A Rare Fright.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2909, 28 May 1888, Page 2

A Rare Fright.

When Mr Thomas Youdan kept the Surrey Muaie Hall, Westbar, he had in his employment an eccentric named Tom Smithers, popularly known as "Legs," the reason being that his understandings were bent like a capital 0, " Legs" was engaged as attendant on the menagerie attached to the music hall, and was a faithful hardworking fellow, with but . one draw-back-lie was a little too fond of

whiskey. With a view to keeping him sober, he had strict orders not to leave the premises after closing time on any account; but ono evening his master heard his gentle footsljg sneak up the Btaircase from the vauW where

the animals' dens were kept, and saw him noislessly unfasten a side door, and lob himself out, " I will teach . you a lesson, my lad," thought I?oudan. Consequently he stole downstairs into the first large room, where the bears were kept, looked the door behind him, and. patiently waited for the return of" Legs" with the liquor. he had slipped out to fetch. Youdari's idea was to scare him to death by way of caution, but somehow the scheme went wrong. He had no sooner locked tho door tlian lie became conscious, in the dim light of the turned-down gas*

burner, that a large black something was shifting uneasily about in a cornor ot the apartment, Presently the something got up and shook itself, and A<&> raencedshifting avoimd in his directiffl, Closer inspection revealed that it was two large bears, male and female, which had somehow got out of their cage. As Youdan remembered Ihey wore t':e most savage of his stock, he felt bis hair rise up on his bead like a birch broom, and the cold pespiration wenLtrickling down his back. The bear3'wriy approached him, the little piggish eyes I glittering like yellow fire as they came nearer, and ho entered upoii a stage of deadly fright that can't be described, even when you have felt it, Suddenly he bethought himself that their cage was just at his elbow. He leaped for the cage, got inside and slammed the door, and succeded in partly bolting it, the bears sniffing at his hands as he did it. Then Mr aud Mrs Bruin lost their temper and went for the bars with, might and main. They growled and snorted, and shook

the iron rods as if they would rend thera to pieces, whilo Youdan ..curled himself small in tho remotest cotft'of the den and yelled fifteen different kinds of " Murder I" This went on about lulf-an-hour, before "Legs" arrived, to find a terrible racket going on inside, in the midst of which he could hear his governor screaming for all tho powers of Heaven and the other place to come and help him, Though he was afraid the bears get the cage open," Legs" soon ufSFhis plan arranged. He forced the door, and, dashing in with a flaming torch in one hand and a bucket of bears food in the other, by a judicious mixture of persuasion and fright, he got the animals into an empty cage and secured them, Then he turned his attention to his master more dead than alive, Yoadan's hair was grey, from that moment, and it was not long after that the menagerie was sold off,—Sheffield,