“Oh, Flossie!  Flossie!” cried Mrs. Bobbsey, with tears in her eyes.  “Why did you do it?”

“Why, I had to get my apple,” answered the little girl.  “Did you think the elephant would bite me?”

“He might,” said Mr. Bobbsey, who was a little pale.  “You must never do such a thing again, Flossie, no matter how many apples roll into elephants’ cages.”

“Oh, Ganges wouldn’t have hurt her,” said the keeper.  “At least I don’t believe he would, though he might have pinched her with his trunk if he had gotten the apple and she had tried to take it away from him.  He’s a very gentle elephant, and in the Summer many children ride on his back about the park.”

“Oh, could I have a ride on his back?” asked Freddie, who had been anxiously watching to see what happened to Flossie.

“Not now, little man,” answered the keeper.  “It is too cold for the elephants to go out of doors now.  If you’re here in the Summer you and your sister may have lots of rides.”

“Then I’m coming in the Summer!” cried Freddie.

“Oh, I don’t believe I’d ever let you go near an elephant!” said Mrs. Bobbsey.  “I was so frightened when I saw Flossie.”

“There really wasn’t any danger!” said the keeper again.  “Here, I’ll show you how gentle Ganges is.”

The man went in the cage and the elephant, whose name was Ganges, seemed very glad to see his keeper.  When the man called out an order the elephant lowered his trunk, made a sort of loop at one end, and when the keeper stepped in this the elephant raised him high in the air.

“I have taught him two or three tricks,” said the man, coming back to the railing, outside of which stood the Bobbsey twins, their father and mother and a crowd of others who had heard what had happened.  “He is a good elephant.”

“Couldn’t he have my apple?” asked Flossie.  “I’m not so very hungry for it, and if I want one Daddy will get me another.  Won’t you, Daddy?” she asked, kissing her father, who was still holding her.

“I will if you promise never to go inside an elephant’s cage again,” he answered.

“Oh, I never will,” said Flossie.  “Here, you give him the apple,” she said, holding it out to the keeper.  “I guess he wants it.”

“Oh, he wants it, all right!” laughed the man.  “And, though it is not exactly according to the rules, I guess it will be all right this time.  Here you are, Ganges!” he called.  “Catch!”

The big elephant raised his trunk, making a sort of curling twist in it, and when the keeper threw the apple Ganges caught it as well as a baseball player could have done.

The next moment Flossie’s apple was thrust into the elephant’s mouth, and, as he chewed it, his little eyes seemed to twinkle in delight.

“He likes an apple just as much as I do,” said Freddie.  “Elephants is queer!”

“Don’t try to go in there to feed this one peanuts!” said Bert, fearing that the little twin boy might try to do as his sister had done.  Generally Flossie and Freddie wanted to do the same things.