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Show VENTURERS' CLUB I Deadlines from the lives m ijfPEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF1 jf i "The Beast in the Glass Room" Wo, EVERYBODY: Nina C. Marbourg of New York city tells today's :,nand it's a pip of a story, too. You know, Nina says X-ent to see that picture, "King Kong," that was play. in the movie houses a few years ago, and terrifying as is, Nina took it without a single shudder. It didn't make rii of an impression on her because well Nina claims jhad a tussle with a real King Kong in the flesh back summer of 1903. And after that, no mere picture of .brute was going to scare her. j ! h have to admit, and so will Nina, that King Kong grew l' (e a bit in the years between 1908 and the showing of that "hire. The King Kong in the movies was a great, ape-like ' s:u:e about a quarter of a mile tall big enough to hold t 'ordinary human in the palm of his hand. Nothing like . It ever existed in real life, as far as I know, and I've seen the big ones, from Jess Willard to Primo Camera and i Mountain Dean. Nina's King Kong came about up to lhin, she says, but he was just as hairy and just as bestial as the brute that hopped out onto the screen from that strip of Hollywood :v'joid. And Nina was locked up with him in a glass room! ' Chimpanzee Scheduled to Pose for Pictures. 1 all came about over a matter of some photographs. Nina had a it that time, that made it necessary for her to take pictures of the ?: f thing in chimpanzees. The chimp was in the Bronx zoo, and ; made arrangements with his keeper to have the animal pose for her. When she got to the zoo the obliging keeper brought the brute i, nt into a big, glass-enclosed room where the light was ideal for Hlotography. The animal shook hands with Nina, and she says flat's the first time she'd ever met a chimpanzee socially. Then g te keeper began putting him through his tricks while Nina took hots with her camera. She snapped him posing at a table, on a (cycle, and going through all his various stunts. She got all the 1 trores she wanted but one, and then the keeper realized that thad forgotten to bring the properties needed for that picture 4 1c chimp's roller skates. ::Just a minute," he said. "I'll go and get them." He went out of v"om, closing the door behind him. Nina heard the spring latch .' but she thought nothing of it at the time. Several seconds passed St,'His other hand went to my hair and began to shake my head -sMe to side." the chimp wandered around the room. But suddenly he turned .;gan scrutinizing Nina with his beady little eyes and at that a'ntshe realized she was locked in a room with a chimpanzee, and .fling what the animal might take a notion to do. J: a matter of fact, the animal seemed to be taking some sort of w-.-oa right then. He was advancing toward Nina at a slow, sham-'""gait, sham-'""gait, his little eyes leering straight into hers. "I remembered," "f"ys, "that animals were supposed to be afraid of you if you looked r 'straight in the eye. I looked steadily at this one, but still he '-- on. iU- Chimp Draws Closer Despite Steady Stare. "Closer and closer he came, and still I held his eyes with f.e. The nearer he came the more panicky I grew. All I ,ild think of to say was a silly, 'Nicy monkey nice monkey!' .esently he was within a few feet of me. They say that a . iwning person reviews his whole life in his last few seconds. I could think of were the horrors of Poe's tale, 'The Murders f the Rue Morgue,' and all the other dreadful stories I had ever I ' ltd of apes at large. "The Chimpanzee took another step forward, raised one great, e X? arm, and let his hand drop on my shoulder. His other j id went to my hair and began to shake my head from side to Jfr'e. It was before the days of bobbed hair, and mine was long. ii irpins fell tinkling on the cement floor, and this seemed to lEi Ight the brute. He bared his teeth in a horrible grin, took a Mr grip and shook harder." Ere hairpins fell from Nina's hair. The chimpanzee began jumping C? down in front of her, pulling her head down and shoving it back. Nina's terror, his other hand came up. It caressed her cheek, -PPed down to her neck and she felt the animal's short, powerful tightening on her throat! faimp Hears the Sound of His Keeper's Footsteps. held her breath. She felt pretty certain then that the end had H'. "He leered up horribly at me with his glittering little eyes," jtfs. "and then gave my head a fearful shake that nearly threw me .j.'fcce. Then, suddenly, he stood perfectly still. His thick lips ver. He snarled, whined and ground his teeth. And while ' -wondering what was coming next, the door opened. His ears jrini'-"0 quicker than mine. The keeper had arrived and spoiled his fun. , f. But the keeper didn't see any fun in the situation. He stood at .0 doorway, his eyes bulging. "Don't move," he whispered. iit't God's sake, don't move!" With that, the chimpanzee gave kidf's head one more fearful shake, screamed frightfully, and fk Nina in the chest a blow that sent her reeling against f' wall. Then, like the crack of a whip, the keeper's voice rang J He barked a curt order, and suddenly the beast became eek, docile exhibition monkey he had been before the keeper fl ''he room. . , 'W didn't take any more pictures that day. When the chimp had S1 back in his cage, the keeper came back, drew her to one side, talking nervously. "I should have known better than xo along with that animal," he said. "It's a wonder you weren t -Chimps are queer with strangers, and especially with women e-I hope you don't say anything about this. Because if it ever lose mv iob " I A''!?3 kept Juiet out it for a long time. Now it doesn't matter f fl e keeper isn't working at the zoo any more, so Nina is passing jTi along to us. (Released by Western Newspaper Union.) |