, was so surprised at what
Flossie had done that neither could say or do anything. They just stood
and looked at the little girl who was walking toward the apple, which lay
in the straw just in front of the big elephant. Nan and Bert, however,
together gave a cry of fear and Bert made a jump as though he intended to
go into the elephant's cage, also.

His father, however, stepped in front of him, and said quietly:

"One child in there is enough at a time. I'll get Flossie!"

And Flossie, not at all thinking of danger, if danger there was, kept
going on to get her apple.

The elephant, as it happened, was chained by one leg to a heavy iron ring
in the side of his cage, and he could move only a short distance. But he
was so anxious to get the apple that he stretched his legs as far as he
could, pulling hard on the chain, and then he stretched out his trunk.

And truly it seemed made of rubber, that elephant's trunk did, from the
way he stuck it out. But, stretch as he did, the elephant could not quite
reach the apple, which he wanted very much.

"No, you mustn't take it!" Flossie was saying. "You can't have my apple! I
was only going to let you smell it, Mr. Elephant. It isn't good for you to
eat it, my mother says. I'll take it back and maybe some day I'll bring
you another."

By this time Flossie was almost within reach of her red-cheeked apple,
but, what was worse, she was also almost within reach of that trunk,
which, however soft and gentle it might seem when picking up a peanut, was
very strong, and could squeeze a big man or a little girl very hard
indeed--that is, if the elephant was a bad one and wanted to do such a
thing.

"Oh, Flossie! Come back! Come back!" cried Mrs. Bobbsey, who had been so
frightened at first that she could not say a word.

"I want to get my apple," answered the little girl. "The elephant can't
have it! I only wanted to let him smell how good it would taste if he
could eat it."

She was stooping over now, to pick up the fruit, and the tip of the long
trunk was brushing the fluffy hair on Flossie's head. Nan covered her face
with her hands, and Bert looked eagerly about, as though for something to
throw at the big animal.

Mr. Bobbsey was climbing over the rail that was in front of the elephant's
cage, and the people around were calling and shouting.

The elephant really did have the end of one of Flossie's curls on the tip
of his trunk, when along came one of the keepers, or a