Sharp County record., 1879-05-01
THE SORROWS OF 4 GIANT.


looking at giants, ar yIwarfs, and ao-
normally thin and f,sruen and women
and other SUCH ente u 7-ning natural GU
riosities was walkint IA wn the BOwery
one cold night last v e1 walking preI-
tv bris sky to keep TlrTn, anu looking
with some interest a the art treasures
hung up in front of d be museums-when
he heard a deep bad voice, evidently
coming out of the gutter, saying:
81 won't 60 there any more. There's
no use saving anothd r word about 1t. l
tell YOU I won't do it. I've lost 10 good
pounds now, and another week OF 1t
would take off 10 more, and ruin me. l
won't do it, and I think it's shame to
ask me. But I've been imposed on and
run over ever since We been with you'
Shameless.
1t was 2 o'clock in the morning, and
the streets were a most empty. The
speaker was sitting on the curbstone
talking to a gentleman in long ulster
and a silk hat. He was the giant from
the Museum directly in front OF which
he sat, and when he spoke his whole
400 pounds shook with emotion.
With a chivaIrous spirit that reoeIled
at seeing the strong impose upon the
weak, the person took the liberty OF
asking the gentleman in the ulster what
was the trouble.
"On. he's the most unreasonable
giant that ever lived!P' said the gentle
man, who proved to be the giants man
ager. "He ought to live in Fifth Az
enue hotel, he Ough1'
"Now, Tony" shd the giant in a
whimpering voice that sounded ike
child's, "vOu're not doing me fair; you
know YOU'RE not. Al l ask is enough
to keep me 'ealth. But I've boarded
over IN that place till its beginning to
tell on me. 1t dOn't.do for me to lose
flesh; flesh is moneys and for me to be
fed continually on Oatmeal and dried
peach pies will soon take the bread out
of nv mouth. Get he place where
III have enough to eat, and I'll 60;
otherwise, I'll stay here till you find a
policeman big enough to pick me up. "
The person was moved with sympathy
for the sutferings Of the giant, and be-
fore leaving him to his uncertain fate
made an appointment to meet him next
afternoon in the museum, and possibly
rive him some useful advice. The gl-
ant was found the following afternoon
surrounded by a crowd of admirers,
each of whom insisted upon pinGhlng
MS legs, to make sure that he was hu-
man. In lull of the proceedings the
giant gave the person this little insight
into the private affairs of living curiosi-
ties.
" Now, I'm not like q dwarf" said
the giant (Which was very true, his
height being trife over eight teet),
ga dwarf can go without eating a long
time, and rather improve his appear
ance. But l must eat. Feed a giant,
and starve a dwarf-that's the idee. In
the Bowery, here, there's more than
hundred people thy the. public has to
pay-to get a -sight 6sy ~Cf Course, It's
pleasant to be distinguished, and to be
courted by the people, and all that; but
then such q life has its little
troubles, too. You see, it wouldn't
do for US to make ourselves. too COM
mon in the streets. If giants and
dDarfs should once be common on the
streets the business would be done for;
so we have to be boarded near to the ex-
hibitions. There's place two blocks
up from here, on the other side OF the
street, where they board nearly all OF
us, and we 90 up in wagons, late at
night; yes, that's the reason you never
see us in public. There's the Australian
children board there, and the Circassian
lady, and the Tiny Tins, and the fat
woman, and the fat girl, and the living
skeleton. and the tattooed man, and two
or three dozen more. Well, they send
us two meals a day from there, and then
when we go home at night we have an
other meal. That makes US three meals
q dav. The clearinghouse keeper says
he loses money every week, and l guess
he' does; but that's no reason why |
should lose flesh every week, and l
Gail u dlUIu lJs dllI Wtu oOehhO Ao' AO~
see, if q giant weighs 400 pounds, he's
worth so much a week-a sum not at all
equal to his size, can tell you. But If
ne lets himself run down, so that he only
weighs $50 pounds, why, he's not worth
more than half as much. I've seen the
time when I weighed nearer 600, but that
was when we were on the road, and
chickens didn't rOost so high.
{" Ii you'll promise never to give it
away said the giant, STOPPING down
two or three feet, and whispering, "I'l
tell you something. But [ wouldn't
like any of the others to know that l told
it, though they all know it's true. It's
the living skeleton that's made al this
fuss, though he didn't know it himself,
and he's a nice noble hearted gentle
man, the skeleton is. But when the
manager first talked with the landlord