Slow and Sure: The Story of Paul Hoffman the Young Street-Merchant, Page 2

  CHAPTER II.

  BARNUM'S MUSEUM.

  Barnum's Museum now lives only in the past. Its successor, known asWood's Museum, is situated at the corner of Twenty-ninth street andBroadway. But at the time of my story the old Barnum's stood below theAstor House, on the site now occupied by those magnificent structures,the _Herald_ building and the Park Bank. Hither flowed daily andnightly a crowd of visitors who certainly got the worth of theirmoney, only twenty-five cents, in the numberless varied curiositieswhich the unequaled showman had gathered from all quarters of theworld.

  Jimmy had often seen the handbills and advertisements of the museum,but had never visited it, and now anticipated with eagerness themoment when all its wonders should be revealed to him. In fact, hewaked up about two hours earlier than usual to think of the treat instore for him.

  Paul, as he had promised, closed up his business at twelve o'clock andcame home. At half-past one the three were on their way to the museum.The distance was but short, and a very few minutes found them in themuseum. Jimmy's eyes opened wide as they took in the crowdedexhibition room, and he hardly knew what to look at first, until theapproach of a giant eight feet high irresistibly attracted him. It isa remarkable circumstance that Barnum's giants were always eight feethigh _on the bill,_ though not always by measure. Sometimes the greatshowman lavishly provided two or three of these Titans. Where theycame from nobody knew. It has been conjectured by some that they weregot up to order; but upon this point I cannot speak with certainty. Asa general thing they are good-natured and harmless, in spite of theirformidable proportions, and ready to have a joke at their own expense.

  "Oh, see that big man!" exclaimed Jimmy, struck with awe, as hesurveyed the formidable proportions of the giant.

  "He's bigger than you will ever be, Jimmy," said Paul.

  "I wouldn't like to be so tall," said the little boy.

  "Why not? You could whip all the fellows that tried to tease you."

  "They don't tease me much, Paul."

  "Do they tease you at all?" asked his brother quickly.

  "Not very often. Sometimes they call me Limpy, because I am lame."

  "I'd like to catch any boy doing it," said Paul energetically. "I'dmake him see stars."

  "I don't mind, Paul."

  "But I do. Just let me catch the next fellow that calls you Limpy, andhe won't do it again."

  By this time a group had gathered round the giant. Paul and Jimmyjoined it.

  "Was you always so large?" asked a boy at Paul's side.

  "I was rather smaller when I was a baby," said the giant, laughing.

  "How much do you weigh?"

  "Two hundred and seventy-five pounds."

  "That beats you, Jimmy," said Paul.

  "Were you big when you were a boy?"

  "I was over seven feet high on my fifteenth birthday," said the giant.

  "Did the teacher lick you often?" asked one of the boys shyly.

  "Not very often. He couldn't take me over his knee very well."

  "What an awful lot of cloth you must take for your clothes!" said thelast boy.

  "That's so, my lad. I keep a manufactory running all the time to keepme supplied."

  "Do you think that's true, Paul?" asked Jimmy, doubtfully.

  "Not quite," answered Paul, smiling.

  "Don't you need to eat a good deal?" was the next question.

  "Oh, no, not much. Half a dozen chickens and a couple of turkeys areabout all I generally eat for dinner. Perhaps I could eat more if Itried. If any of you boys will invite me to dinner I'll do my best."

  "I'm glad you ain't my son," said one of the boys. "I shouldn't liketo keep you in food and clothes."

  "Well, now, I shouldn't mind having you for a father," said the giant,humorously looking down upon his questioner, a boy of twelve, andrather small of his age, with a humorous twinkle in his eye. "Youwouldn't whip me very often, would you?"

  Here there was a laugh at the expense of the small boy, and the groupdispersed.

  "Now, you've seen a large man, Jimmy," said Paul. "I'm going next toshow you a small one."

  They moved on to a different part of the building, and joined anothercrowd, this time surrounding the illustrious Tom Thumb, at that timeone of the attractions of the museum.

