Author of The Cowardly Lion of Oz, "The Wizard of Pumperdink," "King, King! Double King!" etc.
Originally published in the Pittsburg Press, May 23, 1915.
“Ho, Oliver Elephant, I can tell you a secret if you give me that new red tie you have on!” Mini Monkey winked her wicked little eyes and swung slowly to and fro by her tail—“A GREAT secret, Oliver Elephant!”
The big little elephant looked doubtfully first at the mischievous monkey and then at his new tie. “What kind of a secret, Mini?—this is a BEAUTIFUL tie. I don’t believe you know this—I don’t believe it!” and Oliver Elephant began to walk slowly away.
“Oooo—ooh! Listen!—I’ll tell you the secret first and THEN if it is all right you can give me the tie,” said Mini artfully, and making a flying leap through the air she landed on Oliver Elephant’s broad head and whispered in his huge ear. What she said I have no idea—for I only heard the word “fly”—but it MUST have been a pretty fine secret, for Oliver tore off his treasured tie without so much as a wink, and ran home as fast as his legs would carry him (which was pretty fast, I can tell you).
After that strange things went on in Oliver’s woodshed. To Tommy Tapir alone Oliver told the wonderful secret, and every minute the two cousins could spare they hammered and sawed and pasted and planned until Mother Elephant really became quite curious. “What ARE you doing, Oliver Elephant?” she asked one morning when Oliver came in with the end of his trunk almost pounded into a jelly. (Tommy Tapir had pounded it with the hammer instead of the board Oliver was holding for him.) “Just makin’ things,” said Oliver with a wink at Tommy, and Mother Elephant seeing that it was a VERY important secret did not ask any more questions.
Finally everything was finished and Tommy and Oliver Elephant could hardly sit quiet during school hours so anxious were they to try the secret. In fact, they were so restless and looked out the window so much, and asked each other so many times whether it was going to stay clear that they were both kept after school and lectured severely by Professor Bear, who could not understand what an important thing was about to happen. But at last the school bell rang, the longed-for time came and the two, staggering under their heavy bundle (which they had carefully tied up the day before), went deep into the woods and climbed a high cliff which overlooked a beautiful lake.
Here, after a great deal of fussing and fuming and “ouches” and “ohs,” Oliver stood resplendent in a huge pair of paper wings with heavy wooden frames. He looked to funny and so top-heavy that Tommy Tapir rolled on the ground with glee. “I don’t see anything to laugh at, Tommy Tapir. If I had known you would do that I would never have told you. Here, you try it yourself if you think it is so funny,” and Oliver Elephant began to unstrap the wings. At this Tommy grew quiet. “Don’t, Oliver,” he said. You—you’ll spoil everything.” But he had to laugh again when Oliver Elephant tried to walk—he certainly was top-heavy. Now Oliver Elephant was not afraid, but the laughter of Tommy made him nervous and when he looked down at the lake it made him dizzy—so closing his eyes hurriedly, he leaped from the cliff. Down, down, down he went so fast that both ears blew out like huge sails, and before he could get his breath he hit the water with a resounding smack and disappeared. Tommy, who had confidently expected him to fly, ran panting for help, and returned in a few minutes with Father and Uncle Abner Elephant at his heels. All that they could see of Oliver Elephant was the end of his trunk sticking out of the water, and it took all three to tow him to shore and untangle the wings.
“Now, perhaps, you will be kind enough to explain what all this nonsense was about,” said Father Elephant sternly while he patched up Oliver’s ear which had been badly torn on the broken wing. “Well, you see,” began Tommy, anxious to shield Oliver Elephant. “Mini Monkey told me a great secret—I gave her my new tie for it—but it wasn’t a secret—it was a story,” sobbed Oliver Elephant. “What did she tell you?” asked Father Elephant with a twinkle in his eye. “She said, ‘Cobrada, the wise old snake, told me today that the only reason you could not fly was because YOU DIDN’T HAVE WINGS,’” “Well, that part was true—what else did she say?” Father Elephant asked again, as Oliver hesitated. “She said, ‘Why don’t you MAKE a pair?’—and I did—but I didn’t fly, I just flopped—and I hurt myself, and—just wait until I catch Mini Monkey!”
How They Do It in Supposyville
Ten turkeys roasting on the spit,
With twenty cooks to mind ’em,
To beat up paste, to baste and taste
With ne’er a look behind ’em!
Ten serving men in gold and lace
And silver pantaloons,
Setting the royal table out
With silver forks and spoons.
Ten pages running to and fro
Between the cooks and King;
Ten fiddlers tuning up, besides
Ten minstrels gay to sing!
Who says Supposyville lacks cheer
Thanksgiving time? My heart, dear!
I swear that there they have more fun
Than we could ever start here.
Not only in the palace is
A royal feast preparing,
But every little cottage there
The festival is sharing.
Up every chimney curls the smoke,
And mingled with such savor
The birds hang round to just absorb
The rich, delightful flavor.
And after dinner all the folks
Go calling on the King,
And those that know a clever trick,
And those who dance or sing,
Delight the company by their art.
Heighho! what merry capers
They cut up there—pshaw! I declare—
With riddles, rhymes and tapers.
“My dear Supposies, just a few
Remarks before you go,”
The quaint King cleared his throat; “Thanksgiving
Comes by once, you know,
“Each year, and as the spirit of
Thanksgiving is so splendid,
I have decided with myself
To have the time extended.
“Please note upon your calendars
The lengthening of the season.
Three hundred days and sixty-four
We all can find a reason
“To celebrate it every day—
For any one a-living
In old Supposyville will find
Each day one BIG Thanksgiving!”
