Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-12-10
STORIES OF THE DAY.
Linguistic Tale of How Kipline
Talked With an Elephant.

Talked With an Elephant
A writer in the San Francisco Argo.
maui tells the following anecdote as
coming from the lips OF an American
traveller who spent some time in THE
compauy of Rudyard Kipling In Lon
don Lately: One afternoon we went to-
gether to the Zoo, and, while strollng
about, our ears were assailed by the
most melancholy sound have ever
heard. complaining, fretting, lament.
ing sound. proceeding from the ela-
plant house.
What's the matter in there?" asked
Mr.. Kipling Of the keeper.
"A sick elephant, sir; he cries all the
time; we don't know what to do with
: him." wasi'tfe ansWer.o1a { 81
Mr.. Kipling hurried away from me
in the direction Of the lament, which
was growing louder and more pitiful.
followed, and saw him go up close to
the cage. where stood an elephant with
| sadly dropped ears and trunk. He was
crying actual tears at the same time
| that he mourned his lot most audibly
In another moment Mr.. Kipling was
| right up at the bars, and heard him
speak to the sick beast in a language
that may have been elephantese, but
certainly was not English. Instantly
| the whining stopped, the. ears were
lifted. the monster turned his sleepy
little suffering eyes upon his visitor
| and put out his trunk. Mr.. Kipling
began to caress it,, still speaking in the
same soothing tone, and In words I'M
| Ineligible to me, at least. After a
few minutes the beast began to answer
in much lower tome of voice. and evil
| IDENTIFY reoounted his woes. Possibly
elephants, when enjoying poor
| health like to conffde their symptoms
| to sympathizing listeners as much as
do some human invalids. Certain it
was that Mr.. Kiplng and that ele-
| plant carried on a conversation, with
| the result that the elephant found his
| spirits much cheered and improved
The whine went out Of his voice. He
| forgot that he was much to be pitied;
| he began to exchange experiences with
| his friend. and he was quite uncon-
! scious. as was Mr.. Kipling, Of the
amused and interested crowd collect
| ing about the cage. AT last, with a
start, Mr.. Kipling found himself and
| his elephant the observed Of all OBJ
servers. and beat hasty retreat, leav-
ing behind him very different
creature from the one he had found.
| Doesn't that beat anything you ever
saw" calculated compatriot Of mine.
as the elephant trumpeted loud and
cheerful goodby to the back of his van
| ishing visitor, and l agreed with him
that it did.
What language were you talking to
| hot ali 40 nj 7 u-ho
| took my friend
| Language? What do you mean?''
he answered with a laugh.
Are you a Mowgli?" / persisted,
land can you talk to all those beasts
in their own tongues?" but he tonly
smiled in reply.
l. WARDS TEST OF FRIENDSHIP.
The recent publication. about Artemus
Ward has revived interest in that quaint
humorist. He died not many months
after his London debut, attended to the
last by Tom Robertson IT. w. Robertson
of Caste" and "Schooro. A strong at
between them, and the devotion of his
new-found English friend was touching
i'll the extreme and characteristic Of Rob-
| ertSon's noble nature. ft9G
Just before Wards death, Robertson
i offered it TO his friend, Ward said. MY
| ueaI ON. can take tHdt uTeaOIu
dr,ie there's a dear fellow Be now
thing for YOU" would your" SAID
IWard. feebly stretching out his hand te
grasp his friends, perhaps for. the last
ime Il would. indeed" said Robertson
humorist passed away but Few hours
afterward. f ~, $3.50 ~!
| SPEAKER REEDS CANNED FREE.
was going down on the train to Port.
land the other day. and, in the smoking
ment of men, says the Boston Record cor
respondent. Among them was Speaker
Reed. They fell to talking about tflS
Philippines, and two pretty loud-mouthet
chaps thought they knew 1t all. bur a.
they dilated on the advantages OF racquir
ing, those 10000, 900 Malays their state
comments OF Mr.. Reed.
Il Finally, as the. last and all sufficien
4 argument one OF them remarked: We'll
It Is our duty to carry the BLESSINGS o
freedom to those Islands -
). The speakers eyes opened a little, ant
he looked around, as II to see II irrele
vancy could be carried further. and then
with his fnfmitable drawl, he closed tn,
conversation with: well, there are peo
pie in this country who seem to- tiiini
. that we can furnish canned freedom 10
all the heathen. n
ALL FOR A GOWN. fsss
, The Budapest Hirlap tells a ,curiou
great estates manage their own irtSrests
i, Countess Szapary owned with a nunnho
OF other estates, q small country hons