The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-02-07
Copyright. 1914: By Harold MacGrath.l
CHAPTER +.
THE UNwE1coME THRONE

" "SAoS AA~ VAN AbSFV tS S4lS
head-yeuow like the stalk of whcat-there hovered a
kind Of aureola, as IL there had risen above it a haze Of
i~rnpalpable gold dust.
a poet I know might have cried out that here ended
his quest Of the Golden Girl. Straight she stood at this
moment, lovely Of face, rounded Of rorm, with an indie
scribable suggestion Of latent physical power or mag
netigm. On her temples there were little daubs of clay,
caused doubtless by impatient fingers sweeping back occa-
sional wind blown locks of hair. There was even a daub
on the side of her handsome, sensitive nose.
Her hand, still filled with clay, dropped to her side, and
a tableau endured for a minute or two, suggesting a
remote period, a Persian idyl, mayhap. With a smile on
her lips she stared at the living model. The chatoyant
eyes OF the leopard stared back, a flicker of restlessness in
their brilliant yellow deeps. The tip Of The tail twitched.
"You beautiful. thing! " she said. ~, ~~-~ 49, --
She began kneading the clay again, and with detr
fingers added bits here and there to the creature which
had grown up under her strong, supple fingers.
"Kathlynl o, Xiii"
The ~sculptress paused, the pucker left her brow, and
she turned, her face beaming; for her sister Winnie was
the apple Of her eye, and she brooded over her like the
mother would have done had the mother lived. For
Winnie, dark as Kathlyn was light, was ais careless and
aimless as thistledown in the wind.
A collie leaped upon the platform and began paving
Kathlyn, and shortly after the younger sister followed.
Neither of the girls noted the stifening mustaches of the
leopard" The animal rose, and his nostrils %palpitated
He hated the dog with a hatred not unmixed with fear.
Treachery is in the marrow of all cats To breed them in
captivity does not matter. Sooner or later they will
strike. Never before had the leopard been 80 close to his
enemy, free Of the leash.
xii, 1t is just wonderful. However can you do it?
Some day We'll make dad take us to Paris, where you
can exhibit them
A Snarl from the leopard, answered by a growl from
the collie, brought Kathlyns head about. The cat leaped,
but toward Winnie, not the collie. With a cry of terror
Winnie turned and ran in the direction of the bungalow.
Kathlyp, Selling the leash, followed like the wind, ham
pered though she was by the apron. The cat loped after
the fleeing girl, gaining at each bound. The yelping of
the collie brought forth from various points low rumblins
sounds which presently Developed into roars.
Winnie turned sharply around the corner of the bunga'
low toward the empty animal cages, 10 sttract her father
and at the same time to rouse some OF the keepers. See
ing the door of an, empty cage open, and that it was
approached by a board runway, she flew to it, entered, and
slammed the door and held it. The cat, now hot with the
lust to- kill, threw himself against the bars, snarling and
spitting. ~.~-
Kathlyn called out to him sharply, and fearlessly ap-
preached him. She began talking il a monotone. His
ears went fat against his head, but he submitted to her
touch because invariably it soothed him, and because he
sensed some ~indeinable power whenever his gaze met
hers. She snapped the leash on his collar just as her
father came running up, rae and disturbed. He ran to
the door and opened it.
WINNIE. you poor LITTLE kitten, ne sald, taxing hr In
his arms, a how many times have I told you never to take
that dog about when Kits leopard is off the leash?"
~ didn't think she sobbed.
"No. Kit here and T must always do your thinking
fog you. Ahmed!" - a@
"Yes, sahib,'' answered the head keepr.
See IL you can stop that racket over there. Sadie may
lose her litter if it keeps up"
The lean, brown Mohammedan trotted away in obedi-
ence to his orders. He knew how to stop captive lions
- -Enn~ La~, g. r,-Ia Av~ou - AL.s~
hearts. AS he ran he began to hiss softly.
Col. Hare, with his arm about Winnie, walked toward
the bungalow.
Lock UP your pet, kit. he called over his shoulder,
and come in to tea" u.
KathIyn spoke s~oothingly. to the leopard, scratched his
head behind the ears, and shortly a low, satisfied rumble
stirred his throat, and his tail no longer slashed about.
She led him to his own cage, never ceasing to talk, locked
The door, then turned and walked thoughtfully toward the
bungalow.
She was wondering what this gift was that put awe
into the eyes of the native keepers on her fathers wild
animal farm and temporary peace in the hearts Of the
savage beasts. She realized that she possessed it, but it
was beyond analysis. OFTEN some wild eyed keeper would
burst in upon her. Some newly captive lion or tiger was
killing itself from mere passion, and wouldn't the mem
sahib come at once and talk to it? There was a kind Of
pity in her heart for these poor wild things, and perhaps
they perceived this pity, which was fearless.
!" She gets a little from me, I suppose" Col. Hare had
snce answered to a query, for I've always had o way
with four footed things. But I think Ahmed is right.
Kath1yn is heaven born. I've seen the night whea
Broken would be tame beside the pandemonium round
about. Yet half an hour after Kit starts the rounds
everything quiets down. The gods are in it,"
The living room OF the bungalow was large and CONF
portable. The walls were adorned with the heads4o OF wild
beasts, and their great furry hides shared honors with the
Persian rugs on the door. Hare was a man who would
pack up at a. moments notice and go to the far ends OF
The world to find a perfect black panther, q cheetah with 3
bitter, or "a great horned rhinoceros. He was tall and
broad end amazingly active, for all that his hair and
nastache were almost white. For thirty years or more
he had gone about the hazardous enterprise of supplying
biological gardens and circnses with wild beasts, Hs was
known from Hamburg TO Singapore, from Monbassa tos
Rio de Janeiro. The Numidian lion, the Rajput tiger.
and the Malayan panther had cause to fear Hare sahib
He was even now preparing g. return to 8Ceylon for an
elephant hunt.
The two daughters went over to the tea tabaret, where
! matronly maid was busying with the service The fra