Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-12-23
The Argus Daily Story
The Bones of Dinosaur-By F. A. Mitchell.
copyrighted. 1911. by Associated Literary

at the 0tner the nunter aIteF DuFleu
treasures, such as the bones Of extinct
animals or the palaces Of kings long
dead. Professor Upton belonged to
the delivers for fossils. He was barely
thirty years old. small Of stature, a
trifie bald on the forehead and wore
glasses There was nothing beautiful
about the professor except his smile,
and that was beautiful because 1t was
childlike. One seeing the innocent
parting Of his lips, accompanied by
soft look that appeared in his eyes, felt
Immediately like taking up the little
man and hugging him.
Now, it having been reported to the
directors Of the museum of which Pro-
fessor Upton was curator that the tip |
of the tail of some enormous animal |
had been struck in digging a well in |
a western territory, the curator was
directed to repair to the spot, take a |
look at the protrusion. determine to
what animal It belonged. whether it
was worth digging for and the cost of
/. exhumation.
In due time the professor reached
q settlement some Eve or six miles
from where the fossilized bones were
located and, learning that the only way
to reach them would be on horseback,
called for a horse, mounted him and
proceeded on his way. He had pro-
! ceeded about half the distance when
he saw ahead Of him what looked like
the dim outline Of a cowboy, but as he
and the coming object drew nearer he
noticed that the rider was feminine.
How doF' she said as she reined In
her steed.
The professor had never heard this
form Of greeting before and did not
understand 1t. However, he refined in
his horse and smiled.
The smile was something very new
to the girl. The coarse guffaw of the
plainsman or the diabolical grin of the
Indian was the only expression of a
genial disposition she had ever seen.
what y dom out here, strangerf"
she asked.
I'm goin' to the fork # the river"
he replied.
What y goin' there forT
A reply to an uneducated person was
|
his object as well as he could.
'Y' think it's some kind o. varmint 2"
she asked.
81 don't know what q varmint is,
but I suspect what I'm going to look
at will turn out to be either a masto-
don or a dinosaur."
"And 1 don't know what them are
don't see no shootin' iron about y.
Where do y carry 1t?'
II didn't think to bring a weapon.
Do need oneT"
"Well, now, y are the most limo
cent kid ever seen. Need a gun?
I'll go with y. 1t would be pity to
leave q little Teller like y to wander
about with not even toy pistol"
Turning her horses head, she rode
back with Professor Upton. There
was something odd in the defenseless
man being under the protection of this
armed girl. He found her especially
| useful as guide, for she knew the re-
gion perfectly and took him to the
point he wished to find. There was
l no one on the ground to locate the ex-
act spot, but the girl told him she had
seen some men digging and landed him
where they had begun to bore the well.
The moment the professor caught sight
Of few mammoth vertebrae that had
been exposed he clasped his hands
raised his mild eyes to heaven, and
!, his lips moved IN thanks.
ITS dinosaur," said the professor
"Y' don't mean itr'
Judging from these few vertebrae
it must be sixty or seventy feet long
Gossip
"And. judging from the herizonta
. position of what is exposed there vii
be little cost in getting it out"
j. Twill it pay?"
The professor did not hear this ques
ton. He had picked up stick lying
near and was scraping away the dirt
How long has it been there?" asked
the girl.
mot less than 10000 years"
Don't y think it's rather late Il
d the day to disturb it,"
e At that moment there was a clatte
Of hoofs in the distance, and a small
party Of men were seen galloping to
ward them.
e by gum" exclaimed the girl. cit
Sheriff Glenn Barker! / wonder wha
e he's afterr'
Hello. Kate" exclaimed Barker a
he rode up. What v doin' cavortir
around with boss thief"
Now. it is time to explain that tn
professor, after having left-the settle
ment. stopped at a farmhouse for
drink Of buttermilk. He had ridden
gray horse thus far. but when he LEI
the house mounted a roam without NJ
ticing the change in color. A man VIII
had stolen the roam. being hard presse
by the sheriff and a posse. seeing
comparatively fresh mount hitched
post, changed horses.
HE amt no boss thief" replied tn
girl Hes "a What air y anyway?
81 am az
"see here" interrupted one of til
- party, ~ may be anything y like, br
that's my boss y been ridin'."
The professor looked at his hors
and not knowing what the man wa