t meant: "You just watch me,
if you please, and you'll see."

Then Tum Tum just pulled and pulled as hard on that tree, and up he
pulled it by the roots. Right out of the ground the big elephant pulled
the tree, and then, holding it in his strong trunk, he tipped it over so
the top branches were close to the children on his back.

And, tangled in the branches were the cords of the toy balloons, that
still bobbed about.

[Illustration: Right out of the ground the big elephant pulled the tree.
Page 98]

"Oh, look!" cried the boy. "Here are our balloons, sister!"

"Oh, so they are!" exclaimed the little girl. "Oh, what a good elephant
he is to get our balloons back for us!"

"I should say he was!" cried the papa. "That is a smart elephant you
have," he said to the keeper.

"Yes, Tum Tum is very good and smart," said the circus man. He reached
over, loosed the strings of the balloons from the tree branch, and gave
the ends of the cords to the children.

"Now you may let go of the tree, Tum Tum," the man said to the elephant,
and Tum Tum dropped the tree on the ground.

"Oh, papa, the elephant was so good to us, can't we buy him a bag of
peanuts?" asked the little girl.

"I guess so," answered her papa, with a laugh.

"And may I buy him some popcorn balls?" asked the boy.

"Oh, yes, but I hope Tum Tum doesn't become ill from all that sweet
stuff," said the papa.

"Oh, I guess he won't--he's used to being fed by the children," the
circus man said.

When Tum Tum heard the boy and girl talking about getting him good
things to eat, the big elephant felt very glad. For he was such a big
fellow that he was nearly always hungry, and, no matter how many
peanuts or popcorn balls he had, he was always willing to eat more.

It was now nearly time for the circus to begin, and Tum Tum was led back
toward the tent, the children still riding on his back, holding tightly
to the strings of their balloons. They were not going to lose them a
second time, if they could help it.

Near the tent was the same peanut man whose stand had nearly burned up
the time Tum Tum put out the blaze with water from his trunk. The boy
and girl bought two bags full of peanuts from this man, and from another
man they bought popcorn balls. These they fed to Tum Tum, who reached
out his trunk for them, and put them into his mouth.

"Good-by, Tum Tum!" called the little girl to him, waving one hand,
while in the other she held her balloon.

"G