CHAPTER VIII AN ELEPHANT JUDGE

"Let me go! Oh, please put me down! Where are you taking me?" called the Stuffed Elephant to Nip, the big dog.

 

Nip did not answer. This was not because he could not speak the toy language or the language of Stuffed Elephants. But Nip held Archie's Christmas plaything in his mouth, and you know a dog can't even bark when he has anything in his mouth. He can only growl¹.

 

Now, Nip was not a bad dog. And though he was playing a trick on the Stuffed Elephant, still Nip was not cross enough to do any growling². So he just kept still, and trotted³ along the barn floor, carrying the Elephant.[Pg 88]

 

Nip, being a big dog, had no trouble in carrying the Stuffed Elephant, though the toy was rather large. Stuffed with cotton, as the Elephant was, he was not very heavy, you see.

 

"Stop! Oh, please let me go! Where are you taking me?" asked the Elephant again.

 

But Nip answered never a word. All the dog had said at first was:

 

"I am going to carry you away off!"

 

And he seemed to be doing this.

 

Through the barn he trotted with the Stuffed Elephant in his mouth. The Elephant had never been in this part of the barn before. Archie and Elsie never came here to play. It was too dark, and rather dusty and dirty, with cobwebs hanging down from the walls and ceiling.

 

Down the stairs trotted Nip, still carrying the Elephant. The dog trotted over to a dim and dusty corner, dropped the Christmas toy upside down on the floor and then barked:[Pg 89]

 

"There you are! Now let's see you find your way back! I'll teach you to scare me by making believe your trunk is a snake!"

 

"Oh, but I didn't do that! Really I didn't!" exclaimed the Elephant, as he scrambled⁴ to his feet. He could move about and talk now, because no human eyes were there to watch him. "It was all an accident," he went on. "The wind blew my trunk! I didn't wave it at you to scare you by making you think it was a snake. Really I didn't!"

 

"Yes, you did!" said Nip, and away he ran, soon being lost to sight in the darkness of this part of the barn.

 

For a little while the Stuffed Elephant stood there, swaying slowly to and fro, as real elephants do. He reached out with his trunk and gently touched the wooden walls. He could dimly see things all about him, but he did not know what they were.

 

"Oh, dear!" sighed the poor Stuffed Elephant. "I don't like this at all! I wonder what I had better do?"[Pg 90]

 

He was trying to think, and wondering if he could walk up the stairs and find his way back to the place where Archie had left him before Nip carried him away, when, suddenly, the Stuffed Elephant heard voices talking.

 

"Maybe he could settle it," said one voice.

 

"Well, I'm willing to leave it to him if you are," said a second.

 

"Who is he, anyhow?" asked a third voice.

 

"Oh, he's some sort of animal," went on the first voice. "He isn't an angleworm, I know that much, but just what sort he is I don't know. But he looks smart, and maybe he can settle this dispute for us."

 

"I am a Stuffed Elephant, that's who I am," said Archie's pet, speaking for himself. "And who are you, if you please? I can't see any one, but I hear you talking. Who are you?"

 

"I am the Garden Shovel⁵," answered [Pg 91]the first voice; "and I claim to be the most useful tool in all the world. Without me there never would be any garden, and things would not grow."

 

"Nonsense!" exclaimed the second voice. "I am the Garden Rake, and I claim to be the most useful tool the gardener ever uses. Without me the ground would never be raked nice and smooth, so the seeds could be put in. I should get the prize for being the most useful."

 

"How foolishly you talk!" put in the third voice. "Every one knows that I am entitled to the prize. Talk about shoveling the ground, and raking the ground! What can you two do by yourselves, or together, for that matter, if the ground is hard? Answer me that. You must send for me, you know you must!"

 

"And who are you?" asked the Stuffed Elephant, for this tool had not yet named himself.

 

"I am the Pick," was the answer. "And with my sharp points the hardest ground [Pg 92]can be made soft, so the Rake and the Shovel can work. I am the most useful tool of all."

 

"No, I am!" cried the Rake.

 

"Indeed you are not! I am!" exclaimed the Shovel.

 

"Well, there we are! Just where we started!" complained the Pick. "Why not leave it to this gentleman animal here. What did you say your name was?" he asked politely, and then Archie's toy saw the Pick, the Rake and the Shovel step out from a dark corner and stand in a row before him.

 

"I am the Stuffed Elephant," was the answer. "This is my first visit to this part of the barn. What is it you want me to do?"

