The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-05-11
Giants Love Of Whiting and
How Cook Took Ad-
vantage OF u.
WAS NOT A YANKEE
BUt Give Him a Nice Piece OF Soft
Pine and let rim white as
He Talked and He Was
Happy.

Dot Yankee, said the old
,ircus man. talking again. as he never
tired of doing OF the great giant. He
was not Yankee. but he was "A great
whittier.
"He did love tn white: I'm fact
cont know OF anything that gave him
greater pleasure. Give him a nice soft
piece OF clear white pine and a sharp
knife. and let him whittle as he talked.
fni he was happy.
NE didn't 20 In for making wooden
chains or whiting out balls In
frames. or any az those freaklsh things
chat young folks like To cut out, Of a
stick OF wood--hc WIS "a man whittier:
ne just liked To whittle neditatively on
a nice soft piece OF pine. like a shrewd.
grownup Yankee.
"of course a. piece of wood the size
OF toothplck wasn't big enough for
the giant tn whittle on. He wanted
quite n piece of timber. 50 that he
could get grip on u and whittlc COM
fortably aud shave on pieces corre-
spending To his size. and his pocket
knife. corresponding to him as COM
mon sized penknlfe would To AN aver
age man. was bigger than an ordinary
claspknife.
we had that knife made to order
especially for him. and when he whit
tied he rladc a lot Of shavings: "A fact
that the cook In our headquarters
house ia the show winter quarters.
the house I'm which the giant had his
two-stor..' high room. was quick To- dis
cover and turn To his own benefit.
The giant walked out OF his own
high door one day, Just after We had
come In OF the road. and looked around
and didn't see what he wanted, and
then bent down and lookcd In at the
door OF the kitchen and spoke To the
cook.
Hello. lie says. YOU don't happen
Ia have a piece of soft pine laying
around here. do you
But " M happened that tie cook did
have just that. ~ piece about as biz In
diameter ns "A fence rail, and about
third rs long. that he had picked up
somewhere and carried into the kitch-
en-. that hc Was going To shave on aS
he wanted !. tn kindlings for his are.
But he and the giant were great
friends. and he handed over this stick
without u moments hesitation. glad tn
do ~. thinking that he would find an
other around somewhere for himself;
and the giant took "a and went back
into his room with a.. where he had
been sitting talking with the old man.
and sat down and went on talking
again. and began to whittle gently as
he talked.
AN hour later when the cook hap
pcned To glance In there. he saw pile
OF Shavings lying around by where the
giant had been sitting. with the giant
at that moment about sweeping them
up. for the giant was always n neat
man, hc never liked To leave any litter
around for other folks To clean up.
But when the cook saw those shaw
in:s.
Pooh" he says To the giant. DON'T
you bother about that Let me clean
II up and lac goes back To the kitchen
and gets "A basket and broom and comes
In. and sweeps IN all those chips and
shavings nice and neat. and carries
them back into the kitchen.
And the next morning the cook
didn't have tn shave off any shavinSs
To start his fire with. he had them all
ready tn hand In the shavings that the
great giant had whitfield OF In his
whiting the day before.
And II Is "a singular fact that from
that time on the cook always happened
To have la the kitchen suitable piece
OF nice clear white pine for the giant
To white on. and the giant soon dis
covered this and got Into the habit OF
going right 10 the kitchen whenever
he wanted "A piece of wood 10 whittlc
on. and the cook not only always had
u ready for him. but he was always
ready TO sweep up the shavings when
the giant got through and SO he never
start n fire with all that winter.
III the giant had whitfield every day
he would have made about fourteen
time as many shavings as the cook
could have used. but he didn't. on some
days. and on days together. other
things might Occupy him. and he
wouldn't whittle. but soon the cook had
"A stock or shavingS ahead.
HE started on-the cook-putting
the shavings In box. but he soon
changed them TO barrel. ana some
times he would have a barrel full OF
shavings. aud then again when the
giant wasn't whiting. the cook could
draw on that stock until sometimes
he'd have Il pretty nearly all used
up. But I doubt " he ever actually
saw the bottom OF the barrel. and when
the show took the road again. the next
spring. the cook had two barrels OF
Shayings on hand. which he cmpticd
out OIL the ground in the back yard
and made n bonfire Of"
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