The La Jara chronicle. (La Jara, Conejos County, Colo.) 1896-19??, 1906-06-22

weather., I'll show you the sort OIL
man am. l should love a bit of dam
ger for your sake"
About u week later, the girl was
sitting on the poOp-deck, reading
book. The "old man" was marching
up and down with quarter-deck trot,
casting glances at her and thinking
how pretty she was, when suddenly lie
uttered a howl that would have fright
ened an elephant and spranS into the
port mizzen rigging. L was near at
the time, and looked at him, wonder
ing whether he had gone mad. Then
saw what he had seen, and l went mp
to the starboard mizZen shrouds as
quickly as he had gone up the port
ones. The girl raised her head and
looked up ut the Captain and he gaped
down at her and tried to shout. But
for some time he could only make
faces.
LOOK! lookr' he yelled at last,
come up the rlgging!' The lion Is
loosen
She sprang to her feet and looked
about her. Not four yards away from
her the lion was playing with a coil
OF rope. the terrible claws alternately
exposing and sheathing themselves.
The creature was paying no sort of
attention to the girl at the moment.
but of course it might take it into its
head to spring on her at any instant.
As she stood, she was cornered be-
tween the stern of the ship and the
cabin door. There was nothing to be
done but to climb up the rigging.
She tried, but the first step was too
high, and she could not manage it;
when she realized that, thought she
was going to faint.
Hoskins was just going down to
give her n hand, but at that moment
the lion looked up and saw him,
and lashing its tail gave a muflled
roar. The " old man" stuck where he
was then. and sort of shivered all over
like jelly. As for the girl. she moaned
despairingly. and gave herself up for
lost. Just then-out of the cabin came
Professor Hay.
He took one look around and saw
the lion. Then he picked up II broom
that someone who had been washing
decks had left leaning against the
deck-house. and pushed ut the lion
with it, looking it straight between the
eyes. He Kept walking forward. push
ing the beast gently before him right
into the waist and back into its cage,
in spite of several ugly snarls. When
he had it safely fastened in, he came
astern again. looking not the least bit
excited or worried, and put the broom
carefully back in its place. The girl
was looking hard at him. and her eyes
Were shining; but he didn't seem to
be aware of it. Captain Hoskins had
come down the rigging and was look
ing a tritie ashamed of himself. He
hadn't known it was so easy to push
lions into their cage with broom,
After bit he spoke up.
THAT was a fine bit of work. Sir"
he said. "If hadn't seen it, | couldn't
have believed it."
"Oh, it's nothing" said the Pro-
fessor. ut was my business. 1 have
taTnd wild animals"
After that he seemed to dismiss the
whole subject from his mind, and went
down into the cabin. But l saw him,
later in the evening, talking to that
girl, and he must have had something
important to say to her, for when the
old man" met her next morning and
began making excuses for himself,
she cut him short.
Captain Haskins," she said, 'do
you remember advising me to marry
brave MANI"
Il do" said Hoskins, a bit puzzled.
Well" she said softly, "he asked
me yesterday; and I'm going to take
your advice"
All of which shows you. Doctor, that
bravery is very much matter of GUS
tom. As for poor old Hoskins, we had
mill-pond weather the whole way
home, and he hadn't even a chance to
show himself.-Sketch.
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