Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1912-05-10
The Bones of a
DinOSaur
They Came Very Near Making
a Corpse Of Museum
Curator
By F. A. Mitchell


4 citation, 1911 +
f-t-s-ss-s-s-s-s-ss-s-s-f-s-s-s-s-s-ii-s~i.s.t-F
Diggers in the earth are OF various
kinds. At one extreme stands the mole,
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
the delivers for fossils. He was barely
thirty years old. small OF stature. a
trifle bald on the forehead and wore
glasses. There was nothing beautiful
about the professor except his smile,
and that was beautiful because it was
parting of his lips, accompanied by a
soft look that appeared in his eyes, felt
Immediately like taking up the little
man and hugging him.
Now. 1t having been reported to the
directors of the museum of which Pro-
of the tail of some enormous animal
had been struck in digging a well in
western territory. the curator was
directed to repair to the spot. take
look at the protrusion, determine to
what animal It belonged, whether IL
was worth digging for and the cost Of
exhumation.
In due time the professor reached
settlement some Ave or six miles
from where the fossllized bones were
located and, learning that the only way
to reach them would be 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 cowboy, but as he
and the coming object drew nearer he
noticed that ehe rider was feminine
How dor" 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 q
genial disposition she had ever seen.
What y dom out here, stranger"
she asked.
Pm goin' to the fork of the river"
he replied.
what y goln' there forT'
A reply to an uneducated person was
difficult, but the professor explained
bis object as well as he could.
"Y' think it's some kind o. varmlntT
she asked.
II don't know what varmint is,
but | suspect what I'm going to look
at will turn out to be either masto-
don or a dlnosaur."
"And I don't know what them are.
Where do y carry itY'
II didn't think to bring n weapon.
Do need oneT'
well, now, y are the most limo
cent kid ! ever seen. Need a gum
Ill go with y. 1t would be a pity to
leave a little Teller like y to wander
about with not even q 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 vertebrate that had
been exposed he clasped his hands,
raised bis mild eyes to heaven. and
his lips moved In thanks.
ITS q dInosaur." said the professor.
"Y' don't mean itp'
Judging from these few vertebrae,
Il must be sixty or seventy feet long"
"0oshT'
"And. Judging from the horizontal
position Of what is exposed, there will
be little cost In getting 1t out"
'Will it payT
The professor did not hear this cues.
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"
Don't y think It's rather late in
the day to disturb III"
At that moment there was a clatter
Of hoofs in the distance, and small
party of men were seen galloping to-
ward them.
by gum" exclaimed the girl, cts
Sheriff Glenn Barkerl ! wonder what
he's afterp'
"Hello. Katep exclaimed Barker as
he rode up. what y dom cavortin'
around with boss thiefT
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 10
a post, changed horses.
"He amt no boss thief" replied the
girl. Hes a. What air y anywayT
II am AZ
''see here" Interrupted one Of the
party. ~ may be anything y like, but
that's my boss y been ridln'"