"Kicking over their heads and into their very mouths."

Grace snarled over the cubs.

"Every one of the great beasts jumped for her."

"Jim," says Merritt, ... "there is a great advantage in having a squaw for the top part of that there fish."

"A howl of terror from the platform."

"There was a loose lion downstairs and a nurse and two children in the loft."

"His vanity got the better of him when he turned his back on the lion, to bow to the audience."

"Broncho was only a half-breed."

"We didn't have any regular snake charmer, but Merritt made himself up for a Hindoo fakir."

"Sam Watson confessed the whole thing."

"Walking upon its hind legs, BACKWARD."

"Forepaugh had eminent scientists examine the beast."

"Then Sam and his groom, Telford, proceeded to get busy."

"There seems to be a sympathy between them."

"Tramp was slowly drawing nearer to the cage."

"The bear sat comfortably on the seat beside me."

"He made sheep's eyes and threw a chest."

"The first tiger bounded through the door."

"Depew was still crouched on the body of his victim."

"Depew, coughing and choking, drew back."

"Merritt was quick enough to get a strangle hold around the snake's neck."

THE LIBERTY OF FRANZ
AND THE
REBELLION OF FUZZY WUZZY

THE LIBERTY OF FRANZ
AND THE
REBELLION OF FUZZY WUZZY

Madame Morelli, the pretty little Frenchwoman who makes a half-score of leopards, panthers and jaguars do things which nature never intended them to do, had finished her act and driven the snarling performers through the narrow runway to their separate cages, fastening each one, as she thought, securely. Two French clowns were filling in the time and making the audience of Coney Island pleasure seekers laugh by their antics with a performing dog, while the stage hands were bringing in the properties for the next trained animal act, when the Proprietor came from behind the scenes and strolled, apparently unconcerned, to the back of the Arena, where he could command a clear view of the performance, the audience and the cages. He said a few words to each of the trainers and keepers whom he passed, and the Stranger, who knew the clock-like regularity with which each one of them went through his allotted duties, noticed an unwonted haste and suppressed excitement among them.

As he joined the Proprietor the sound of hammering mingled with the noise of the blatant brass band and the cries of the ballyhoo spielers for the other Dreamland attractions, which came in through the open windows, and he saw that Stevenson, the mild eyed quiet man who is always on hand to rescue imperiled trainers and keepers when their own carelessness, or unexpected revolt on the part of the animals, leads to a fight, was rapidly nailing boards over the ventilating spaces above the cages. Madam Morelli, whip and training rod in hand, hurried from her dressing room to the runway, and every keeper and trainer seemed to be loitering in the space between the leopards' den and the audience.

He looked at the Proprietor inquiringly, but the little trickle of blood which ran down his cheek from under his cap answered the question he would have asked, an animal was loose and the Proprietor had encountered it in his rounds. A crash of weird music from the band drowned the sound of a cracking whip and sharp commands which came from the runway, and announced the appearance of Brandu, the snake charmer, in the exhibition cage, and the audience watched him play with a cobra, all unconscious that Franz, the jaguar, which a few minutes before had desisted from his