The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-11-12
A CAT AND AN ELEPHANT.
The Rig Fellow Rescued Hitter
and Made 1t His Pet.
tFrom :he Philadelphia Times }


From The Philadelphia Times)
Bolivar was the largest elephant in the
men geric. aud his keeper said that ne had
to be more strict with him than with all
tae Others put together. lie was old and
perhaps his temper had been soured by the
life he Tad led. But one neyer-tv he for
gotten nigh; Bolivar made Z. friend. Aspoor
starved kitten, chased by "a dog, ran under
the circus tent, and when IL came To a
tree, or hing like it, il. il ran up like
flash aud sat oh the top OF il.
But BOlvar had wa kened, and who can
wonder, with a dog barking fiereely under
his very nose and with a thurny creature
OF Some E,nd scratching its way up his les
aud on ms back? Ittook hum nntniore than
second To lift the dog in the air and
give d sling hat La uded him in the vicinity
of he coor. whence he escaped, bowling,
Tut uLhurt.
Then Bolivar turned his attention To the
kitten. t., long trul- X Swat ed around over
his back and ClaSpcd around the kitten, and
he'll IL vnt IN front, with every hair oI. ITS
liniautive b,dy standing straight On end,
aud with its little red ifGutl wide open,
while il Missed with all its might. Bolivar
held il 2ut ana gravely considered it, and
was apparently amused at its de:iant air.
tor he turned his trunk around and set the
Kitten safe op hls back again.
The attendants had watched the incident
with interest, and now BolIvars keeper
went IN 10 tho huge animal and looked him
over.
wei. if that don't beat my time" he
said. Bolivar ain'tneyPr took d notion to
4
ruw ieStlook al that FIFTEEN, settin' up here
ic>t as Peart as yoI please, washin' it. face
ON Rnlivar's back."
The Eext day Bolivar consented 20 have
the kitten brought down from its perch and
fed IT ais feet, where he fondlcd over il;
with his trunk and showed the liyelieSi in
tCrest IN its proceedings, but in a little whl"
I've took il up again, and To say that the
kitten was lerf"e;iy at HON, is t. give a
Il faint description " its manners from that
day on. II ran races with itself the fen
length of BDliyar's back and made a whIIli
rir Of Itself chasing it, own tail on BolivHr's
mead, and seemed to feel that IL could
never have enough fun with his ears.
when the kitten was hungry aud waited
To each the ground, IL went TO tide cdgevf
IsoHvar's back and Elewed, and Boiitar
lif,cl il Gown without delay. Sometimes
ii stared DOWN for long time IN the
mornings, and pla we'd Bide-and-Seek around
Bnlivar's legs, hut the fist approach Of
anything that looked like danger sent IL
skurrying back up BorNar's legs, when
il resumed its place on his back and peeped
over 1t the enemy.
Tire bony little creature that had rushed
into tie tent that morning. and had climbed
B5iivar's leg SO unCeremoniously, had de
velDped INTO g plump and pretty kitten
"a one could find, and was merry "a
the days were long, hut one day something
in the long list of evils that beset kitten
hood came upon it, aud it, pla wing suddenly
ceased. 1t lay stretched out ON Bolivar's
back For several hours, and finally gave
VI its brief little life without n struggle.
As the hours passed and there was no
motion from it, Polivar began To sllo "
: ems OF uneasiness. At last he reached
grCund and took the kitten in his trnnf.
aud pat IL down before him, evidently
expecting IL to eat, or at lea st TO pl1y
around hlm rs it had done so often before.
Presently he took it up again and placed
IL oI. his back, and then seemed To wait for
the play 10 begin.
In little while the evening perform
aBce began. but Bolivar did not notice the
people as usual. All that evening lie wa
Continually taking the kitten down and
bringing fl around where he could see it,
anI putting IL upon his back again. The
people that had watched the two with such
delight all winter now stood before the
great beast in sadness, and watched his
pathetic efforts 10 awaken his dead com
rade.
II took all the ingenuity of the keeper to
slip the dead body OF the kitten j way iron.
the elephant, and when he final missed it
another was substituted, but he would have
none of 1t, and came near killing it be
fore il could he taken away.
He grew sClien and his keeper found it
necessar. to place heavy chains ON him,
and To- warn tn, people to Keep i,iriir,r
away.