The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1916-04-13
HIS TWO
HOBBIES
By F. A. mitchell


was fine scholar and developed
marked taste for zoology. Extinct ami
mails were his hobby-that is, one of
his hobbies, the one next in Importance
with him being girls. Singular it is
that bones thousands of years old and
the most beautiful of living things-to
men-should reign side by side in the
breast of man.
Later on Ned became a professor In
his alma mater.
One day newspaper announced that
in an interior county of the state, not
far from the college, a farmer had,
while digging, turned up stony sub
stance that was beyond his comprehen-
sion. 1t was about two feet square
and rounded on the edges. The farmer
could not make out whether it was
bone or stone or indeed what was It's
substance.
Ned saw the notice and inferred that
it was probably vertebra Of an ex-
tinct animal. He at once went to the
location designated, with view to an
investigation. On arrival he was re-
ceived by the daughter of the farmer.
She was very pretty rustic, and for
the moment Ned forgot all about the
bones in his admiration of the girl.
However, his admiring glances were
interspersed with the reasons for his
being there, and it was not long be-
fore she gave way to surprise that he
had come all the way from the univer-
sity to examine a piece. of stone. She
told him where he could find it and,
after having made little incipient
love to her, which he well knew how
to do with his eyes without using his
tongue, he took a spade from an out
house and went to examine the stone.
When the young professor returned
from his Investigations he was greatly
changed. He had been under the In
he was under the other. He had been
absorbed in girl, now he was absorb
ed in the petrified remains of an ich-
thyosaurus. He talked to the girl, but
bis mind was on the ichthyosaurus..
tits carnivorous,' he said. They all
were"
"Whatw exclaimed the girl, opening
her eyes.
'sThei snout of porpoise; the teeth
of crocodile
There was no reply to this. nothing
but look of wonder.
s'The sternum of an ornithorhynchus
combined with the paddles Of a whale"
"Oh, my good gracious exclaimed
the girl, "he's crazyr' f9
Fish vertebrate, lizards head"
Father cried the girl in terror.
But her father was out in the fields
and did not hear s
-Four paddles and an enormous tail
Must have surely been aquatic"
This was quite enough for the farm
er's daughter. She had no doubt that
the visitor was mad, and it behooved'
her to beat a retreat. She dare not
run for fear of being followed and
murdered. She was of good pluck, and,
fixing her eyes on Ned's, she backed
doofashe slipped inside, boiling it be-
hind her
What the dickens is the matter with
that girl?''' said Ned to himself, sud
denly aroused from his reverie about
the ichthyosaurus. The farmers daugh-
ter fed through the house, out by the
back door and, keeping in line with
outhouses and trees to screen her from
the maniac, found her father at the
pillow.
What in the world is the matter,
Cynthie?" he asked, stopping the horses
and looking at her in establishment
"Have you seen ghost?"
Worse than that, dad. There's
crazy man on t'other side Of the
house."
"HOw do you know he's craZy?"
"Fust off he looked as If he wanted
to kiss me; then he borrowed a spade
and went to where you turned up the
rock t'other day. When he come back
he was talkin' looney-about some kind
of beast with head like a fish and
teeth like crocodile and paddles for
to swim and an awful long TAIL"
"Are you sure he's mad?"
Mad as March hare"
''I'll go and see him."
Don't you do 1t, pop; he'll kill you
sure"
'Waal, then, reckon ! better git the
neighbors together and take him in
Did he say where he livesT''
Eyes; he's got somepin to do with the
college"
"All right. I'll git Hawkins and
Smith and well corral him and take
him home"
That same afternoon when the stu
dents were tossing a ball between
them on the campus two stalwart farm.
ers were seen approaching. each hold.
ing the arm Of man. When they
came near enough all recognized Pro
fessor Corwin and were seized with
Reckon this man belongs here" said
one of the men. "He come to my farm
this mornin' and undertook to spark
my darter Then he went to the stone
1 dug up t'other day. and when he
come back he was mad, talkin' about
some kind of a big lizard with alliga-
tors teeth and such like"
One of the listeners who caught on
to the situation burst into laugh. The
professors face took on. a shamefaced
grin: then the crowd shouted In mer-
riment. Taking him from his captors