump, full of IN" JOY
Of ffe, and the way in which they rolled
over each other, danced about on their
clumsy little feet and sprspE with little
erowls at the waving tail of their dignified
mother made one of the prettiest sights
Imaginable.
THE New York woman has large country
place out from the city, and nothing would
satisfy her but to have the cubs as her
pets. So a. soon as they were old enough
TO be separated from their mother | sold
them. The woman went away delighted
with her treasures II wasn't up TO ne
to mar things by any ill-omened warnings.
"For some months | heard nothing from
the purchaser of the fascinating cubs
Then one afternoon 1 received a hurry
call, asking me to come to her country
PLACE without loss of time.
"The trouble was about one Of the cubs.
One had died a short time after I sold him,
hut the other, male, had grown and
, rhrived
AT first hc was tho most desirable Of
rcts and. ns he mover met with anything
except the kindcst Of treatment, was friendly
with every ono about the house. Then
IA he grew a little larger he became friends
with the big st. Bernard that had lived in
the family for years.
"The dog was larger than the cub, but
tho cub even then had good dea the
more strength Still there never was any
hard feeling between the two, and they
would play and frolic on the big lawns
abo.t the house, the greatest chums imagin-
abe.
"pr3bably the st Bernard and the cub
would never have quarreled, the ST. Ber-
nard being gOod-nntured animal and
the young lion never having had any e2-
pericnce 10 draw out his real wid-heast
nature. But one day a bulldog happened
40 stray from the kennels out on the lawn
in front of the house.
"The bulldog saw the young lion and
looked on him as an intruder, Al thai
the bulldog never had finer opportunity
to mind his own business He didn't rccog-
nize his chance Instead. with the fear
lessncss Of his race, he gave deep growl
and made a dash for the young lion
THAT was about all, as far M the bull
dog was concerned. A lion, even che
only few months Old. it, abundantly
abe TO take care Of himself against any
thing in the dog line.
"1o be sure the bulldog secured a grip.
catching the lion by the shoulder, and held
on in a mighty plucky manner under the
circumstances But when the young lion
once got his claws at work he simply tore
the dog To pieces,
This was the finish of the young lion
in the pet line. He had been in battle,
had tasted the flesh Of a freshly killed an
tagonist. In the winding of an eye the
pettings he had received his associai ions
with human beings and the sheltered house,
hold life were forgotten. He reverted to q