Evening journal., 1900-03-12
TOLD BY The CIRCUS MAN.
The Greatest Of All Giants Enters in
the Farmers Moving Matches.

The Greatest Of All Giants Enters In
the Farmers Moving Matches.
III anything" said the old circus
man, the great giant used TO come
out strongest ia competitive contests.
You see there he showed for not only
what lie was. but even greater. by the
contrast. Of course. he was always
IN contrast. but here the contrast was
made more striking; but We never
failed 10 enter him IN any sort Of
competitive contest that we could get
him into Moving contests. for in
stance. the giant was very strong in;
and we never missed an opportunity
to put him into one OF these when we
could. The old man was always on
the outlook sharp. for this sort OF
thing. In any form, and II he ran up
against a moving match coming OF.
say the day the circus struck the
town. he'd get the old man into II
somehow. sure; not. OF course. enter
ing him as a giant or a Dig man, or
anything OF that sort. but simply as
an unknown. He used to go equipped
for this moving business.
II suppose that the average scythe-
blade would be three feet or there
ubouts in length, and the snath maybe
four feet and half long Well. now.
the giants scythe had blade about
ten feet long and a handle about az.
teen. Those farmers would get TO.
gCther in a grass lot TO see what a
man could DO. say. ia half an hour.
everything 10 count, width of swath.
forward cut. cleannesa and evenness
Of the moving and so on | suppose
fhuf IA Rtftrnf u rtfHnfh Htfn foot
wide possibly more. but more likely
less. and his. cut a. he stepped for
ward with even swings OF the sharp
Gcythe might be a foot to eighteen
inches. The young farmer. and some
old ones too for that matter. would
try one after another. in this competl-
tion, every man swinging along In
iine style. TN retty much all OF them
had had their chance az Il and then
they'd begin ceiling for the unknown,
an then we'd bring up the giant.
"Aud he never failed to make a sen.
Batlon when he appeared: but when
he stepped into the field and took on
his coat and tossed Il into the wagon
alongside the lot, and took his scythe
out of the wagon. with It's ten.foOt
| blade and fifteenfoot snath. and rolled
up his sleeves and took the scythe and
set to moving, then there was sen.
sation. Talk about cutting a wide
swath Why. you ought 20 see the
/ giant The farmers cut maybe 1--WE
feet the giant fifteen. They'd step
forward q foot or a foot and q half
with every sweep. the giant four or
FIVE feet And ne was a good mower.
too: cutting close aud even and clean
from side 10 side. Just think OF il.
will youl-a man cltting a path M.
teen feet wide and going forward FIVE
feet az every strokel
Pretty soon the giant would stop
and pull a scythe.stone out OF his
bootleg stone was three feet
long, as long as an ordinary scythe
blade-and sharpen his scythe with
il, and then he'd drop the stone In his
bootleg and go TO moving again. And
pretty soon he'd get dry and want
some cider; and that's where he used
TO come in again with business. We
had a jug that was as big around as
a barrel in the biggest part OF it, and
that was pretty near as tall, but 3
regular jug in shape, and we used Z,
get this over the fence to him wher
ever he was. and he'd lift that up a.
easy as aOud be and turn II up. look
ing like a balloon up there turned M
in that way. and take big. long drinl
and then set IL down and go TO NOW
ing again
We'll. when the giant had go
through moving there wasn't likely e
be much grass left In that lot to NOW
and there never was any doubt about
who'd won the prize And he used e
cut as wide a sWath . nOng the farm
ers as he did in he grass. There
wasn't a farmer for miles around but
used to come to the show and bring
his family Maybe they'd ha' com,
anyway, but the giants moving hi
EN- hard; and as for the rest Of th,
community, why It Just simply go
EN- all.
My. my; but IL makes me sigh L
think of the great old giant.'--N. y
Sun.