The Lady or the Tiger? Written by Frank R. Stockton

I n the very olden time, there lived a semi barbaric king who was a man of exuberant fancy and of an authority so irresistible that, at his will, he turned his varied fancies into facts. Among his borrowed notions was that of the public arena, in which, by exhibitions of manly and beastly valor, the minds of his subjects were refined and cultured. (((STOP)))

This vast amphitheater was an agent of poetic justice in which crime was punished, or rewarded by the decrees of incorruptible chance. When a subject was accused of a crime of sufficient importance to interest the king, on an appointed day the fate of the accused person would be decided in the kings arena. When all the people had assembled in the galleries, the king gave a signal, a door beneath him opened, and the accused subject stepped out into the amphitheater. There were two doors, exactly alike. It was the duty and the privilege of the person on trail to walk directly to these doors and open one of them. He could open either door he pleased. (((STOP)))

If he opened the one, there came out of it a hungry tiger, the most cruel, which immediately sprang upon him and tore him to pieces, as a punishment for his guilt. But if the accused person opened the other door, there came from it a lady, the most suitable to his year and station, and to this lady he was immediately married, as a reward of his innocence. This was the kings semi barbaric method of justice. The criminal could not know out of which door would come the lady. On some occasions the tiger came out of one door, and on some, out of the other. This semi barbaric king had a daughter as blooming as his most florid fancies and with a soul as fervent and imperious as his own. She was the apple of his eye, and was loved by him above all humanity. (((STOP)))

Among his courtiers was a young man of that fineness of blood and lowness of station common to the heroes of romance who love royal maidens. She loved him with an ardor that had enough of barbarism in it to make it exceedingly warm and strong. This love affair moved on happily for many months, until one day the king happened to discover its existence. The youth was immediately cast into prison, and a day was appointed for his trail in the kings arena. The appointed day arrived. From far and near the people gathered. The king and his court were in their places, opposite the twin doors. The signal was given and the lover of the princess walked into the arena. (((STOP)))

Tall, beautiful, fair, his appearance was greeted with an admiration. No wonder the princess loved him! As the youth advanced into the arena, he turned, to bow the king. His eyes were fixed upon the princess, who sat to the right of her father. She had possessed herself of the secret of the doors. She knew in which of the two doors stood the cage of the tiger. And not only did she know in which room stood the lady, all blushing. But she knew who the lady was. It was one of the fairest and loveliest of the damsels of the court, and the princess hated her. Often had she seen, the tiger throwing upon the person of her lover. But she hated the woman who blushed and trembled behind that silent door. (((STOP)))

When her lover turned and looked at her, and his eye met hers as she sat there paler and whiter than anyone in the ocean of faces. His quick and anxious glance asked the question: Which?. Her right arm lay on the parapet before her. She raised her hand, and made a slight quick movement toward the right. No one but her lover saw her. He turned, and with a firm and rapid step he walked across the empty space. Without the slightest hesitation, he went to the door on the right, and opened it. Now, the point of the story is: The Lady or the Tiger?

For composition Writing an ending to the story Frank Stockton leaves it up to you, the reader, to decide what finally happens. Write your own version of the ending, telling what happens when the young man opens the door. To make your ending effective, you might want to show the princess reaction as the door opens. Or, you might want to show the young mans reaction to what he finds.