The Opelousas courier., 1886-11-13

--.E
ga few years ago, Monsieur, I did NOT
occupy the enyiable position in which
you see me to-day. Instead of being the
keeper of the elephant ! wa only .
common gardener, spading the beds,
raking over the walks and watering flow
ers in this same garden. But / was in
love-madly, rapturously in Lowell
'sVery often / was guilty of a serious
infration of the rules that regulated my
professional duties. The rarest and most
beautiful of the flowers I was paid to
guard and care for found their way to
the little cottage you see there. She who
lived there was the object of my afec-
ton, and she loved me in return. But
when I made so bold as to ask for her
hand, her father, who then occupied the
position I now hold, brutality showed me
to the door! He said that he wouldn't
have his daughter marry below her sta
ton, and that he designed her to be the
wife of the man who took charge of the
bear pit, who was in time to be his (the
father's) successor. And | was only, as
l have told you, a common gardener!
But why, / aked myself, could / not
make as good an elephant keeper as any
other2 Love made me ambitious.
-
stFrom that time | summoned all my
courage, and surreptitiously entering
the enclosure I set my wits to work and
lavished upon the elephant all the atten-
tions of a real keeper. My future father
in-law, it must be added, had been
somewhat neglectful of Belisarius's com
fort.
s'The worthy animal appreciated my
trouble. Ahi what Neutrality-suspicious.
a mindl-as clear as amber. After q
while he saw through my little scheme,
for when / was there his n eye would
turn roguishly towards the window
where, as if by accident, Lucie, the
daughter of the real keeper, would APP
pear, having chosen t''at very moment
for shaking her crumF cloth over poor
Belisarius's head.
"Well, my love waA to receive great
assistance from this d mb beast, as you
will see.
"The elephants disposition, hitherto
SO mild and peaceful, changed suddenly.
Belisarius, in spite of his having
come to years of discretion, began to
play tricks worthy of the veriest school
boy. Thus n day, when the doors and
windows of the cottage had been left
open, this sly old pachyderm amused
himself by moving all the furniture Of
my predecessor within reach out into his
enclosure. On another occasion, when
his keeper was entertaining a few friends
at dinner, there was discovered in the
soup not the single permissible hair of Or
binary domesticity, but a whole mass of
something resembling fur. 1t seems that
a dromedary, who occupied the next in
closure to His Royal Highness, had that
day been deprived of his hirsute cover
ing, and the elephant took advantage of
the incident to introduce this novel
iavoring into his keepers soup without
the knowledge of the cook.
But these are only specimens of the
tricks that Belisarius was constantly
playing in his new role. At last it be-
came evident, wen to the not very acute
intelligence of the keeper, that he would
have to retire from his post in favor of
some one more agreeable to the powerful
and cunning brute. He therefore re-
signed, and all the employees of the
Jardin were tried in turn as his success
sor. In vainl Belisarius had quite
made up his mind as to the keeper he
wanted, and was not TO be driven from
his fixed determination. / thus found
myself master of the situation. Lucie's
father was compelled to admit that I
discharged the duties Of the position bet
ter than anyone else. But what a long
step in advance for me and at my age
all the way from common gardener to
elephant keeperl
ssThe poor man, who was really
anxious that his daughter should make q
good match, did not show me out when
! asked for her hand q second time.
"a month later Lucie and / were mar
ried. The wedding dinner was spread
under the arbor covered with clematis
that adjoins the elephants enclosure.
which permitted Belisarius to attend as
one Of the guests. He also deigned to.
consume that portion of the feast which
had been prepared for his special bene-
ct. Eighteen of the little rye rolls he al
ways found SO toothsome and eleven
lunches Of carrots probably made his
majesty feel almost as contented as if he
were about being married himself. AT
ell events they had a quoting and hui
manizing effect upon his disposition. No
boyish tricks disturbed our frugal ban
quet-no ~dromedary hairs were found in
the soup. With his single eye be gazed
cheerfully upon the happy scene, and as
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