The
Lady or the Tiger?
By
Frank R. Stockon (1882)
(abridged version)
In
olden times, there lived a barbaric king. He was always studying the ways of
other cultures. If another country had an interesting custom, he would borrow
it and use it in his own kingdom. One day he heard that the Romans had a large
arena where men would fight wild animals such as lions and tigers. This gave
him an idea.
The
king had a huge arena built. There were seats for many thousands of spectators.
In the arena itself, at one end, there were two doors. If one of his subjects
were accused of committing a serious crime, he would be brought to the arena.
Then he would be asked to open one of the doors. He was free to choose either
one.
Behind
one door, there was a hungry tiger. If the man opened it, the tiger would rush
out and kill him. If that happened, it meant that the man was guilty of the
crime. The audience would all weep.
Afterwards they would slowly walk home, sad that the person had met such a dire
fate. Behind the other door, there was a beautiful lady. If the man opened that door, she would walk
out and embrace him. Immediately, they would be married. The audience would be
happy, because the lady proved that the man was innocent. The arena would be
filled with the sounds of music and laughter as the people enjoyed watching the
wedding of the man and the beautiful lady.
This
custom was very popular with the people. When they went to the arena, they
never knew what would happen. They might witness the terrible sight of a tiger
tearing a man limb from limb, or they might witness a beautiful wedding. They
also liked the custom because it was fair. The man was able to choose his fate
for himself.
Now
the king had a beautiful daughter, the princess. Her father loved her very
much. The princess had a boyfriend, but it was a secret. She didn’t want her
father to know because her boyfriend did not come from royalty. He was brave,
handsome and intelligent, but he was only a common person. The two lovers were
very happy, but one day everything changed. The king found out that the young
man was his daughter’s boyfriend, and he put the young man in prison. The young
man’s crime was that he, a common man, loved a princess. In those days, this
was not allowed. The king told his daughter that on a certain day, the young
man would be taken to the arena for trial. He would have to choose one of the
two doors.
Because
the crime was so serious, the king had his soldiers find the fiercest tiger in
the land. When they caught it, they put it in a cage and for many days, they
did not feed it. At the same time, the king had the ladies of his court find
the most beautiful lady in the land. If the young man chose her, he would be
very happy indeed.
The
king’s daughter was, of course, very interested to know which door was which.
So she bribed a soldier to tell her. On the day of the trial, she alone knew
which door had the lady and which door had the tiger.
That
day many people came to the arena. When the people were all seated, the king
entered, along with his daughter and his court. When everything was ready, the
king gave the signal to begin. A door opened and the lover of the princess
walked into the arena. He was tall and handsome, and a low hum of admiration
and anxiety went up from the crowd. No wonder the princess loved him! What a
terrible thing for him to be there!
For
a moment, the young man looked up at the princess. Instantly he could tell
something. She knew which door held the tiger and which door held the lady.
With his eyes, he silently asked “Which door?” She knew. She also knew who the
beautiful lady was. The lady behind the door was a member of the court, someone
even more beautiful than the princess. Often the princess had seen her lover
and the beautiful lady talking together, and she had grown jealous. She hated
the beautiful lady.
The
time had come for the young man to choose. “Which door,” he asked again with
his eyes. The princess’ right hand lay on a pillow in front of her. She raised
her hand and made a slight, quick movement toward the right. No one but her
lover saw her. Without hesitating, the young man walked to the door on the
right and opened it.
Now, the point
of the story is this: Did the tiger come out of that door, or did the lady.
Think about it, reader. The princess was not like us; she was a barbarian from
a fierce culture. How often she had thought of the cruel tiger devouring her
lover. Terrible! But even more often, she had thought of the beautiful lady. If
he chose her, the two would be married, and her lover would live happily- with
another woman.
And so, reader,
I leave it up to you: Which came out of the opened door- the lady or the tiger?
THE END
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