David Lannarck, Midget: An Adventure StoryHarney, George S.
General
David Lannarck, Midget: An Adventure Story
Harney, George S.
Adventure stories; Circus -- Fiction; Western stories
"We'll sit here, Tony, if you don't mind," said Davy as he ushered his
guest to a table apart from the rest. He carried a high chair from
another table and signaled a waiter. "This is what I have in mind, Mr.
Welborn; I want to run away--run away from the yaps and yokels and the
gawkers and get out where nobody can see me and where I can act just
like a man. I am twenty-nine years old. For fifteen years I have been
the 'objective' of the gawking squad. I'm sick of it. I want to run
away when I see a crowd coming. When I am on the platform, I see
nothing but dumb faces; if I am on the ground, I see nothing but legs.
It's too tough a lifetime assignment. You understand I am not
complaining of my lot as a midget, but I am fed up on the role. I want
a rest--a change. And just now, is a good time to make the change from
a game where I've grown stale. My financial affairs are in good shape,
thanks to one of the finest men in all America, and I want to lay off
this freak business until I can look on it without vomiting.
"Two things woo me to this country: your wide open spaces, where
seeing a human being is reduced to the very lowest limit; and second,
I find that in playing vaudeville houses in the winter time, I develop
a sinus trouble that sticks with me until I get back here to the
mountains where it disappears entirely. Yes sir! When I hit the table
lands of Denver, Pocatello, Casper, Rawling, Laramie, or this town,
old Sinus passes right out of the system. For the last five years I
have been planning to come to these Highlands and dig in--where
humanity is the scarcest. Just awhile ago, you described the exact
spot of my dreams. Now what's your reaction? Can I do it?"
"Do you mean that you would want to spend the winter with me, back in
the hills?" The big man's question was quietly put but he stopped
eating, awaiting the answer.
"Sure, that's what I mean. Next winter, next summer, and then some. I
want to get away from this," waving his hand in a circle to include
the showgrounds. "And get to that," and he pointed west. "I want to
get out where I can wear overalls; have a dog--or maybe five dogs--out
where I can ride a hoss and chaw scrap-tobacco and spit like a man. I
want to get away from being gawked at during all my waking hours. This
thing here, is getting on my nerves. I feel like I want to commit
murder when a simpering Jane looks at me, snickers and says, 'ain't he
cute?' I want a ball bat to club every country jake doctor that looks
me over and asks about my pituitary gland. Gee, gosh, but I do want to
get away from that. I want to exchange these human nitwits for cows,
calves, sheep, hosses,--broncho hosses, pintos--but not little
round-bellied shetlands. I want to boss around among chickens, geese,
turkeys, pigs--"
"How about a couple of burros?" interrupted the listener.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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