| Show THE l FICTION CORNER I AND AN ELEPHANT By y WILLIAM CUTHBERT II UH H UH Daddy could see It coining coming com com- coming 4 ing again I He Ho had just settled down to read the evening paper I when Barbara climbed on one knee k and George Henry took possession of the other He let the newspaper drop to the floor He couldn't read with a pair If of ot heads in front of ot his eyes t 1 How old am I Daddy Barbars Barbara Bar Bar- bars bara asked This was better than Daddy had hoped for tor He was expecting something something some some- thIn thing else be three next month he told her He thought that if it he used a littie little little lit lit- tle tie child psychology he could keep the ch childrens children's Idren's thoughts on their ages and birthday parties Instead i of having them think of that other thing Youre five George Henry Henry Hershe Hen Hers ry he said soon bo be going goings s I to school 1 George Henry said bluntly tell tellus us as a story I I Here it was that other thing that he could see coming Not now Daddy groaned I dont don't feel teel like telling a story The three bears heh George Henry Barbara chimed In They settled back expectantly In Daddys Daddy's arms Their flannel pajamas pajamas pa pa- f jamas were soft and warm as hist his s t arms embraced them Once upon a time tune there was three bears Barbara prompted What could Daddy do He shrugged his shoulders hopelessly The three bears lived in a cabin at the edge of a n woods No Goldilocks George Henry said tell telI us about the three bears and an elephant An elephant Daddy didn't feel teel like plotting a new story It will have to be Goldilocks he said Barbara clapped her little chubby chubby chubby chub chub- by hands Goody she cried what does the elephant do in the story tory Daddy I But I dont don't know any elephant story Remember the one you read out of the book that you wrote This was George Henry trying to refresh his Daddys Daddy's memory Daddy tried to think over the juvenile stories that he had written and had had published He couldn't 1 place an elephant story that had anything to do with three bears No Daddy it wasn't In the book George Henry suddenly reS remembered remembered remembered re- re S you just told it to us l fj The easiest thing to do Daddy f decided was to make up a story 7 r then rush the children of off to bed k During the day he continued the sun shone bright on the cabin and kept the three bears warm What was the bears' bears names I Barbara wanted to know R There could be no question about z II the names Whether it was bears pigs ducks or rabbits the names had to be the same i One bears bear's name was Barbara t another George Henry and the theW W third Sally t rl Sally was the childrens children's eight eight- year-old year sister She had just started started start- start t ed to take violin l lessons and Daddy could hear her in her bedroom trying trying try- try ing to squeak some some notes out of the r G string I 1 J I As I was saying the bears were 1 kept warm in the daytime by the I hot sun But at night when the sun sunti ti went to sleep it got very cold and I the bears had to keep a fire in the I hearth of the open fire place 1 The telephone bell rang and as the childrens children's mother came from the the kitchen to answer It Daddy remaIned remained re- re maimed silent This was a rule inthe In Inthe inthe the home No one talked while someone else was speaking on the telephone I II 1 The children hugged against Daddy Dad Dad- dy He thought they might go to sleep Their mother talked for tor several minutes Daddy gathered from the things she said that she was giving Mrs Piper a neighbor who lived up the street a recipe for tor cheese pie When his wife wite went back to the kitchen Daddy looked at the chil chil- dren Their eyes were closed Ah no more story telling tonight he thought George Henry opened sleepy eyes So the three bears had to keep a fire at night night- night night- Daddy began to talk softly soot sooth sooth- This would put the children sound to sleep The bears had to have wood for tor their fire so everyday every everyday day they went into the woods to chop down n a tree Louder Dadd Daddy Barbara told him I can hardly hear you George Henry wiggled a bit and asked Wheres the elephant The elephant Daddy had forgotten forgotten forgotten for for- gotten there was supposed to be an elephant The elephant uh well we'll get to him i the bears had togo to togo togo go to the woods for fire wood One day Sally bear was chopping down downa a tree It was a big tree for most of the small trees had already been burned and she became tired George Henry bear took the axe and began to chop chop chop-chop-chop chop chop What about the elephant Daddy Daddy Daddy Dad Dad- dy It was Barbara this time Suddenly the bears heard another er sound in the woods George Henry Henry Henry Hen Hen- ry bear stopped chopping to listen Thump Thump Thump-thump-thump thump thump All three bears were startled They never heard this noise before Barbara smiled Here comes the elephant Daddy ignored the interruption George Henry bear dropped the axe and the three bears ran as fast as they could back to their cabin and they locked themselves in in George Henry sat up straight all sleep disappearing from his bright blue eyes Did the elephant chase them Daddy he asked Daddy sighed d deeply and said sternly Will you two settle down and all allow w me to tell the story Meekly George Henry settled back In Daddys Daddy's arm That night It was very cold and the bears had no wood to burn They huddled near the damp fireplace fire fireplace fireplace place and almost froze I The poor bears Barbara mum mum- bled She he looked like she might cry The next day Daddy said hurriedly hur hurt rigidly the bears decided that the they just had to have wood so the they went back among the trees After Aftel they made sure that no other ani mal was in sight Sally bear picked up the axe and began to chop- chop chop chop chop Please Daddy tell us about the elephant George Henry held hi hh his hand against his mouth to hold back backa a yawn But before long the thumping noise again rang out in the woods Thump Thump thump thump The bears bear were too frightened to run this time and suddenly a big animal stuck its head and long trunk between be tween two trees and glanced bewildered bewildered be be- at the three shivering bears Barbara clapped her hands The elephant she cried Let it be a good elephant heb Daddy George Henry said All right it was a good elephant elephant ele and it asked the bears why they were frightened None of the 4 2 i v vi ih i fi f WW L N I O rM I Jp 5 4 1 George Henry enry said bluntly tell us a story bears dared to speak so the elephant elephant elephant ele ele- looked around and saw that they had been chopping at the tree So the elephant chopped the tree down for them George Henry Henry Henry Hen Hen- ry volunteered Daddy smiled This would be better better better bet bet- ter than bringing in a lot of complications complications complications com com- and would get the children children children chil chil- dren to bed in a hurry Yes the elephant took the axe In his trunk and chopped the tree into small pieces The bears then saw that the elephant was a friend so each gathered an arm load of wood while the elephant took a big load in his trunk and they all went back to the cabin Is that all Daddy Barbara wanted to know Not quite The elephant was so big that it couldn't go through thedoor the thedoor thedoor door of the cabin and when night came it had to stay out in the cold while hile the bears kept warm near the fire G GEORGE EORGE HENRY could hardly keep his eyes open but he said Let the good elephant go Inside near the fire Daddy Daddy thought for a moment How could he get the elephant inside inside inside in in- side Suddenly he knew how The following morning the bears were so sorry for tor the elephant that they got out all their carpenter tools and busily went to work Did they build another cabin Barbara asked this although Daddy Daddy Daddy Dad Dad- dy thought she was asleep No they Just made a bigger doorway doorway and and the three bears and the elephant lived happily together er ever after Barbara and George Henry slept peacefully as Daddy carried them upstairs and put them in their beds Then Daddy went downstairs picked up the newspaper and settled settled set set- tied back in his chair But he didn't read the newspaper It dropped to the floor as he closed his eyes and andI I went to sleep I |
