The Democratic advocate., 1909-12-24
THE MAGIC HAND.

never been to the Bronx Geological
Gardens, and the very next day after
his arrival he went up by himself.
When Harry, who had made the
joureny by the hot subway reached the
Bronx he felt so warm that he step
ped into a candy store to get glass
of soda water. On the way out he was
stopped by tramp, who said, Say,
boy can't yer give me a nickel ? Me
throat's near splittin' from dryness." "
Harry felt in his pocket 'I'm aw-
fully sorry" said he, pleasantly, but
just spent all my spending money
on a glass of soda. If you'd come
along sooner you might have had the
soda"
Soda waters bad for me lungs"
said the man with whimsical smile.
We'll, how is 1t up in the country p
How did you know / was from the
country ?" asked Harry in surprise.
We'll, because you didn't give me
no impudence, for one thing, an
we'll, you never got that tan in the
city"
Although a tramp, the man seemed a
pleasant spoken sort of man. Harry
walked along with him and they en-
tered the park together, although an
attendant looked at the man rather
closely.
1t was not long before Harry had
told his companion all about himself.
The fellow seemed much interested
in the account OF his having made a
tiger as small as a kitten and said !:
Say, wouldn't 1t be great to make an
elephant as small as a bull pup or
Ea No M ANAL ~ nnVlA na
out OF your hand Come on up to
the bears cage and get busy with the
bears"
use my power In here, because II
might make trouble. You see. the
tiger had escaped. and | made him
small 80 that they could catch him
without danger, but those animals are
all safe and 1t would bother the keep
ers II | made them small"
Harry and the tramp made their way
to the monkey house. Here, after
watching the little monkeys for a
while, they made their way to a cage
in which. were chimpanzee and a red
haired orang- -outang with the most
laughable face imaginable. He would
sit on his trapeze and look down at
his under lip. for all the world like a
bashful boy about to speak piece.
"Oh, say, just make him little, will
yer ?" asked the tramp. Il like to
see what the chimp'd say when he
found baby monk there"
No" said Harry, 1T might make
trouble"
Say" said the tramp with an In
jured expression. "ain't we frien's any
more ? I'd do as much for you.
let you OF from loanin' me a nickel,
and gave yer me company up here.
an now wen | ask yer to help me 20
a little fun by turnin' out small
orang-outang you're afraid OF maxim
trouble. We're all alone here now.
Just get him down here to the front
of the cage and make him as small AZ
an organ grinders monk"
Harry wayered, and was lost He
thought that II he made the orang-
outang small for minute or two no
harm could come TO him, as the chin
panzee seemed peaceable animal. so
stepping quickly over to the cage he
put his right hand in through the bars,
and the orang-outang was there In a
moment, thinking he had something
good to eat
As son as Harry touched his red
hair he wished him small. and that
moment the orang -outang became
small enough to 20 into a coat pocket.
At this the chimpanzee made a spring
for the orang-outang and chased him
up and down and around the cage.
but always the little fellow kept out
Of reach Of the chimpanzee and never
a noise did either one make
The tramp stood close to the cage
as If he were expecting the escape of
the orang-outang Never having got
ten out of the cage by way of the bars,
the monkey did not realize that he
could do it until, being hard pressed
by the chimpanzee, he ran between
the bars, and the next moment the
tramp had him and was out Of the
monkey house like a fash.
In a second Harry realized what had
happened Now he knew why the
tramp had been so insistent He had
much more than nickel now; he had
an orang-outang good for 500 any
where.
Stop thief !" cried Harry, VINO ran
after the tramp.
what's the matter ?" asked a work
man.
That fellows stolen the big orang-
Outang' said Harry as he ran
That's not true The orang-
outangs nearly as large as he Is."
It's small now. Hurry Get him."
The man ran, closely followed by
dozens Of idlers until at least one
hundred were in hot persut of the
tramp.
He was very fast runner and he
would surely have escaped with his
prize If quick witted workman who
was raking leaves had not thrown his
rake in such way that 1t triped up
the tramp. He fell heavily and be-
fore he could get up Harry was upon
him
AS fast as he could think he laid his
right hand on the tramp's right shoul-
der and wished him small and then.
his sense of fun helping him, he laid
his left hand on the ang-outang. and
wished him natural size again.
And then the orang-outang, quick at
copying, pickedup the little tramp, who
was not more than eighteen inches
high, and darted up into a tall elm, GO
ing to the extreme end of IL and sit
ting there dangling the poor tramp
by the ankle.
Now" thought Harry, 'if he drops
him and kills him 1t will be my fault.
Oh, wish | hadn't minded the old
tramp"
But the orang-outang had no inten-
ton of dropping the man. He took
him to be small monkey dressed up.
and merely wanted to have fun with
flm. He threw him up in the air and
caught him, hugged him to his hairy
chest, took him by the waistband and
shook him over the walk, but never
lost hold of him.
The poor tramD was speechless with
terror. In his diminished size It look
ed to him as IL he were at least six