The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-10
BOYS AND GIRLS Of
. BIRMINGHAM MEET
THEIR NEWEST PET
miss Fancy Elephant" Is
Given Magnificent Ova-
tion at Future Home
HELPS AUTOIST
OUT OF TROUBLE
Pushes Stalled Auto Up Hill-Com-
plains of Chilly Auditorium and
Chief Benefits Ladies' Fix
Her Up Snugly

Miss Fancy was formally introduced
to her owners yesterday afternoon.
| The boys and girls of Birmingham saw
their pet at the zoo and accorded her a
magnificent ovation. Her entrance into
the park at Avondale was more than a
triumphal entry. 1t was a procession of
| triumph accompanied by bows from the
lady and smiles and shouts of approval
from her admirers. If Miss Fancy" was
hungry upon her arrival at the zoo she
| was not when she returned to the Gipsy
| Smith auditorium. The children fed her
peanuts, apples, bananas and popcorn,
petted her and crowded about her huge
feet with utter disregard for their enor-
| nous size.
Many Make Her Acquaintance
At least $500 children and fathers, who
| didn't care anything about 1t, but the
children wanted to come" made them
| selves known to the new arrival Miss
Fancy" left The Age Herald building at
about O'Clock and reached Avondale
park little after $3.50. All along the
Highland avenue route she was the Gym
osure of all eyes and the delight of the
| little ones.
When she reached the home of Mr.. Bar
rett she turned into the walk leading to
the steps. She knelt down at the foot
of the steps and the little Barretts and
| their neighborhood playmates came out
to meet her. She received them cordially
| to their great pleasure, and they regaIed
her with apples and other dainties, all of
which she acknowledged by a graceful
| bow of appreciation.
Leaving the Barret home ''NIiss Fancy"
saw an automobilist in distress about two
blocks further up on Highland avenue and
kindly proffered her services in boosting
his car up the slight elevation. She
pushed the auto about a block and was
| thanked by its owner
When Miss Fancy" was first seen over
| the crest of the hill on Avenue F leading
| down to the zoo there was wild shout
of welcome and hundreds of chattering
| children made a rush to see who would
be first to greet her. The elephant car
ried the honors heaped upon her with be-
| fitting dignity, and 1t was a slow but
happy. procession that entered the park
grounds at Avondale.
Miss Fancy" proved a good conversa-
| tionalist, as elephant conversations go,
and said that she was in fine spirits She
did ask the children not to crowd her
so much, for she had spent rather bad
night in the Gipsy Smith auditorium. 1t
was so cold in that building that she grew
quite chilly, and after having stood it
as long as she could, sent the keeper
| out to get something warm.
The children crowding about the ele-
phant at the 20 were all trying to feed
her at once, and she was having a hard
time trying to catch all that was held
out for the edification of her epicurean
| nature, and in order to give them chance
! to become sympathetic, reached up and
pulled a large mouthtul of leaves from a
! tree under which she was standing She
then moved on little way and began
to demolish some of the shrubbery. The
keeper thought that this business had
gone quite far enough and he called !:
Fancy" The big beast slowly turned
and obediently came to- his side. The
| children gasped in amazement, and one
| little urchn said: Wonder IL he's her
daddy?" Another answered: "She knows
who her boss is all right" The little ones
| seemed to think that the elephant was
afraid of her keeper.
An Obedient Animal
| 1t was not so. She is naturally docile
! and her nature is really very affection
ate. The children then began to call out
her name when they had something to
| give her, and at each call of Fancy she
would turn her huge bulk in the direction
| of the sound. The calls were coming
from all sides, and Miss Fancy was
turning constantly until the keeper told
them to desist. He feared that Miss
| Fancy would get 'sea sck'' If she was
turned around so much and so fast.
| A curious fact about how tastidious is
Miss Fancy" In her eating was brought
to light yesterday afternoon. The chill
dren were feeding her everything from
bananas to sticks, but she always dropped
the popcorn to the ground. She would
eat peanuts, bag and all. but never did she
allow popcorn to pass within the confines
of her all embracing lips.
| It would perhaps be well for President
Frank w. Smith OF the zoo to ask Miss
Fancy" just what she would prefer as a
/ regular diet before he begins to contract
for her food supply. She might refuse
what he buys.
Mindful of Miss Fancy's'' complaint
about the cold of Saturday night, the
Gipsy Smith auditorium has been made
comfortable. The fire laddies made run
up to the auditorium, nailed tarpaulin
] over every crack in the building and
placed two stoves inside. Chief A. ".
Bennett says that the place is now warm
as toast and very comfortable. 1t is
hoped that the fastidious occupant of the
! building will have no further cause for
complaint. and should she by any chance
complain, the necessary facilities to rec
, tify any fault will be close at hand
Miss Fancy pleased the children and the
children pleased her. Her introduction
was most auspicious, except for the snap
nv weather, and as soon as her future
| home in Avondale park is prepared she
will remove from the building on First
avenue She says it is $50 much nicer to
be in ones own home, anyway"
IHn Tn CIR nT1IC TOD