The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-01-09
The Bones of a
DinOSaur
They Came Very Near Making
a Corpse Of Museum
Curator
BY F. A. Mitchell
BY F. A. Mitchell

k1uoS. AT one extreme SlduuS Tue Auoic,
at the other the hunter after buried
treasures, such as the bones of extinct
animals or the palaces OF kings long
dead. Professor Upton belonged to
thu delivers for fossils. He was barely
thirty years old. small Of stature.
trife 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 a
soft look that appeared in bis 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-
lessor Upton was curator that the tip
OF the tail of some enormous animal
had been struck In digging a well in
q western territory. the curator was
directed to repair to the spot, take a
look at the protrusion. determine to
what animal it belonged. whether 1t
was worth digging for and the cost of
exhumation.
In due time the professor reached
q settlement some FIVE 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 cowboy, but as he
and the coming object drew nearer he
noticed that the rider was feminine.
How doP' she said as she refined in
her steed-
The professor had never heard this
form Of greeting before and did not
understand it 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, strangerY'
she asked.
Pm goin' to the fork of the river, I"
he replied.
"What y goin' there forY
A reply to an uneducated person was
difficult, but the professor explained
his object as well as he could.
'sY' think It's some kind o. varmint p
she asked.
81 don't know what a varmint is.
but l suspect what I'm going to look
ut will turn out to be either a masto-
don or a dinosaur."
"And l 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 a weapon.
Do / need one?"
well. now, y are the most limo
cent kid | ever seen. Need a gun?
I'll 60 with y. 1t would be pity to
leave 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 a 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 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.
IT'S dinosaur," said the professor
'sY' don't mean itp'
Judging from these few vertebrate
Il must be sixty or seventy feet long"
"Goshr'
"And. judging from the horizontal
position of what is exposed, there will
be little cost In getting it out"
"Will it pay7'
The professor did not bear this ques-
ton He had picked up a stick lying
near and was scraping away the dirt
How long has it been there?" asked
the girl.
mot less than 10000 years."
'sDon't y think it's rather late in
the day to disturb it?"
At that moment there was q clatter
Of hoofs In the distance. and small
party of men were seen galloping to-
ward them.
by gum" exclaimed the girl. its
Sheriff Glen Barker! l wonder what
he's afteri'
"Hello. Kater' exclaimed Barker as
he rode up. what y doin' cavortin'
around with a boss theft"
Now, 1t is time to explain that the
professor. after having left the settle
ment. stopped at farmhouse for a
drink of buttermilk. He had ridden a
gray horse thus far. but when he left
the house mounted a roam without no.
ticing the change in color. A man who
had stolen the roam. being hard pressed
by the sheriff and a posse. seeing a
comparatively fresh mount hitched to
q post. changed horses.
"He amt no boss thief" replied the
girl 'He's a. What air y anyway ?"
81 am a.
''see here" interrupted one of the
party. ~ may be anything y like. but
that's my boss y been ridin'"
The professor looked at his horse
end, not knowing what the man was
talking about. just smiled He couldn't
think of anything else TO do.
'sY' amt been stealth that boss. have
~" asked the girl.
II don't know what you people are
all talking about" said the professor.
II came out here to learn If this fossil
"a Of value. and find it very valuable
indeed As | have said. it's dinosaur,
must be sixty feet long and doubtless
between 10000 and 10000 years old"
The sheriff. the owner of the horse
and the posse all looked at one another
In establishment. An idea popped into
Kate's head. She gave the men
look and drew them away
from the professor. who. being more in
In the dinosaur than their talk,
forgot all about them in rummaging
among the big stone vertebrae.
Scents" said Kate, hes lunatic."
"What makes y think sol" asked the
sheriff.
Didn't y hear what he said about
them stonesi He's got an idee into his
head that 10000 years ago some var
mint or other. dragon mebbe, seven.
ty feet long fell down a well. What
more do y want for to make him out
q crazy many'
''Oh, katep' exclaimed the owner of
the horse. IT'S you that's gone daft
or you're trying to save his neck. l
don't know which. He's been caught
In the act and is playing it on US"
Where did re get the talk about
asked one man. who, be-