The Billings herald. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1882-1885, 1885-01-17
"RED MiNETTE."

VCO WJVc tcs
iCh. gassac. Times Democrat Trarslation.[
OF all the toys which little Suzanne
had received upon her fourth birthday,
there were two which had espc. ial good
luck in pleasing her-a cat and an ele-
phant. The cat was red, with white
whiskers and big green eyes. The ele-
phant was mouse gray--a very unusual
color in elephants; he had great flat
ears falling down over lis forelcgs, and
very big stiff trunk which Suzanne
used always to lay held Of and pull
when she wanted to make him approach
her Everybody Knows the peculiar SEN
sit;vcness Of the trunk Of clephants).
As for his tail we shall say nothing
abo:t it: for no one is ignorant of the
fact that this part of elephants is little
developed, and besides, Surname, not
thinking the little pendulum at all
! retty, had judicuously suppressed it at
the first opportunity.
II hau been destined on principle that
this beast of high degree should be
borne from place to place upon little
wooden frame work furnished with four
wooden wheels. But by long dint Of
carrying crushing burdens over all sorts
of roads and by-ways-of banging
against the ornamental rock-work of the
garlen paths, of necessarily ascending
and descending the eight stone steps of
the entrance, the delicate mechanism of
the vehicle had finally given way; the
wheels had first come of, then the
splintercd wooden platform had become
disengaged from the feet of tho animal;
80 that the elephant perfectly trained
and wholly oil edicnt to the long string
fastened to his trunk) thereafter fol
lowed Suzanne sometimes upon his right
side, sometimes upon his left sido. never
hesitating even to turn somt trSault,
VIXEN necessary, over any o. stac!e that
thre nsi t0 sar the way.
Eut tie favor Ell. Dyed by Red Min
ct were much greater; for the cat, te-
n q st.i domestic animal, usually
Ii - in mueh closers intimacy than the
elephant with little girls. Fed Minette
never Quilted Suzanne's arms; and Su-
zannc never ate a bit of candy, never
drank glass of sugar water, never nib
bled ripe mango, that Minette did not
also put her nose in it. But was this
just the proper regimen for cat' 1t is
true that the general constitution Of
Minette did not seem to tie severely
shaken by this diet; but her once white
whiskers had taken extraordinary tints,
shifting from dirty green to saffron-yel
low through q whole scale of earthly
shades which evidently bespoke some
d sorf,er in the internal fuctions.
Thou wilt make the cat sick, my
child" observed Suzanne's mamma =
"and, what is mere, thou art teaching it
very bad habits that way: after q little
while it will steal everything in tho
house." And Suzon, SUE tie, or Su-
zanne, as she was affcctionately called
by turns, thereupon quickly wiped Min
ette's nose on the sleeve of her little
dress and promised to wean the animal
from swcei meats.
One evening Suzanne, the cat, and
the elephant had gr, at teaparty in the
garden, which lasted SO long and so late
that the little girls mamma had to carry
her into the house, fast asleep, with Red
Minette in her arms. During the night
it rained very hard; and next morning
when Suzanne wanted to 20 out, her
man. ma showed her that the ground was
all wet in the garden, and the walks all
muddy. So suzanne understood that
she would have to stay under tho YER
anda.
Fed Minette was then, too, quite
ready TO llay; but the elephant; where
was the elephant2
When the whole house had been
searched in vain, Suzanne finally re-
membered that she had certainly left the
elephant at the foot IF bench in the
furthest end of the garden had just
put him there to punish him, because in
passing over flower bed, he had
crushed the mignonette.
Here, chocra, quick!-run for man.
zclle Su; anne's elephant"
The chOcra soon came back, carrying
some shapeless thing in his arms. The
rain had swelled, puffed up, distended
the poor animal enormously, so that he
had ended by bursting with dropsy.
His stomach had opened; his
softened trunk hung all limp at
one side; and when the naughty little
chocra actually let the elephant fall
down flap, he struck the floor with a
dull thud, squirting out twenty jets of
water, which made frightful stream of
mingled red and gray upon the pave
ment of the varangue. Poor little
Suzanne tried vainly to keep back her
tears; she burst out in great cry at
last, sobbing, my. elephant my poor
elephant" And as she cried she strained
Red hinet'e very tightly to her little
hcart-Red Minette that was TO be
thereafter her only consolation.
Suzanne's mamma took her upon her
knees, caressed her, and promised her
another elephant, bigger than the first,
and all white, too-al,hough white ele-
phRnts are cutie rare. Put ali in vain;
The poor little heart was too full Then
had recourse to the supreme
remedy for great misfOrtunes:-she
opened her arlEoire-opened the two
broad doors wide-and gave the child
eaye to arrange it. that was to say leave
10 rummage it from top to lotion, even
10 rummage the Chinese box where she
kept her jewels. So Suzanne and Red
Minnette covered themselves with
jewelry. The little girl took for
herself the great god ne; klace,
which fell down to her knees, the
diamond clusters which she fastened as
we'll as she could in two little blonde
ringlets which curled behind her ears,
he gold fillet deco rited in nicllo--wo
for each arm, two for each leg
and three rings on every finger Red
Ainettc's tody was entirely wrapped in
! long caLle chain of gold she had
watch and two medallions hung round
her neck; and for tiara she wore silver
yiIt cup upon her head. But even then,
here remained great heap of jewelry
ying idle; and Suzette, suddenly hap
9ening to think what a splendid harness
The could have made for the elephant
with all these things, commence to sob
,ven moro than before.
Her mother found that the child was