Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1897-01-07

started homeward, and without tn
least hesitation Ahmed walked besid'
me. as gentle and harmless in appear
ance as a pet dog.
What CONSERVATION there was wher
/ appeared at the house with the ele
plant! Ahmed stood in the yarC
beside me while / told my story, ant
caressed me with his trunk and ever
rifed my pockets of the pieces o
cake ! had taken for him that morning
and had forgotten.
"Well, what are we going to dc
now?" said Mr.. Franklin obviously,
sit is very hard to find a good keeper,
especially al this season of the year.
and that bridge must be built at
once"
l volunteered to go to town and
find a keeper, and / was sure there
would be no trouble about it. But
soon found that elephant keepers were
rare, and that the fame OF Ahmed had
gone forth, and none of them would
undertake the care of an elephant that
had rebelled and come so near killing
his last keeper.
"There's only one way to manage
it," / said that night when | went
home. 81 will take Ahmed down to-
morrow and make him build the
bridge"
There was q general shout of horror,
and everybody had never heard OF
such a thing, and ! did not know what
/ was undertaking, and / would be
sure to be killed. l waited till the
storm had subsidized, and then / told
them that l would try it, anyway, and
if / did not succeed, why then some
other plan must be devised.
1t must be confessed that | looked
at Ahmed the next morning with a
good deal Of trepidation. He certainly
was very large. | had my pockets full
of biscuits which l meant to use as
sops for Cerberus all through the
morning, but he found them without
delay and ate them all at a mouthful,
and then we took our way down to the
bridge, several members OF the family
following at a distance, for they were
very doubtful as to the result of the
experiment.
But we went down to the timbers
which were to go into the bridge, and
/ showed Ahmed which me ] wanted
out, wondering il he would under
stand me. He did. Without the least
delay he lifted the log, and then we
journeyed down to the stream, and |
showed him where the log "a to go.
We got on famously. and / heard a
cheer from the bank, where the
doubters were in hiding. Ahmed and
| we're Building the bridge as pleas
as though we had done nothing
all our lives but build bridges.
Surely, it was a great change-an
American hoy, IN nineteenth century
costume, turning elephant trainer and
builder OF bridges in the island of
but that is what had hap.
| wondered if any of my old
friends could over believe this. And
yet it had all come about in the most
natural way, for / had merely shown
he animal a little kindness, and SO
lad won his love.
A few days later, greatly to my JOY,
! man appeared whom Ahmed conde-
icended to accept as his trainer, and j
urned my pet over to him, noting
With JOY that he was likely to be
reated kindly.
Our work in Ceylon was finished.
t had been rainy weather and the
Dads were unfit for the horses, so it
vas arranged that we should go TO
own on the elephant. Ahmed greeted
ne with effusion when l went ont to
mount, and was evidently overjoyed
o see me again, for / had carefully
,ept out OF his sight since the coming
# his new keeper. And so we went
way in true oriental style, mounted
Ahmed. At the town a carriage
awaiting us to take us to the sea-
,ort.
There was a moments delay while
ONE packages were stored inside, and
re were attending to these when sud-
something reached past my
trother and touched my face. II was
.hmed's trunk. He had followed me.
~ brother started, the driver, who
usily arranging the bundles, dropped
hem with a shrek and fed for his
lfe, and / laughed and petted Ahmed
little for the last time. The carriage
tarted and I looked back and saw
.hmed and his dusky keeper standing
lotionless, like two statues carved in
be land of the orient. Chicago