OCTOBER 17: The Lion Babies
“I have a true circus story to tell you this evening,” said daddy.
“It’s to be a strange story, because it is to be about a mother dog who looked after some lion babies.”
“A mother dog who looked after lions?” shouted the children.
“Yes,” said daddy, “and you remember I said it was true.
“One time in the circus a mother Lioness grew very, very sick.
“‘I am afraid she will not live,’ said the Keeper.
“‘But whatever will happen to her dear little Lion Babies?’ asked another man.
“‘I’m sure I don’t know,’ said the Keeper. ‘We will just have to do the best we can. I have watched her with them a good deal and perhaps I can look after them.’
“‘She is so fond of them,’ said the other man. ‘What a pity it is she can’t live.’
“The Lioness seemed to know she could not live. Over and over again she kissed her little Lion Babies with her tongue. And when she opened her mouth, her great, cruel teeth could be seen—but the little babies didn’t know their mother had teeth—so gentle was she with them.
“And the Lion Babies nestled close to their mother, and by the little, soft growls they made, they were trying to say, ‘How we love you, mother! Your fur is so warm, so soft. You are so good to us, mother. How we love you!’
“SO OFF THEY SAILED, FEELING JUST LIKE BIRDS WITH THE DELIGHTFUL FLYING MOTION OF THE SHIPS”—Page 243
“SO OFF THEY SAILED, FEELING JUST LIKE BIRDS WITH THE DELIGHTFUL FLYING MOTION OF THE SHIPS”—Page 243
“And then the Lioness held them closer. And with one of her paws which could have crushed and killed a creature if she had so wished, she fondled and petted her babies.
“Slowly as she talked to them in her low, growling way, she began to see ahead. Her eyes gazed far out of the bars of her cage.
“‘What will happen to my babies when I am not here to look after them?’ she was thinking. Her eyes stared and stared into space—beyond the people who passed by every little while to watch the beautiful mother Lioness and the little Lions.
“And she began to think so hard that she almost forgot her babies. She was searching with her eyes way, way out into an unknown world, and wondering, wondering all the time what would happen to her lovely brood.
“The Lion babies nestled closer. Mother was letting the cold in! And again she fondled them, while from her eyes that so often looked treacherous and wicked, great tears fell down on their soft, warm fur.
“The next morning when the Lion Babies woke up there was no mother Lioness. They couldn’t imagine what had happened. They saw the big man always around their cage, feeding them, talking to them in soft, kind tones, but their lovely warm, soft, furry mother, where was she?
“The day went on and still she didn’t come! Oh, such miserable little Lion Babies as they were! The Keeper did all he could for them—but he couldn’t feed them anything to take away that queer feeling they had. For it wasn’t hunger—it was loneliness! And the Lion Babies found that no food filled that place!
“But the next morning when the Keeper came to look at the Lion Babies, there outside the cage was the big, woolly sheep dog. She was licking the paws of the Lion Babies and they were once again giving their low growls.
“When the dog saw the Keeper she jumped up and down as if to say, ‘Let me care for the Lion Babies.’
“The Keeper saw that the Lion Babies were quite gentle with the dog, and he seemed to know that they wanted to be together—so he let the dog in the cage.
“Day after day the dog stayed with the Lion Babies, except when she came out now and again for a run. And the dog brought up the little lions—and when they were big enough for the circus they always had the dog with them.”