The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1876-10-05
The Living skeleton and the Arabian
xgs4s Giants

Sn0 Was u .iti&0, ouJub N044t1ki, Win
a hoarse voice and dependent air,
like one who had travelled q great deal
and seen much. She came into rail-
road car and planked herself down by
the side ola timid looking passenger,
after lifting his carpet-bag out of the
seat and dumping it upon his toes.
When the conductor came along and
asked for her fare, she said: "You
dom make no reduction for show folks,
do your" The conductor remarked
that they did not if they knew it. As
she counted out the required amount,
she said when her husband was alive
they frequently got along on half-fare,
if they weren't g dead-headed !" alto
gether, "but," she added, "times is
different since poor George died."
The curiosity of the timid-looking
passenger by her side was excited, and
he veptured to inquire what business
her husband followed when alive.
ssHe was the Livin' Skeleton, nshe
answered with husky pride in her
voice, "and the best one that ever
stood on two legs, if I do say it,
"Was he born for it?n asked the man,
after pause.
Born for whatp''
ssFor skeletonP''
sin course he was. Cut out for the
business, at ian enormous expense as
the show-bills say. He don't bring
enough flesh into the world for mos
quito to start a meat shop with. His
joints had to be held together with
stickin' plaster to prevent his fallin' to
pieces. The folks thought it impossi-
BILE to keep the breath of life in SIGH a
little heap of bones, but the kid seemed
there was before him-appeared to drop
ON what a card he would be for a side
show if he could oniy live, so he wouldn' t
scroak, but held on like a country Mayor
for a show license. His mother used q
pair of candle-molds as a pattern to cut
out his pantaloons by until he was four
teen years old, an ordinary umbrella
cover made him a very comfortable
overcoat. l don't let on he was one of
your George Washington fellers that
never told a lie, but if he did it never
helped him any; he was so thin every
body could see right through him. His
name was George, but they called him
slim JIM around home. You have
heard of the slender young man who
went to the masquerade ball with his
head chalked to represent billiard
cue! George was that feller.''
elbow did you come to meet him?''
asked the timid passenger.
81 was going to tell We. I had been
| in the show. business for some years
travelin' with my first husband, the
Arabian Giant, as he was called, and
managin' the show. He was considered
the best giant in the business when he
was awe. He stood 81 feet in his
stockin's and weig he'd 632 pounds. We
took in a heap of money, but expenses,
like him, was heavy. He could eat
about as much as menagerie, and I
had to charter a whole freight car to
transport him from place to place. No
woman as hasn't had giant on her
| hands knows what trouble he is. Yet
| | loved him and had the satisfaction of
KNOWN he was all my own. He was a
man l. looked up to a good deal,'' she
continued, trying to choke down the
rising sob, /" and -when--le-diet,
s'He died, did heP'' broke infthe timid
man, greatly interested
Eyes, he died, and right at the open
in of the State Fair, too. Somebody
sent him key of beer, and he drank it
all without removin' the bunghole from
his lips. sBudge' was his weakness,
which | may remark has carried off
more giants than any other one thing.
1t cost all we had taken in that season
to bury him. I had to buy so many
cemetery lots to get him in, all the real
estate of that nature doubled in price
immejitly. If you could have seen the
undertaker's bill you would have
thought there had been battle in the
neig hborhood, and that 'ere undertaken
had the job of buryin' the dead on both
sides.''
"You were going to tell me where
you met your second husband, the-the
skeleton timidly suggested her fellow
traveller. +.
Met him at the grave of the giant
said the show woman, with an emotion
that did her credit. "I was takin' the
last sad look at me husband, prepare
tory to the coffin bein' lowered into the
grave by the derrick that had been
erected for that purpose, when 4
CHANGED to look up, and there stood the
skeleton the other side of the coffin.
was Frustrated with grief at the loss OF
me husband and the Dustin up Of the
show, and here comes this walkin'
shadow right across me path like a
besm of light-though it was a very
light beam, l am forced to say. Ii
flashed across me in minute what a
card he would be to work the fairs, and
what a reduction I could make below
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