Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-11-14
A Ruraliss Terribly Heaxed-A Red Balloon
Sold for an Elephants Egg.


The following anecdote is translated for the
Boston Evening Gazette
At the last fair at Tarascon there were, of
course, assembled q troupe of gymnasts, Jug
glers, acrobats and q multitude Of menageries.
in one of which was an Asiatic elephant, re-
markable for the largeness Of his ears. His
owner called him Kiouki III.
Among the acr0batic troupe was o maker Of
red balloons, recently 50 popular in England
and America. He travelled with the show, and
seduced q couple Of sous from the pocket of
many patron Of it by selling him balloon.
A countryman stopped one day at tho men,
agerfe tent, and enticed by a painted repre-
sentation Of the elephant. paid his money to
see him. Astonished at his size, he asked the
balloon man as he went out:
"Does that beast bring forth young, or lay
eggs"
bank replied:
"HG lays eggs" s-
/ thought So"
"And if you want one, to afford you the hap
piness of possessing, under your own roof, an
guarantee that you shall carry home what no
one else in the country possesses
The greenhorn did not hesitate to offer his
money and the acrobat presented red balloon.
Behold the egg had the honor TO promise
you. 1t is one franc, and only for you, because
the Jardin des Plantes, at Paris, buys all my
elephants eggs, at six francs apiece, for the
Algerine expeditions, where they use all the
elephants they can find for the war against
India. chose the lightest egg could find for
you, that you might not wait too long for it to
hatch. Its mOther1having already sat upon it
many days, it will suffice you to wrap it up in
wool and lay it in dry p ace, to btain, with
out expense and without effort, the magnificent
Asiatic product which it contains"
HAyt0nishinoi hut how in raoord 70 suobI;po
him."
" Easy enough. No consequence what quad
ruped nourishes him. Lacking a cow, a SOW,
or even goat, you can bring him up yourself
on turtle soup
The countryman departed, charmed with his
prize, and to keep it as safely as possible,
wrapped it in q blue cotton handkerchief,
which he had bought at the fair for his wife
But in spite Of all the care of which the egg
that bore Kiouki III was the object, it was
written in the book Of destiny that its proprie-
tor should not see it hstched under his roof
Some little distance from the village, where
our countryman resided runs a stream He
approached 1t for the purpose of imbibing the
clear water. For the purpose Of making a cup
with his hands, he deposited his precious bur
den on the ground. He drank freely of the
water; then rising, turned to his elephant s
egg. He looked to the right and to the left,
but no egg! He looks above him, sees the egg
rising hlgher-higher-and carrying with it
his wife's handkerchief
He believed that the elephant was about to
be Matched, and it was not long after the egg
was out of sight that he returned home crest
fallen. His wife asked him where the hand
kerchief was he had promised to bring her.
Then he narrated the entire adventure. The
good woman opened her eyes and ears, and
seeing her husbands grief not only at the loss
of the elephant, but Of the handkerchief, ex-
claimed
Content yourself, husband; I'll be content
with my black handkerchief, and I'm glad TO
know that the poor baby hasn't gone of with
out swaddling clothes!''