Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1912-01-12
. y
The Bones OF a
DinOSaur
They Came Very Near Making
a Corpse Of a Museum
Curator
BY F. A. Mitchell
~az,,r;rh< hy American Press ASSOC
By F. A. Mitchell
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.


Diggers in the earth are of various
kinds At one extreme stands the hiole.
at the other the hunter after Durieu
treasures. such as the bones OF estihct
animals " the palaces OF kings iohs
dead. Professor Upton belonged 10
the delivers for fossils. He was barely
thirty years old. small Of stature.
.trifie bald ON the forehead ana 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 10 bis eyes, felt
Immediately like taking up the little
man and hugying 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 well in
a western territory. the curator was
directed TO repair to the spot. take a
look ut the protrusion. determine to
what animal 1t belonged. whether it
was worth digging for and the cost of
exhumation.
In due time the professor reached
settlement some live or six miles
from where the fossilized bones were
located and, learning that the only way
to reach them would he on horseback
called for 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 ii cowboy. but as lie
and the coming object drew nearer he
noticed that the rider was feminine
How do:" she said as she refined 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
genial disposition she had ever seen.
What y dom out here. stranger?"
she asked.
I'm goin' to the fork of the river"
he replied.
What y goin there for?"
A reply to an uneducated person was
difficult. but the professor explained
his object as well as he could
"Y' think its some kind o. varmint ?"
she asked
Il don't know what varmint Is.
but suspect what I'm going TO look
at will turn out to he either masto-
don or Il dinosaur.'
And ! don't know what them are
don't see no shootin iron about y.
Where do y carry it,"
81 didn't think to bring weapon.
Do ! need one?"
cent kid l ever seen. Need q gun?
I'll go with v. 1t would be a pity to
leave a little felier like v to wander
about with not even il 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
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 we'll
The moment the professor caught sight
OF few mammoth vertebrae that Ind
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 IT,.
Judging from these few vertebraa.
1t must he sixty or seventy feet long"
'Goshr'
And. judging from the horizontal
position of what Is exposed. there will
be little cost in getting 1t out"
will 1t pay?"
Ihe professor did not hear this cues.
ton. He had picked up a stick lying
near and was scraping away the dirt
How long has 1t been there?" asked I
the girl.
Not less than 10000 years."
Don't y think it's rather late in
he day TO disturb it?"
AT that moment there was a clatter
II hoofs In the distance. and small
party Of men were seen galloping to.
ward them.
by gum" exclaimed the girl. ats
Sheriff Glenn Barker. l wonder what.
les after!"
Hello. Kate" exclaimed Barker "a
e rode up. What v doin' cavortin'
round with boss thief?"
Now. it is time to explain that the
rotessor. after having left the settle
nent. stopped at farmhouse for a
rink of buttermilk. He had ridden a
ray horse thus far. but when he left
ne house mounted roam without no.
ICING the change in color. A man who
ad stolen the roam. being hard pressed
y the sheriff and a posse, seeing a
fresh mount hitched to
post. changed horses.
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