The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1904-12-09

had been sitting at "attention' and
sent forth fierce, snarllng growl in
which he expressed his hatred of the
man whom he felt had usurped first
place in his mistress heart.
At the first notes of the angry snarl
Carmen turned reprovingly to the
black panther. She knew there was
not the least danger of her pet attack
ing her, but he must 60 on with his
performance or the act would be a
failure.
"Chita,'' she said in reproachful
tones, looking straight into the angry
pantAer's eyes, and as she did this she
turned her back on the still sullen
Bengal tiger.
The big tiger had been growing
more and more sulky as the act pro-
ceeded. His nerves were in a bad
state, and the angry snarl OF the pan
ther had been the finishing touch
Now Carmen bad taken her eyes of
him. That settled it. He dropped
from his pedestal to the floor of the
cage, gathered himself for the spring
and the next instant was shooting
through the air, black and yellow
bar of deadly energy.
The impact Of the shock threw Car.
men to the floor; but, quick as the
Bengal tiger had been, the panther
was quicker. All thought of jealousy
vanished at sight of the attack on his
mistress. Before the tiger could use
tooth or claw the 1.-THE, strong limbed
panther had launched himself right at
the tigers throat.
Over and over on the floor of the
cage the two great cats rolled: Ordi-
narily the panther would have been
no match for the far larger tiger, but
the panther had caught his grip first,
settling his sharp, deep biting teeth
in the tigers throat. This prevented
the tiger using his teeth effectually
but his claws, esp cially those on his
strong hind legs, could be used.
Again and again he struck out with
them, tripping through the the pan
theirs skin like soft glove But he
could not shake the deadly grip Chita
had on his throat.
Although he might be torn to pieces
by the great claws, Chita meant to
hold on until he felt his teeth meet in
his opponents windpipe. And through
all the terrible struggle Diogenes, the
Numidian lion, sat on his pedestal,
lazy, good natured, only calmy inter-
ested in the life and death fight of his
fierce fellow pupils.
When tie circus men separated the
two big cats the Bengal tiger was
dead, and the black panther, torn in
twenty places, was dying. Carmen
was unhurt, except for a few slight
bruises caused by her fall on the floor
of the. cage. Tom Howard was fore
m,s among t. crowd which had
rushed to the cage. As Carmen plac
ed her hand on the head Of the big
panther who had died to save her
Chita opened his great yellow eyes,
now fast dimming in death. But even
in death the ruling passions OF his
fierce wild animal nature held strong.
His eyes frightened at the sight OF
Carm. n. Then his glance fell on Tom
Howard. The jealous snarl started
from deep down in bis throat. He
half raised his head; then it sank
down, and the black panther's eyes
closed forever.
And Diogenes. the big named lion,
sat on his pedestal, calm, nonchalant,
disinteres' ell, alo>f. H., was waiting
for the signal "School is over" II
did not come D;ogenes waited lit
tie longer. Then he opened his great
Jaws in a half suppressed yawn, drop
ned to the fl ,or of the exhibition cage
and trotte laz;iy of to the most com
Portable corner of his own cage.
The young wife sat weeping bit. er-
lv. Her best friend stole softly in
and put her arms ab,ut her saying:
"What's the matter, Dolly?'
"Oh, | am 50 miserable" she wall
ed.
"Well, what has caused it?"
"I-I-l asked Tootsey this m,rn-
ing If he WV would marry again if l
d-d-died, and he
"Wna'! d. he tell you he wo ,!d?'
IN n no, that's what's the matter
He jjust looked at me as if had ac-
cused him Of being crazy, and said in
the awfulest way: "Well, l should
say no'!' And oh, Kitty, it was the
way he said it-boo- boo -boo!'