Elmer Elevator

Elmer Elevator is the boy whose longing to fly becomes a daring rescue of Baby Dragon. His defining strength is not simply cleverness: he treats an abused animal as a friend who deserves freedom, and his practical ingenuity gives that loyalty a way to act. The story first shows him defending Old Alley Cat against his own family, then carries that same sympathy across the sea and into a confrontation with the animals exploiting Baby Dragon.

Identity and Early Relationships

Elmer is introduced through his relationship with Old Alley Cat. When the cat comes into his life, he offers the possibility of warmth and milk by the furnace, and the two become good friends. His mother objects to feeding a stray, particularly an old alley cat, and refuses to provide milk. Elmer is saddened by her hostility and apologizes to the cat for her rudeness.

His affection is more than a passing impulse. He tells the cat to stay and promises to bring her milk each day, keeping that promise for three weeks. When his mother discovers the saucer in the cellar, she whips Elmer and throws the cat out. Elmer nevertheless sneaks out to find her; together they walk in the park and talk. The episode establishes both the cost of his loyalty and his willingness to act on it even when an adult opposes him.

The Call to Rescue Baby Dragon

On their walk, Elmer imagines having an airplane and being able to fly wherever he wishes. Old Alley Cat asks whether he wants to fly very much, and Elmer says he would do anything for the chance. The cat connects that wish to a real possibility: on Wild Island, a young dragon might carry him through the air if someone first freed him and treated him kindly.

Old Alley Cat recounts how Baby Dragon fell from a low-flying cloud onto the bank of the island’s river about four months before she arrived there. He was too young to fly well and had bruised a wing, so he could not return to the cloud. The animals saw him as a solution to their difficulty crossing the river. They tied a large rope around his neck and waited for his wing to heal, intending to use him to carry passengers.

The promised transport became coercion. Once Baby Dragon was made to carry passengers, the animals worked him all day and sometimes all night, loaded him too heavily, and twisted his wings and beat him when he complained. The rope around his neck was thick and knotted, and its length confined him to the river crossing. Old Alley Cat had hidden in the bushes to speak with him and had promised to help, but could not see how to do so herself. Elmer accepts the task, despite being told that the rescue will not be easy. His anger at his mother’s treatment of the cat helps him leave home without feeling sad about going away for a while.

Preparation and Journey

That afternoon Elmer and Old Alley Cat go to the docks and learn that a ship for the Island of Tangerina will sail the following week. She helps him plan and shares what she knows about Wild Island, though she is too old to accompany him. They keep the preparations secret, hiding supplies behind a rock in the park. The night before the sailing, Elmer borrows his father’s knapsack and packs carefully.

His equipment combines tools, provisions, and small items that will later prove useful: a compass, black rubber boots, a jackknife, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a comb and hairbrush, seven colored hair ribbons, six magnifying glasses, rubber bands, chewing gum, and two dozen Pink lollipops. He also brings an empty grain bag labeled Cranberry, clean clothes, twenty-five peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches, and six apples—the only apples he can find in the pantry. To get aboard, Old Alley Cat makes loud, strange noises to distract the night watchman while Elmer runs over the gangplank and hides among bags of wheat in the hold. The ship sails early the next morning.

Confronting the Animals’ Control

At the river, Elmer sees how the animals’ system keeps Baby Dragon captive. A high flagpole carries a rope across the water; the rope runs through a loop at its top and down to a crank. A sign instructs users to summon the dragon by yanking the crank and to report disorderly conduct to Gorilla. From Old Alley Cat’s account, Elmer understands that the rope is tied around Baby Dragon’s neck. If Baby Dragon is on the far bank, Gorilla can twist his wings until pain forces him to fly across; if he is on Elmer’s side, the crank can tighten the rope until he risks choking or has to fly back. The arrangement makes either bank another part of the same trap.

Elmer considers climbing the pole and crossing hand over hand, since calling to Baby Dragon might alert Gorilla. The river is muddy, and he knows that unfriendly creatures may be in it, but he can see no other way across. Before he begins, a Crocodile speaks from the water, inviting him in while expressing a craving for something sweet. This encounter leads into the river crossing and the animals’ pursuit, but Elmer stays focused on reaching Baby Dragon.

Release and Escape

When Elmer reaches Baby Dragon, he takes out his sharp jackknife and begins sawing through the great rope, urging the dragon to stand still. The danger is immediate: Wild Boars, Seven Tigers, two lions, Rhinoceros, Gorilla, and a mass of other pursuing animals are coming across the crocodiles. Baby Dragon calls urgently to Elmer as the rope remains only partly cut.

The crocodiles, carrying the pursuers while sucking Pink lollipops, turn away from the bank and swim down the river in a line. The animals are swept along, yelling and getting their feet wet, and Elmer and Baby Dragon laugh at the absurd reversal. Once the immediate threat has passed, Elmer finishes cutting the rope. Baby Dragon races in circles and tries a somersault, delighted at being free; Elmer then climbs onto his back.

Their escape fulfills the wish that began in the park, but it is also the culmination of Elmer’s promise to help a friend. Baby Dragon asks where they should go. Elmer chooses to spend the night on the beach and begin the long journey home the next day, directing their flight toward the shores of the Island of Tangerina. As they soar above the jungle and river, the animals remain below, while the crocodiles carry them away still licking their lollipops. Elmer’s ingenuity has made flight possible, but the rescue’s decisive act is the cutting of the rope: he does not claim Baby Dragon as a means of transport; he frees him, and the two leave together.