Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1903-11-07

ground at sight of the blood. Roy had
tainted and fallen Off the stump, when
strange, brown, red-hooded woman
made her way to IFS, and, taking him
in her arms. ordered me to follow.
ut was weeks before Royal was him
self again. As he grew stronger phys.
ically he seemed partially to outgrow
his inherited terror. Once, years after,
when he mentioned the matter to me,
he said, bitterly; It's worse than any
physical infirmity, or even insanity,
for it's both-and yet the world will
never call 1t anything but cowardlce!
Somehow 1t all came back to me that
morning OH the mountainside. with a
sort Of paralyzing horror. After a mo-
ment. however, got my grip again,
and put the thing from me as would
a nightmare. 1t was certainly out of
place at such a time--they were so ra.
dainty happy, those two; could hear
them laughing like children and see
Sweetheart's scarlet cap, not dozen
yards away. through the bare, frosty
branches. There was charcoal clear.
ing little further up. where the thick.
stunted underground about its edges
was dense with the piles of Topped
branches, and Sweetheart started a
game Of hide and seek.
mo one remembered very clearly
afterward just how it happened; 1
didn't get upon the scene until just in
time for the appalling climax, but Mt
the edge of the clearing man rushed
past Royal, calling:
'Climb-the lions loose!'
"His daft terror was infectious. Roy's
old fear swept everything before it.,
and he rushed blindly across the OPEN
ing, plunging madly over distractions
and past trees that would have proved
safe enough refuge, forgetting, in the
insanity of the moment, Sweetheart
everything, until OH the far edge of the
clearing he came face to face with the
girl, paralyzed before the lion, crouch
ing, lashing It's tail to spring. 1t was
then that l, all unconscious of the SEN
satiOn, and unconcernedly rafting the
nuts In my pocket, sauntered up-in
time to see Roy's face blanch and a
violent tremor shake his whole frame.
Then he coolly stepped between the
girl and the furious beast, and stood
there, his eyes on the balls of green
fire that flashed from the great tawny
head. 1t seemed ages-it could scarce
ly have been secOnds-nO one Of the
four of us moved a muscle-till the
lion, with a cry that was like howl
and sob, turned and skunk off into
the thick underbrush higher up the
mountain.
"Then we both rushed to Royal, who
still had not stirred. Sweetheart put
her little arms about his neck and SID
all the things woman would say at a
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 us down the
mountain. We two talked at intervals,
and Sweetheart spoke to him. but still
no word passed his white lips. The
girl insisted we should go to her cot
tage, and there her mother at last per-
suaded Royal TO go TO Deu, n phy sician
was called. and after days of anxiety
and consultation, the poor boy raving
in delirium, 1t was pronounced brain
fever. His life and ultimate sanity in
any case were despaired Of. The Cali
fornia trip, Of course, was given up,
and Sweetheart's mother nursed the
boy as If he had been her own. l told
her of his terrible heritage and the
gypsy incident, and she understood, as
a woman might, what vital crisis In
his life his love for her daughter had
proved. Afterward we learned that
the lioness, who had been almost un-
manageable since the death of her old
keeper, a giant Swede, of whom she
was very fond, had become frantic on
the death of one Of her whelps and
broken from the battered cage, already
locked for repairs, 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 con
uuer fear-'Jove nodded to Jove' over
the shoulder of a man and his brother
beast-we specialized endlessly in whis
pers during those weeks Royals life
hung in the balance.
Zone night the doctor had called fol
a second time. I'll stay with him O
little WHILE he had said. Sweetheart
and I sat together before the library
fire-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 most peculiar
case,' he went on. 4 never knew bu
one other of the sort Then he hest
tated. He has no fever, but-his min(
| Is blank-it is question nov
whether 1t will ever be anything else
Again, it may come back to him slowly
with all the old memories. the old ter
rors-if-he turned to Sweetheart-i
there were any great joy in the futur,
for him-anything that would erfgag
and delight every faculty and emotion
for little time-I think we nigh
hope for his complete recovery
1.-THE warm, conscious color fioode'
Sweetheart's face. / stepped back t
the hearth and busted myself with til
ASKING embers. heard her confuse,
murmur and the doctors If anythin
will. It's our only hope! and the POI
there's fell on their retreating foot
steps.
when Royal looked consciously int
Sweetheart's eyes for the first time i
weeks he tainted. When he recOvere
the doctor withdrew, and then. thong
the girl begged him not to talk, he IL
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