  "There's a little man, smaller than you are, Jimmy," said Paul.

  "So he is," said Jimmy. "Is that Tom Thumb?"

  "Yes."

  "I didn't think he was so small. I'm glad I'm not so little."

  "No, it might not be very comfortable, though you could make a gooddeal of money by it. Tom is said to be worth over a hundred thousanddollars."

  "I guess it doesn't cost him so much for clothes as the giant."

  "Probably not. I don't think he would need to run a manufactory forhis own use."

  But there were multitudes of curiosities to be seen, and they couldnot linger long. Jimmy was particularly interested in the waxworkfigures, which at first he thought must be real, so natural was theirappearance. There were lions and tigers in cages, who looked out frombetween the gratings as if they would like nothing better than to makea hearty meal from one or more of the crowd who surrounded the cages.Jimmy clung to Paul's hand timidly.

  "Couldn't they get out, Paul?" he asked.

  "No, the cages are too strong. But even if they could, I don't thinkthey would attack you. You would only be a mouthful for them."

  "I don't see how Mr. Barnum dared to put them in the cages."

  "I don't think Barnum would dare to come very near them. But he haskeepers who are used to them."

  But it was time for the afternoon performance to commence. The playwas Uncle Tom's Cabin, which no doubt many of my readers have seen.They got very good seats, fronting the stage, though some distanceback. When the curtain rose Jimmy's attention was at once absorbed. Itwas the first time he had ever seen a play, and it seemed to him ascene of rare enchantment. To Paul, however, it was much less of anovelty. He had frequently been to Barnum's and the Old Bowery, thoughnot as often as those boys who had no home in which to spend theirevenings. Mrs. Hoffman was scarcely less interested than Jimmy in thevarious scenes of the play. It was not particularly well acted, formost of the actors were indifferent in point of talent; but then noneof the three were critics, and could not have told the differencebetween them and first-class performers.

  Both laughed heartily over the eccentricities of Topsy, probably themost original character in Mrs. Stowe's popular story, and Jimmy wasaffected to tears at the death of little Eva. To his unaccustomed eyesit seemed real, and he felt as if Eva was really dying. But, taking italtogether, it was an afternoon of great enjoyment to Jimmy, whosepleasures were not many.

  "Well, Jimmy, how did you like it?" asked Paul, as they were workingtheir way out slowly through the crowd.

  "It was beautiful, Paul. I am so much obliged to you for taking me."

  "I am glad you liked it, Jimmy. We will go again some time."

  They were stepping out on the sidewalk, when a boy about Paul's sizejostled them rudely.

  "There's Limpy!" said he, with a rude laugh.

  "You'd better not say that again, Peter Blake," he said menacingly.

  "Why not?" demanded Peter defiantly.

  "It won't be safe," said Paul significantly.

  "I'll call you Limpy if I like."

  "You may call me so, and I won't mind it. But don't you call my littlebrother names."

  "I don't mind, Paul," said Jimmy.

  "But I do," said Paul. "No boy shall call you names when I am near."

  Paul's resolute character was well understood by all the boys who knewhim, and Peter would not have ventured to speak as he did, but he didnot at first perceive that Jimmy was accompanied by his brother. Whenhe did discover it he slunk away as soon as he could.

  They were walking up Park Row, when Jim Parker, once an enemy, but nowa friend of Paul, met them. He looked excited, and hurried up to meetthem.

  "When were you home, Pa
ul?" he asked abruptly.

  "Two or three hours since. I have just come from Barnum's."

  "Then you don't know what's happened?"

  Paul turned instantly.

  "No. What is it?"

  "Your house has caught fire, and is burning down. The engines arethere, but I don't think they can save it."

  "Let us hurry home, brother," said Paul. "It's lucky I've got mybank-book with me, so if we are burned out, we can get another home atonce."

  Excited by this startling intelligence, they quickened their steps,and soon stood in front of the burning building.