Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1880-03-26
The Baby Elephant
SOME OF ITS TRAITS AND rEcuLrAR1 TIES.

SOME OF ITS TRAITS AND PECULIARI TlES'
The baby elephant is the talk OF :hila-
delphia In fact, her babyship is in 6 anger
of being spoiled by the attentions tha,t are
being showered upon her from all gu rtera
not to speak of her liability to fall an ear
" victim to too much gingerbread aud
peanuts, with which well meaning but Do
cidealy injudicious visitors would pamper
her. Yesterday there we're not less than
three hundred people at the stables OF
Cooper & Bailey. at Twenty third street
and Ridge avenue, craving abundance
Money was offered in some instances 1ol
the privilege of getting peep Of the htSie
stranger. It ID needless to say that ad'
vantage was not taken of the Vnbounded
curiosity of the parties in question, and
| they were allowed to enter and view the
latest recorded addition to the elephant
| family to their hearts content.
In the afternoon about o'clock the lit
tie elephant disengaged itself from the old
elephants legs. walked off to the edge OF
| the ring which the mother had made by
| tramping around SO many times with her
feet. and there curling itself up on little
bundle of hay coolIy went to sleep. WISH
| tors who came after this saw only little
black lump of an animal about the size Of
NewfOund land dog, with It's body doubled
w in the form of semi-circle, so that the
soles Of its fore-feet were almost planted
against the soles of it's hind-feet and the
queer little trunk and head were snugly
reposing against its bxeast. for the time
being forgetful of its troubles. The moth
er kept walking around and shifting at it
with her trunk, until finding it was fast
asleep, she turned away and began to nib
bic at her hay. Meantime If any one would
pass near the baby she would turn toward
it and throw out her trunk as q sort of
guard. The baby slept very sound for
over half an hour, the only sign of life Wis
ible about it being the rising and falling
of its side in it's breathing. Meantime the
stable was full of visitors, who we're anx-
ious to see her babyship awake. Present.
| ly it began to stir and then the small head
was lifted up little way and the small
mouth opened to gapa. This seemed to
please everybody and there was . general
rush toward the ring. The oldelephant ap-
peared to think it time for her to interfere
now and coming forward stretched out
her trunk and taking the little one by tho
waist lifted it to it's feet. As for the rest,
the young elephant seemed to understand
we'll enough what to do It staggered up.
shook itself little gaped again, then vad-
died over and got directly underneath its
mothers legs and began to suckle, curling
It's trunk up over its head and using ito
lips. After few moments it's hunger vas
appeased apparently and it disengaged
itself from the maternal leading-strings
and started to approach the keepers, ito
small, black eyes twinkling With some
thing of the playfulness Of kitten.
| A CAREFUL MOTHER.
just as the baby would be about to
stretch out its little trunk to greet it's
keepers, the watchful old elephant would
quickly wheel around and throwing out
her trunk the little one would find itself
drawn in again and put securely between
the old elephants legs. But the baby
would not be satisfied. With wonderful
pertinacity for one SO young, it would
steal away for second time and just be
on the point Of getting beyond the reach
of its mother, when the latter's trunk
would again interpose like an iron barrier
and the little one would find itself uneere-
moniously dragged back again. Thus 1t
was all the time during the baby's wake
full hours. When it was not sucking it's
life was succession of runaways and cap
lures. It would keep the old elephant bu-
sy all the time. Did the mother turn her
head for an instant to get a mouthful of
hay, the baby would waddle out of the ring
only to be brought back again by the col
lar, 50 to speak, quicker than 1t went. In
these strokes of maternal policy the old
elephant was always very careful OF the
little one; her trunk would glide easily
over its back when 1t was straying away.
and winding itself around the lower part
Of it's body, would thus take hold Of it.
Hebe, the mother, has the name of being
one of the most gentle elephants in the
collection, and there are fifteen altogether.
Her actions toward the little one show
strikinRly the strong affection this species
of animal has for It's young. ''If that baby
elephant was to die, " said one of the keep
ers yesterday, II do believe it would kill
the mother, too. She would pine away and
refuse food until she had literally starved
herself to death.n
Among the visitors yesterday were nu.
merous Snowman and menagarie people,
some from New York and some from
Forepaugh's company, and various aad
amusing we're the remarks made from q
professional standpoint.
IF l had that little elephant down in one
of them big stores on Chestnut street for
about two weeks it would be worth its
weight in gold to me- aaid hsavy-mous-
tached individual, iapressivsly.
| II jest wish / owned i'm for the next sir
months" said veteran lion-tamer with q
scar under his ear.
"Three months is all I'd want, " said an.
other. II wouldn't care who get him Of.
ter that, SOS I'd had the full right to e.
hibit him wherever wished.
AAd all this time the subject Of so much
conversation and speculation was vad-
ding about on the hay and running against
the old elephants trunk at every turn, al
unconscious of the hopes and the jealousies
and the envy that was being aroused
through lts fundamentally. Phil. Times,
AN APPLE PECULIARLY PRRsERyRn.
Mr.. NJ. NJ. Rodgers, of Hanover town
ship, showed us an apple which has lain
upon a shelf in cellar aimee 1878. It is
sound, without even speck or blemish.-