Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-12-10
AND HERE 1T CONTINUES

AND HERE IT CONTINUES
ItVNHUS Zoraida knows what goes
L forward in her own house." said
Toraida. speaking for the first time.
Kcndric, struck with new thought,
looked about the room everywhere, seek =
ing to locate the necessary opening in
the wall through which came the re-
hections from mirrors in other places.
But the great glasses covering three OF
the walls presented what appeared to
be smooth. unbroken surfaces; where
the fourth wall was tapestry draped
there was no sign of an opening
neither floor nor ceiling, places oter :
ing no detail. but blurred with vague
shadows. showed him what he SOUGHT
Watch closely" said Zoraida.
Again it was the small room of the
steel cage The savage looking man
! in the short tunic was there again. he
looked watchful, tense, not aitogether
at his ease. In one hand was heavy
whip: in the Other a pistol. Kendric
Thought of the animal trainers he had
seen AT circuses. The mans eyes we're
on the door through which he had come
So vivid were old images bred now OF
associations of ideas that Kendric had
no doubt Of what small head with fierce
ewes would appear next; he could pre-
vision the little puma in it's quick nerV-
Gus movements. the lashing of the heavy
| tail and the CLINT Of the teeth. And
20 when he saw what it was that en-
tered, he Snt back for moment imp
and the next sprang to his feet. IL was
Betty.
BETTY clothed strangely and with a
face dead white, with eyes to haunt
man. She wore a loose red robe, sleeve
less. falling no lower than her ankles :;
her bare feet were in sandals. her
hair was down; about her brows was
black band that might have been
ebony or velvet: into it was thrust
large white flower.
Betty was speaking. Kendric had
dropped back into his chair. having lost
sight of her when he stood. lie saw
that she was speaking swiftly. supph,,,
catingly: her hands were, ciasped' al,
this>he could see. but no slightest souhd
came to him. He could not tell II She
we're near or far. He began to realize
the exquisite torture which Loralda
might offer a man through her mirrors.
He saw the squat brutc's wide grim
that was as hideOuS as the puma $
could be: all of the teeth he saw and
they were glistening and sharp, un.
usually sharp for human being. And
then he saw Betty pushed forward
though she shrank back at first with
dragging feet and though then, suddenly
galvanized. she fought wildly. But two
big hands locked tight on her arms and
as powerless as a child of six she was
thrust into the steel cage, the door
snapped after her. She stood LOOKING
wildly about her; her lips opened as
she must have screamed :. she cropped
her face into her hands. hendrlc saw
the white flower fall.
Again the man looked to the door
through which he and then Betty had
entered. And now came the puma.
1t ran in. snarling; it was looking
back over its shoulder as though some
one had whipped it into the room. 1t
saw another enemy armed with whip
and pistol and sidled off with still
greater show of dripping fangs. All
this in dead silence so far rs kcndric
was concerned never the faintest sound
coming to him. The whip was flung
out and snapped, and there was no
sound: the puma's teeth clicked to-
gcthpr OH empty air. and no sound :;
Betty. looking up, shrieked. and no
sound They looked to be so close to
Kcndric that he felt as II with one
stride he could hurl himself among
them: and yet he knew that they might
be shut off from him by lnnumerable
walls and locked and barred doors
He saw Betty so plainly that until he
reasoned with himself he felt that she
| must see him.
"A puma will not attack human
being Kcndric sought to speak as
though merely contemptuouS of 70
| roido's entertainments They are COW
ardly brutcs.' =, ,., .,
starving. Further, he has been driven
maid by men who whipped and then
appeared to run, frightened Of him.
Watch.
The man threatening the puma slip
ned out through the door behind him:
The door closed Betty and the animal
we're alone. The great cat lay down
and looked at her with its hard, an
winking eyes. only its SLOW tail moving
back and forth like bit of mechanism
clock regulated. Presently the puma
| lifted its head and began horriplc
shifting: it lifted itscif gradually from
rho door. il drew step nearer Betty's
cage and shifted again. kcndric could
SEQ Betty draw back the few inches
made possible by tEe narrow confines of
tho cage. could see that again she
* little fresh blood has been sprn-
ked on the floor Of the cage said
Xoroida. "A little OF It is ON the gowr.
ahn wears. 1t will not be overlong u
watch. Are you growing impatient|
"Are YOU madE' he burst out.
Good God. do yon m"a" to let this
go on?"
turned to his. looked it, 'Perhaps.
Who that is mad knows he is mad:
And who, my friend, is sane; DO
mean to let this 60 on:' She laughed
at him. and the sound was as hard as
the tinkle Of bits Of jangling glass.
You have but to be patient to know. y
The puma shifted again. again drew
closer. Betty was tignt pressed ngainS,
the far bars shutting her in, and even
SO had the great cat thrust claw
forward she could not withdraw beyond
the reach Of the ripping talons, Tat
emf Circlpd her. Always Betty turned
with it. her eyes upon its eyes, her
eyes that were large and fixed with
terror.
"a puma is patient, more patient
than n man" said Xoraida. 1T mn,
he nm hour; it may be all night before
If strikes. 1t may be night and a
dny, and still another night and day.
lis hunger does not diminish as time
passes! Or" and she shrugged with
a great showing of her Indifference, at
NAV strike now, at any moment. That
is one OF the things that make the
! moment tense for that white faced little