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45 pages

English

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The Story of a Stuffed Elephant is another winner from the masterminds of timeless juvenile fiction at the Stratemeyer Syndicate, the twentieth century group responsible for classics such as The Bobbsey Twins, The Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew. In this charming tale intended for younger audiences, the rich inner life of a humble stuffed elephant is revealed.

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Children's

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Publié par	The Floating Press
Date de parution	01 février 2014
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781776531998
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0100€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

THE STORY OF A STUFFED ELEPHANT
* * *
LAURA LEE HOPE

*
The Story of a Stuffed Elephant First published in 1922 Epub ISBN 978-1-77653-199-8 Also available: PDF ISBN 978-1-77653-200-1 © 2013 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
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Chapter I - The Elephant and the Mouse Chapter II - The Man and the Elephant Chapter III - Up in the Attic Chapter IV - Christmas Fun Chapter V - In the Barn Chapter VI - A Dangerous Slide Chapter VII - The Big Dog Chapter VIII - An Elephant Judge Chapter IX - Out in the Rain Chapter X - A Voyage Home
Chapter I - The Elephant and the Mouse
*
"Oh, how large he is!"
"Isn't he? And such wonderfully strong legs!"
"See his trunk, too! Isn't it cute! And he is well stuffed! This isreally one of the best toys that ever came into our shop, Geraldine;don't you think so?"
"Yes, Angelina. I must call father to come and look at him. He will makea lovely present for some boy or girl—I mean this Stuffed Elephant willmake a lovely present, not our father!" and Miss Angelina Mugg smiled ather sister across the big packing box of Christmas toys they wereopening in their father's store.
"Oh, no! Of course we wouldn't want father to be given away as a toy!"laughed Geraldine. "But this Stuffed Elephant—oh, I just love him!"
Miss Geraldine Mugg caught up the rather large toy animal and hugged ittightly in her arms.
"Be careful!" called her sister. "You may break him!"
"Oh, he's just a Stuffed Elephant!" laughed Geraldine. "I mean he hasn'tany works inside him to wind up. He's just full of cotton! But I ambeginning to like him more than I care for some of the toys that do windup. I almost wish I were small again, so I could have this Elephant formyself!"
"He is nice," admitted Angelina.
"Well, I'm glad they like me," thought the Stuffed Elephant to himself,for just now he was not allowed to speak out loud or move around, as theMake Believe toys could do at certain times. But these times were whenno eyes of boys, girls, men or women were looking.
It was mainly at night, after the store was closed for the day, that thetoys had their fun—talking to one another, moving about, doing tricks,and the like of that. Now all that the Stuffed Elephant could do was tostand on his four sturdy legs, with his tail on one end, and his trunk,almost like a second tail, at the other end of his body.
He had two white tusks sticking out on either side of his trunk, and atfirst you might have thought these tusks were toothpicks. But they werenot. An elephant's tusks are really teeth, grown extra long so he candig up the roots of trees and the plants on which he feeds.
But a Stuffed Elephant doesn't dig with his tusks, of course. He neverhas to eat, being already stuffed, you know. And the Elephant in thisstory was well stuffed with cotton.
"I am sure this Elephant is going to be one of our very nicest Christmastoys," went on Miss Geraldine Mugg, as she lifted more playthings fromthe big box that had come from the workshop of Santa Claus at the Northpole.
"Yes, I wish we had more like him," added Miss Angelina.
The two ladies helped their father, Mr. Horatio Mugg, in his toy store.It was a delightful place for children, and many a boy and girl wouldhave been glad to stay all day in the "Mugg Toy Shop," as the big signout in front named the place.
"Well, here are some more of those China Cats," went on Miss Geraldine,as she lifted some white pussies from the box.
"Oh, aren't they darling!" exclaimed her sister. "Do you remember thefirst China Cat we had?"
"Indeed I do! It was bought for a little girl named Jennie. And she toldme, only the other day, that her China Cat had had ever so manyadventures!"
"The dear child! The children, I believe, really think their toys arealive, and can move about!"
"Of course we can, only you don't know it, and you never see us!"whispered the Stuffed Elephant to himself.
And then he winked one eye at a China Cat—an eye that neither Angelinanor Geraldine saw blinking. Gracious! how surprised the two ladies wouldhave been to see a Stuffed Elephant winking one eye at a China Cat.
But stranger things than that are going to happen, I promise you!
"Be careful, Geraldine! Be careful!" suddenly cried Angelina, as hersister arose from stooping over the box, and started toward the shelveswith an armful of toys.
