Show k tad affo adventurers CLUB h HEADLINES FROM THE LIVES OF PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF 1 the beast in bt the glass room t H HELLO ELLO EVERYBODY nina C marbourg of new york city tells yarn find and its a pip of a story too you know nina says she went to see cee that picture king kong that was playing in the movie houses a few years ago and terrifying as it was nina took it without a single shudder it make much of an impression on her because well nina claims she had a tussle with a real king kong in the flesh back in the summer of 1908 and after that no mere picture of the brute was going to scare her 1 ill have to tb admit and so will nina that king kong grew quite a bit in the years between 1908 and the showing of that picture the king kong in the movies was a great apelike ape like creature about a quarter of a mile tall big enough to hold jan ian ordinary human in the palm of his hand nothing like ithac ithac ever existed in real life as far as I 1 know and ive seen all the big ones from jess willard to primo carnera camera and man mountain dean ninas king kong came about up to her chin she says but he was just as hairy and just as bestial estial as the big brute that hopped out onto the screen from that strip of hollywood celluloid and nina was locked up with him in a glass room chimpanzee scheduled to pose for pictures it all came about over a matter of some photographs nina had a job at that time that made it necessary for her to bake ake pictures of the latest thing in chimpanzees the chimp champ was ir in the bronx zoo and nina made arrangements with his keeper to have the animal pose for her when she got to the zoo the obliging keeper brought the brute out into a big glass enclosed room where tile the light was ideal for photography the animal shook hands with nina and she says the first time shed ever met a chirri chimpanzee panzee socially then the keeper began putting him through his tricks while nina took shots with her camera she snapped him posing at a table on a bicycle and going through all his various stunts she got all the pictures she wanted but one and then the keeper realized that he be had forgotten to bring the properties needed for that picture the chimps roller skates I 1 just a minute he said ill go and get them he went out of the room closing the door behind him ama heard the spring latch click but she thought nothing of it at the time several seconds passed 7 T nis his other hand went to my hair and began to shake my head from side to side while the chimp champ wandered around the room but suddenly he turned and began scrutinizing nina with his beady little eyes and at that moment she realized she was locked in a room with a chimpanzee and no telling what the animal might take a notion to do As a matter of fact the animal seemed to be taking some sort of a notion right then he was advancing toward nina at a slow shambling gait his little eyes leering straight into hers 1 I remembered she says that animals were supposed to be afraid of you if you looked them straight in the eye I 1 looked steadily at this one but still he came on chimp champ draws closer despite steady stare closer and closer he came and still I 1 held his eyes with mine the nearer he came the more panicky I 1 grew all I 1 could think of to say was a silly nice monkey nice monkey presently he was within a few feet of me they say that a drowning person reviews his whole life in his last few seconds AU all I 1 could think of were the horrors of poes foes tale the murders in the rue morgue Al and all the other dreadful stories I 1 had ever heard of apes at large the chimpanzee took another step forward raised one great hairy arm and let his hand drop on my shoulder his other hand went to my hair and began to shake my head from side to side it was before the days of bobbed hair and mine was long hairpins Hair pins fell tinkling on the cement floor and this seemed to delight the brute he bared his teeth in a horrible grin took a firmer grip and shook harder more hairpins hair pins fell from ninas hair the chimpanzee began jumping up and down in front of her pulling her head down and shoving it back then to ninas terror his other hand came ui up it caressed her cheek then slipped down to her neck and she felt the animals short powerful fingers tightening on her throat chimp champ hears the sound of his keepers footsteps nina held her breath she felt pretty certain then that the end had come he leered up horribly at me with his glittering little eyes she ehe says and then gave my head a fearful shake that nearly threw me off balance then suddenly he stood perfectly still his thick lips began to quiver he snarled whined and ground his teeth and while I 1 was wondering what was coming next the door opened his ears had bad been quicker than mine the keeper had arrived and spoiled his fun but the keeper see any fun in the situation ile he stood in the doorway his eyes bulging dont move he whispered for gods sake dont move with that the chimpanzee gave ninas head bead one more fearful shake screamed frightfully and struck nina in the chest a blow that sent her reeling against the wall then like the crack of a whip the keepers voice rang out ile he barked a curt order and suddenly that beast became the meek docile exhibition monkey he had been before the keeper left the room nina take any more pictures that day when the chimp champ had been put back in his cage the keeper came back drew her to one side and began talking nervously 1 I should have known better than to leave you alone with that animal he said its a wonder you killed chimps are queer with strangers and especially with women look here I 1 hope you dont say anything about this because if it ever gets out ill lose my job so nina kept quiet about it for a long time now it matter because the keeper working at the zoo any more so nina is passing the yarn along to us released by western newspaper union |