The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-05-25
TRICKY BABY PETE.
- COMMITTED THE THEFTs FOR
r. .,.,,cu A MAN WAS DISCHARGED.

u,anight Adventure In the Winter
onarters of an Elephant Herd How
e. pete Got Away From His Stake and
cole a bag Of Oats.
Pete is the baby elephant OF one OF ,
~, circus herds. During his con-
lno ant in winter quarters he played a
hl ioi' ON his keeper, which the man re-
lates as follows 49,, so,,o a docs
.ot weigh more than 500 or 800 pounds,
~. actually believe he would eat as
many mai pounds of oats if he had access
in" thon, The elephant house was dark
" nioht. and | supposed every one OF
o V'o onimals was sound asleep, when my
a,o,,tion was attracted by subdued,
"asring noise, apparently coming from
,be farther end of the big herd. Instead
of walking down in front OF them all,
vent around and came in at the other
and Hiding behind some bales of
etro,r peered cautiously over to where
tso little rascal was chained, and there
10 was carefully lifting his stake out
% the ground. / saw i'll an instant that
w. had had the stake out before that
time. for all he had to do was to lift it
Nm and il came out He slipped his foot
cboin down over the tapering end OF the
stake and was free.
Across the room, distant perhaps 20
foet or more from his place, were piled
some sacks of grain, containing about
toO mounds each. Picking up the foot
ohoin very carefully with his trunk, so
that it would not rattle or jangle upon
the floor, he began the most delicate,
simmons. gliding motion across the space
that separated him from the grain l
over saw, and never imagined an ele-
pbant could go so quietly. l crouched
behind the bales of straw, afraid to move
for fear he would hear me and stop.
son he went, cautiously, slowly, but
steadily, until he was within reaching
distance of the sacked grain. Then he
laid the chain down and picked up a
bag of oats with his trunk. His journey
hack TO the herd, 20 feet away, was
performed even more cautiously than
had been his advance, for he had to
drag the chain without making a noise.
All the time he held the sack of grain
tightly in his trunk, and his mouth
must have watered when he thought Of
the feast he was going to have. He
reached the herd at last and went up to
great big Babylon, who stood like a
bronze statue, her massive sides LOOM
ing up like the sides of house in the
gloom. Pete stopped, and Babylon,
whom / had imagined fast asleep, took
the oats They got into the bag in q
iiffy and then began a feast. Pete filled
his mouth and munched away like Il
man eating dry crackers on wager.
He knew that his big companion Ill
crime would get the most of the oats II
he lost any time. Babylon put away al
most half the oats at the first jump out
of the box, and poor little Pete, with
his mouth full, looked at her with his
watery little eyes, as much as to say,
oh, what hog!' and gulped the oats
down his little throat at the risk Of
choking to death.
II thought it was about time to make
noise, Just to disconcert them. / haC
ettu tuOuSu W dSSuIO illO tiiab hOetAN'
who had been discharged hadn't beer
instrumental in the disappearance O
divers and sundry bags Of oats, and. a
walked around toward the other enc
of the elephant house, wondered VIVA
should do to punish the thieves. Tn
big one had had painful operation
performed few months before, and
tbO1f,hf hot e5in nf tho N
ments that had been used at that tim
would give her good fright. When
had reached my own sleeping room,
purposely made noise and heard tn
shutting sounds of sly little Pete as h
shambled back to his place. He pickle
his stake up, put it down in the ground
and would have put it through the rim
in the chain if he'had had time. Whe
came along, he was leaning agains
the wall asleep. gave him a GENT
prod, and he awakened suddenly, wit
that sleepy stare that person has whe
awakened from slumber. But he 500
knew that was on to him, for, when
ordered him to open his mouth, b
didn't want to do it. He finally obeyet
ehN 'hOlo Wtlb tuc Odts. AAOue
was jammed full of them. didn't d
anything to him, but walked over
big Babylon. She was his partner
crime, but she was playing possum to-
Il had good deal of trouble to wal
her up and more to make her open HI
mouth. Much to her chagrin, imagin
1t was full of oats, and she had II
empty sack closely rolled up and packe
IN with them. She was sheepish an
ashamed, / assure you, if ever an ell
plant put OH that expression. To pul
lsh her / ordered her to sit down an
open her mouth and made a motion
II to pass great pair of forceps into ]
which had been used during the oper
uon referred to. She shut her mout
and cried like baby, and was so tho
oughly frightened that she never tire
passed again. But that sly little Pete
why, he is more trouble than the emit
nerd, and no inst oafs 1ooco wheupv