Elmer Elevator and the alley cat

Elmer Elevator and Old Alley Cat share a friendship that begins with an act of shelter and grows into a partnership in care and adventure. When Elmer meets her on a cold, rainy day, he offers warmth and milk; when his household rejects her, he continues to feed her in secret. Later, Old Alley Cat helps him transform his longing to fly into a concrete plan to rescue a captive dragon. Their relationship joins everyday kindness to the story’s larger adventure: the person who first gives the cat a home becomes, through her, someone willing to leave home for another creature in need.

Meeting and Mutual Recognition

The friendship begins on Elmer’s street, where he finds Old Alley Cat wet and uncomfortable. Rather than pass by, he invites her home, offering access to the furnace and asking his mother for a saucer of milk. Old Alley Cat is surprised that anyone cares about an old alley cat. Her response makes the meeting reciprocal from the start: Elmer offers care, and she accepts it with gratitude, identifying precisely what she needs—warmth and milk.

The invitation develops into a bond despite the limits imposed by Elmer’s family. His mother hates cats, particularly ugly old alley cats, and refuses to provide milk. Her objection is not only to this particular animal; she argues that feeding one stray would mean having to feed every stray in town. Elmer’s friendship therefore takes shape against a household rule that treats care as a dangerous obligation. He is saddened by his mother’s response and apologizes to Old Alley Cat for her rudeness, showing that he understands the rejection as a wrong done to his friend, not as a reason to withdraw his offer.

Care in Secret

Elmer tells Old Alley Cat to stay and promises to find a way to bring her milk each day. For three weeks, he keeps that promise. The daily feeding turns his initial invitation into sustained care, while the hidden saucer in the cellar becomes evidence of the routine. When his mother discovers it, she whips Elmer and throws Old Alley Cat out of the house. The punishment makes the cost of their friendship explicit: Elmer’s kindness defies his mother’s authority, and Old Alley Cat is once again denied shelter.

The expulsion does not end their relationship. Elmer later sneaks out and finds Old Alley Cat, and the two go for a walk in the park. Their companionship continues beyond the house and its rules; away from the scene of punishment, they try to think of nice things to talk about. Elmer tells her that when he grows up he wants an airplane, because he would love to fly wherever he pleased. His wish is an intimate disclosure as well as an expression of longing: he shares with Old Alley Cat a future he imagines for himself, and she listens closely enough to turn it into the beginning of a shared purpose.

From Friendship to a Rescue Plan

Old Alley Cat asks whether Elmer wants to fly very much. When he answers that he would do anything to be able to fly, she connects his wish to what she knows about a dragon in need. She explains that the animals have trained the baby dragon to carry passengers and heavy loads, sometimes day and night; when he complains, they twist his wings and beat him. He is tied by a knotted rope to a stake, with just enough length to cross the river. Old Alley Cat has promised to help him someday, though she could not see how. She now proposes that Elmer might rescue him and, if he treats him kindly, ride him where he wants to go.

The proposal shows how the friends’ different experiences complement one another. Old Alley Cat brings knowledge of the dragon’s captivity and the situation on Wild Island; Elmer brings the willingness to attempt a difficult rescue. She does not promise an easy success: the rope is exceptionally tough and has so many knots that untying them would take days. Elmer nevertheless welcomes the idea. His anger at his mother for her treatment of Old Alley Cat makes leaving home for a while feel less painful, while the rescue gives his desire to fly a purpose beyond his own pleasure.

Partnership and Separation

That same afternoon, Elmer and Old Alley Cat go to the docks to ask about ships sailing to the Island of Tangerina. They learn that a ship will leave the following week and begin planning the rescue. Old Alley Cat helps Elmer decide what to take and tells him what she knows about Wild Island. Her role is practical as well as inspirational: she supplies the local knowledge and planning that make his bold wish into an undertaking.

Old Alley Cat is too old to accompany Elmer, so their partnership must continue at a distance. They keep the preparations secret, hiding items behind a rock in the park as they find or buy them. The night before the voyage, Elmer borrows his father’s knapsack, and he and Old Alley Cat pack carefully together. At the docks, she makes loud, strange noises to distract the night watchman while Elmer runs aboard and hides among bags of wheat. Her assistance helps him depart, but the separation also marks a change in their friendship: the cat who first needed Elmer’s protection now helps send him toward another rescue. The friendship remains the emotional and practical starting point of the expedition, even though Old Alley Cat cannot travel with him.