The evening world., 1914-02-03

PhONONothoh VI WShhNbs
Fortunately I had & training chair
In my hand, on which Timour had
Just been sitting. and had time to
thrust 1t into his face. Thrice. with
incredible swiftness. he struck the
Iron chair. right. left. and right, a. \
cat strikes. and then seized 1t In his
teeth. At tho same moment I brought
my loaded whip heavily across his
nose.
Down. Timour Melek! Down!
down! down." 1 said. steadily. &C.
companying each word with q blow
OF the whip across the nose
The brute had only hurt himself
when no struck the chair, and now,
under tho blows raining on his sensi :
tive nose. he doubtless remembered
similar episodes in his early traininx,
and shrank back. nearly deafening me
with his roars. I followed. Furnishing
him, and he fled toward tho low iros,
grating which separated the training
cage from the night quarters.
This, 1 am now inclined to believe,
was q mistake Of Judgment on my
part. I should have driven him into
. corner and thoroughly cowed him.
using the training chair II necessary
and trusting to my two assistants with
their irons, who had already closed up
on either side OF the cage.
was not In perfect trim that morn
ing. Not that I felt nervous in the
least. nor had ! any lack Of self con.
fidence. but 1 was not myself. ] had
never In my life entered q lion cage
feeling as I did that morning-an In
difference which almost amounted to
laziness. an apathy which came close
to melancholy.
The lions knew ! was not myself
they had been aware Of 1t as soon a.
set foot In their cage; and l knew II.
but my strange apathy only increased
as 1 went about my business, perfect
~ aware all the time that with lions
born In captivity unexpected Is al
ways to be expected.
Timour Melek was now close to the
low iron door between the parti-
t,"r.: ~. other .!cns had become 90
usually excited, bounding Mt q heavy
gallop around the cage, or clinging to
the bars like enormous cats.
Then. as / faced Timour. ready to
force him backward through the door
into the night quarters. something In
the blank glare OF his eyes seemed
W IdbCiliato ulO = hRA uh AoouAA oOAA-
sation that he was slipping away
from me-escaping; that I no longer
dominated him nor had authority. 1t
was not panic, nor even fear: It was
q faint paralysiB--tempora fortu-
nately; for at that instant instinct
saved me; struck the lion terrific
blow across the nose and whirled
around, chair uplifted. Just In time to
receive the charge If Empress kha-
toun, consort Of Ti.nOur.
She struck the iron bound chair.
doubling II up like crumpled paper.
huhing mo headlong. not to the moor
OF the cage. but straight through the
sliding bars which Speed had Just
fung open with shout. As for me.
j landed violently on my back In the
sawdust. the breath knocked clean
out OF me.
When Il could catch my breath
again | realized that there was no
time to waste. Speed looked at mo
angrily. hut / terked open the grating.
flung another chair into the cage.
lcaped in. and. singing out Empress
Khatoun, sailed into her with pas
sionless thoroughness. punishing her
to q stnndstill. while the other lions.
Aloha, Marghouz. Timour and Gen.
ghis Kahn. snarled and watched mo
steadily. 'H'"'
As, / emerged from the cage Speed
asked me whether~ was hurt, and !
gasped' out that was not.
What went wrong?" no persisted.
"Timour. and that young lloness--
no, went, wrong: the lions knew It
at once: something failed me. I don't
know what: upon my soul. Speed. l
don't know what happened"
"You lost your nerVo?"
mo, not that. Timour began look
Ing At mo In a peculiar way-he cer-
tainly dominated mo for an instant
for a tenth Of q second: and then
Khatoun flew at mo before could
control Timour"-
! hcaitated.
speed. It was one Of those seconds
that come to us, when the faintest
shadow OF indecision settles matters.
Engineers are subject to II at the
throttle. pilots at tho helm. captains
MEN In love-" added Speed.
looked at him. not comprehend
by the way" said Speed. LEO
the greatest lion tanner
who ever lived, once told mo that q
man in love with q woman could not
control lions; that when q man falls
In love he loses that Intangible, mys-
FERROUS quality--call II nesmerism or
whatever you like-the occult force
that dominates beasts. And he said
that the lions knew II, that they per-
ceived II sometimes even before the
man himself was aware that he was
In love"
] looked him over in establishment.
whats the matter with your" he
asked, amused.
"What's the matter with your" de-
manded. III you mean to intimate
that have fallen In love you are GER
tainly an astonishing asst"
Don't talk that way" he said. good
II didn't dream Of such
. thing. or OF offending you, Scarlett."
II struck me at tho same moment
that my irritable and unwarranted re-
tort was utterly unlike me.
II beg your pardon" ] said. II don't
know exactly what 10 the matter with
me to-day. First I quarrel with poor
old Timour Melek. then ! insult you.
I've discovered that ! have nerves: !
never before knew IT,"
Gold fap-jacks and cider would
have destroyed Hercules himself in
time" observed Speed following With
his eyes the movements Of o 1.-THE
Young girl, who was busy With tho
hosting apparatus OF the Tying ira
peze. The girl was Jacqueline. dressed
In a rnended gown Of Miss Deianys.