The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-03-24
A SCARED SCIENTIST.

Washington Star: 1t would not be
supposed that such frailities or frvoli-
Ties as romance or fun could append to
or hover about so solemn a repository
of erdutiton as The Smithsonian in
stitulion.
But here's q story, all the same:
A few months ago one of the MEM
bers of the Smithsonian Institutions
scientific corps went down to little
island lying off the coast of Virginia
10 gather certain specimens OF the
flora and fauna Thereof. What the
nora and fauna were the scientist went
after makes no difference. To tell what
they We're would be to give too good
a line on" just who this amiable scien-
lis is, anyhow.
He is a young man of thirty-five or
some such matter. good-looking, and
he hasn't by any means arrived as yet
nj the dry-as-dust stage of the average
scientific man career.
On the little island lying off the coast
of Virginia, hereinbefore mentioned,
there is a lighthouse. The lighthouse
keeper had and has a daughter--a
pretty, wholesome, unsophistcated,
quite uneducated and wholly charming
Virginia girl.
The young scientist was perhaps the
first male person she had ever met and
Conversed with, in FER out-of-the-way
sphere, who executed the major portion
of his dining by means of fork, prop
erly handled.
Consequently the lighthouse keepers
daughter promptly feel idolatrousiy in
love with the young scientist
The young scientist couldn't help 1t.
He felt tlattered that the young woman
considered himself possessed of the ia
al ,rift of
inasmuch as he was engaged to
Washington young woman who knew
how to make honilon doilies, and could
play monastery Bells" and the Maid
ems Prayer on the piano he really felt
very badly over the cascade OF a1fectlon
lavished upon him by the Virginia sea
nymph and daughter of nature.
Moreover the girl herself had a beau.
lie was a rawboned young fisherman,
who combined business with pleasure
by "coteing' her while he creased his
boots.
This was, of course, a complication
from the viewpoint of the young scien-
list, let alone all other considerations.
The scientist had never seen the fish
erman beau, and he didn't want TO.
After only half completing his work
of gathering specimens hei packed up
and came back to Washington, glad
to again find himself within the safe.
Pn1OlulnS embrace VI l'ul Z, uiitiiu'S'
SCIENCE with an upper case $.
, Sadly enough the lighthouse keepers
daughter pursued him with more or
less violently affectionate letters-none
the less afrectionate because they were
one and all signed ''yures very res
pekty.'
man of science was much perturbed
after having received several dozens OF
these billet-douX. and he decided TO
ask the ghostly counsel for his imme-
diate chief in the matter.
When he did 50, his immediate chief
lay back in his chair and--well hol-
Tered. He gave the embarrassed young
scientist the loud and long laugh. Then,
brutnlly enough, he related the story
unto the delighted ears of the rest of
the corps of scientists of the Smith
sonian institution. They, likewise, hol-
Tered.
The name of the lighthouse keepers
daughter is rather unusual-say 1t Is
Penelope Sadheart. The staid, sober
scientists had only to whisper the name
of Penelope within the hearing of the
object of Penelope's alteration to reduce
that young man of science to one ire
mendous and all-pervading blush. They
kept at him for quite while, until the
novelty of the thing wore off, and then
they gra dually let him alone.
One afternoon last week a queer
figure wandered into the DIM cathe-
dral-lit entrance corridor of the Smith
sonian institution.
He was something short of seven feet
in height; bony as the fossil of a mas
todon and considerably more angular.
He was clad in a wthered suit of plain
homespun, with his pants Uhey were
pants, not trousers) tucked in his boots,
and he shambed along as if he were at
a deadly loss just what to do with his
gigantic hands ard feet. Nevertheless,
he looked rs if he might be able to hold
his own in hand-to-paw encounter
with q Rocky mountain grizzly bear.
One Of the young scientists took him
in hand and asked him his business
for the giant did not appear to have
visited the institution merely for the
purpose of inspecting the exhibits. The
giant said that he was from the here
inbefore- mentioned island. lying off the
coast Of Virginia, and that he was
looking for the young scientist who had
been there a few months before. having
collected a number Of specimens for
him.
The rischievous young man Of sci
'ence who had the giant in hand con-
ceived an idea.
"All right" he said 'I'l take you
to him. BY the way, do you know q
Miss Penelope Sadheart down your
way?"
''Ah shO'ly do subj" was the giants
reply.
THAT so?" said the mischief maker
well, I'll tell you. The gentleman you
want to see met that young lady down
at your island, and he'll be glad tC
know that you know her. Now III
show you where his desk is, and wher
you meet him it'll please him if you
ask him if he knows Miss Penelope
SadheHrt.'
'Nc'y well, suhAh'll ask him sale
the giant.
Then the mischief maker went
around and gathered together about a
dozen of the scientific corps on a little
gallery directly overlooking the desk
of the object of Miss Penelope Sad
hearts affection.
Then he showed the giant where tc
find the young scientist who was bus
lily engfaged in sorting over some spec
linens on his desk.
The giant from Virginia clomped up
stairs to the desk of the young scicn-
tist for whom he had collected some
specimens, and shambled up to where
the young man sat.
The young scientist looked up, anC
! he went a bit pale Probably he had :