Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1943-01-08

angry, had actually done her good,
for in the days that now seemed so
long ago, when the world was at peace,
her keeper had been apt to overfeed
her. But tonight, she seemed filled
with an unreasonable feeling of fore
boding.
At last. she stopped short in her
restless pacing back and forth. and
looked fiXedly at the lion house next
door. Strange to say, Jane and Jupiter
had also stayed out OF doors this
evening, though Jane, who was an
African lioness, always retired early.
Jupiter, though good deal smaller
than his missus, had far more spirit,
and perhaps because. like Jezebel. he
had come from India. he had tried
at times. to get into growing touch
with the beautiful tigress. But she dis
liked Jupiter and hated Jane. The
reason was not to Jezebels credit. for
it was owing to the fact that some
time ago Jane and Jupiter had been
adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Vic Oliver.
This had made quite a stir in the
ZOO, for Mrs. Vic Oliver had been, be-
fore her marriage, Sarah Churchill,
the second daughter of the Prime
Minister Even Mr.. Green, who shared
Jezebel's jealous feeling for the lion
and lioness, couldn't help hoping that
some day Mrs VIC" as they all
called her. would bring her father
along to see her pets. Till she had
joined the women's war forces, this
charming young lady had come quite
often to the ZOO, and when Jane had
produced what Jezebel cruelty de-
scribed as three hideous little cubs,
Mrs. Vic had had them taken out of
their lair, and had played with them
for whole hour!
This had made the tigress sorry she
was cubless through she had agreed
with a much do1led-up young woman
visitor to the ZOO, who had exclaimed,
after glancing at Jane a week before
those three cubs had been born:
Look at that poor thing? I should
have thought even a dumb animal
would know this isn't the sort of
world into which to bring children"
Such, as Jezebel was uncomfortably
aware, were not Rajah's sentiments.
He longed to be a father. though he
was too truly devoted to tell Jezebel
of his longing.
Jezebel at last left off staring into
the lion house, and she began think
ing of her kind keeper. Mr.. Green.
He had a weekend at home every
month, and this happened to be his
Saturday off. Jezebel had missed him
very much today, though she had a
share of Mr.. Lolly, the man who
looked after Jane and Jupiter. She
couldn't bear Mr.. Lolly, and she
knew he couldn't bear her. No doubt
he envied her beauty and cleverness,
for Jane was stupid thing, and Jupi-
ter, especially since his adoption by
the Vic divers, was insufferably vain.
The tigress turned to her right and,
in the gathering darkness, she saw the
burning eyes of her mate. They were
as usual, fixed on her.
Rajah was lying on narrow ledge
which jutted out from the wall behind
which were their comfortable night
lair. The ledge had been so built that
it held only one tiger, and Rajah
spent much of his time stretched out
full length upon it.
Jezebel knew how much Rajah
loved her. Indeed she was sure he
would die for her, if need be. But she
told herself he wouldn't be of much
real use in time of trouble. He some
times jungle groWled in the most
foolish way Imaginable, and his one
idea-when he was not thinking of
her was how he could manage to free
himself of this comfortable tiger
house for a roam around the 200.
Also, sometimes even just after he
had had his good big meal, he would
glare at some nice little child who,
when going through London on its
way to the country, had been brought
to see him as treat, in way that
worried her. Even Mr.. Green had
called out on one such occasion, Nov
then, Rajah? Lair!" and the man