The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-08


w Zoo. holding tight to Nurses
hand. MY, haven't they got long
Hecks!"
Nurse smiled.
Yes, indeed they have. Donald, ,,
she remarked, almost as long as
some peoples ears-when they're lis
tening to other peoples business!"
Donald thought moment trying
to understand just what Nurse meant.
Certainly, he had neve- seen a person
with ears as long as those twisting
necks before him. So he gave it up
as another of those queer remarks
grown-ups SO often make. Suddenly
he began to laugh.
"Oh, Nurse" he cried, 40. )ose they
had to wear collars like Papa doesl"
Nurse laughed, too, and replied with
remark that made Donald laugh all
the harder.
Just think. Donald" she said, chow
good anything to eat must taste 20
them--considering the long time it
takes for them to swallow"
A. with that she strolled off to
meet the jolly redfaced Keeper and
sit on bench and talk with him while
little Donald stood before the en-
closu-e-wishing almost, that he
were a giraffe when it came to eating
candy and tasting it all that long
way down!
"Oho-oho!" cried thin, piping
voice right by his elbow, where it
re ted on the railing making a com
Portable pillow for his tired, curly
head. "Oho! So you're wishing you
had a neck like the giraffe's are you
when it comes to eating candy, eh?
Well, WE'LL
"Oh-it's you, is it, Mr.. Old Man
of the Woodsl" cried Donald, recog-
nizing his queer little friend instant
ly. II certainly am glad to see you
and l, know you'll tell me another nice
story about the animals, just as you
always do, won't you?"
Now if you had been in Donald's
place, leaning on the railing, you
wouldn't have taken the situation so
calmly-indeed no; that is, of course.
unless you had seen the Old Man
many times before, as had Donald.
He was a strange little fellow, both
in dress and size. To begin with
he wasn't much larger than the charm
your father wears on his watch chain.
His little head was round and bald,
with two tiny horns sticking up on
each side, and rowing. merry eyes
twinkled like the sunbeams dancing
( on the waves OF the ocean.
/ His spindle legs were encased in
tight-fitting trousers of black seal
skin; his cloak was fashioned of hum
ming birds wings and trimmed with
ermine: and he wore a wonderously
beautiful hat made of rose-leaves and
daisy petals, with a tiny peacock
feather standing straight up in front
and giving the whole quite a jaunty
appearance.
ITO be sure, to be sure" chuckled
the Old Man pleasantly, "of course
I'll tell you a story. What shall it be
oh, l know-have you ever heard
what 1t was that stretched the graf
fe's neck and made it longer than,
than-well-ha ha!-tha any rub
ber-neck' s. that ever lived? Isn't that
what you humans say, sometimes.
'rubber-neck. ha, hal 1 must have
my little joke. you see, Donald-h,. y.
ha!
We'll once in the long. long ago
In an age that nobody but you and
], Donald, know anything about
there lived a Giraffe, the very first
giraffe that ever lived anywheres
Now, you must know, this Giraffe,
didn't look at all like the ones in
the enclosure in front of us. No.
indeed! He had long, thin legs like
a giraffe has now, but his neck was a
thick, short scrunched up one no
longer than your hand.
And of all the animals and birds
in the jungle then, this Giraffe was