The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1878-02-21
An Old SfarY RefOld.

An Old Stery Retold.
I don't know just what to do In the
first place, such dreadful things happen
TO people who steal stories. To be sure,
I have not stolen any, although the one
an going to tell you is very much like
that splendid one "The Giant in the
Bottle" that read in an old fairy book
years ago. Now, that was only story,
and read it, while this has just hap
pened, and SO must be true and yet the
two are so much alike that [ can't under
stand it at all, unless-who knows Pun
less the "s story folks" are real people
shut away in books, and once in q while,
say every hundred years, they come out
from beneath the covers of their prison,
and live the self-same stories over again.
Though 1 cannot quite understand why
the two should be SO much alike, yet this
much I do know when the old giant, or
his double, reappeared upon the scenes
for the second time, it was at the begin
ming of our famous Centennial year,
1876.
At first no one had any idea that it was
giant.
For months and months something had
been the matter with one of the wheels
in the great printing press. Now this
llGtlt WhCtl SISssb ucd1 VI llGIlt WCIh
to do. and its shaft, instead of being
single one, was double, the two pieces
being securely fastened together As I
said before, something was the matter
With this wheel, but just what no one
seemed able to tell. The more it was
oiled the louder it creaked the bands
were loosened and frightened, but with
the same result.
"Creak, creak, creak," it went from
morning till night, making its shrill
voice heard above all the din Of the
surrounding machinery.
There were those who could have told,
had they been asked, but no one thought
the bits of black type knew anything
about it /; and they were lazy fellows
these little black types so they said to
themselves, eve have enough to do
now-from night till morning, and from
morning till night, we are kept shaving
away upon the pages of this great news
paper: now if little 'creak' gets out
there'll be columns and columns more of
work to do, and Wen never get mo-
nent to rest - and they clattered away
the louder, hoping with their noise to
drown the sound of his pleadings.
And SO it went on until one day q wise
man came into the great room where the
little wheel was and passed up and down
about the machinery, looking to see if
everything was all right.
"Ah, what is this-what have we
here ?" he exclaimed, as he stopped be-
fore the little wheel, and bent down to
listen.
"Let me out f.! let me cut let me
out p cried a shrill voice from within.
"Well! we'll p said the wise man :;
and reaching down in his pocket he drew
out steel bar, and began to undo the
fastenings of the wheels shaft
When the bits OF black type saw this,
they fairly shook in their cases, for they
knew what was coming.
After one or two turns of the steel, the
shaft of the wheel fell apart, and out
dropped tiny black roll of something
just what the wise man could not tell,
50 ne put on his glasses and bent down
unroll, growing larger and larger. First,
out came a queer little bunch that
looked like a foot, and presently it was
followed by another. Then on either
side of the roll appeared tiny hands
that stretched themselves out TO make
room for pair of arms and. last of
all, with n "ke-choo l''-that, large as
he was, fairly made the wise man Jump
up popped a tiny head
W-h-y-really - said the astonished
wise man-and he took off bis glasses
and gave them vigorous polishing, to
make sure he had not been mistaken.
But no, there it stood, the oddest-look-
ing little creature he had ever seen.
Who are youS" he at last found
voice to ask.
I'm the Prince of Story-Tellers, your
Honor" was the shrill reply.
And did you really come ont of
that 2 pointing to the wheels shaft.
10 be sure, answered the elf, bob
blng his little head up and down to give
emphasis ''to be sure I did,
Well-well-well, was all the as
tonlshed wise man could say
Perhaps you won't believe me-" con-
tinued the elf, "but I'm a regular giant
only give me the chance to grow. know
L look rather small now; but who
Wouldn't, after being crowded into that
dny hole for nobody knows how long.
But now that I'm safely out thanks to
YOU won't l give it to them, though -
and his black eyes fairly twinkled with
delight.
''Give it to them-who?''
'tWhy, the fellows who put me in there.
for You see I've as much right to a place
on this great paper as any of them When
1t was tirststarted there were a good many
OF us, and SO l agreed TO wait until nv
turn came. After little the others got
jealous OF me-they wanted to do all the
talking themselves-and they began to
plot against me. There was General
Topics, and Old Politics (he's aacfuD,
and Literary Notes, and a host of others !:
and, one night when I wasn't suspect
ing EN-, they got after me-they nearly
killed mel thought at first I was dead
and buried, but it seems 1 was only
slowed away in the shaft of the wheel
Now I'm out again, and won't they
catch it
Why, what are you going 10 do -
asked the wise man, rather anxiously.
"Hal hap laughed the little elf.
:" You'll see." Then, raising his hand to
his head, he gave defiant nod and van
lshed from sight.
Now all this happened only the day
before the ushering in of the new year.
1876. Always busy time, then it was
doubly so, and when our wise man hao
finished his round of duties, and was at
liberty to sit down and think over his
adventures, the day was far spent. In
all his life, nothing like this had han
pened before, and the longer he thought
ABOUT 1t the more puzzled he grew.
Then, to add to his confusion. his head
began to feel queerlv, and he saw such
strange sights; the chairs In the room
got up and courtesied to the table. the
one that he was sitting on giving such a
violent lurch that 1t sent mis- head down
with jerk, and he fell back, unable to
rise.
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