The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-06-02

gaze upon our massive framesr'
Longchild puffed out his chest, IN
stretched himself generally, as if in fu
enjoyment of the pOsthumOus renOwn O
which he loved to dwell.
The excitement, however, was but tral
sient. Dicks spirits were evidently d.
pressed, and aware that at such times /
preferred to take refuge In bis own refle
tons, hade him farewell, reminded, as
did so, of my promise to visit him
Gaunthope- -tne-Towers "a place that hs
descended to him in COrnwalD the follow
ing week.
"Tnen, my dear Hail." he conclude,
as, with sigh, he pressed my hand, "yO'
who are already possessed Of one sd
grief of my life, shall learn second fea
! full secret, one which, / am persuadet
will, independent of our frien ship, hav
certain romantic interts st tor You, an
on which l earnestly desire your cOuD sci
have recorded The foregoing CONVEX
satiOn in order to exhibit my friend astrid
Of his favorite hobby,-the gradual dett
rioration of our species from the hal
and healthy giant, considered as cut Of
prematurely at seven hundred and fift,
years, to the puny little contrivance now
by the combined operation of luck an
care and skill, kept going for threescor
and ten.
Nor was Dick colossal only in his the
Ories. Everything about him had a gi
gantic flavor and twang. He spoke, whel
he thought Of it, hoarsely and hugely
He used the most tremendou
words and phrases. He surround
ed himself with weighty and ex
expansive accessories. His bed nigh
have been the consort of that Of Ware
In the calm waters of his bath the univer
sity match might almost (at pinch
have been rowed. He wrote the smallest
note with quill furnished by the eagle ol
the swan. His walking stick might have
been welded by the drum major of the
Guards. His faVorite riding hack was Over
seventeen hands in height.
Gaunthope- the Towers hung, like q
gloomy frOwn, upon the face of a dense
and lofty wood. 1t might easily have been
the residence of one of those tremendous
persons who, before the days of their de.
stroyer, Jack, regarded Cornwall with Pc
culiar favor.
There was smaller mansion, Gaunthope
Lodge, lurking in the skirts of the wood,
which, when found, proved to be some
wha. like its gloomy neighbor, minus the
towers, and reminded you of an iil-favor-
ed dwarf in attendance on a giant. Mr..
Longchild affected to regard this appan-
age as Of about the dimensions of a hen
coop, and magni icently left it to the oc-
cupatiOn of his sub-iorester.
A carriage drive about the width of
Regent street, London, gave convenient
access to Gaunthope-theTowe the great
portals of which were some fifteen fee,
high. The hall displayed complete mu-
scum of tIuculent weapons: clubs, maces
two-handed swords, and the like, such as
might have been wi,ldei by Tltans
l was met at the station by Mr.. Long
child's mail phaeton, a machine, or rather,
moving edifce, of alarming siz., 10 which
were yOked two steeds of corresponding
magnitude The very whip placed in my
hands was of such preposterous length as
to assist the illusion that crept over me,
as we thundered heavily along, of going
on visit 10 some friendly giaut, and fish
ing, as | went, in a black and heaviDg
sea.
Dick was waiting on the steps of his
majestic dwelling, and seemed, good fcl
low heartily glad to see me.
Nice little things, thOse!' he remarked
noddmg towards his phaetcn, as 1t veered
slowly round in th5 direction of toe sSa-
bles. Light trap, light horses. But to-
morrow I'll Introduce you to something
like bone and substance, worthy of a
brighter age"
There was no one but ourselves at din
ner. Longchild, on succeeding TO the
property, two years before, had, so far
from cultivating his neigh ors, been at
some pains to make it we'll understood
that as mere bird of passage. he did not
desire to form any local connections w hat
ever.
Nevertheless, the bird of passage must
have found sufficient to interest him, for
he remained glued to his perch in man
ner that awakened considerable general
interest, and a special Curiosity as TO what
on earth he did with himself Dick ex-
ulted in this. There was something
gloomy, menacious, gigantic $50 10 speak,
in this standing mysteriously alOof. The
domestic habits of the Cornish giant have
never been ascertained with precision,
and Mr.. Longchild, resolving thai 20 light
should be cast on the matter through de-
generate descendant of that lame nted
race, sternly repelled attempts to allure
him from his solitude
In furtherance Of his general plan, he
made it his habit to ride after dark. Many
a belated rustic, though your Cornishman
is no heart-0f hare, felt a thrill of aston
ished fear. as two mighty horsemen, loom
ing large in the rising mist, swept heavily
across his way. Small blame to them
For Dick always bestrode his biggest
horse, and was followed by his groom, a
fellow seven feet high, mounted on an an
imal quite up to his weight and they mus
have looked like Godfrey Ge bOuillon, Ol
Westminster, attending George the Third
of Pail Mall
We were waited on at dinner by but
Ter and two footmeD, whose united length
must Q am afraid / shall hardly b,
believed) have exceeded twenty feet
Everything was on the like tremendou
SCALE and Dick carried his singular hobby
so far as to eschew the small and delicate
Gates, which, in his heart, he loved. in or
der to dine off joints that might have salts
fed bevy of aldermen.
When soup, mighty turbot, brac
of capons the size OF Norfolk turkeys, anC
a calf's-head, had been removed, there wa'
heaved upon the board magnlticen
ha1nch of veAisOn.
Harry, my good fellow" said my host
in tone of regretful apology, II an
afraid you see your dinner"
/ Ireplied, with sO.e alacrity, that hat
distinctly perceived it half an hour ago.
"NoDsense y
at is true"
"Fie, few 8 id Dick, remorselessly be
ginning to carve.
"If you were to add 'fo-fum,' in th'
manner of your disting lished ancestors
should tell you can do no more"
Now, see here" said Dick, in reason
ing tone. "This will never do. Thos
lighter matters were merely provocative
and toys. white burgundy, to Mr.. II Use
well in a chalice.) Taste that, my friend
Then resume your weapons, and to you
duly, ifyou be man."
If were TIVE nty five men, you aiioul
not invite me twice. AS it il, my appe
tite is enc. II was hale, but not immol
tai 1t dwindled with the capon. 1t van
ished with the calf s-head."
"Well, we'll" said Dick, "the fault i
not ours. Let nature bear the blame c
her degeneracy. How melancholy to RI