David Lannarck, Midget
Page 7
6
Adine Lough ushered her guests across the hall into what seemed to beher workshop. Seated around a library table, Davy perched on a bigdictionary, Landy at the end, drumming his fingers as usual, the girlplunged at once into the business at hand.
"At the very start," she said in a serious manner, "I must tell somepersonal things. I've been going to school at Boulder. I am stayingout this semester to work on my graduate thesis, 'Social Work in RuralCommunities.' When you consider my restricted field, it's a big job.But I like that kind of work--studying people, their individualities,their shortcomings, their accomplishments. From what I hear of you,David, you have an aversion for those things--in fact have run awayfrom the mob. I like it. I would want nothing better than to standalong side of you on a platform at the circus opening and watch thegeneral populace pass in review. Then and there, I could study allphases of humanity; classify them as they passed; and then investigateeach case personally to see if I had made the right appraisals atfirst sight."
"--And right there is where you would miss the trapeze bar by a foot,and no net under you," interrupted Davy disgustedly. "They are allalike, from Bangor to Los Angeles. You can throw 'em all into one oftwo groups: yokels and shilabers. They are either out with a skin gameor else they are goats, about to lose their hide."
Adine laughed. "Oh, you surely could subdivide the Yokels. Why in myobservations they alone, could be classified under many heads. But togo on with my story. Adot, the town, and the neighboring ranches, ismy limited field of research and I have gone over the field in detail.Last month, I had up the matter of the Methodist church in Adot. Itwas a-once-a-month affair, the minister living in Weldon and no chanceto ride circuit in the winter months. No budget, no money, and worse,yet, no outlook.
"Now, I didn't go into the matter to do church work and help them; mybusiness was to appraise them as they were; but I got involved. Thefew members thought I was trying to do a bit of missionary work. Theupshot of the affair was, that I found myself with a roster of thechurch membership and a list of names of nearly everybody else. I hadmy own figures as to needs, debts, and community possibilities. So,carrying the thing to a finish, I took up the matter of putting themon a budget and providing the funds.
"First I made them elect Brother Peyton treasurer. He wasn't doinganything except waiting for the bank to resume business. Then Icanvassed all the names on the rosters and combed the neighboringranches for small monthly contributions. I got enough subscriptions topay the minister and paint the church house. But it was some job. Ittook two weeks. Two weeks of joy and rebuffs, of elations and disgust.I was tired. I planned to rest up a couple of weeks and wait for myhalo, or wings, or whatever a Christian gets for doing his whole duty;when right on the heels of my labors, came the greatest catastrophethat could have happened."
"Did the meetin' house burn down?" interrupted Landy, who had followedthe recitals intently. "Did the preacher gent die, er did BrotherPeyton jump the game, taking the jackpot with him?"
"No, nothing like that. The Nazarenes moved in! You both know aboutthe Nazarenes?"
Davy did. He had noticed their meetings in cities. But with Landy, thesubject was a blank page and he withheld comment. In later months heconfessed that he thought that the Lough gal was nuts in tryin' toproject the Saviour en some of his kin onto Adot.
"The Nazarenes are new in this country," continued the girl, "and theyhave all the enthusiasm of the new convert. Really, they seem to havethe early zeal that some of the churches have lost. And they are astubborn lot. That the field seems barren, is nothing to them. Theyset up shop in a desert and carry on just the same. To them, povertyis an asset. Christ's admonition to the rich man, to give hissubstance away and follow Him, is a literal command to be obeyed.
"In the week following my campaign for the Methodist, two Nazarenes, ayoung man and his wife, came barging into Adot and set up forbusiness. She took up cooking and waiting table in Jode's restaurantfor their board, and he went about the street preaching and about thehouse praying, day and night. They were both good singers and heplayed an accordion. In that week they talked Joe Burns into lettingthem have the use of the old mercantile warehouse, and they set upmeetings in that big, barn of a place. That same week they came outhere, in a truck they had borrowed, to get me to help them as I hadthe Methodists.
"Well, of all things, you just cannot say 'no' to such people. Why, Ialmost insulted them; told them Adot was a barren field, overworkedand already supplied with their spiritual needs. But I failed toimpress them. They even wanted to pray for me. Me, who thought I wasalready sainted for my work with the Methodists! Then I went onanother tack; I explained that I had already exhausted my resources inmy work with others; that I had canvassed everyone and could not,consistently, go over the field asking for subscriptions for anotherorganization. That failed. They insisted that they wanted only astart, just a little influence; and that I should come and assist themsome night!
"They trapped me. To get rid of them, I half-way promised to aid insome sort of an entertainment to help them get their first money;after that, they were to be on their own resources. And while I wasberating myself and wondering how to get out of it, or how to get init, Landy here came with the news that a little showman was to visitus here on the plateau and that he wanted a horse. Right then andthere the clouds lifted; the problem was solved."
Adine let her voice fall, pushed her chair back from the conferencetable and folded her arms. Landy drummed on the table and lookedthoughtful. Davy wiggled around on his high perch and nearly fell offthe dictionary.
"Well, that's a fine story, Miss Adine, and well told, but I don't getthe connection as to why you are not to sell the little horse."
The girl laughed. "Sure, I will not sell him, but I'll trade him.Trade him for that entertainment that I promised those impractical andimprovident Nazarenes."
