Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-04-11
STORY OF AN ELEPHANT.
C1ytemnestra's Excellent Memory and He
Visit to the Confectionery.

Visit the confectionery.
Clytemnestra was as well-behaved an
elephant as any circus would care to
possess. She had ''tantrums'' as sell
dom as any elephant in the herd; she
would go through her performances
dutifully; she could be trusted to carry
children on her back, and was gener-
ally a mild-mannered, good-tempered
beast. 1t was for all of these reasons
that no one was prepared for what she
took into her big head to do, and did,
one fine morning.
The circus which 'sClytie'' belonged
to was travelling through the country
parts of England. hating at small
towns to give performances. One night
the caravan stopped at a little place
called Hythe, and the tents were
pitched and the animals made as COM
Portable as might be. Transporting a
circus and menagerie, even over the
good roads of England, is fatiguing
work, and when stop is made and the
necessary arrangements for camping
are completed, mon and animals are,
as rule, very glad of the rest which
follow. On the night of the stop at
Hythe the work was no easier than
usual, and everybody went to bed
tired out and ready to take advantage
OF every moments sleep.
Every body but Clytie, at any rate
But a scheme was working in that
massive head of hers, and she did not
sleep so long or so soundly as her fell
lows. By three o'clock in the morn
ing she was wide awake. She was
very wide awake. Nobody had ever
known Clytie to be so very wide awake
before.
The first thing she did was to lift her
foot and strain gently at the chain
which prevented her from being free
elephant. Then she stepped forward
as far as the chain would permit, and
threw her whole weight against the
chain. It was a stout chain, but she
was strong and heavy elephant, and
so it happened that the chain snapped
at one of the links, and Clytie found
herself free.
She was not at all surprised. for it
was precisely what she had intended,
and what she had striven to achieve.
She had already studied the situation.
and was ready to act without any loss
of valuable time. Almost as softly as
a cat could have done it, she stepped
over the low rope that was around the
elephants, and made her way to the
door of the tent. The door was closed,
but that did not matter to her; she
merely put her head down and walked
straight ahead. Fortunately, the can
vas flaps gave way; for, if they had
not, Clytie was prepared to carry away
the whole tent.
Even after she was free from the
tent she did not behave riotously, as if
she did not know the difference be-
tween liberty and license; she walked
soberly away from the tent and along
the path across the common, until she
came to the main street of the town.
She was very deliberate and very quiet
and did not pause once until she stood
before little shop which was as tight
ly closed up as shutters and blind-doors
could make it.
1t was too early for any body to be
stirring in the little place, but Clytie's
manner was that of one who was not
to be deferred even if there had been
somebody to see her. She was very,
very much in earnest
She stepped up to the little shop and
felt about its door and window with her
trunk for a moment Or two. Then she
drew back from the door with her head
held low, and lunged suddenly forward
with a tremendous rush. The door
was not elephant-proof, and so it
crashed inward without trying to keep
up even the appearance of resistance.
Clytie followed without any haste, but
with every evidence of complete salts
faction.
She had found her way into an ele-
plants paradise, and she knew it. In
another moment she had overturned
the boxes and jars which stood on the
counter and was stuffing the sweat
meats into her greedy mouth. She
had broken into a candy and fruit
store. She seemed to realize that it
only happens once in the lifetime of
an elephant to have the freedom of
confectioner's shop, and she acted as
il she intended to improve the oppor-
tunity to the utmost. She. sampled