THE BABY'S NURSE by Pansy

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · May 28, 1902

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 28, No. 22.

THE BABY'S NURSE.

By Pansy

“Yes,” said Mr. Hillier, as he carefully dug around my pansy bed, “O, yes'm, I've seen elephants in India many a time. I was stationed at one point, with the English army, you know, where I saw one who used to take care of the children.”

“Take care of the children! How could it be? What do you mean?”

“Well, he did, ma'am. It was wonderful what that elephant knew. The first time I made his acquaintance he gave me a blow that I had reason to remember. I was on duty in the yard, and the colonel's little child was playing about, and she kept running too near, I thought, to the elephant's feet. I was afraid he would put his great clumsy feet on her by mistake, so I made up my mind to carry her to a safer place. I stooped to pick her up, and the next thing I knew I had had a knock which sent me flat on the ground. That elephant had hit me with his trunk. One of the servants came along just then and helped me up, and when I told him about it, said he, ‘I wonder the old fellow didn't kill you. It isn't safe for anybody to interfere with that baby when he has it in his charge. I have you to know that he is that baby's nurse.’”

“Well, I thought he was just saying it for sport, but sure enough, after a while the nurse came out with the child fast asleep in her arms, and what did she do but lay it in the elephant's trunk as tho it had been a cradle! And the great fellow stood there for more than an hour watching that baby and rocking it gently now and then!”

“He was real good to the other children, too. It used to be his business to take the family out riding. The colonel's lady would come out and mount to her cushioned seat on his back, and then one by one the three children would be given to the elephant, and he would hand them up to the mother nicer than any nurse or servant could, you know, because he could reach, and knew how to do it. O, an elephant is an uncommonly handy nurse when he is trained to the business, and faithful, I tell you. You can trust him every time.”—Pansy.