The San Mateo item. (San Mateo City, Putnam County, Fla) 189?-19??, 1908-11-28

der her quilts. was held by ono fore
paw OF the beast upon her bed, and
the poor innocent walled IN plteoua
alright
In the instant that she stood trans
fixed with terror and irrcsolute, Eu
nice recognized that these big. mot
tied cats were Mexican tigers, or
jaguars. The beasts had without
doubt had their winter lair In tho
long-vacant and easily accessible
storage-rocm. and the chill nights had
J driven them back TO II. Their nat
ural prey was abundant in the noun
tains. and there had been no incen-
! tive 20 attack the sleeping children.
But now they had been angercd,
and Eunice dared not for al instant
leave the crying child to their mercy.
She knew that most wild animals
are fearful OF FIRE, and she trusted
much TO the lamp in her hand to
keep the jaguars at bay.
stop crying, Pearl" she command.
ed, sternly, and sister will drive that
old dog away"
Holding her lamp TO the front and
with whip drawn TO strike, she APP
preached the beast upon the bed. Her
caution might have been greater had
she known what Mexicans could have
told her, that the jaguar Is frequent
ly fascinated by a moving light, and
will as often follow one rs retreat
from II.
The animal did not indeed change
its position as she drew nearer but
rather increased the violence of its
grunting roars It's great red nav
and formidable fangs would certain
ly have frightened away a less reso-
lutte girl.
AS she came up 90 the bed, Eunice
set her teeth and struck the jaguar
a vicious cut upon its jaws The ami
NAL rearing with pain and anger,
shrank against the wall, but retreat
cd no farther and its fore paw still
held the little girl All wild beasts
of the iercer sort are tenacious of
foothold in their lairs.
Eunice now leaned forward and
piled her whip with the practised
hand of a hOrsewoman. Her singing
cuts were aimed at the animals eyes.
Flesh and blood could not long en-
dure such punishment, and presently,
with a horse whine, the jaguar leap
ed off the foot Of the bed.
Eunice snatched the crying child
from under its quilts and backed
away TO the door, bidding Pearl to
run out behind her.
Despite her retreat, the jaguars
would now have leaped outside. but
new attack seemed to threaten
them. Their increasing uproar had
aroused Aunt Silver and the old
hound. The negress had fed from
the house and climbed upon a noun
tain cart where she now stood,
shrieking incoherently. Just as Eli
nice reached the door Guy thrust
his muzzle in at the opposite open
ing. The hound stood with his hind
feet upon the rocks outside, and see
ing the jaguars. gave tongue I'm
deafening clamor.
The jaguars, beset on all sides with
strange creatures and stranger noises,
apparently became as thoroughly
frightened as before they had been
angry and formidable. Such instances
of their terror at a really slight
cause are not infrequent la hunters
annals.
Eunice paused, fascinated. in the
doorway to watch the strange antics
of these Jungle beasts. The jaguars
had thrown themselves upon the floor
In the center Of the room, where.
bewildered by the bedlam OF noises
and the light, they rolled apS writn-
ed and bounced. splitting and snarllng.
and apparently trying to face all
ways at once.
What with the wailIngs of Aunt