Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-09-02

With the expansion OF child, put
surmounted by a head and face of
huge size, the color of which was
unmitigated gray, skin, hair, lips and
eyes, over all sort of dead look,
excepting the left side of the face,
which was rough and erupted. His
expression was manlike and his dress
was not dissimilar to Halls and changed
fully as often. But how different the
effect on the two, for, added to
the disproportion between his form and
head, some disease had drawn him out
of shape, shortened one limb and af-
fected one arm so that such thing as
grace was impossible, and the attempt
to keep step with the fine old gentle
man extremely painful to witness.
Their devotion to each other was APP
parent, and various books and papers
which they carried about together while
sitting in the parks showed an intel
lectual congeniality which would
hardly be expected in two so unlike in
appearance. My curiosity in regard
to them increased daily. So, great was
my pleasure when one evening I no.
ticed Hal 60 up to them and shake
hands as thong b they were old ac-
quaintances. And own to not hav-
ing waited very patiently for Hal
to finish his evenings programme
and join me in our room. As
soon as our cigars were lighted and
we settled back in our chairs prepara-
tory to recounting our day. experiences
my first outburst was:
''Hal. who is that grand old South
ern gentlemen with whom you were
speaking this evening?'
"Oh," replied Hal, 'that is ex-sena-
tor Luda La Clair, from New Orleans;
he was here last year; he was some
what of an invalid, and finds these
waters and the Wisconsin air more
beneficial than anything he has tried.
You may we'll call him grand, for no
more perfect specimen of an intelligent,
educated, cultured Southern grandee
can be found,'
''But what is that hideous object at
his sidc?'
''That object ever at his side is
Cappoli, his youngest son. He looked
frightful to me last year at first, but he
does not seem to me now,' said Hal,
with more tenderness in his voice than
had ever heard him use before. "He will
furnish you one of the most interesting
subjects for your favorite amusement Of
character studying. know them we'll
and will introduce you. But first let me
tell you something of Cappoli's history.
His father, as you see, is from
the Southern gentry. Early in life he
visited the North and married one Of
Boston's New England, blue-eyed,
brown-haired Puritan daughters, said
to have been rather pretty, highly edu-
Gated, and extremely religious, by
whom he had three sons. The two
elder are both married and successful
lawyers, one located in St. Louis and
the other in Louisville. They were
here with him last summer, and
although more than ordinary men,
I do not consider that either of them
have as much real native talent as Cap
poll; but he, poor fellow, can never
control his. They told me that at 8
years of age he was as perfect
physically as any child and the image
of his mother, but the summer follow
ing his 9Th birthday Senator and Mrs.
LaClair decided to take long talked
of trip to Europe. The older boys
were in college and friend of Mrs.
LaClair's who lived in small town
about fifty miles from Boston, and in
whom Mrs. La Clair had the utmost
confidence as a mother, agreed to take
Cappoli; SO there seemed no reason
why they could not 60 at last, and 60
they did, and were camping in Jericho
when a long, many-stamped letter
brought them the terrible news that
Cappoli had just lived through an
attack of scarlet fever, and, owing to
the malpractice of their best country
physician, one side was almost entirely
paralyzed, and his blood in a generally
poisoned, eruptive condition, which
news brought the La Clairs hurriedly
to this country. And for eight years
more Mrs. LaClair travelled from one
large city to another carrying her
helpless child to nearly every eminent
physician in America for help. but
with, as you see, only practical success.
And when she was obliged to relmquish
the idea of cure, she brooded and
broodcd over her having left him to 90
abroad until it turned her brain, and
they were obliged to put her in pri-
vate asylum, where she has been for
the past fourteen years. Cappolis
body never increased much in size
after the fever, but his head you will
observe is fully as large as his father s.
They are exceedingly exclusive, but
I will venture to present you to them
early in the morning, when you can
know them for Yourself
Immediately after breakfast next day
we stopped at the door, when in answer
to Halls gentle tap Cappoli opened it
and acknowledged the introduction to
me with most stagely, tragical bow,
throwing his huge head back upon his
shoulders in what he intended should
be an imitation of his fathers lofty
style, but which in him was utterly
horrible; which posing, after a few
moments conversation, he changed tc
a strongly Neutrality-suspicious. air
which was exceedingly ludicrous il
such pigmy. In strange contrast tc
these mannerisms were many tokens Of
truest politeness and ready flow Of
choice language, which, if I could have
shut my eyes and forgotten his appear
ance, l could have enjoyed. However
either alternative was impossible. Sen
ator La Clair was hospitality itself, anc
took genuine old mans delight in re-
counting to us his olden times, ane
mentioning the many noted men with
whom he had been acquainted and hao
entertained in his Southern home. Oul
good-morning having been said t.
them, Hal begged me not to fix my
opinion of Cappoli yet, as l had only
seen one side of him that morning, ane
that not the best one.
Evidently Cappoli considered MI
"quality'' for the next day. as l wa
sitting on the broad piazza in front o
the office, smoking my dinner cigar, h
came limping up to me, and lifting hi
hat, with his grotesque bow, asked per
mission to sit beside me, which reques
was eagerly granted, for I reall!!
wished to study him. He was easil.
led into an animated description of hi
travels, ana gave minute accounts o