The morning call., 1893-12-03

as she stood by his platform and conned
with him the pages of the WORD method"
which his little hands could scarcely hold,
$50 l have begun keeping papa's books.
BY and by ] shall ind an opening and
begin teaching. shall make that my life
work."
Meanwhile she practiced upon the mid
get. pouring into his bewildered brain such
quantities of the raw material OF liberal
education that it Is marvel the little
Instead, however, he thrOve. The deni-
z-ns of Little Church alley would never
have recognized kittie Reilley's Kid in the
erect, well-clad little figure. for off the
platform the Colonel now insisted upon
dressing "hke q gentleman" and the wee
features Were developing and deepening
into manier line and expression.
He had been with the museum nearly q
year and Nellie had been al home for six
months. Ii was the first harpy year he
had ever known. For the Colonel was,
consciously, happy. He told Nellie of all
the years that lay behind him; told the
pitiful story with touching unconscious
ness of its heart breaking pathos, wonder
ing meanwhile at the tears that gathered
in the girls earnest eyes. He could not
understand them. He had forgotten the
sorrows. the blank of yesterday In the
Joy and fulluess of to-day. His little heart
felt as big as the heart Of an OK in the
expansiveness of his joy in life. He some
times felt that he could kiss not only ali
the women who visited the museum, but
all the men as well, not even excepting big
Sieve Daily, the new acrobat, who one day
picked the Colonel up and stood him on
the palm of his broad white hand. calling
him the Queerest little chap he had ever
seen. He was wonderful fellow, Steve,
big and handsome and strong, with mus
cles that seemed able TO do anything. The
Colonel could not but admire him, deeply
though he resented Steve's innocently
offered indignty to himself.
1t was month or two after Steve's ad-
vent In the museum that from his platform
one day the Colonel saw him, with Nellie,
just behind one of the wings OF the stage,
where Steve had been giving a marvellous
acrobatic exhibition. He had run off TO
the side at the end of an act and met Mel
lie, who had been watching him from be-
hind the scenes. HIS light, star-bespan-
ged acrobat's dress shone lE distinct relief
against her dark form, as he gathered the
girl in his arms and stopped TO kiss her up
lifted face.
A great black pail seemed to wrap the
midget in its folds and shut out tie sight.
In reality the lovers. for such they were,
had disappeared behind the scenes, but he
did not know that. Neither did he know
that one or two women close beside his
platform were asking If he was i'll. but b
answered the question, mechanically. in
the negative. and kissed the one nearest
him, when she asked him to do so. An.
other mOtherly soul close beside her offered
him some peppermint candy, remaTking to
her companion that he looked colicky.
adding sagely: "ThOse blue-eyed, thin
skinned babies are apt to have the collie"
But. ma" demonstrated the younger
woman. 'he isn't baby; he's maDW
The mother was obstinate. Don't tell
me-" she said; "they amt no mans soul
in the body OF baby like that" and the
pair passed on. Duly, as though from
great distance. the Colonel heard the blunt
speech, with numb, unresentiDg accept
ance of its purpOrt. He glanced down at
his little russet-booted feet. He stretched
out his tiny baby hands and looked at
them half curiously. His reception hour
was over and he retired across the little
bridge that connected his platform with
the stage and passed behind the scenes On
his way TO the dressing-room. In a dim
corner he saw Nellie aud Steve he with
his arm about the girls waist. They saw
him and Nellie made a motion to draw
away. Don't" Steve pleaded. not too
low for the dwarf's suddenly supersensi-
tive ears to hear. HE won't take notice,
such a little chap as that"
Ihe Colonel hurried on into the dressing
room. 1t was dismal place, where he had
a cerner to himself and q low table and
chair for his exclusive accomm odation. A
small mirror hanging above the table
served to reflect his whole figure as he
stood before it. He took up his stand In
front of 1t now and gaZsd at the reflected
form. "Twenty-Dine inches high" the
bulletin boards always mentioned that.
He knew his head did not reach to the top
Of the regular table across the room. he
knew he was regarded and treated as a
baby by all the attaches of The place, from
De bonneville down TO the cal boy. The
fat lady had told him only that afternoon
that he was a swret pet. and the living
"a lot q n adh hras a6 i'm Qt,h n
he knew that a mans heart beat beneath
the buckskin shirt; mans soul in all
mans strong pain looked out through the
blue eyes that had grown bloodshot and
hollow in the course OF his journey from
the stage to the dressing-room.
There are tragedies in this world that
can never be written upon paper nor
printed In books. and such one was 60
Ing on at that moment, raging like a
storm, that seemed like 10 tear the frail
little form to tatters and let the suffering
soul free from its tiny cage. 1t was cold
In the dressiDg-room; the Mammoth Un-
paral leled did not provide fires for its
people; but the perspiratiOn stood in great
drops upon the dwarfs forehead. Invol-
unfairly one puny hand clutched at the
breast OF his dress and then fell to his belt
1t rested upon one of the pistols carried
there to com pIete his absurd costume. His
hand closed over and drew il forth. 1t
was a tiny affair, made on purpose for him,
but 1t would carry a ball straight and true,
and he had learned to use 1t. The little
leaden messenger it held would end for
him the heartache. the weary stretch of
years. the perplexities and humilia tions
that opened in a long vista before him. 1t
would even put an end to big Steve, W whom
he could hear outside, calling a final
good-by to Nellie as he strolled toward the
dresSiDg-room door. Steve entered as he
fingered the weapon, but did not even see
the midget in the corner as be went wbis-
tliDg about. preparing to change his cos
tune for everyday dress.
Fercer waged the battle in the sbut-ip
soul. He watched the big creature with
the hatred of despair. His head hardly
came above Steve's knee. but missile
from his hand could reach Steve's heart,
and another one finding his own would end
the story.
And Nellie?
In the agony of his own pain he sud-
denly remem bered what hers might be.
All, but 10 was a great soul in the tiny
body. Again be glanced over at Steve,
whose toilet was progressing He is
bigger than l." the midget thought, "But
l, too, am a man." Straight, as though
thet u.va him pau n,ua- e.