The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-07-15

1 A long drawn whirny, accompanied by vigorous and very expressive Tapping of the ears and most decisive nod of the Lead was the answer as plain as words.
 Well, you ought to- remarked the lngrateful keeper like all men. nnappre- ciatlVe or woman's love. Did 1 ever beat you?''
 And with another loud whinna Hattie shook her head in negative fashion.
 Alter that the keeper made this re- markable little elephant walk on two legs, three legs and four legs, stand on her hind legs, stand for Co seconds on her two right legs only. and finally on her right fore leg and left hind leg, lie down and play dead and finally finish her by playing baby" Playing baby isn't easy either. But it was with perfect ease that Hattie sank upon the knees of her hind legs and crawled along the floor, all the time screaming Mamma. mammal" or the el- ephant equivalent in q high falsett pa thetio to listen to.
 Hattie remarked her keeper when interviewed, lis a tender subject with me.
 But the most remarkable thing about Hattie is that she can work out of rou- tine She doesn't just go through q set perform ance. She really understands En- glish--every word I say-a thing no other elephant has ever done. I can just keep looking at you and give her command in this tone. without raising my voice, and she will at once do what she is told. She can do the last of her tricks first. or the first last. or preserve no order whatever, but go as you please
 Never an Equal.
 Now, there never was an elephant l.f.- ftran flFo that. trained elephant has got to go through his regular programme every time. He couldn't and wouldn't do one trick without doing all the others to save you. To show you HOW stupid the average trained elephant is. once, when the shed took fire at the Barnum and Bailey winter quarters at Fridge port, Conn.,, the keeper Of the elephants rushed up to save his animals and con- manded them tc get in line, grasp tails and file out. But it happened that they were in the midst of a rehearsal, and they simply would not stop The keeper beat and bullied and yelled at them, hut they went straight ahe ad doing one trick after another in it's regular turn Finally the keeper caught on and he put them through their acts as quickly as he could, rushing hls orders until fi- nally, just before the roof crushed in he saw the beast calmly finish their last little trick grasp tails ard file safe ly out That was the most collosil ex- ample of elephantine doggedness and stu piGity ever known. It came near cost ing the Barnum and Bailey people pretty sum, too, and ending in great dish of roast elephant.
 Now, If any of these elephants had been a student of English like Hattie well, Hattie, old girl you'll never be burnt at the stake of stupidity, will you?"
 And at the sound of the rising inflee- ton of her Seepers voice Hattie promptly whinnied q gentle denial and eoyly blink ed her sleepy. aby eyes
 Hattie s now perhaps the most valua- be elephant in the world. There is no doubt that in year or two she will rival the famous pet elephant of the London zoo, who died on his way to this country some months ago. Every day her commor oial value increases, and MT Carl Hagenback, who brought her over to this country, while on a visit to the central parl zoo few weeks since, offered to buy fer back at four times her original value.