The commonwealth., 1914-11-12

every way comfortable for the night
with fresh grass for bedding and a
clod of moss for pillow.
AS for me, instead of taking me to
the hut, as I supposed they would, they
lashed me to Joan's cage. They first
tied my feet together at the ankles,
then chained me to one of the bars Of
Joan's prison
You seem to like my specimen in
that cage we'll enough to take it away
from me-" the old scientist said, laugh
ing his mad laugh. well, you shall
remain within sight of that excellent
specimen till morning"
And SO they left. 1 found 1 could
squirm around so as to look into Joan's
| cage. She put her arms through her
bars and stroked my head tenderly,
saying:
Poor John! What a fate! If only
| we had not taken such long rest at
that stream we would not now be here.
It is all my fault. 1t was 1 who in
duced you to rest there"
mo, DEAR" I said, they would
probably have found us anyway. They
know the forest better than we do.
And, mad though they are, still they
are cunning enough to track down two
such tenderfeet as you and l."
Shall we dine?" she asked, and she
smiled, a forlorn, hopeless sort of
smile.
She thrust through the bars some
wild honey-using a leaf as plate.
And then she gave me some berries
| and chunk of meat. Lastly, she
handed out her water jar from which
l drank. Thus we dined
The night was beautiful. The moon
light made the scene of rapturous de-
light to the senses. And yet 1t all
seemed like stage setting-like a
horrible nightmare.
do you know" Joan said, "that you
called me 'dear?"
eyes, couldn't help it," l replied.
Forgive me if offended YOU
Call me dear-again,' she whis-
pered. "If you could only know in full
what joy your coming has been to
me. For two long years, the only
human being I have seen-well, cant
you guess what happiness you mean
to me?"
Eyes, dear. know. If only could
get my hands free, might succeed in
unchaining my feet. Could you try,
dear?"
I squirmed up close to the bars
where she could reach my hands,
which were tied in front of me. She
tussled at the rope, but the hard knots
and the interposing bars of her cage
rendered her task too difficult for ac-
complishment.
Presently, from sheer fatigue, she
slept.
Good night, dear!" whispered
She was not really asleep. She
rose on one arm and whispered: Good
night-dear John!"
i And so we slept.
Morning came, and with it came our
two mad captors. Again they fed Joan
and again Joan fed me. And then
shall 1 ever forget the way my heart
sank when the mad old scientist said
to me:
"And now, as promised you, you
shall occupy the cage next to my Other
specimen-if you ive!"
The slave forthwith united me, han,
and foot Their intention regarding
my fate had already become manifest
For the old man had ordered the slav'
to desist from feeding the mountain
lion in the cage adjoining that o
Joan's, saying:
mo, don't feed the lion this morn
ing, Chacha. Well give him chanc
for food more rare"
So 1 was to be thrust into the Gag
with the fierce beast. "If l lived
meant, evidently, that If survived tn
forthcoming inevitable fight with tha
lion my life would be spared-spare
to endure it henceforth as a prisone
in that same cage. Had it not been fo
| Joan I'm sure I would have entere
the cage determined to let the lio
destroy me as quickly as possible, put
ting up no fight at all myself, in orde
7 to have the whole business throug
, with, rather than continue to live ther
a prisoner.
They removed two bars from tn
lions cage-thrust me in-then quicl
ly replaced the bars. The mortal con
bat between q mountain lion and job
Gaunt, mining engineer. was on.
Joan watched from her cage throug
the separating bars in mortal terro
Never shall 1 forget the anguish
saw in her eyes when she viewed m
in what she had reason to believ
would be my last moment on earth
J. the last moment, too, of the personi1
> cation of her only earthly hope of po
. sible release from her prison.
The lion crouched in the corner {
the cage, watching me. I kept pc
fectly still. 1 had read somewher
that the quieter one keeps when
such a tight fix with wild animal th
better. So gave no more sign Of lii
than il l we're a statue.
The lion watched. So did l. Th
l lion for many minutes never once too
his eyes from mine. And I kept M
own eyes fixed on that animal as
y hypnotist views his subject.
Outside the cage stood the two ma
men, also watching. The madma
a cackled. He seized bar of wood an
Il prodded the lion.
Il rh.+ cottlod tho matter The fipl