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Show f Eq afW I the Lions" 1 I . I i;. By H. M. EGBERT Darrett was surprised to find at least a dozen other men waiting for tho position. Of 'courso a man out ot a position Is not over-particular wlyit work ho tackles, but It was certainly cer-tainly surprising that so many others wcro willing to tackle that especial Job. Darrett would have hated to havo had Lorna know what bo was planning plan-ning to do. They had been engaged for a year, and wcro to be married a year later. The young man had a good position, but ho found himself on tho eve of his vacation with exactly exact-ly twenty-flvo dollars tod little. He wanted to spend two glorious weeks at Lorna's home town. With his present pres-ent capital he could spend but one. He felt willing to do almost anything any-thing for twenty-flvo dollars. Consequently, Conse-quently, when ho saw in an advertisement advertise-ment that a strong young man, not afraid of lions, was wanted at tho menagerlo immediately, ho hurried away as fast as he could go. He had an Idea that he could ralso that twenty-five dollars within tho first week of his three, leaving him two with Lorna. As he waited outside tho tent tho manager, a heavy man with an unshaven un-shaven Jowl and black mustache, camo out and stood survoylng the assemblage as-semblage with a sneering glare. Then his eyes fell upon Darrett, and he tailed. "I'll take you, young feller," he said. "Beat It, the rest of youso." Slowly and without spirit the haggard-eyed ones dispersed. The manager man-ager called Darrett Inside the tent, where a dilapidated-looking Individual Individ-ual stood with, downcast eyes. "You ain't afraid to tackle tho lions, hey?" he asked. "No," said Darrett. "Then this here is the game," said the manager. "I wanted a strong, healthy young man that wasn't afraid, to marry a lady In the lions' cage You fill the bill Hey) what's the matter?" mat-ter?" "I guess I've got cold feet," said Darrett. "I didn't know"' "See here, young feller. You've got me, wrong. You don't really mar- I "Help! Helpl" ry her. It's Just a fnko ceremony, nnd this gent hero, ProfeBsor Daw-, born, will pretend to marry you. Un-, Un-, derstand The public will think it's a real thing, and it'll draw trade. It's a now Idea of mine. Remember, you'ro Doctor Salerno, and you'vo como from tho Japanco Ulands, whoro you cap-J cap-J turcd and tamed tho famous man-eat-; lng monsters, to marry Mademoiselle I Vivlano Don't bo afraid; the bcaBts ain't got a tooth In their heads. You have to prod 'em to mako 'em movo. Wise?" ) "I'm wise," said Darrett. j "Very well. If you make good your Job stays for over. Wo'ro starting on tho ono-nlght circuit tomorrow, nnd ou'll marry Mademoiselle VIvlanei every afternoon between hero and' Mllwaukco. Professor Dawborn heroi does tho trick, and, us I said, he ain't, got no license Ho ain't a clergyman: nor nothing, but the peoplo thinks hoi Is." I Tho seqdy-looklng Individual raised' his head, and tho first words ho uttered ut-tered convinced Darrett that tho professor, pro-fessor, too, liad Just been taken on. ' ' "1 don't know as I'll go through I with It," ho murmured, "Lions ain't no treat to me, boss. Maybo I'd better bet-ter think It ovor." "Como and see 'em," roared the manager. With one arm linked through tho professor's, to keep up his courage and keep him from running away, and followed by Darrett, ho led tho way to tho lions' precinct. They entered a ramshacklo shed near tho circus tent, and inside Darrott saw Mademoiselle Made-moiselle Vivlano among her pets, within with-in a spick and span decorated cago. Sho was tickling the head of two enormous, sleopy monsters. Out It was not at them that Darrett looked, but at Mademoiselle Vivlano. Ho had pictured a dainty, petlto llttlo woman. Ho had reflected that the guilty job ho had undertaken must always bo a bunion upon his conscience. con-science. He could hardly bring him 'self to go through even a mock core-' niony, oven for another week of Lorna's Lor-na's company. But now theso .thoughts wcro utterly dispelled. Mademolscllo Vivlano was stout, doublechlnned, nnd fifty. 