The sun., 1903-08-02
TOLD ny THE OLD CIRCUS MAN.
How the Greatest 0f All Giants Came by .
Soar ON His Neck.

"On the left-hand side of the front Of
his neck said the old circus man, the
greatest of all giants had a peculiar scar.
which he got In very curious way
AT one OF tho few public appearances
that the giant ever made In halls In winter
there was featured on the programme a
violoncello player whose name I can't re-
call at this minute, but who, locally at least
was famous in his day, and with whose
playing the giant was amply carried away.
He certainly could play the cello. tina
man. He could make it speak to you,
and make it sing 70 you; and make it
laugh and cry; and the minute he began
| the giant came and stood just off the
| stage in the wings, with his head and
, shoulders up In the flies. where he
could look down on him on the stage, and
just stood there and looked at him and
listened, and never said word, till the
cello player, all wrapped up in himself, in
! his own music. bringing his cello with him.
AZ the end OF his number came walking of
the stage.
And then the giant didn't say anything
but, when the cello player had walked
through the wings to the more open space
beyond, the giant, seized, no doubt, with
a great desire TO make such music as that
which he had just been listening to, himself
and having, perhaps, q vague notion
that he could make it, just bent down over
tho cello player and with ore hand took
his cello from him, gently, and with the
other took his bow. And then the giant
threw the cello up against his reck, to
,la hx
which was a natural enough thing for him
to do. for to the giant, proportionately,
the cello was OF just the right size for a
fiddle; but
"You know tfat spike, or spindle, or
rest, or whatever you call 1t, that ia screwed
into the big end of cello. to keep it up
OF the floor, and to bring II up to just the
right height for the man that's playing
il? Well, sir, when the giant, never seeing
this thing at all, ne yer thinking Of it one
way or the other, but just all wrought up
by the music. swung that cello UP into
position and set il back into place under
I his chin he jammed that spike sticking
out of the base Of II half way through his
, neCkl
We'll snahoes' This wss the uney-
ptStcu happening mo NOlII nave
thought, one minute before, seeing him
, then standing in the wings looking down
| 1t that man on the stage playing on an
! Innocent vioonceLo that q moment liter
! the great giant, the greatest attract ion
/, the show ever had, the greatest at,rd ct ior.
any sho. ever had, would he all but killed
! by Lat same innocent instrument son,
! yNu never can tell what's going to happen.
We were Ill struck cod for o minute,
! but theG We came out of our trance and rot
| the giant to sit down. so thSt two OF us
standing up OF boxes on chairs, one on
| either side of him. could hold the cello up
strti ,ht and level and keep i; so wlnlc we
PulleG oa it and pulled the peg OF il out Of
! his neck and by thst time the doctor was
! there
| at was deep wound and bad enough
| one; he carried the scar OF II all the rest of
/ his life, but. fortunately. II didn't puncture
, any artery or anything, and the giant was
! in good conditson.-he was always that
| and, with the show in winter quarters tho
giant war where he could have perfect
I rest and perfect quiet and the best or care.
| and In few weeks, barring the scar, he
| was aR good as new agair.
! you might have thought that after
| that experience with one he wouldn't lake
much more interest in the cello: but il
didn't affect him that way bit; on the con.
trary, the next winter. In winter quarters,
| the giant had a 'Cello of his own, with no
spike. or spindle. or rest in the base OF IL =.
which he used to hold and play Just as you
or would play on an ordinary fiddle and
he'd sit nights and play on that cello that
way by the hour.
And he wasn't half had at il either, He
never got no he could play like that man
whose playing hrs. put him in love with
the inst rument and lei Ia his getting that
scar on his neck. hut he could play we'll
enough. anyway so that we all Of us always
! Liked to hear him play"