Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1886-08-11
He was such . Little Boy.

New York Times: Three pretty lit
tie girls and an equally pretty mamma
stood leaning over the rustic bridge in
Central Park yesterday watching the
Lohengrin boats as they sailed along
with their freight of children. Sud-
denly the attention of the quartet was
distracted from the pond by two pairs
of footsteps which came leisurely along
the asphalt walk. The little girls,
looking up, saw little man standing
beside them scarcely three feet high
and clad in a ridiculously loose brown
suit supplemented by soft felt hat set
rakishly on the side of his head. The
dwarf had pale, pasty looking face, a
protruding mouth, and childish, inof-
fensive expression. He was led by a
bottle.nosed man in whose somewhat
bloated features those of the little new
conner could be rather indist1nctly
traced. The little girls looked up with
q start. Even the mamma lost her
equanimitY and stared at the little man
as thoug h he were an apparition from
fairyland or the ghostly hooks of Gen.
trail Park.
'.lt's the Yellow Dwarf, I do be-
lieve," said Miss Susie. not looking as
though she relished her fairy tales
materialized. Let's go, mamma.
He'll turn US into something dreadful. "
The other little girls chung to the
lady's dress. She was evidently re-
solved not to run away. 1t may have
been that the weather was too warm
for convenient flight, or she may have
felt qualm of curiosity.
''He won't hurt you, dears,' said
the bottle-nosed man. He's little
Herman Herref, 1ny son. You speak
German?"
The little girls shook their heads
and shook them again in answer to
questions as to whether they spoke
French, Spanish, or Italian. They
only speak English, said the mamma.
Meanwhile the dwarf regarded them
askance and made queer little noises
with his throat which were not at all
pleasant to hear.
mamma, I'm frightened, said Miss
Effie. gasping.
Nonsense remarked the lady in
tones which clearly showed that she
was equally alarmed.
He won't hurt you," declared the
bottle-nosed man again: "He's little
Pole and has only been in this country
four years. He never grew after he
was 6 years old. Tell the ladies how
old you are, Herman
"Nineteen." squeaked the dwarf.
Gracious! He's man?' ejaculat-
ed the lady.
Tell the lady what you want to do
for living!'' commanded the bottle
nosed gentleman.
Museum. "squeaked the dwarf.
"Where do you live. little manp'
said the mamma, convinced that she
was talking to flesh and b God.
'Trente-cinq Deuxieme avenue, "
qu'oth the dwarf, glibly.
''And what can you do, little man?'
The dwarf made no answer. Solemn
~ he looked around him, fdgeted
about on his feet, tumbled his thumbs
around, and seemed i'll at ease. Then
he walked up to the prettiest of the
three children, Miss Effie, and before
she could tell what he was going to
do kissed her with sound that could
be heard yards off. Miss Fife drew
back indignant. and the other children
with their mother, grew red with
anger. >,
with something that looked like a
twinkle in his eye. You're getting
to be a forward, rude lad. I wouldn't
have done that myself. If you misbe-
have yourself like thatag you shan t
90 into a museum. You'll forgive
him. Miss Effie, won't you?''
"Well,'' said Miss Fife, poutingly,
as the dwarf ran away, II don't mind
so much because he's such very little
boy; but if had been real big I'D never
have forgiven him.