"What's the matter?"
"Why, you nearly stepped on the Stuffed Elephant!"
"Oh, I'm glad that it didn't really happen! We have only one toy likehim, and it would never do to have him crushed all out of shape beforehe is sold for Christmas. I forgot that we left him standing on thefloor. Gracious, but he's a big fellow!" she exclaimed.
"I'll lift him up on the shelf," Angelina said.
She picked up the Stuffed Elephant. Really he was one of the largesttoys that had ever come from the workshop of Santa Claus. And he was avery finely made toy, only the best cotton and cloth having been used.
"Does he squeak?" asked Geraldine, as she saw her sister set thecreature with trunk and tusks on a broad shelf.
"Squeak? Goodness, of course not! What made you think that?"
"Well, some of the toy animals have a squeaker inside them, and make anoise when you press it. I was thinking perhaps the elephant had asqueaker."
"No. If he had anything he would have a sort of trumpet in him," saidAngelina. "Real elephants make a trumpeting noise through their trunks,but of course a stuffed one can't!"
"Oh, ho! You just wait until it gets dark and this toy shop is closed!"whispered the Stuffed Elephant to himself. "Then I'll show you whether Ican trumpet or not. Though I forgot. I can't show you nor let you hear,it isn't allowed. But after the store is closed we'll have some fun!"
Toy after toy was taken from the big packing box. There were SawdustDolls, Candy Rabbits, Tin Soldiers, Plush Bears and a Monkey on aStick—just like other toys of the same name who had had manyadventures, and about whom stories like this have been written.
As the toys were taken out of the box they were placed on the shelves inMr. Mugg's store. This was in a back room, for the toys had yet to besorted and looked over, to make sure each one was all right, beforethey were put in the front part of the store to be sold.
Mr. Mugg had a larger and finer store than the one before the fire, whenthe China Cat had so nearly been melted by the great heat. And, having alarger store, Mr. Mugg bought larger Christmas playthings, such as theStuffed Elephant.
Finally all the new toys were taken from the box and placed around onthe shelves. While Angelina and Geraldine had been doing this, theirfather was in the front part of the store, waiting on customers. After abit, when it grew dark outside, and the lights were lit inside thestore, Mr. Mugg locked the front door and came back into the rear room.
"I think we have worked enough for to-day," the toy man told hisdaughters. "We will wait until to-morrow before looking over the newthings and marking prices on them. I am tired and want to go to bed."
"Good!" thought the Stuffed Elephant. "That is, I'm not glad Mr. Mugg istired," he went on, in his thoughts; "but I'm glad he is going to bed soI can move about and talk to some of my toy friends. It's been no fun tobe shut up in that box ever since I came from the shop of Santa Claus."
A little later the store was in darkness, except for a small lightburning near the safe, so the passing policeman could look and see thatno burglars were breaking into it.
"Hello, everybody!" suddenly called the Stuffed Elephant, waving histrunk around in the air. "How are you all?"
"Who is that speaking?" asked a Nodding Donkey, a toy whose head keptmoving all the while, as it was fastened on a pivot.
"A new chap—a Stuffed Elephant," answered a Jumping Jack, who wore ablue and yellow cap.
"A Stuffed Elephant! Let me see him! I never heard of such a creature!"brayed the Nodding Donkey, and he slid along the shelf to get a betterview.
For it was the mystic hour when the Make Believe toys could pretend tobe alive—when they could move about and talk.
"Here I am, right over here!" trumpeted the Stuffed Elephant, and ifMiss Geraldine and Miss Angelina, or even Mr. Mugg, could have heard himthey would have been very much surprised.
"Oh, you have two tails!" cried the Nodding Donkey.
"No, only one," said the Stuffed Elephant. "The other is my trunk. Itreally is a long nose, but it is called a trunk."
"Is there anything inside it?" asked a Calico Clown.
"Nothing but air—I breathe through my trunk," the Stuffed Elephantanswered. "But I, myself, am filled with the very best cotton, lots andlots of it! Have you cotton inside you?" he asked the Donkey.
"No, I'm wood clear through," was the reply. "But as long as you are anew toy, let me welcome you among us. We are glad to see you. What isthe latest news from the land of Santa Claus?"
"Well, let me see. So many things happen up there that I hardly knowwhere to start to tell you about them," replied the Stuffed Elephant."In the first place—"
"I'm stuffed, too!" suddenly interrupted a high, squeaky voice. "OnlyI'm stuffed with sawdust. Here I am, over here!"
"Yes, Miss Sawdust Doll, we see you," brayed the Nodding Donkey. "Butplease don't interrupt the Stuffed Elephant. He is going to tell usabout Santa Claus, and I want to hear, as it is some time since I camefrom the North Pole."
"Well, I can tell you as well as that Stuffed Elephant can," went