Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-03-04
love her to distraction. Ican't call it by
any other name

love her to distraction. can't call it b,
any other name"
1t was plain that he loved, as a gian
might be expected to love, in a large way
AS ne spoke he trembled swayed to anl
mo, indeed, and turned up his eyes in
iangulshing fashion that had somethins
almost OF craziness about it. This gian
In love was rather grotesque sort O
creature 1t must be confessed
i And Miss fiddler is obdurates" / in
CURED
Miss fiddler is adamant. Miss It'd
dler will not listen to me- or listens tC
me only to mock me. In plain words she
CHATS me-"
What is her objection to you as .
| suitor?"
Well, her objections are of a very
general kind, but chiefly she finds fault
with my size. The fun she makes of me
on that account It's wonderful to hear
her. laugh in spite of myself. laugh
at myself, in fact She's so clever and
says such sharp things. Still it's hard
you know. I've difficulty in believing
that it's really so ridiculous to be so tall
| as she makes il out to be. But she thinks
it's very ridiculous indeed. Perhaps il
appears so to her, you know, she being
so little. And then she calls ME stu
pid."
| But that may not be such a bad sign
I've heard of many lovers who like to be
called stupid by their mistresses. Very
likely it's mere playfulness on her part
| that conceals some measure of true affec.
| ton for you"
I'D think so if could, hut can't.
No. she thinks me tall and stupid, and
feel that she's right. am tall and stupid
and that's the fact. I'd alter it if could.
but can't. Pm sure I'd be very glad to
change places with brighter and a
shorter man. But can't grow brighter,
try hard as l may; and | can't grow
shorter, though Eve tried that too"
You've tried to grow shorter"
"les, over and over again. Pm for.
ever trying to grow shorter. carry
heavy weights on my head; lift that box,
for instance" AS he spoke he drew from
beneath his chair substantial looking
black box with iron handles. | tried TO
raise it, but ] failed completely. II
seemed to be of enormous weight. 1--WE
walked miles and miles with that box on
that II might compress me. But il hasn't
as yet, so far as | can see. I've tried all
manner of ways indeed of packing my
self INTO smaller space, but all in vain.
Miss fiddler only laughs at me. Come
to me when you're shorter, Doddy' (she
always calls me Doddy-it's not my real
name, which is something very different,
but somehow it seems to please her to
call me that-and ] don't object how
can ~ Come TO me when you're shorter,
Doddy,' she says 10 me, and then, per
haps, well see about it, She only SAYS
perhaps, you observe. No, she never
means il to be; it never will be-" He
sighed heavily and noisily. "The plain
truth is, that I'm too long and she's too
short"
= Yes, ! suppose that's the long anG
the short of it," / said abruptly.
For moment he seemed hurt at wha
he might reasonably have thought to be
levity on MY part. Still his look was
meek and difiident.
~ must CO." he said, rising. "I've
many miles to walk tonight with my
box on my head. Thank you for listen.
ing to me, for your sympathy, and-good.
by"
But you won't really resign all hope
of winning Miss Tiddler?n
He looked at me despondently, shook
his head, but said nothing.
Don't despair. Miss fiddler may yet
be yours. Remember, after all, extremes
meet"
"She's not short enough for that, even
film tall enough. Although I'm gisn:,
/ can't think of her as dwarf. She's
really very pretty size. And / love her!
How love her"
So saying, he grasped my hand tightly
and painfully. My fingers seemed quite
crunched in his. They cracked like dry
twigs as he compressed them. | had
never shaken hands with giant before
i never will again.
My last glimpse of him revealed sur
prisingly tall, gaunt figure striding across
the open country. The rising moon
elongated his shadow with an effect that
was suggestive of caricature. He car
ried his box on his head. He proceeded
rapidly, yet not, | think, very regularly.
Once IL seemed to me that he was stag.
gering, like one intoxicated; and once j
thought he called out TO me. But IL oc-
Cured To me afterward that the sound |
had heard was, in truth, rather a hiccup
than an articulate cry.
never saw him again. / can add no
further particulars touching his career.
] can supply no proper termination to
his love story. Jecker's Van ! did
chance to meet at a later period; but
that exhibition did not then number
among its attractions either Miss It'd
dler, the dwarf, or her lover, the giant.
For my part, on taking leave of him,
had but to think of returning to the
railway station, there to await the ar
rival of the train that was TO take me
back to London. ! had first, however,
TO pay rather heavy bill for brandy and
water consumed at the railway hotel
AH tie Year Round.