The Press., 1884-09-18
HOW JOHNNIE SAW THE ELEPHANT.
l
 BY ADA CARLETON sTODDARD, IN HARPER F sa}aff@ssss YOUNG PEOPLE E.Fts,4esffF y

HOW JOHNNIE SAW THE ELEPHANT.
 BY ADA CARLETON sroDpARD, IN HARpER's s
 .s.ial Iisq45 YOUNG PEo2RR11sFs lssa4, ys
 Elephants didn't come Ito yay every day, and, indeed, one might ne yer come again Of that John Henry was Sure.
 John Henry was up in the stable loft crying. Ton couldn't have been quite sure what he was crying about unless you had happened to know that the little village of Jay was all ahame with red and yellow posters picturing the most wonderful crea- lures that could be imagined. in the shape of men and women and horses and wild animals and elephants, and that Farmer Bell, who was also John Henry's uncle Peter, was very much opposed to circuses. ''sI wish could IT do wish I could !! just to see the elephants, and not to look at g single other thing" said John Henry that very morning, His wistful tones and the pathetic way in which the corners of his mouth dropped might have melted a heart of stone, but didn't disturb the heart of Uncle Peter in the least. He cleared his throat with his most severe ''ahem r and looked sharply over his glasses at hls nephew as he said
 . "Circuses are wicked, John Henry. If you could see the wild animals 'thont the circus, I'd be willing enough to let ye go ; but as you can't, you can't, and there's an end ont. Here's five cents you can take down to the village and lay out in peanuts and candy. That Fl have to make up for yer disapp' 'intment." @4A +'.~"'.
 Buti+didn't make up at all, or so John Henry thought, though he took the mon- ey thankfully enough, and walked two long dusty miles to spend it, stopping a long time on the way to examine the cir GUS posters, and wonder if anything ever could be so wonderful as those pictured performances. He was, after all, as jolly as could be for little time; but when he got back to the farm house, and his candy was gone, and he had only remembrance of how good the pretty pink and white peppermints tasted to cheer him, his spir- its sank again, and he crept away to the stable loft and lay down on the hay, and cried himself to sleep because he could not go to the circus. s-.a ......re..I t.tf.
 The dusk fell and the stars came out the frogs in the brook began to sing, and good Farmer Bell and his wife went to bed. The moon got up before long, and peeped through the wide cracks in the sta. ble to see little boy, with tear-stained face and sticky fingers, who ought to have been in his bed, but who lay instead hall buried in pile of sweet-smelling clover hay, too sound asleep to know any differ ence. EEffs .'I . a.:.Ia,s} ... t.
 John Henry could not tell how long he had been asleep when he opened his eyes l at last, not 8 little frightened at finding himself alone in the lonely stable loft There Were broad bars of moonlight lying across the hay, and he could hear old Dol ly champing and stepping uneasily in he1 stall below, making, it seemed to him, g dreadful noise, because everything else ] was so stillf ,k .i3 s4" n.4 ....*
 l No; everything else was not still. Pres entity John Henry caught himself listen ing sharply to the sound of the wind blow ing through the orchard. It did not soune exactly like the wind either, for he could hear the branches crack and snap steadily one after another. His heart stood stil with something like fear, and all the while staid old Dolly was becoming more and more restless. esl.s;fT T @a..l-ts
 "What is it ?'' thought the boy. 9Th. wind can't be blowing that way. Ol dear r And he shivered because if wa. so dark there in the stable loft, and there were gloomy shadows hiding in the cor Eners, and it was chilly too. s'Oh dear me 7 he said, T don't b'lieve I'll dare to go il the house. II wish hadn't gone to sleel in this horrid place" ys. G9E t.s.s j. @2g 1 But pretty soon he grew very little braver, and so he crawled out of his nes and opened the small square door whicl was made to stow hay in at 1t looked out on Farmer Bells pear orchard, th' pride of its owners heart, which lay be tween the stable and the house, and wal bearing this year for the first time. Th' craeking and snapping were there ana no wonder, for in one dreadful momen John Henry saw a monstrous creature, a large, so it seemed to him, as the stable it self, reach up funny, snake-like snout t. the top of pear-tree, and pull it down t. him.
 ''Its a-a el'phant, do b'ieve," cried ou young friend to. himself, f,a ins an ecstasy o fear. s'Now-now whatever d do if he't pull the stable over? Oh dear ]" ls
 There was not the least danger in tn world that the elephant would do that but it really seemed as if he did not mea1 to leave one twig upon another in the pea orchard, and presently John Henry's hear began to burn with angry resentment.
 I5d6nH know what Uncle Peter d sa, if he!knev his pear trees, at he sets sucl great store by, was being teared to finder this way I declare don't" he thought 'I wish could get to the house n tel him. He might put stop to it somehow.
 As soon as the boy thought of that h made up his mind he must go, though hi courage required great deal of screwini up before he could quite make up his min' to creep softly down the ladder and out a the stable door, which creaked recklessl,, lander his. touch, and fly away through tn dewy, clinging grass to the house, wher he burst into his uncle's bedroom, al a-quiver with delicious sort of terror.
 ~ s"Uncle Peter Uncle Pe-eter P ,sf r. Uncle Peter sat up in bed and rubbe' his eyes. Aunt Priscilla sat up too, wit her false front of corkscrew curls off, an' a funny little red flannel night-cap on and she looked so very queer that Joh1 Henry would have laughed if he had no been 80 hightened. He did laugh after ward with thinking of it.
 Bat Uncle Peter was only half awake. e oR