The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1884-07-16
WIDOW TOM THUMB.
Little One Who Goes Into society ma Ex'
poets 10 Grow Big.

Speaking of widows, says letter
writer, l came across Mrs. Tom Thumb
the other day in the Elevated Railroad
car, She had to make considerable OF
jump to seat herself, and l observed that
her companion made no offer OF assist
ance. This was in accord with the
lady's well understood desire. You may
have happened to find out that old
men don't like to be helped on with their
overcoats, because it implies decrepti-
tude which they dislike to acknowledge,
even to themselves. Well, Mrs. Tom
Thumb has that sort of feeling with ref.
erence to any real or implied notice OF
size. She sat there in great dignity,
but with her feet dangling far above
the floor
The little Widow Thumb is casually
resident of New York, and welcome
visitor in considerable number OF rather
wealthy and fashionable families. She
is now lady so mature and dignified,
notwithstanding her dimunitive size,
that nobody in the way OF social inter.
course dares, or is much inclined to treat
her as human trile. TO see her in the
midst of round OF calls is to get the
impression at first sight that your eyes
have somehow become telescope in
yersely, SO exactly is she miniature OF
the conventional danes OF ceremonious
society. She dresses for an afternoon OF
formal visiting, in toilet of semi
mourning, suitable in style for quiet
woman Of forty fve-which age she ac'
knowledges-and orders from q livery
stable one Of those coupes that, rs to
liveried driver and general appearance,
are scarcely distinguishable from private
equipages. Provided with a visiting
list and easily commanding an air of
well bred balance, she lacks only in
stature to be the ideal of millionaire's
wife. OF course she attracts staring at
tention whenever she alights; but her
manner Of silent rcproof is usually ef-
fective as a cure for impudence, aud she
is able to go about with far less annoy
ance than might be supposed. She is
nowabout three feet and half in height,
or a foot more than when she was first
put on exhibition by Barnum, and twas
only within few years that she stopped
growing.
at would not surprise me-" she lately
said, ''if l should take to growing again
at any time. My case is one of retarded
development, you know, and l may
catch up with the rest of you. The ma
jority OF the dwarfs exhibited are really
children, phenomenally small, but by no
means the adult midgets they are repre-
scented to be; and, consequently, they
grow out of the profession. That has
been the case with many freak, as
the showmen call them"
The pertinence Of the fair, fat and
forty-inch widow rs a topic is the
fact that she has a suitor for her hand.
The account current in her circle of ac-
quaintance says that John Spencer
Coyne, mine operator, who came East
ward year ago, with comfortable for
tune, began to seriously WOO her soor
after making her acquaintance in New
York city. He is handsome man o.
no more than forty, with cultured taste
good morals, and weighs about one hun
dred pounds, his stature being Limited
to an inch or so more than five feet
That he is deeply in love with Mrs
Thumb is not doubted by any of thei
mutual friends, but he does not seem t.
,, have made much progress toward cap
! turing the estimable dwarf. 1t is sale
|, to be her firm intention not to MARI,
AMIN