David Lannarck, Midget: An Adventure StoryHarney, George S.
General
David Lannarck, Midget: An Adventure Story
Harney, George S.
Adventure stories; Circus -- Fiction; Western stories
"Well, that's something of the life story of one midget, Mrs. Gillis.
Add to this, twelve long summers with circuses and the winters spent
in vaudeville (both with their mobs and gawking crowds) and it's
almost a completed volume. There is yet one chapter to be added and I
want to talk about it to the public. One man, Baron Singer, did more
for midgets--little people--than any other person, in all time. He
lifted them out of the mediocre; gave them standing and personality.
I never met the Baron, but I want the public to know what great work
he did for an underprivileged group. And I will tell 'em Saturday
night."
9
Gillis and Welborn did not return from their mission the next day as
they had planned. Sunday passed by without word of their whereabouts.
The stay-at-homes wondered if it was to be peace or war with maudling
gangsters. Did Welborn's fifty-to-one chance fail? Davy had planned to
ride over to the B-line, and go over his speech-plans with his manager
and promoter. Now, it seemed necessary that he and Landy ride down to
the filling station seeking news of the missing ones. Monday noon, the
faithful old Gillis car labored up the hill and came to a stop. Jim
and Sam got out to inquire if dinner was ready.
Little was said during the meal as to the outcome of their trip. Jim
made a brief explanation that they had been as far as Rawlins,
accompanying the sheriff in his disposition of his boarders. The
sheriff explained that he wanted to take them past the penitentiary to
show them what they missed, and where they would live if they ever
came back to this section. He took them all to the railway station,
loaded two on the east-bound train and two went west. The sheriff
retained the count's car as security for advances made.
That evening, however, after Davy had returned from delivering Welborn
his supper, the four gathered in the Gillis sitting room and Jim gave
more details. "This man Welborn musta been in the army," he declared.
"Musta been a tough old top sergeant, er the general in command, the
way he took charge. He managed every detail and managed it right.
Everything worked out as planned.
"We kept old Maddy out of the judge's sight, 'en it was well enough
that we did, for Judge Withers was pretty hostile towards these crazy
galoots that invaded the community and disturbed the peace. He would
enforce the sentence, but he listened to the sheriff's complaint that
four such prisoners were too many for his cramped quarters, too costly
for the results obtained. The judge agreed to suspend sentence on
condition that the sheriff would deport 'em and keep 'em deported.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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