The National tribune., 1882-11-30
OUR YOUNG FOLKS.
The Pumpkin Giant A StOry Of
Wonderland.
~ Is@T &. STs&hHAI

TnsthsTE tiraa, OF our FTest-grandmothers Of
eur ErHndDothers' with very long string o
Frssts pEeFzod. there we're no pumpkins: peo
pie had never eaten : pumpkin-pie, or even
Ftswsd pumpkin; and that Was the time when
tks Pumpkin Giant fourished
There have been great many giants who
AEvs eourishsd since the world begun, and al.
EhouEh select few Of them have been good
EisHts, the majority Of them have been so bad
EhSt their crimes even more than their size
have gene 20 make them notorious. But the
Pumpkin Giant was an uncommonly bad one,
and his general appearance and his behavior
we're Euoh a. to make one shudder 10 an extent
that you would hardly believe possible The
sonvulsive shivsring caused by the mere men
ten sf his name, ana, IL sono cases where the
People we're unusually sensitive, by the mere
thought Of him even, more resembled the blue
aEue than anything else; indeed, vaa known
hy the nams Of "the Giants Shakes"
The Pumpkin Giant was very tall; he prob
sSIy would have overtopped most Of the gisnts
you have ever heard of. I don't suppose the
Giant who lived on the Bean-stslS, whom Jack
viHted was anything TO compare with him /;
ROY that il would have been possible thing for
che Pumpkin Giant, had ne received an invita-
tioa 70 spend an afternoon with the Besn-stalk
Giant, to accept on account of his inability to
sntsr the Bean-staIk Giants door, no matter
sow much lie stopped.
The Pumpkin Giant hsd 3 very large yellow
head, which was also smooth and shiny His
eyes we're big and round, and glowe6 like Goals
ef Gre; and you would slmost have thought
tAss bis head was lit up inside with candles.
Indeed chere was s. rumor tc that effect amongst
ths common people, but that was all nonsense,
ef course; no one Of the mere enlightened class
credited Is for sn instant. His mouth, which
stretched half around his head was furnished
with rows Of pointed teeth, and he was never
known 70 hold i any other way thsn wide
open.
Tho Pumpkin Giant lived in oastIe, ss
natter OF course; 1t is not fashionable for 8
giant TO live in any other kind Of dwelling
Why, nothing would be more tame and uninter-
esting than q giant in a two-story white house
with green blinds and picket fence, or even
brown-stone front, if ne could get into either
Of them, which he could not.
The Giants castle was situated on noun
tsin, rs it ought to have been, and there was
also the usual courtyard before it, and the GUS
tomary moat which was full Of bones! al
have got to say about these bones is, they were
not mutton bones A great many details of
this story must be left to the Imagination of
the reader; they are two narrowing to relate.
4 much tcnderer regard for the feelings of the
audience VIII be shown in this than il most
giant stories; we will even 20 so far as TO state
In advance that the story has a good end,
liz
bly, without unpleasant suspense.
The Pumpkin Giant was fonder of littls beys
and girls than anything else in this world; but
he was somewhat fonder Of little boys, and
6aore particularly Of fat little boys.
The fear and horror Of this Giant extended
ever the whole country. Even the King on
hiE throne was so severely afflicted with the
Giants Shakes that he had been obliged TO
lave the throne propped, for fear it should top
pie over in some unusually violent ft. There
was good reason why the King shook: his only
daughter, the Princess Ariadne Diana, was
probably the fattest princess in the whole world
st that date. So fat was she that she had never
walked step in the dozen years Of hcr life,
being totally unable 10 progress over the earth
By any method except rolling. And a really
I
eoss ATiadne Diana, in hey cloth gold roll
ing-suit, faced with green velvet and edged with
arnnine, with her rolling crown or her head,
trundling along the avenues Of the royal gar
Gems, which he'd been furnished with strips Of
Tich capeting for her express accommodation.
But gratifying as it would have hcsu 70 the
King, her sire, under other circumstance. 20
have had such an unusually interest ng daurh.
Ger, Il now only served 20 FIJI his heat with the
greatest anxiety OF her account The Princess
wss never allowed 10 leave the palace without
8 body-guard of fifty knights the very flower
Of the Kings troops, with Lances IN rest. but.
In spite Of all this precaution, the King shook.
Meanwhile amongst the ordinary people who
sould not procure an escort Of fifty armed
knights for the plump among their children.
the ravagcs Of the Pumpkin Giant were fright
ful. II was apprehended gt one time that
shere would be very few flt little girls and no
fst little boys at all, left In the kingdom. AND
what made matters worse, at that time the
Giant commenced taking tonic to increase
ais appetite
Finally the King, in deGpsTation, issued 8
proclamation that be would knight any one, be
he noble OF common, who should cut of the head
81 the Pumpkin Giant This was the Kings
usual method Of rewarding any noble deed III
bis kingdom. 1t was a cheap method, and be-
sides everybody liked % be a knight.
When the King issued his proclamation every
zsn IN the kingdom vino was not already a
knight straightway tried 70 contrive ways and
means 10 kill the Pumpkin Giant But there
was ono obstacle which seemed iusurmountable: /
they we're afraid, and all Of them had the Giants
Shakes 50 badly. that they could not possibly F.
haye held knife steady enough TO cut OF the /.
Giants head. even If they had dared 10 go near
enough for that purpose.
There was one man who lived not far from /.
the terrible Giants castle, poor man, his only /
worldly wealth consisting in large potato
Eeld and 3 cottage in front Of it. But he had |
boz Of twelve, au only gon, who rivalIed the |
Princes ATiatne Diana IN point of fatncss He /
w&a unable 70 have a body-guard for his son:
90 the amount Of terror which the inhabitants /
Of that humble cottage suffered dav and night /
was heart -rendjng. The poor mother had been
bn4ble 70 leave her bed for two years ON ac-
count Of the Giants Shakes; her husband .
barely got living from the potato-feld. half
the time ne and his wife had hardly eDopob n
cst, IS it naturally took the larger part Of the
potatoes TO satisfy the fat little boy, their son
and their situation was truly piti4ble
The fat boys name was EHeas, his fathers
name was Patroc,us, and his mothers Daphne