"Do you mean that me and Landy here must put on some sort of a show inAdot? Why--why, I don't know a soul here. I know nothing of thecommunity's talent. Surely I am not a church entertainer; my dancesand songs won't fit into a church entertainment. You can't preach orexhort, can you Landy?" asked Davy anxiously. "We've just got to havethat horse. I will agree to go over to Adot and stand on my head, insome show-window if that gets him. But you wouldn't want to sponsorthat kind of entertainment," the little man appealed to Adine. "What'sneeded is something half-way refined and where the patron would gethis money's worth. And I can't produce that kind of a show."
"Oh, yes, you can," said Adine smiling, "and the patron would get hismoney's worth. Why you, yourself know that little people--or whatshall I call them?"
"Midgets," interposed Davy, "midgets is our classification, notdwarfs, nor gnomes, nor half-pints, just midgets."
"Thanks, that helps, and you see how little I know about it and howanxious I am to learn. Well, midgets, as a class are attractive and ararity too. Except for yourself, I do not know of another. People wantto see them. They go to circuses and theaters just to see littlepeople. I have no doubt, that in many cases, people areill-mannered--stare and giggle--and say uncalled for things, butthat's to be expected from the run of persons, yet the fact remains,midgets are attractive.
"Now you've been before the public, know how to handle crowds and knowwhat they want. You could supplement your appearance with a lecture ortalk on midgets, your experience with them, and something of yourtravels with the circus and with the troopers of the theater. Why,it's just what the public wants."
"That little hoss is sold," said Landy exultantly. "One speech fer onehoss. Fair enough!"
"Now you hold on, Landy," Davy interrupted. "You are getting me out indeep water and no oars. I am a good Presbyterian all right, but theywouldn't stand for my stuff in their church and these Nazarenes surelyhave the same standards of propriety. Now, Miss Adine, let me give youfifty or a hundred dollars for this colt and you give that to theseneedy Christians."
"And leave me out as a promoter! Not much! Why, I want to see
thisshow myself. I wouldn't miss it for anything."
"Ner me," cried Landy in much glee. "Why me en Potter en Flinthead enHickory and some of the boys from the Diamond-A, will git us frontseats and cheer yer ev'ry utt'rance. Come to think of hit, we couldhold a big afternoon parade, with a lot of yippin' around, and git upmore excitement than they've had in that sleepy ole burg since thewomen swarmed down on Gatty's quart shop en wrecked hit."
"Well, you and Mr. Potter and Mr. Flinthead just keep out of it," saidAdine emphatically. "You would ruin everything."
"No just let 'em come, I've been kidded by experts and their stuffmight prove an added feature. But Adine, you had better let me handyou the cash...."
"No, that would be a departure from what we are trying to do. Theobject of the affair is publicity, not cash. And besides, the coltisn't worth a dime to me--or anyone else but you. He's too little foranyone to ride, and he ought to be trained and made to be useful. Asit is, he's just one in the drove and would remain so, until he died.
"But you can take him, train him, and make a beautiful show-horse outof him. Why, I can see you riding, parading, and having him doingstunts such as are rarely seen in a circus.
"Now I want you to ride him home today. The trade is made. You havethe horse and are obligated to give an entertainment for the Nazarenesin Adot. I think we can arrange it for next Saturday night week. Thelittle weekly newspaper, the _Adot Avalanche_, comes out Thursday. Iwill run a display ad that a famous Midget and circus performer willgive a lecture at the warehouse Saturday night under the auspices ofthe Nazarenes. The little paper goes all over the district and thetown won't hold the people. It will be Adot's premier event.
"So you come over here Saturday morning, Davy," continued Adine, "wewill drive over to Adot in the afternoon in my roadster. We'll lay thetop back and drive over the town so the public will know that you arethere in person! It will be Adot's biggest day."
Landy had been ready to get back to the stables for some time. He wasstanding, twirling his ancient headpiece, awaiting the word to start.In all his years of dealing in horseflesh, this trade interested himdeeply. He wanted his little friend to have that horse.
As the three walked down the path to the stables, Adine was insistentthat Davy should ride the colt home. "He's not a range horse," sheexplained, "not a westerner, as they sometimes describe horses thatare out of a drove. This colt doesn't need to be broken. He was siredby our Allan-a-Dale, a registered saddle horse; his mother is Janie,that I used to ride barebacked and without a bridle. He was her lastcolt and will be three years old this month."
Davy was just a little skeptical about attempting his first riding ofthe colt in company. He would much rather have him over on his ownrange with no other company but Landy. He wondered, as they walkedalong, if Potter and the boys at the stables had framed a rodeospectacle for themselves and were to witness some worm-fence buckingby midget contestants. He was much relieved as Landy took charge,transferred the saddle from lofty Frosty to the diminutive colt,fitted the cinches and shortened the stirrup leathers to what hethought was about the right length. Then he slipped the bit in thecolt's mouth and took up the cheek leathers of the bridle. Before Davyrealized what was going on, Landy had lifted him to the saddle,mounted Gravy, clucked to Frosty and the procession moved out thegate.
"I'll see you all in Adot, Saturday," called Davy without turning hishead.
"Good luck and bon voyage," called Adine.