The rest of the
time he could eat or sleep, except when the circus moved from place to
place. Then he would have to help the other elephants push the heavy
wagons up on the railroad trains. But Tum Tum did not mind this.

What he liked, best of all, was to stand in the animal tent, before and
after his trick performances, and watch the children and grown people
come in to look at him and the other animals. Some of the little
children seemed afraid of the elephants, but when Tum Tum saw one of
these frightened little tots, he would just put out his trunk, and
gently stroke some other little boy or girl, so as to show how gentle he
was. Then the frightened one's mother or father would say:

"See, the good elephant will not hurt you. Come, give him some peanuts
or popcorn."

Then the child would hand Tum Tum a peanut, and Tum Tum would eat it
with a twinkle in his little eyes.

Of course Tum Tum would much rather have had a whole bag full of peanuts
at a time, for he could put them all in his mouth, and more, at once.

Still, Tum Tum was glad enough to get single peanuts at a time, and
though it was hard work to chew a single one in his big mouth, just as
it would be hard for you to chew just one grain of sugar, still Tum Tum
was very polite, and he never refused to take the single peanuts.

"A big ball of popcorn makes something pretty good to chew on," said Tum
Tum to one of the elephants chained near him. "I like that, don't you?"

"Indeed I do," the elephant said. "We never got anything as nice as
popcorn and peanuts in the jungle, did we?"

"No," answered Tum Tum, thinking of the days in the dense jungle. Tum
Tum wondered what had become of Mr. Boom and where his father and
mother, and his other elephant friends, might be.

"I suppose they are still back in the lumber yard, piling up teakwood
logs," thought Tum Tum. "I am glad I am in the circus, even if I did
have to be pulled up with a rope to make me learn how to stand on my
head and my hind legs."

Tum Tum could do many other tricks besides these now, and he was such a
jolly old elephant, always doing as he was told without any grumbling,
that all the circus men liked him.

If there was anything hard to do, or any trick that none of the other
elephants could go through, Tum Tum was sure to be called on.

"He is the smartest elephant of all," his keeper would say, and this
made Tum Tum feel very proud and happy.

One day there was much excitement in