The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-08-04
A DWARF ARTIST.
The Story of Little Man Who Won Re

| The Story of Little Man Who Won Re-
| nown.
Gibson, commonly called the Dwarf
| Artist, was born in 1915 in the north
west corner of England, where the
picturesque crags and peaks of Cum
Derland are mirrored in the beautiful
lakes at their feet. His parents were
in very humble circumstances, and his
father tended sheep and titled little
| farm.
In those days dwarfs were in such
demand among the nobility that poor
| people were inclined to regard the birth
of one as piece of good luck for the
| family; and when it became known
that Dame Gibson's baby was a very
small specimen of humanity, all the
kind neighbors came in to congratulate
and perhaps to envy her on account Of
what the future might have in store.
Hes bonny wee bairn, indeed" ex-
claimed the mother, who was not alto
gether of this way of thinking. "Many
a small babie has made big man, and
God grant he may reach the height of
his father; but little or big, not lord
nor lady in the land shall take him
fra me-no, not even the king hisseP";
and she clasped the infant tighter to
her heart.
'We'll see about that when the time
comes; but little he is, and little he'll
be, and small danger that anybody'n
want the boy, much less his majesty,
God bless him!" replied an old beldam
who was blessed with larger family
of grown-up children than she could
well care for.
The woman's prophecy as to the in
fants size proved quite true, for he was
always Little Gibson;' but she shot
wide of the mark regarding the royal
favor. The child's intellect developed
much faster than did his body; he grew
fond of outdoor sports, and archery
and drawing became his favorite amuse-
ments. His bows and arrows were
made of suitable size for him by his
father, and his pencils and crayons
were homemade.
When Richard was tiny, toddling
boy his hands and face were seldom free
from the black marks of the lead that
he always carried about with him. He
used frequently to be found roughly
sketching on some piece of board or
plank any scene that pleased his fancy.
Sometimes it would be flock of sheep
with their shepherd, or again the out
line of the lofty mountain-peaks that
surrounded his humble house. For
archery his eye was as true as for
sketching, and that is saying good
deal.
At an early age, however, against the
entreaties of his fond mother, his father
was persuaded to take the little fellow
away from his outdoor sports and pas
times and to carry him to London town.
Here he was known for a time as the
Cumberland pigmy, but he disliked be-
ing placed on exhibition and he missed
the free air of his native hills. The
roses were leaving his checks and he
was beginning to droop, when fortu-
nately he attracted the notice of a rich
and noble lady, who lived at place
called Mortlake.
This kind dame took great fancy to
the little dwarf, and wanted him for
page His father, by this time grown
quite tired of London, readily consented
to allow the child to enter her service
The old shepherd, who was out of place
in big city, parted with genuine sor
row from his son, and speedily returned
to the sheepfold in the mountains,
while Richard went with his mistress
to her fine house at Mortlake His
duties were light, and his spirits re-
vived in his new home, which was close
to the famous Mortlake tapestry works,
at that time under the direct patronage
of the king.-St. Nicholas.