Page:Dumbo (1939).pdf/5

FIVE—POLTENSON—5488

Dumbo didn’t mind. He would have once.

But he didn’t any more. He had a wonderful lan!

F Soon the arena was so full of boys and girls

and grown-ups, that there wasn’t one empty

seat.

‘Vhe big show began. The clowns were never funnier. The colors were never brighter. The music was never louder.

There were trapeze performers, trained seals, bareback riders, acrobats, and lion tamers.

“Boom,” went the Big Drum. That was the signal for the elephants to enter the Big Arena. - The man with the shiny, high black hat,

é the ringmaster, walked to the center of the big “ring. He announced, “LADE-E-EZ AND GENTLEMEN, INTRODUCING THE WORLD’S GREATEST ELEPHANT ACT, LED BY THE WONDER~ELE- PHANT, BIG BOY!”

The elephants trotted in. Each one held the tail of the elephant in front.

And just after the last elephant entered the big center ring, a strange thing happened. The STRANGEST THING that ever happened at any circus anywhere.

A midget elephantsuddenly FLEWIN. He used his extra-big-bright-pink ears for wings. A little boy saw him first and shouted, “Oooh look! There’s that funny midget elephant!” Then all the people stood up and pointed and shouted |

The circus performers STOPPED per- forming! The man on the flying trapeze STOPPED flying! The bareback riders STOPPED riding! The tumblers STOPPED tumbling! And the clowns STOPPED clown- ing!

nigh overhead, the midget elephant flew in dips and spirals. He looped-the-loop. He darted in and out among the trapezes. Oh, ever so easily he flew. Ever so gracefully he soared. Ever so wonderfully he showed his many flying stunts.

The children and grown-ups AP- PLAUDED and LAUGHED and SHOUTED and APPLAUDED some more. The other elephants were astonished. They couldn’t believe their eyes. They just BLINKED and BLINKEDand BLINKED in amazement.

Big Boy didn’t know what to think. He said, “Who is this flying creature?” (Of course, YOU know it was DUMBO.)

Though she was very much surprised, Mother Ella knew, too. For what other ele- phant had such extra-big-bright-pink ears? What other elephant was so tiny?

And there was someone else who knew, too. Red. He was sitting high on a pole, cheering because Dumbo’s wonderful plan had worked out

Well, you can imagine what a sensation Dumbo was. Everyone in New York was say- ing, “Have you heard about DUMBO, THE FLYING ELEPHANT? Have you seen him at the circus? He’s the biggest sensation of all time!”

There were never enough seats for the peo- ple who wanted to see him. But they didn’t mind standing. And as soon as the show started, they always shouted: “We want Dumbo! Bring on Dumbo! WE WANT DUMBO— THE FLYING ELEPHANT!”

And Dumbo always had to come out and fly again and again and again.

Mother Ella didn’t have to work any more. She forgot all about her wish for a giant son Jumbo. She was the happiest and proudest elephant in the world just being the mother of DUMBO—THE ONLY FLYING ELE- PHANT IN CAPTIVITY. (That’s what all the circus posters and all the newspapers said about him.)

Mother Ella was given a nice new pen. And all the people looked at her and remarked with wonder, “‘She’s the mother of DUMBO, THE FLYING ELEPHANT!”

Big Boy and the other elephants were sorry they had made fun of Dumbo. Jack, the ele- phant trainer, was sorry he had been mean to Dumbo, They all apologized. And Dumbo said, “I forgive you all.”

Now that he was the Eighth Wonder of the world, Dumbo saw that his friend Red had a box seat at the circus every day. And he saw that Red had plenty of peanuts and popcorn and pink lemonade.

Every time Dumbo flew past Red’s box dur- ing the show, he winked at Red. Red winked back, And he gleefully chirped, “We showed ‘em, Dumbo! We showed ’em!”

Sometimes on his day off, Dumbo flies about in the sky. Maybe he'll fly over your house, one day. So, if you should see a creature larger than a giant bird, but smaller than an airplane, high in the sky—don’t be astonished. It will be our good friend DUMBO—THE FLYING ELEPHANT, who proved to the big wide world that anything is possible, even for an elephant, if you think about it long enough and try, try, and try again.

“Oh, my,” chuckled Dumbo, “I’m so happy!”

And you would be, too, if you were a midget elephant whose extra-big-bright-pink ears could be used for wings.

“Oh, my,” laughed Dumbo to himself, ‘I’m so lucky!”

And you'd feel that way, too, if you were the greatest sensation of the Biggest Show on Earth, and people came from miles and miles around to see you.

Now, wouldn’t you? |