Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1903-08-28

the elephants than with other children.
They take as good care of him as any
nurse could. Every morning they are
restless till he comes. And as for him,
he Is always in here. He plays among
their feet and let's them swing him up
on their backs all day long. They
wouldn't step on him, no indeed. They
take more care not to hurt him than
human being would. See here"
He lifted the boy up to Babes left
ear and commanded: Listen, Babe.
Something to say to you"
Babe stuck her ear out and inclined
her head toward the boy, while he
talked into her ear. Then she nodded
her head wisely and grunted.
Healey dropped the boy. Evan
stepped alongside of Babe and slapped
her on the leg a. high up as he could
reach which wasn't higher than a
short mans knee Down, Babe, down."
he said. Babe looked at him with a
funny look of appeal in her eye. She
wiggled her tail and flirted her trunk
and turned her head away, saying
plainly. Let's talk of something else"
But the baby trainer was insistent
And Babe sighed-a rumbling, roaring
sigh, as if steam engine were to
whisper: 'Oh, my!"
Then. with weary grunt, she held
her trunk out to him coaXingly. But
Evan only patted it and cried shrilly:
Down, Babe l say" So Babe, look
ing as if she had no friend on earth,
grunted once more and dropped labor
iously to her fore knees. With anoth-
er plunge that shook the elephant
house she let herself fall cumbrously
on her side, AMI stuck her four feet
into the air. Then she held out her
/ trunk and wiggled her upturned ear.
! Evan scrambled with hands and knees
up her massive, throbbing side and
| perched himself, little bright spot,
on top of the great tonnage of black
! flesh.
Then Basilhad TO go through the per-
formance and she, too, begged Evan to
/ let her off, but finally did what she was
( hidden like a lamb. Each elephant at
once searched his clothes for sugar
when he let her get up.
Basil" said Mr.. Healey, "is one OF
the biggest elephants in America now.
She is little more than nine feet high
and Babe is almost as big, but 80 years
younger. Basil and Evan have been
friends almost since Evan was born
He was born in Willis avenue, New
York, and when he was only a few
rnODtbc old vrn 20 ma 70 Clan island n
ever since then Evan and the elephants
have played together. When we first
came here Basil learned to wheel Evan
around in the baby carriage, and Il
soon got so that we could turn hel
loose with the little one and feel thai
he was safer in the protection of his
great nurse than he would have beer
under the care of any human attend
ant
While the trainer was speaking tn,
big brutes were jostling each other tt
reach Evan and tap him with thei
trunks. He stood between their legs
leaning against them, and the ele
plants never moved a limb withou
looking and feeling to make sure tina
IHey "Oulu HoI SIep Oh ulu' II WASH
possible to see bit of him when h
got well behind one of the huge legs
but he was the master of the elephant
for all that-Kipling' Toomaii in rea
life.
He gets his love for animals Iegiti
; mately, for his father has made man,
; trips to Asia and Africa to get will
animals for American shows, beside
, having been collector of snakes an
, big reptiles in Cuba and South Amer
lea. He has been an unusually sue
/ cessful animal trainer almost all hi
life, and Evan has made up his min
that he will become one, too.-N.
/ Letter in Kansas City Star.