Year: 1869

WHEN | travelled in the country with a
caravan had giantess and dwarf in
NV collection of natural curiosities The
dwarf was Polish gentleman, Minnikin
by name; the giantess was from Russia
and we called her Immensikof the title OF
music hall song which was in vogue at
the time having suggested an appropriate
alias for her. | did very well with them
The dwarf had an outrageous temper, and
would sometimes refuse to attend the WIS.,
itors at his levce but the giantcss al
ways at hand to supply his place on the
list of attractions. She was the most
aniable creature in the world and she
stood seven feet eleven inches and three
quarters in her slippers, or, speaking in
round numbers-as we did il on the bills
eight feet six. The dwarf was three feet
five, but he could bring himself down to
three feet whenever he was in a good tenn
per and the show was full. In general
way, however, he may be said to have
been about three feet two. We had all
travelled the Midland Circuit together, and
we were going up North, when an acci-
dent happened-Minnikin and lmmensi-
koff eloped.


1t happened in this way. Minnikin,
being man, had naturally got an ascend
ancy oyer Immensikoff's S mind, and used
his power to borrow half-crowns of her
when his own purse was low. This hap
pened very often, for, although he drew
an enormous salary, he lived above his in
come, and aS he could not hold enough to
eat and drink his money away, he gambled
with cards and played at billiards, stand
ing on clair, till ii was all gone, and he
was pretty deeply in debt. When he left
the chair in the billiard room it was only
To mount on another in the parlOr of the
caravan and whisper an order, rather than
Il request into the ear of the benevolent
giantess for a loan to pay for his dinner.
She used to declare that there was some
thing in his eye which made it. impossible
for her to refuse him; and so she would al
ways dip into the old school satchel in
which she kept her savings, and give him
what he wanted He would then eat Il
whole kidney for his supper, and drink a
cruetful of wine, and when the latter had
got into his head, would make such
commotion in the tent that to pacify him
she was generally Obliged to give him u
shilling more. He saw her dip so often in
the satcheI that he fancied its contents
were proportional to its size; and one
day. he, as it were, ordered her to- marry
him, which she was too weak TO refuse 10
do. He told her to keep their intention
secret from me, and she obeyed, although
| had hitherto been her chosen conlldant-
Taking advantage of myRbscnce Ill the
town. he ordered van to be sent round
to the door of the caravan one evening, as
if some furniture were to be removed, ana
by this means conveyed her to "A neigh
boring railway station. Mean To the last,
he made her pay the expenses OF her own
elopement, for the van was discharged


T 1.an /
found nobody but the jaguar in the tent,
and a note written on Il sheet OF brown
paper from Immenskof, asking my for
givencss


was angry enough at the moment, as
may he supposed, but | made the best of
it and what with turning myself into an
aborigine and advertising the beast as
tiger, managed to keep roof over my
head. But | always kept on the lookout
for new giantcss-I made up my mind to
have no more to do with dwarfs-and one
,lay, some months after my loss, l found
one on show in very inferior locality oil
the town of Portsmouth paid my penny,
and went in Ii was Miss Immenslkoff
She gave a sob when she saw me that
frightened the people out, and when they
were gone she gave full vent to her feel
ings till the very glasses IN the room
seemed to- share her sorrow.


., how changed she was Profession
ally, perhaps, the change was for the bet
ter, for she was now SO thin that she
looked at least nine feet high; but as "A
woman il was painful to behold her In
spite of her looks, however, | told her !
hoped I saw her IN good health, and i
even inquired after her husband. The
mention of his name soon brought her
whole story to her lips. lie was alive and
depraved as ever, and had lately quite
given up exhibiting, and had taken TO
playing nine-pns nth cricket ball, in
which sport he was engaged when | found
his wife


His sole object in marrying her had, it
appears, been to live on her earnings. and
do no work himself, f1r there was nothing
he hated so much as keeping himself clean
for company. But he very soon discov-
cred that her slender store would not suf
fee to support his extravaganza for a
month, for, careful as she had been, She
had long had to send remttahces to her
father and uncle in Podola-both giants
besides minstering to her suitor's wants.
He had simply been deceived by the size
Of the bag in which she kept her savings,
md 10 was mean enough to be seyepgej