The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1863-10-08

Mr.. De Beverly-who had just given the COM
pany love scene from Romeo and Juliet
to ''hand over the elephant" which the man
ager said ''was good one" and promised
that the animal should be sent round in the
morning, in the care of Abdallah, the real
Arab, who would take care of it for two shill-
| ings week. A little after twelve, MIR. Chick
enbody, scared by the reproachful chimes Of
St Simon MaguS, returned home singing.
His wife unbolted the door and let down the
chain
'Hurrah, Louisa ~ he cried, "Pve won the
elephant; it's coming with the milk in the
morning. Won tn elephant-yes, I've won
tn elephant !" ~ --....,-a,
'sMr. Chickenbody," said the austere lady,
''Fm ashamed ofyou! You've been drinking
again. Get to bed you don't know what
are talking about"
The next morning Mr.. Chickenbody was
awakened from pleasant dream by scream
from his wife who had risen before him, and
who was dressed and looking out of the win
dow
"'Gustus! 'Gustus! !" she screamed, ''here's
an elephant knocking at our door Why, you
horrid wretch, what in the world have you
been doing?"
It was too true The next moment came a
knock at the window, and the real Arab, with
white turban on his cocoa-nut Of head
mounted on ahuge elephant. The indignant
Mrs. Chickenbody threw up the window and
exclaimed ISL
''Get away, mani We have nothing for
you" ...... ..-.
The man replied, cool as a cucumber, in his
jargon
'EMe Abdallah. Massa Chickenbody win
elephant Me bring elephant. Where elephant
go, Abdallah go. Where me put him up,
MISE? ?"
'EIs it true, Mr.. Chickenbody ?" inquired
the rate lady of her miserable husband, who
only groaned and hid his head in the bed
clothes
at is true, he said ''the elephant is mine.
Have him hid away in the stable, and give
the man some breakfast. He'll be useful to
drive in our light cart and take round the
vegetables" .....r. ..........---.
E'Take around the vegetables" said Mrs
Chickenbody, in an emphatic voice, express
i've of the deepest scorn. 20 you wretch !!
And is he to drive the elephant in the new
cart ~
What next?
The whole of the next day was spent in
studying from book on natural history, Dor
rowed from the schoolmaster of Popington-
cum Tabor, the habits and customs of his new
possession.
ssWonderful animal!' observed Mr. Chick
enbody to his wife, after his first hours read
ing. ''Inteligent animal and will cost us
nothing, my dear, for we can feed him on
spoiled vegetables and he'll eat leaves. or
grass, or anything 2Abdallah says and when
we get tired of him we can make fortune
showing him round the county, or selling him
to the middleton Geological Gardens at a high
figure"
Stuff and nonsense!" replied the unappeas-
able Mrs. C. 'Yeu'll ruin yourself with your
fancies You'll spend my hundred and twenty
pounds in a month, in merely feeding that
monster"
Mr.. Chickenbody, obstinate for once, went
on reading:
''This gigantic and clever animal has been
trained to pile logs, drag cannon, and lay
building stones. Its tusks weigh about one
hundred and twenty pounds. The foot of the
elephant is admirably formed, and the horny
plates of the hoofs are arranged on the prI,l-
ciple of common carriage spring-Come
inn
These last words were not in the text but
were occasioned by loud knock at the door.
1t was AbdaIIah, who, making salaam, en-
tered and said
s'Massa Chickenbody, Runjeet Sing he ber-
nv hungry-berry mad-berry bad toothache
want grub! No give grub, him cry 'Umph,'
and break down shed, everything, and kill
somebody"
30, don't let him kill anybody" screamed
Mrs. Chickenbody. t-e
'We'll get him some food" said the pro-
prietor, grandly. 81 suppose sack of pota-
toes and bundle of carrots will go some way
with him-eh, Abdallah p ~.
go some way !" scornfully snorted the real
Arab. elephant no little COW, no little horse.
Runjeet Sing die unless he eat cherry day dis.
That what Massa Beverly glib him six year he
hab him.
Mr.. Chickenbody took the bill of fare Alb
dalIah handed him, read it, and then turned
: pale and sank back in his chair. ..
= H. average daily food Of an adult elephant ::
. One truss of hay, one truss of straw, bushel
of barley meal and bran mashed together,
thirty pounds of potatoes, and six pints of
water" -... . ~. ..............
"Why, it would fill a barn." said Chick
body '. 1864
Abdallah quite uumoved, replied;
''And when he perform, one bottle ob de
best porter or pint ob sherry-no dance wild
out sherry
'We're ruined !" said Chickenbody. ''My
dear, you're right Our income won't bear the
strain upon it for six months. Wemust
exhibit the elephant, or he'll eat us out of
house and home. w Y, he's worse--far worse
THAN fourteen children and an Irish serv-
anti"
The elephant was almost the ruin OF poor
Chickenbody. Customers began to leave his
shop and go to Teagle's, at the other end OF
1.-THE town, because the story went that he was
going cracked and had actually bought an ell
lphant. which he fed with the best vegetables
| keping only the rubbish for his customers.
: The attempt to show the animal at a shil-
ling head totally failed, as all the town
? could see the enormous quadruped for moth
: ing when Abdallah took him out for an airing
Z AS for the real Arab, he proved total fail
ure in the light cart, as he always took the
! new potatoes to the house that wanted the
new peas, and the carrots to that which had
its heart on vegetable nlarrows In fact, he
= proved worthless, drunken rascal, and was
, always to be found at the Flying Dutchman,
D holding mysterious conferences with his late
t master, Mr. De Beverly. ..
D The elephant improved Mr. Chickenbody's
t knowledge of natural history, but it sadly
proved upon his pocket, and his wife's never
to be forgotten hundred and twenty pounds.
e 1t is all very well to watch an intelligent an
iinal sway backwards and forwards and pick
b up buns with his proboscis at geological
e garden, when you pay sixpence and have
. done with it; but keeping an elephant is no
i Joke. That extraordinary animal with the
prominent fronth teeth, the flap ears, the leath-
cry hide. and the huge equity legs had an APP
e petite that would have done credit to an aid
Y erman. To fill him was like filling the hold
II of the Great Eastern; he would take a truss
- of hay for luncheon, and a wheelbarrow Of po-
u tatoes for supper. pailfuls of barely-neal
J. mash only served to give him zest for a
, light CARLOAD of damaged carrots and red cab
lLol-oO Ec Hnd hi,nSalf "a If he mas ra,1tfinr q