Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1903-04-03

dpOul It's tQbts MdS nllu Tue
piles of Topped branches. and Sweet
heart started a game of hide and seek.
NO one remembered very clearly
afterward Just how II happened; |
didn't get upon the scene until just
in time for the appalling climax. but
at the edge of the clearing man
rushed past Royal, calling:
'Climb-the lions loose!
His daft terror was infections.
Roy's old fear swept everything before
1t. and he rushed bliudly across the
opening. plunglng madly over obstruc-
lions and past trees that would have
proved safe enough refuge, forgetting,
In the insanity of the moment, Sweet
eart-eyerythlng until ON the far
edge of the clearing he came face TO
face with the girl, paralyzed before
the lion. crunching, lashing its tail To
spring. Ii was then that |, all uncon-
scious of the sensation, and uncon'
cernedly rattllng the nuts in my poek'
ct, sauntered up-in time 10 see Roys
face blanch and violent tremor shake
his whole frame. Then he coolly
stepped between the girl and the fu-
rious beast, and stood there. his eyes
ON the balls of green fire that flashed
from the great. tawny head. 1t seemed
ages-it could scarcely have been sec
onds-no one of the four of MS moved
a musee-tlll the lion, with cry
that was like II howl and Il sob, turned
otF int hA thinE unInr.
brush higher up the mountain
'Then we both rushed to Royal, who
still had not stirred. Sweetheart put
her little arms about his neck and said
all the things that woman would
say at time like that. Still he did
not move. and there was something in
his eyes that chilled my marrow.
Sweetheart was frightened, too, when
he would not speak to her. After
moment he turned and went with MS
down the mountain. We two talked
Mt intervals, and Sweetheart spoke to
him, but still no word passed his white
Inns. The girl insisted we should 20
to her cottage, and there her mother
ut last persuaded Royal to go to bed,
n physician was called, and after days
OF anxiety and consultation, the poor
| boy raving in delirium, 1t WAS pro-
nounced brain fever. His life and ul-
| innate sanity In any case were de-
SPARED Of. The California trip. of
| course, was given up, and Swethearts
| mother nursed the boy ms IL he had
been her own. l told her of his ter
rible heritage and the gypsy Incident
| and she understood, as woman
might. what vital crisis in his life
his love for her daughter had proved.
Afterward we learned that the lioness,
which had been almost unmanageable
since the death Of her old keeper,
| giant Swede. of whom she was very
fond had become frantic on the death
| of one of her whelps and broken from
the cage. attacked the new keeper and
fed to the woods She had not eaten
| during the whelp's illness, and must
have been ravenous when she saw
| Sweetheart. Whether she thought
| ROYAL was her old master, or whether
his superhuman sang froid cowed the
brute in her, or whether, who knows,
the love that conquered hunger met
| the love that could conquer fear
love nodded to Jove' over the shoul-
der Of A man and his brother beast
we speculated endlessly in whispers
during those weeks Royals life hung
| In the balance.
zone night the doctor had called for
a second time. I'll stay with him
| little while he had said. Sweetheart
and | sat together before the library
| fre-her mother and the nurse were
resting. There had been something
unusual In the doctors manner. Pres
emily he beckoned to us from the door
way.
He Is conscious at last, he said,
and tears Of relief sprung to Sweet
hearts eyes. 1t is Il most peculiar
case he went on. Il never knew of
but one other of the sort Then lie
| hesitated. He has no fever. but-his
mind Is a blank-it is question
whether it will ever be anything else.
Again. ii may come back TO him
| SLOWLY. WIFI All tflt Olu memories, lle
old terrors-if'-he turned TO Sweet
heart-'f there were any great joy in
the future for him anything that
would engage and delight every fac
ulty and emotion for little time-l
think we might hope for his complete
recovery
'rhe warm, conscious color Hooded
Sweethearts face. | stepped back to
the hearth and busted myself with the
ashing embers | heard her confused
murmur and the doctors If anything
will It's our only hope" and the
] portieres fell ON their retreating foot
steps.
Nv hen Royal looked consciously in
to Sweetheart's eyes for the first time
in weeks he tainted. When he recov-
cred the doctor withdrew. and then,
though the girl begged him not to
| fall, he insisted uDon telling her the