Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-06-03

of hop o'-my thumbs calling themselve
men, who will come swarming around t
gaze upon our massive frames"
Longchild pulled out his chest, an,
stretched himself generally, as If in ful
enjoyment of the posthumous renown OF
which he loved to dwell.
The excitement, however, was but tran
sient. Dicks spirits were evidently de
pressed, and aware that at such times b.
preferred to take refuge In bis own refleC
tions, bade him farewell, reminded, as
did so, of my promise to visit him a
Gaunthope.the-Towers "a place that hat
descended to him in CornwalD the follow
ing week.
"Then, my dear HAL" he concluded
as, with a sigh, he pressed my hand, "you
who. are already possessed of one sa,
grief of my life, shall learn a second fear
full secret, one which, l am persuaded
| will, independent of our friendship, hav,
certain romantic interest for you, anC
on which earnestly desire your counsel.
have recorded the foregoing conver
sation In order to exhibit my friend astrid,
of his favorite hobby,-the gradual dete
rioration of our species from the hal,
and healthy giant, considered as cut of
prematurely at seven hundred and fiftj
years, to the puny little oontrivance now
by the combined operation of luck anC
care and skill, kept going for threescore
and ten.
Nor was Dick colossal only in his the
ories. Everything about him had a gi
gantic flavor and twang He spoke, wher
he thought of 1t, hoarsely and hugely
He used the most tremendous
words and phrases. He surround
ed himself with weighty and ex
expansive accessories. His bed might
haye been the consort of that of Ware
In the calm waters of his bath the univer
sity match might almost (st a pinch
have been rowed. He wrote the smallest
note with quill furnished by the eagle OF
the swan. His walking stick might have
been welded by the drum major of the
Guards. His fayorite riding hack was over
seventeen hands in height.
Gaunthope-the-Towers hung, like q
gloomy frown, upon the face of 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
WAdb llhC llS RlOOLlN HClkuUOlt buG
towers, and reminded you of an ill.favor-
ed dwarf in attendance on giant. Mr..
Longchild affected to regard this appan-
age as of about the dimensions of hen
coop, and magnidcently left it to the oc.
cupation of his sub-forester.
A carriage drive about the width of
Regent street, London, gave convenient
access to Gaunthope-the-Tow the great
portals of which were some fifteen feet
high. The hall displayed complete mu-
scum OF truculent weapons: clubs, maces,
two-handed swords, and the like, such as
might have been welded by Titans.
was met at the station by Mr.. Long
child's mail phaeton, a machine, or rather,
moving edifiee, of alarming size, to 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 to some friendly giant, and fish
ing, as / went, in black and heaving
sea.
Dick was waiting on the steps of his
majestic dwelling, and seemed, good fel
low heartily glad to see me.
mice little things, thoseW he remarked
nodding towards his phaeton, as it veered
slowly round in the direction of the sta
bles. "Light trap, light horses! But to-
morrow FL 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 neighoors, been at
some pains to make it well understood
fhof hiRI Of ha d;A ,Nt
desire to form any local connections what
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 special curiosity as to what
on earth he did with himself. Dick ex-
ulted in this. There was something
gloomy, menacious, gigantic ESQ to speak,,
in this standing mysteriously aloof. The
domestic habits of the Cornish giant have
never been ascertained with precision,
and Mr.. Longchild, resolving that no light
should be cast on the matter through de-
generate descendant of that lamented
race, sternly repelled attempts to allure
him from his solitude.
In furtherance of his general plan, he
made il his habit to ride after dark. Many
a belated rustic, though your Cornishmau
is no heart-Of. 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 must
have looked like Godfrey de Bouillon, of
Westminster, attending George the Third,
of Pail Mall.
We were waited on at dinner by but
Ter and two footmen, whose united length
must Il am afraid l shall hardly be
believed) have exceeded twenty feet.
Everything was ON the like tremendous
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 satis-
fed beVy ofaldermen.
When soup, a mighty turbot, brace
of capons the size OF Norfolk turkeys, and
a calfs.head, had been removed, there was
heaved upon the board magnificent
haunch of veRison.
Harry, my good fellow" said my host,
in tone of rcgretful apology, Il am
afraid you see your dinner"
replied, with some alacrity, that had
distinctly perceived it half an hour ago.
Nonsense u
1T is true"
"Fie, fer said Dick, remorselessly be-
ginning to carve.
"If you were to add fo.fum,' in the
manner of your distinguished ancestors,
should tell you can do no more"
Now, see here" said Dick, in a reason
ing tone "This will never do. Those
lighter matters were merely provocatives
and toys. white burgundy, to Mr.. Halse-
we'll in chalice) Taste that, my friend.
Then resume your weapons, and to your
duty, ifyou be man"
"If I were twenty-five men, you should
not invite me twice. AS it is, my appe.
tite is,Pone. 1t was hale, but not immor-
tai. 1t dwindled with the capon. 1t van.
ished with the calfs-head."
"Well, WELL" said Dick, "the fault is
not ours. Let nature bear the blame of
her degeneracy, How melancholy to re.
fleet that, at a period of dinner when half
a bullock and couple of hogs would
have been dealt with by my foretathers as
a woodcock and brace of larks, zoe COVER
and quail before miserable haunch +!
IN -. auI hrinr. .,atokou.