David Lannarck, Midget | Page 2

good his terrifying threat, the lout
flourished a clasp-knife in his right hand; with his left, he made futile
grabs at the midget's coat tail.
The crowd that watched this contest was not of the circus. It was a
gathering of those who came to the lot at an early hour to watch the
Circus City set up shop for the one-day stand in this western metropolis.
Some of the onlookers were railroad men, off duty; some were cow
hands from nearby ranches; a few Indians from the reservation beyond
the willow-fringed Lodgepole Creek, lent their stoical presence, while
several soldiers from the newly christened Fort Warren with or without
official sanction, were on hand to witness the setup.
It was the accepted judgment of those present that the midget and the
lout were staging a ballyhoo--a "come-on"--preliminary to the opening
of the Kid Show. There was no applause as the little man outwitted his
follower by an adroit dodge under the ticket wagon. No one tripped the
lout as the race led through the assembled crowd. If the contest was a
part of the day's program, no spectator seemed willing to play "stooge"
in this preliminary performance.
Some distance to the north where the two great tents of the main show
came together, a group of workmen were operating a stake driver. In
this gang the midget knew he would find understanding friends. If he
could gain sufficient distance to undertake this straightaway, he would
find help. He dived between a spectator's legs, turned to the right, and
ran for this haven of hope.
Two things interrupted his plans. A ramshackle auto moved across his
path. To avoid collision, the midget veered his course to step in a hole
and fall sprawling at the feet of the man clambering out of the machine.

His pursuer was on him in an instant. "I tole ye I would cut yer heart
out," he panted as he brandished the knife. But before he could execute
the threat, the knife was struck from his uplifted hand.
The lout screamed with pain as he grabbed his wrist. "Yu've broke my
arm," he shouted as he danced around the big man. "Why don't ye pick
on one of yer size?" The stranger took in the situation at a glance. The
slanting forehead and the evil though childish face revealed a moron
with whom words of reason would have little effect. He said nothing.
It was the midget who took charge. He scrambled to his feet, took a few
deep breaths, brushed the dust off his coat, and ordered the moron back
to the side show. "Go back to your mother," he commanded. "Go right
back to Mamie and tell her what you've been doing, and tell her all of it.
Don't look for your knife; I'll get that for you when you get over your
tantrum."
The midget watched the retreating figure. "His mother is a fine
woman," he explained to the stranger. "Has charge of costumes and
assists in makeup. That dunce is with her on a few days vacation from a
school for the feeble-minded.
"And now, Mister, I want to thank you for your timely help. You
probably saved my life, for you can't tell what a half-wit will do, when
in a tantrum and armed with a knife. All my life I've had the enmity of
half-wits. The big ones tease 'em and they take it out on the little
fellow.
"Well, that's that, as dear Marie Dressler says. I certainly am indebted
to you, Mister. What's your name, Mister? I surely ought to know the
name of the man that probably saved my life."
"My name is Welborn, Sam Welborn. I live quite a distance back in the
hills."
"And my name is David Lannarck, and I've got a score of other names
besides, to include Shorty, Prince, Runt, Half-Pint, and others. I'm with
the Kid Show. I was getting my stuff in shape for the opening when

Alfred decided to work on me with that knife. And he about got it done,
because there were none of the show people around to take him off me.
The spectators thought it was some sort of a pre-exhibition.
"And now, Mr. Welborn, let's go down to the cook tent and get a cup of
coffee, and then you can look around the lot until the shows open. I
want you to be my guest for the day. I feel that I can never repay you
for what you have done. If you ever want any help or aid that a little
fellow like me can give, call on me; there are a few things that I can
do."
"Well I do need some help, right now," said Welborn. "I want to
dispose of