 

"If this is your first visit you have never seen any of us before, have you?" asked the Shovel.

 

"Never before did I see any of you," the Elephant replied.

 

"Just the proper one for a Judge!" de[Pg 93]clared the Rake. "He will be honest and fair."

 

"I'm willing to have him if you two are," said the Pick.

 

"What's it all about?" asked the Elephant. "I don't understand. What is a Judge?"

 

"Some one who tells the right from the wrong," answered the Rake. "Listen, Mr. Stuffed Elephant! Get up on that box, for a Judge must be above every one else, and we will tell you what the trouble is."

 

The Elephant got up on a strong, empty onion crate⁶, and stood there with the Shovel, the Rake and the Pick standing⁷ in a row in front of him.

 

"You must say 'Ahem!' and bang on the box, like a real Judge," said the Shovel.

 

"Ahem!" coughed the Elephant, as loudly as he could. Then he took up a piece of wood in the end of his trunk, and banged on the side of the onion crate.[Pg 94]

 

"Now this is like a real court," said the Rake, "and we shall have our quarrel settled."

 

"Oh, have you three been quarreling?" asked the Elephant Judge.

 

"Well, not exactly; and the quarrel is not an angry one," replied the Shovel. "You see," he went on, "we three tools work in the garden. Or, rather, Jake, the man, uses us when he works. Now I claim I am the most useful of the three. Jake always takes me out when there is a bit of ground to be spaded up, or turned over, when he wants to make the garden in the spring. So I think, Mr. Judge Elephant, Your Honor, that I am entitled to the prize."

 

"Hum! Let me see now," said the Elephant, trying to look very wise. "I suppose I must listen to what the others have to say."

 

"Oh, yes, indeed!" exclaimed the Rake. "We must each state our case, as in a real court, and then you shall decide who is [Pg 95]right. Now, for myself—Oh, by the way, had you quite finished?" he asked of the Shovel, politely.

 

"Yes," was the answer, "I think I said enough to have the Elephant Judge give me the prize. Go on, Mr. Rake."

 

"Well," said the Rake, smiling a little to show his teeth, "I claim to be more useful than the Shovel. It is true Jake uses him to turn the ground over. But before the ground can be turned Jake uses me to take away the dead leaves and sticks that are not wanted. And even after the Shovel is used to turn the ground over, no seeds can be planted, and the garden can not really be made, until I am used again to smooth things over. So I claim to be the most useful tool."

 

The Rake stepped back in line with the others, and they all waited for the Elephant to speak.

 

"Ahem!" said the animal judge very loudly. "There is one more to be heard. Proceed, Mr. Pick."[Pg 96]

 

The Pick, who had at least two good points in his favor, stepped forward, made a stiff little bow with his handle, and said:

 

"What my friends Rake and Shovel have told you, of course is true. They are useful, each in his own way. But I do the really hard work of the garden. When the earth is packed hard and dry, so that neither the Shovel nor the Rake can be used, Jake always comes and gets me. I am larger and stronger than either the Rake or the Shovel, though of course the Rake has a longer handle. But it is a very thin handle, and if Jake struck as hard a blow with the Rake as he strikes with me, the Rake's handle would break. And no matter how hard he digs the Shovel into the hard ground, no earth can be turned over until I first loosen it. So I claim the prize."

 

The Pick stepped back in line with the other two, all three bowed politely and waited.[Pg 97]

 

"What am I to do now?" asked the Elephant.

 

"You must act as Judge and tell which of us is the most useful, to decide who gets the prize," said the Rake.

 

"That is it," chimed in the Pick and the Shovel.

 

"This is very hard—very hard indeed," sighed the Elephant. "In fact I never before knew how hard it was to decide between right and wrong. Let me think a minute."

 

He passed his trunk over his head, which was beginning to ache with all the talk he had listened to.

 

"Hum! Let me see now," the Elephant spoke⁸ slowly. "It is true, Mr. Shovel, that you are very useful. Without you the ground could not be turned."

 

"There! See! I told you I'd get the prize!" cried the Shovel.

 

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" trumpeted⁹ the Elephant. "I have not fin[Pg 98]ished. It is also true," he went on, "that the Rake is very useful. Before the Shovel can be used the ground must be raked clean, and after the Shovel has spaded the earth, it must be raked smooth."

 

"There! I knew it! Oh, what a fine Judge! He is going to say I am entitled to the prize!" exclaimed the Rake, laughing.

