Show ALONE WITH A TIGER A IN irs A RUSSIAN HOUSE hoube HOW now MUSIO MUSIC SAVED A MAN WROM bema nema EAT eam EATEN my BY A TIGER traveling once onee near moscow I 1 chanced to meet 1 N eb an old college chum after some merry merny walkover tal tai talk taik kover over our scrapes and adventures of former days he entreated me to accompany him to the houge of his friend baron ata at a place 1 about 10 miles blies distant addin adding i aljy waybe way of persuasion talog a mu 4 e openhearted open hearted gene genc generous rous hospitable fellow just such sueh a man Is as you would like to meet he told me to bring brin with mo me as many friends as possible come we will be there about a week I 1 can promise you yon a very agreeable visit although a stranger to the baron as its I 1 then thought I 1 yielded to my friends request and we took the set sef afternoon train arriving at late in the day the baroness received us ua graciously regretting that the baron was unavoidably absent until dinner punctually at 7 my friend nd and I 1 entered the magnificent din ling lug ing room roo noo m there was just time for a hasty introduction to the host hest before we took our seats we were about twenty minutes at the table what la Is the matter with you whispered Fe I 1 you look so BO frightened have you been seen a choal Frighten edl I 1 may well look so eo 1 I am frightened your fine generous openhearted baron Is ia my deadly enemy than whom I 1 would rather meet a thousand ghosts ghost I 1 will tell you all about it after dinner after an uncomfortable dinner I 1 I 1 T succeeded in finding an opportunity to speak to Fe in private that man and I 1 were once brinds said 1 I buh crbut but the old story we both admired the same girl that made the first breach between us he proposed to settle tho the matter with the sword I 1 easily disarmed him she jilted both of us for it and married ski shi of the dragoons two years yeara later the same thing happened we fought again I 1 wounded him severely beverely an I 1 ho he swore re vengeance upon me but nut she married him and Is his present wife buti but how hov has he become baron Bt aloff when I 1 knew know him he was merely Gre gregorec Grego gorel rei rel aiton alton ghis his uncle unde left him this property last year with his name Hew he wisely feea ibea took both if I 1 had only known it the man hates me and sees me present myself at his dinner table how soon can I 1 get away not to am sure if you fear any treachery come spend the night in my room but really the comm common on rules of hospitality oh I 1 dont believe in hospitality when it comes to a man of his nature he has heard maebeth abboth macbeth ac beth both and may imitate him not for ambition ambita 0 U but to satisfy his cherished revenge well weli I 1 will speak to my sen ben servant vant and have your bags baga removed to my room before bed time thanks old fellow the tha evening pleasantly by means of music and cards the barones baroness 3 was charming the bamon baron did not appear arte in the evening in g my friend left on receiving a message from the baron to join him half an hour later a lackey lickey made a sign to me from the door 1 I 1 turned to him K am come sir to hand you this key 1 jaw jam I am to spend the night in my friends room yes es bir sir but a larger room has been prepared for you two gentlemen when you ara are ready bir lam iam at your service to show you the way to it 91 1 I am ready now go on I 1 will follow I 1 followed him as lamp in hand he went up a long winding staircase and along a narrow corridor until we reached what seemed to be a sort of tower here in a broad space where were mere several doors he stopped 1 I suppose this part of the house Is not occue occupied ed oh yes sir bir it Is all occupied your room Is one of the best beat this is 18 it he opened the tho door of a large spare apartment on one side near a large old fashioned bed I 1 saw baw my tra velling bag your friend la is here sir bir probably and ho he left me with the key bey in one hand and the lamp in the other I 1 advanced to the fireplace fire tire place there was waa no fire rire but one single candle stood on the mantel this I 1 lighted but the darkness and gloom seemed seamed impenetrable et Is not here thought I 1 as I 1 threw throw myself into an immense armchair arm chair to wait foi for him what can delay him I 1 eat there until midnight still he did not come blousing ming myself then I 1 thought I 1 aheard heard the rattling of a chain the fellow Is some where here what else could make a ri li oise olse then I 1 distinctly heard hearda a regular breathing ahe ghe he must have fallen asleep somewhere 0 me where 3 1 will look for him SO bo lamp in hand 1 I proceeded to ex plow the thew room I 1 reached further away than I 1 had bad thought I 1 heard beard T the chain again what was my horror to behold bedol d stretched at full tull length fast asleep beside his open cage a splendid tiger the chain attached to his bis collar hung hang loosely to the ground he wa wat free I 1 rushed to the door it was lock ed on the outside to the windows they were enormously high from the ground there was treachery I 1 feared this must be the trap of the generous hospitable baron I 1 to call cr make it a noise might be useless and would certainly arouse the animal I 1 had no piato pistol with me I 1 carefully and without any noise noibe piled the chairs in one comer to servo servo berve as an ambush reserving a stout little one as a weapon of defense then I 1 sat down keeping my eyes on him he lay jay catlike cat eat like ilke opening occasionally his dr drowsy eyes l sometimes giving his enormous i il ous head a shake by degrees his sleepiness passed away and with a frightful yawn he raised himself up and advanced towards me he paused tor fon a moment and raising his head he snuffed the air as it if auspicious suspicious of the tho presence of an intruder with a growl he be continued to advance cautiously as if on his guard against a foe toe whose strength he was wab ignorant of afew A tew tow steps discovered me to hilj him and with a growl of rage nagey he crouched as if for the fatal spring while I 1 awaited in terror the fearful fate rate which would be on me in a few seconds I 1 could not help admiring the excessive beauty of the animal whose splendid stripes of black blaek on his brown and orange ski sk inand naud nand glaring eyeballs as he lashed his bides side with his taij made him a perfect study the quivering movement of his body told me that in a moment I 1 would be torn torri to pieces without a chanca chance of escape or defence I 1 closed my eyes oyes for a 8 second seconds and as I 1 opened them he suddenly raised himself and stood with his head turned toward the dour door was anyone any one coming me I 1 listened in vain for a footstep suddenly the soft musio music of a guitar broke upon the stillness my nis first impression was that it meant another trick of the wily baron but to my intense relief the tiger with a pur of satisfaction laid himself down against the door in the attitude of an attentive and delighted listener hour after hour passed assed away as the music continued continue without a moments cessa cessation ti on and his highness the tiger remained subdued and quiet in his evident enjoyment of the sounds bounds this lasted until daylight when the door wah wels suddenly opened and a man entered with a heavy club and a carbine this was the tigers kee keeper at sight of him it crept lazily into its cage the mans surprise atEe at seeing eing me was very great grent the secret of this door said he is known to the baroness and myself alone dost host no time in escaping from my prison and soon reached the other pirl part lof of the house I 1 found patro wandering about in search bearch of me I 1 told him what had happened 9 1 I must leave this house at once said I 1 stay to breakfast let lot the baron bee see that you sou arn are alive an and dwell well weli I 1 shall enjoy his surprise I 1 did stay to breakfast the barona yellow face turned green at the sight of mo me the baroness did not appear after a month I 1 heard beard of the Barons barona sudden death I 1 called on the ohe baroness she had known of the horrible design on my life it was by her influence that the servant who confided his suspicions to her was induced to spend the night play playing ingon on the guitar bhe she having known kno that wild animals are tamed by musical sounds bhe she Is now my wife the tiger has been placed in a mena menagerie gerl gerh I 1 hope they will bo be as good to him as he be was to me and will feed him well as I 1 escaped doing ez lea |