The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1878-08-07
THE JERSEY GIANT.

This story is not gong to begin by say
ing, "Oncc upon time" Why will PEG
pie always say, 'Once upon tlme," anc
make the story seem ever so old? Jus
as if you and | and all the children die
not know that there are giants nowaday:
in the woods, and little fairies keeping
house in the beds of violets, and gooC
spirits living IN the bright places where
the sun shines, and bad spirits shut up in
the dark holes liz the trees, so that they
can't get out at the children. Dear me
We are not 50 young as they take us to be-
are we? SO when tell you this giant
lived in New Jersey, not a hundred miles
from New York, and that what I am 60
ing to tell you happened only last sum-
mer: you and know that it might easily
be so, and we shall not mind the looks of
these older people who think it is all
foolishness. Let me say another thing
that this story is told for boys and girls,
and have no time to write 1t so that
grown people can easily understand it.
If they find any long words of which
they do not know the meaning, why, they
can ask the children to explain them.
The boy VINO saw this giant was little
Tommy Bento, who will tell you all about
it il you ever meet him. He lives in
New York in four-story brown-stone
house near Fifth Avenue, and goes to DR..
Syntax's school, on the corner Of Thing
emmie Street and Wautdyukalt Avenue.
So If you want to know from his own
lips this story is true, it will be easy for
you to find him. Tommy and his moth
er were staying at the seaside, and he
was having good time, I tell you. He
was eight years old, and there we're other
boys there just of his age. never knew
boys just eight years old to fail to have a
good time. They were staying in a
handsome hotel on the Jersy shore, a
long way below Long Branch, where they
over the ocean and see the stately white
sales moving to and fro, and the hawks
darling at the waves for fish, and could
hear. day and night, the roar Of the surf
on the beach. There were four great
pleasures in this life for Tommy Bento
and his little Misunderstanding, sleeping,
bathing, and playing on the beach. And
the greatest of these was eating, for the
appetite OF an eight-year-old boy in his
vacation and at the sea- side is one of the
wonders OF the world.
One day, after dinner Tommy took
his shovel and his little pail, and went
down to tho beach to dig in the sand
(This little pail had "a Good Boy paint
ed On it, but of course that did not mean
that the pail was a good boy; that would
be nonsense. 1t meant that Tommy was.)
The other. boys asked Tommy to sit down
in the sand, rest his back against al Old
piece of ships mast that was lying there
and let them make man" of him Max
ing a man of any body was to shovel
sand on him until he was pretty nearly
covered. Thev usually stopped before
they got the sand heaped up to his neck.
I don't believe any body but boys would
ever play such a game: but they played
it, and liked it. So Tommy sat down,
and they began to shovel the sand on his
fat little legs.
After awhile he thought it was time to
go back TO the hotel, but somehow it
seemed a long way off, and the farther he
walked, the farther it was away. Now it
moved of to one side, and then behind
him, and then suddenly it was gone
But he did not feel afraid, though he did
not know why, and he kept On walking
because he knew he must come to some
thing Soon he did, sure enough. He
saw Just before him what he thought was
a tall TREAS tall as the house he lived
in in New York; but suddenly the top Of
the tree began to whistle, and made such
wind that Tommy's sailor hat blew off.
Tommy tried to run, but he couldn't
move, he was so frightened. But the
whistle sounded very good humored, and
Tommy remembered that he had never
seen any body whistle ajolly tune be-
cause he was angry. 1t would be good
time to speak to this great creature, but
how was it to be done? Tommy wished
for his Christmas horn; he wished TOR
telephone; he wished for big pair Of
lungs; but wishing brought none Of them
At last he walked boldly up to the big
man, and standing by his shoe, took hold
of the hem Of his trousers, and pulled
very hard. Then the giant felt him, and
picked him up with great hand, and
looked at him. And when the giant had
asked Tommy all about himself, Tommy
ook courage and said, -., RE-. ., -. !.
"And who are you?' III.
'Oh," said the big man, s'I'm the Jersey
Giant"
So Tommy went OIL the Jersey Giants
shoulder, to the place where the Jersey
Giant lived. They went with such
strides that Tommy thought sometimes
he should certainly be whirled off the
giants shoulder. They came at last to a
house 50 high that Tommy couldn't see
the top of it, where the giant took Tom
mys breath away by suddenly sitting
down on bench outside the door. You
can imagine to yourself how Tommy fell,
if you suppose that you were on the roof
of house, and the house suddenly sat
down. Presently the giant said,
sits time to GO and dig the dinner"
':To do what?" cried Tommy, in amaze
ment.
ITO dig the dinner!" roared the giant,
in voice that frightened the little fellow
into silence. "Come and see the farm, .
the giant roared again. There's no such