David Lannarck, Midget: An Adventure StoryHarney, George S.
General
David Lannarck, Midget: An Adventure Story
Harney, George S.
Adventure stories; Circus -- Fiction; Western stories
Young Jethro Burns added a corral to the now useless warehouse and
traded in livestock. Joe Burns, of the next generation, closed off one
side of the driveway to make a storage room. But notwithstanding its
favorable location in the center of town, the room remained idle.
Except as a repository for a few odds and ends and its occasional uses
on election days, the old warehouse rested in its past glories. It was
an easy conquest for the persuasive, zealous Paul Curtis, the newly
arrived Nazarene minister, to gain permission for its use for church
purposes. Seemingly easy it was to commandeer many of the community's
extra chairs, benches, settees, and kegs to accommodate the limited
but growing congregation. A small platform was built at one end,
lights were added. And now, exhortations and songs of praise filled
the air that was once vibrant with the bawling of restless calves and
the bleating of timid lambs.
In the week preceding the event, a great muslin banner hung across the
warehouse front proclaiming:
UNIQUE ENTERTAINMENT!
Saturday Eve, 7:30
CIRCUS-SHOW MIDGET
WILL RELATE EXPERIENCES
Songs and Music
Admission--Free Will Offering.
COME!
David Lannarck was up bright and early Saturday morning. After feeding
and brushing Peaches, he dressed himself in his best clothes. Landy,
too, sensing the importance of coming events, improved his appearance
by buttoning up his shirt-front. The ride to the B-line was
unimportant. Adine Lough was ready with the roadster. By ten or eleven
o'clock the party was in Adot.
At the bridge they stopped to lay back the top. Adine drove slowly up
Main Street; Davy stood in the middle with his hand on Landy's
shoulder. There were but few persons on the street as the car passed
but on its return, everybody in the stores was out on the sidewalk.
"Take off that old barn-door hat, Landy, so we can see what ye got,"
called someone from the walk. Landy complied with the request. Davy
waved his greetings to the curious. The party halted at Jode's hotel
and restaurant. A woman came out.
Presently a young fellow, coatless and hatless, came running from the
old warehouse. "We should have had a band to head the parade," he
exclaimed apologetically, "but you are surely welcome. I have been
adding more camp chairs to our seating capacity. We'll need them all."
It was the young preacher. Adine made the introductions.
"Do you want another parade this afternoon?" asked Davy. "Getting out
the Standing Room Only sign is always an asset for future
entertainments."
"And will you be with us again?" asked the young minister quickly.
"No, this is my last public appearance," said Davy firmly. "In this
matter, I am fulfilling an agreement. I want to give all I've got;
because I got just what I wanted. But if Adine is willing, we'll
parade this afternoon."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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