“‘Yes, in a way,’ assented Gray Ears, ‘but, on the other hand, I am sure the children, the grown-ups, and even the ringmaster will enjoy their lark in the woods even though they return without you. Thus no inconvenience has come to them, you will go back to your place in the late evening and, in the meantime, perform a most charitable act by lending me your merry company for a few hours. For, to be perfectly frank, I, too, am a runaway and a rather lonesome one.’
“‘You don’t mean that you are’—I began with some excitement.
“‘A circus elephant,’ finished Gray Ears. ‘None other than the mightiest and most marvelous of all pachyderms and easily the leading feature of the mammoth menagerie of the Very Biggest Circus.’
“And he voiced these mile-long words with so much impressiveness that had he worn a waistcoat I am sure he would have thrust his thumb-toes into the armholes of it.
“Here was an adventure! A meeting with one who came from the great, great circus of which I, who had ever been with the smallest, had heard and dreamed of, yet never seen!
“‘But, in the woods—you—I don’t understand—’ I puzzled.
“‘My dear fellow,’ returned Gray Ears as he waved in the direction of the very tallest trees, ‘do you suppose that you are the only one who feels the call? Besides, I had been told that a specially interesting variety of the pistache de terre was to be found in this part of the woods. So I laid my plans and, While we were at the railroad yards? last night awaiting our turn to go into our cars, I walked softly away along the shadowy places, kept to the back streets of the town and so finally reached the open country. But as to the earth-nut that is said to be found hereabouts, a whole morning’s search has failed to discover even a single vine.
“‘You see,’ he continued, with a great show of-vanity, ‘I have the largest collection of the pistache de terre in existence.’ And spreading his toes apart, two at a time, and burrowing into the openings with the tip of his trunk, he began to take something from each. And then, what do you suppose he finally laid in a heap on the top of the tree stump?”
“What?” cried all the animals in excited chorus.
“Peanuts!” answered Diggeldy Dan. “Just ordinary, everyday, circus peanuts. And after all those long words, too! At least, that was What they looked like to me. And so, never thinking, I blurted, ‘Oh, peanuts!’ (no doubt with a look of disappointment, for I had expected something quite wonderful) and then added, ‘No thank you; I don’t believe I care for any just now. But don’t let that keep you from having some.’