The Dickinson press., 1889-02-02
IN A BoWERY MUSEUM.

Eciwcrn Performances on IL Midsummer
Day-A Serious "Curiosity."
The Bowery museums feel a summer dull
ness.
Going to give stage performance soon?'
was asked, before dropping a ten cent piece at
all entrance.
'Performance begins in the auditorium in
ten minutes" was the sententious reply
Inside the museum there was nothing
lively cXccpta glass case of tropical snakes
which were reused from their dormant cor-
dltion lay the heat of the weather. y seal lay
on Il chunk of ice poss blv comfortable rs to
his lower side but away out of his latitude
as to the rest of him. Some Brazilian mon
keys in u cage were lazy in the high temper
ature, and the CircasSian girl and the tat
| tooed man were tanning their about equally
exposed surfaces. The third human curiosity
was Il chap with enormous legs. Those men,
berS were not less than treble the size of
usual legs. There is no deception in his case,
however, for the immense limbs were unclad.
He was a fellow of solemn visage, and he was
perusing IL large book with the air of n stu
dent. He looked up lstlessy, and began his
| rigmaroe. ~ am "a years DID," he said
''and was born in Boston. My legs began to
outgrow the rest of III. stature when | was n
boy, and'-
"What arc you realingl" the visitor i'll
quired
He stopped in his set speech, and turned tho
open page toward the inquirer. The book
was Il medical work.
81 am studying up my case" the curiosity
said i'll Il confidential tone, and with n glance
around to see that there were no other listen
ers. 81 want to know what is the matter
with me, and all about it,
From what he said further, ond per,lsal
of the matter in the book it was learned that
he had the disease called elephantiasism
There were us yet no outward signs of I'M
hcalthiness in his disproportionate legs and
he was getting $50 Il week as an exhibit.
"According to the best light can get" he
said, 81 have got Just about another year to
live. Probably | won't be able to stay in
this business more than half that time. Then
Ill so to II hospital and die. I'll go sooner if
they don't pay my wages regular, and they
amt been doing it lately"
No wonder tho poor fellow was the most
serious looking person on the premises, cx-
repting the manager, whose depression arose
from the poverty of the summer business
was about to depart.
Hold on,s he interposed, "we'll give Il
show us soon as there is fifty cents in the
house"
He kept his word When five visitors
were gathered together he reappeared in our
midst and ordered the curtain rung up Tho
entertainment consisted of Il few feats in
legerdemain by consumptive, seedy aud
clever expert When he came to the point
where he desired to introduce the trick OF
taking numerous articles from a hat he made
the usual appeal for the loan of that article.
The writer handed one to him.
THANK you, sir, thank you" he said in q
singularly heartfelt voice. "You're the first
gentleman today that has trusted me with
lis hat You'll get it back, upon my honor
When sleight of hand show is so mca,
geriy patronized that the performer can't
borrow hat, surely the show business may
br said to suffer from a lack Of public conf
| lence New York SIM