The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-07-22

VIM wv UiVAANAo III NANNA aANa AAA tfAN
heart of forest.
At first his range Of interest did not
extend beyond the nest, but on the
eleventh day Of his existence he un-
curled himself slowly, stretched.
yawned, and awoke to the outer world.
His little round eyes blinked weakly
in the half-rght, but between the
blinks they peered curiously in AL
directions, taking note Of his surround
ings. and when he had completed his
survey he waddled forth very deiber-
\ ately over the edge Of the nest into
the wonderful forest world,
Many were the journeys he took aft
er that. and each one stretched furth-
er and further beyond the reach Of the
maternal paw, until at length he would
be absent whole hours at a time. He
wandered to and fro in the heart Of
the wild. and by the voice Of the night
ana in the semigloom Of her sitting
vegetation the Forest spoke to her
child and taught him.
When the tiger was about four
months old he became conscious % a
new element astir in his forest hsme.
There were some altogether peculiar
features about this element, and the
denizens OF the forest had each and
all some wonderful tales to ten Of it.
Birds sang Of It in popular airs, and
the squirrels chartered aloud IN their
dread. and the monkeys screamed
across from tree to tree the latest dis.
asters, and the willy zorro moved her
house regularly once a week II be-
came unsafe for any to venture forth
I by day. and. for that matter. to re-
main at home The chiefs and elders
Of many families, and the, roaming
younger sons, went out in health and
strength, never to return, oycrtaken
by the unknown power in scme nm.
guarded moment. 1t was said Of This
1 power that it came whistling out Of
4 leafy haunts and flew on its way with
the speed OF thought, and great and
small went down before it, a few with
wild struggles and cries, but most sud
denly and silently, as leaves fall from
a tree.
The cub pondered much upon this
phenomenon. rejecting, with the ar
rogance of youth, his mothers theory
about the great animal, Man HI,
mother had some wonderful tales {,
tell of this peculiar genus Of the rae,
Of animals, but none Of them in th'
cubs estimation seemed adequate {,
The occasion, so he watched an,
waited, and thought himself yer!
clever.
Someone else was also watching
and waiting, and il came TO pass tha
one day he heard the invisible destruc
tion come whistling through the quiv
ering reeds where he lay in hiding
and of a sudden he was rolling upoI
The earth. dabbled in his own blood
Much that ensued was misty and in
comprehensive to the cub After sew
eral minutes. when his struggles ha,
partially ceased a huge, two.leggel
creature parted the meshwork OF un
dergrowth with cautious hand. ant
on seeing him shouted out to anothe
two-legged monster like himself L
come there right away. Togethe
they bound bis three legs-the fourt
was broken -muzzled him, and Dor
him out into the open day, where every
thing was new and horribly strange I
him In the forest he was quoted TO
some days as The latest example q
the terrible power OF this invlsibl
danger.
At first the cub rayed round the tire
where he was chained. and tore th
spllnts from his broken foot and "a
straw from the box where he slept. II
clawed great furrows in the bark {
the tree, and flew at everything With
reach. because he was young ana th
philosophy of resignation was a .lose
book to him. His captors lee hil
rave. hurting his foot and CALLING HI
neck with the strong chain that hel
him. They were accustomed TO Sc
this madness in the wild creature
they trapped, and they knew that
would wear itself out when he becam
convinced that he hurt himself moi
of all and this was just what ha
pened Thea the cub sulked leayin
his food un.ouched and lying hot
! upon hour motionless unless someor
3 approached him, when the angry Ia
would lash the air. and the gleamin
claws spring, as by magic, from tt
7 velvet paws
But as the days slipped into week
bringing no change, or hope Of chang
the cub began to pine in earnest, an
| his captors became concerned al las
| for there was always the danger thi
9 he might fret to death. When J
Q thought himself unmatched he wou
D flse and gaze towards the forest vii
4 longing eyes, OF at suudown, when q
! short still twilight was dying and q
+ balloons barked in the bordci-land
Z he would spring up, the yellow ey'
I ablaze, for one brief second forgctf
Q till the pull Of the chain on his nee
b recalled him and he sank back into Il
old dull apatbv.