 

"Not yet! Wait a minute!" cried the Elephant. "I have not finished! I want to say that the Pick used very good arguments. He is right when he says without him, in case the ground is hard, nothing can be done. And he certainly is the strongest, so I think——"

 

"Oh, ho! What did I tell you! I get the prize!" cried the Pick.

 

"Wait a minute! I have not finished!" said the Elephant Judge. "What I was going to say was that before I could decide who wins I must see the prize. What is the prize? Bring it here that I may see it, [Pg 99]and then I will decide who is to get it."

 

 

 

"Oh, the prize!" cried the Shovel.

 

"That's so, we forgot all about it!" gasped¹⁰ the Rake.

 

"What was the prize to be?" asked the Pick. "I declare we did not settle on any. How stupid!"

 

"Until I see the prize I cannot give judgment," said the Elephant; "so the case will have to 'go over,' as I believe they say in Court, until the prize is brought here. Stop disputing now, and get me the prize!"

 

"Yes! Yes! The prize! The prize!" cried the Rake, the Shovel and the Pick, and away they scurried¹¹.

 

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" laughed another voice in the corner whence had come the three tools.

 

"What silly chaps!" came in another voice.

 

"To forget the most important thing of all—the prize!" added another.

 

"Who are you, if you please?" asked [Pg 100]the Elephant, stepping down off the onion crate.

 

"I'm the Hoe," was the answer of the first. "If I had wished I could have told how useful I am. In fact, I think I will have a try for the prize."

 

"I'm just as much entitled to it as you are," some one else said. "You needn't think you can get ahead of me!"

 

"Who are you?" asked the Elephant.

 

"The Wheelbarrow," was the reply. "You ought to see the loads I carry. I ought to get the prize!"

 

"What about me?" asked a third voice.

 

"Who are you?" asked the Elephant.

 

"The Lawn Mower¹². Just think what an ugly place this estate would be unless I kept the grass trim and neat. It should be my prize."

 

"Oh, my goodness!" exclaimed the poor Elephant. "If there are to be more disputes, and more evidence in this case, I shall go mad. Stop!" he cried, as the Wheelbarrow, the Hoe, and the Lawn[Pg 101] Mower came forward, all talking at once. "Stop! I will do nothing until I see the prize! Court is adjourned¹³!"

 

And as the Elephant said this the sound of loud barking sounded through the barn.

 

"Oh, maybe that is Nip coming to carry me back," thought the Elephant. "I certainly hope so!"[Pg 102]

 

1 growl   

v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣

参考例句：

• The dog was biting,growling and wagging its tail.那条狗在一边撕咬一边低声吼叫，尾巴也跟着摇摆。
• The car growls along rutted streets.汽车在车辙纵横的街上一路轰鸣。

2 growling   

n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼

参考例句：

• We heard thunder growling in the distance. 我们听见远处有隆隆雷声。
• The lay about the deck growling together in talk. 他们在甲板上到处游荡，聚集在一起发牢骚。

3 trotted   

小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走

参考例句：

• She trotted her pony around the field. 她骑着小马绕场慢跑。
• Anne trotted obediently beside her mother. 安妮听话地跟在妈妈身边走。

4 scrambled   

v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 shovel   

n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出

参考例句：

• He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
• He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。

6 crate   

vt.(up)把…装入箱中；n.板条箱，装货箱

参考例句：

• We broke open the crate with a blow from the chopper.我们用斧头一敲就打开了板条箱。
• The workers tightly packed the goods in the crate.工人们把货物严紧地包装在箱子里。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 trumpeted   

大声说出或宣告（trumpet的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Soldiers trumpeted and bugled. 士兵们吹喇叭鸣号角。
• The radio trumpeted the presidential campaign across the country. 电台在全国范围大力宣传总统竞选运动。

10 gasped   

v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要

参考例句：

• She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
• People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 scurried   

v.急匆匆地走( scurry的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She said goodbye and scurried back to work. 她说声再见，然后扭头跑回去干活了。
• It began to rain and we scurried for shelter. 下起雨来，我们急忙找地方躲避。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 mower   

n.割草机

参考例句：

• We need a lawn mower to cut the grass.我们需要一台草坪修剪机来割草。
• Your big lawn mower is just the job for the high grass.割高草时正需要你的大割草机。

13 adjourned   

（使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The court adjourned for lunch. 午餐时间法庭休庭。
• The trial was adjourned following the presentation of new evidence to the court. 新证据呈到庭上后，审讯就宣告暂停。