The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-03-26
The Sorrows of a Giant.
ReI1inisefnce Of ihe Old Curiosiiy
shop.
from the New York Times.l

lfrom the New York Times
a p'r'on who has great liking for looking
at giants and dwarfs, and abaormally thin and
1at men and women and other such entertain.
ing nstaral curiosities, was walking down the
bIweIy one cold night last week-walking
petty briskly to keep warm and looking with
some interest at the arr treasures hung I'D in
front OF the museums-whea be heard a deep
bass voice, evidsntly coming out of the gutter,
saying:
III won't go there any more There's no use
saying another word about it. tell you
won't do it. Pve lost ten good pounds now,
aud another week of it would take off ten
more and ruin me. won't do 1t and L think
lis shame 10 ask ms. Bat I've been i'm
posed on and run over ever since I've been with
you, Shameless"
ut was two o'clock 10 the morning and the
streets were almost empty. The speaker was
sitting on the cuIbstones talking to a GENTLE
man in long ulster and silk hat. He was
the giant from the Museum directly in front
which he sat, and when he spoke his whole
400 pounds shook with emotion.
With chivalrous spirit that rebeled at
seeing the strong impose upon the weak, the
person took the liberty of asking the gentle
man in the ulster what was the trouble.
cob, he's the most unreasonable giant that
ever lived" said the gentleman, who proved
to be the giants msnager, "He ought to live
in Fifth avenue hotel, he ought"
"Now, Tony, said the giant 10 whimpsring
vJice that sounded like a child's, "you're not
doing me fair; you know you're not. All ask
is enough to keep me in 'ealth Bot I've
h0AfdQ6 N hat MIA Dc h. -.
to tell on me. 1t don't do for me to lose flesh,
flesh is money: aud for me TO be fed coutnual-
ly ou oat meal and dried peach pies will soon
take the bread out of my mouth. Get me a
place where I'll have enough to eat and I'll 90;
otherwise I'll stay here till you find a police
man big eOough 10 pick me up"
The person was moved with sympathy for
the sutferings of the giant, and before leaving
him to his uncertain fate made an appoint.
ment to meet him next afternoon in the mu-
scum, and possibly give him some useful ad-
Vlce. The giant was found the following after.
noon surrounded by crowd of admirers, each
OF whom insisted upon pinchiDg bra legs to
make sure that he was human. In the lull in
the proceedings the giant gave the person this
little insight into the private affairs of living
curloslties.
"Now 1 am not like dwarf" said the giant
(which was very true, his height being a trifie
over eight feet)-s dwarf can go long time
without eating and rather improve his appear.
ance. But l must eat. Feed q giant and
starye dwarf-that5 the idee 10 the Bowery
here, there's more than a hundred people that
the public has to pay 20 get sight of. OF
course it's pleasant to be distinguished and 70
be courted by the people and all that; bat then
such life has its troubles too. You see, IL
wouldn't do for us to make ourselves too COM
mon in the streets. II giants and dwarfs
should once be common 10 the streets, the
business would be done for; so we have to be
boarded near to the exhibition. There's q
place two blocks up from here on the other
side OF the street, where they board nearly all
OF us, and we go up In wagons late at night;
yes, that's the reason you never see us in pub.
Ile. There's the Australian children board
there, and the Clrcassian lady aud the fat girl,
and the living skeleton. end the tatto0ed man,
and two or three dozen more. Well, they send
us two meals day from there, and then when
we go home at night we have another meal.
That makes us three meals day. The board
ing house keeper says he loses money every
week. and l guess he does: but that's no reason
why should lose flesh every week. and can't
afford ii, and won't stand it. You see, if q
giant weighs 400 pounds he's worth so much a
week-a sum not at all equal to his size, l can
tell you. Bot If he let's himself run down so
that he only weighs $50 pounds, why, he's not
worth more than half as Il ucb. I've seen the
time when weighed nearer 600, but that was
when we were on the road and chickens didn's
roost so high.
eff you'll promise never to give it away"
said the giant, STOPPING down two or three feet,
and whispering, "Pll tell you something. But
/ wouldn't like any of the others to know that
told 1t, though they all know IT'S true. It's
the living skeleton that's made all this fuss,
though he didn't know it himself, and he's
nice noble-hearted man, the skeleton is. But
! when the manager first talked with the land
| lord about boarding us the landlord he kind
| OF checked as off in his mind; L know how is
| was. He said TO himself, here's two giants,
| and three dwarfs, and two bearded women,
| and the living skeleton-but We wont count
m q AM NJ Ms nvNh Hl.oo unnr 1AraI
there was where he made a mistake. 1t was
very natural mistake of course. To look at
the skeleton any one would think peanut
would give him indigestion for mouth; but
eatl why, tne poor, Ignorant landlord had no
idea of it. He'd eat butchers shop dry in
one afternoon. When he sits down at that ta-
bic at night, and rests one of those elbow-bones
OF his on each side of the plate, then look out
for famine and desolation. Mebbe you'll not
belieVe me, sir, but he eats more than me and
the fat woman both together; he does, indeed.
He eats every thing he can get his hands on.
And the more he eats, the thinner be gets;
tnats the beauty of him; that's what makes
that man so valuable. This, you see, is what
makes the landlord keep the rest of a. on short
allowance. He misfgured about the skeIetou,
and he's losing money on the run. That's
what makes il so bad for me-"
Did you settle 1t about where you should
sleeo last night?" the person asked him.
"Yes, replied the giant in a sorrOwful tone.
sit could only epd one way; bad to give in;
IN poor, lonely, homeless, dependent crea-
ture, with nothing to live on but my shane,
and my shape a-.eaving me every day. I'll
never grow THU enough to be a skeleton, and
FL just 60 to the dogs; know shall. Don't
you never grow to be giant if you care any
thing about yourself
just at this minute the music struck up
again, and the stage manager, very small
ana slight maD, seeing the giant in corversa-
tion with the person, sprang fercely at him,
SAYING;
Come, now, is this the way you attend TO
your Business. talking with strangers? And
its not the first time I've had to speak to you
about it to-day, either. Get back to your
place, will you, and don't let it happen again,
or Pl attend to your case, will.''
The giant stepped meekly and silently up to
his place.
IN. Y. Tribune.l
The Democratic s'COmprOmise."