8ho had an adiposity ot tlssuo which made her bow of recognition a flop. Her hands, which rested on tho lions' heads, were rolls of flesh In which a tow obscure diamonds nnd rubles wcro twinkling, like plums In a pudding. "Aro you on?" asked tho manager. "How much?" gasped Darrott. "Five a night and no notlco." "I'm on," said Darrett feebly. The manager smiled and nodded to tho llon-tamercs8, who opened tho door with a click that was terribly sudden. "Como In and meet tho lions, boys," said tho manager, dragging tho halt-swooning halt-swooning professor after htm. Three hours later Darrett sat bo-side bo-side Mademolscllo Vivlano, waiting for the opening of tho Bhow. Tho throe lions, looking very much bored, crouched nt her feet. Mademolsolle Vlvlane, who had taken n liking to Darrett, chatted vivnclouBly. "Of course It's only a game," sho said. "Ono docs a lot of things when one needs tho money, even If one doesn't like doing them. But I often wish It was real." Here sho sighed and looked sldewlso at Darrett. "t beg your pardon?" stammered tho young man. "Oottlng married," said Mademoiselle Made-moiselle Vivlano. "Since my fourth husband died I havo been so lonoly. If I could find a real nice-looking young man I'd like to make him happy for tho rest of his days." Darrett was searching hlB brains for brains for a noncommittal answer when tho bugles Bounded, and four prancing steeds, which had been attached at-tached to tho front of tho cago, dashed forward nnd carried them Into tho -center of tho arena. The amphitheater was lined with faces. Darrett, experiencing the meaning of stage fright for the first time, saw them, row above row, like cabbages, or turnip-heads In which Halloween gashes had been cut for mouths. Tho mouths were set In vapid grins, and as tho cago drew up in tho center ot the arena a slnglo shout rang out. The. manager stepped forward. Ho -rwaS'Olad In tights and spangles, and ,he held the professor rather firmly by tho arm. The professor was clad 'in clerical clothes and looked sad. r "Ladles and gents," the manager 'roared, "I now Introduce to you Doctor Salerno, tho guy In the cage, what has . coaae from the Japance Islands to marry the beautiful Mademoiselle Vlvlane. Doctor alerno, who caught and , tamed these famous man-eating monsters at a terrible expense, has wooed Mademoiselle Vlvlane, this here capricious beauty, for years in yalifc At last she agreed to become h'lB trappy wlfo, bufonly on condition thatOthelcercmony should tako place In the, lions' den. Professor, will you kindly begin the ceremony which shall make them man nnd wife?" Mademoiselle Vlvlane rose with a smllo nnd opened tho cago. There was something slnUter about her glanco, Darrett thought. The professor profes-sor stepped In gingerly and look his station as far as possible from tho lions. j "Do you accept this woman for your wedded wife?" ho asked. ' "Yes," said Darrett, gulping. I "Do you accept this man for your wedded husband?" Inquired tho pro-I pro-I fessor of tho fair tamercss. "I do," said Mademoiselle Vlvlane. I "Then put this ring upon her finger," snld tho professor, handing' a two-carat gold wedding ring to Darrett. Dar-rett. Wlillo tho young man held It undo-cldcdly undo-cldcdly in his hand something happened hap-pened which always gavo him a tender ten-der feeling toward lions thereafter. Nero, tho toothless old monBtcr who had been dozing In tho corner, strolled forward, laid his head upon I Mndcmolsello Vivlano's arm and 1 grinned up into tho professor's face. Tho professor, with n wild shriek. I leaped back against th" bars. "Help! Help!" ho shrieked, I Mademolscllo Vlvlnno turned to ( Darrett with n gesture of surprising I decision. 'Tut on tho ring!" sho hissed. "You booh, hurry, or tho professor will loso what llttlo head ho's got left." I Tho professor had already lost It I Ho was clinging to tho bars nnd emit-I emit-I ting a scries of howls which profound-I profound-I ly Interested tho lions, for tho three of them, surrounding him, pazed up I Into his face with friendly smiles, j "Help! Help!" shrieked tho profos-sor. profos-sor. "I'm nn alderman I appeal to tho law! Save mo!" j Tho look on Mademolscllo Vivlano's i faco was terrible. In n flash Darrett understood. Ho knew the mennlng of tho glances that had passed between the professor and mndcmolsello. An nldcrman! An alderman was licensed to perform a wedding cero-mony, cero-mony, A certain similarity of appear-anco appear-anco between tho two showed hlrn the point of tho trick. In another moment mo-ment Mademolscllo Vivlano's dreams of a fifth husband would havo como true. Ho sprang for tho cage, found the latch and opened It. Just as Mademolscllo Made-molscllo Vlvalno's two hundred and fifty pounds moved ponderously toward to-ward tho entranco Darrett sprang out. 1 In another moment ho was running at full speed out of tho tent and down 1 tho 'rond. Behind him ho heard tho 1 roar. of tho lions mingled with the despairing cry of Mndemolsollo Vivlano. Viv-lano. Ho heard tho manager's shouts behind him. But in tho dlstanco, very dim and hazy but like a radiant star, was Lorna's face. (Couyrlght, UU, by W. O. Chapman.) |
