The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-02-20
l.Well, sir. what is yours?"s

line obvious one that the cr~mr
ture exists. That Is actually
sketched from the life."
I should have laughed only that
n had a vision of doing another
Catherine wheel down the passage.
mo doubt" said I, mo doubt"
as one who humors an imbecile. II
confess, however, I added, that
tn IS tiny human figure puzzles me.
If it were an Indian we could set
1t down as evidence OF some plgmy
race in America, but 1t appears to
be European in sun-hat."
The Professor snorted like an an
CRY buffalo. "You really touch the
limit" he said. "You enlarge my
view Of the possible. Cerebral par
esisl Mental inertia! Wonderful"
He was too absurd to make me
angry. Indeed, 1t was a waste Of
energy, fer IL you were going to be
anrrv with this man you would be
ang,y all the time. contented
myself with smiling YEARLY. ut
struck me that the man was small.
said 1.
Look here~ he cried. leaning
forward and dabbing great hairy
sausage IF a finger on to the pic
ture. "You see that plant behind
the animal; suppose you thought
1t was a dandelion or a Brussels
sprout-what? Well, 1t is & vege-
table ivory plaat, and they run to
about fifty or sixty feet. Don't you
see that the man Is put in Tor g.
purpose. He couldn't really have
stood In front of that brute and
lived to draw it. He sketched him
self In to give scale Of heights.
He was, we will say, over five feet
high. The tree Is ten times bigger.
which is what one would expect"
GOOD heavens!' / cried. "Then
you think the beast was Why,
Apart from exaggeration, he is
certainly a well-grown specimen"
said the professor, complacently.
But" cried, surely the whole
experience of the human race is not
to be set aside on account Of single
sketcR-I had turned over the
leaves and ascertained that there
was nothing more in the booh-"a
single sketch by wandering Ameri-
can artist who may have done it
under habhish, or in the delirium
of fever, or simply in order to
crafty freakish imagination. You
can't, as man of science, defend
such a nosition &C that -
For answer the professor took a
book down from a shelf.
'"rhis is an excellent monograph
by my gifted friend, Ray Lankes-
terr' said he There is an illus
tretion here which would interest
you. All, yes, here 1t is! The in
scription beneath it runs: Probable
appearance in life Of the Jurassic
Dinosaur Stegosaurus. The hind leg
alone is twice as tall as a fr,ll-grown
man Well, what do you make Of
that?"
He handed me the open BOOK. l
started as 1 looked at the picture
In this reconstructed animal Of a
dead world there was certainly q
very great resemblace to the sketch
Of the unknown artist.
"That is certainly remarkable"
said I.
"Rut you won't admit that 1t is
final?"
Surely 1t might be a coincidence,
or this American may have seen a
picture OF the kind and carried 1t
In his memory. 1t would be likely
to recur to man in a delirium."
Very good,' said the Professor.
indulgently; I'VE leave 1t at that.
will now ask you to look at this
bone" He handed over the bone
which he had already described as
part Of the dead mans possessions.
1t was about six inches long, and
thicker than my thumb, with some
indications of dried cartilage at
one end Of It,
ITO what know creature does
that bone belong?" asked the Pro-
fessor.
I examined it with care and tried
to recall some half-forgotten knowl-
edge.
ut might be a very thick human
colIar-bone," said.
My companion waved his hand in
contemptuous depreciation.
1.-THE human collar-bone is curve :.
This is straight. There is a grooy
upon it's surface showing that a
great tendon played across it, which
could not be the case with a claw
icle.'
"Then must confess that I don't
know what 1t is"
"You need not be ashamed to ex-
pose your ignorance, for I don't
suppose the whole Of South Kensing-
ton staff could give name to It,"
He took little bone the size Of a
bean out Of a pill-box. $50 far as I
am Judge this human bone is the
analogue Of the one which ,you
hold in your hand. That will give
you some idea of the size Of the
creature. You will. observe from
the cartilage that this is no fossil
specimen. but recent. What do you
gay to that?''
Surely in an elephant"
He WINGED in pain.
Don't! Don't talk. of elephants
in South t.merica. Even in these
days Of Board Schools"
Well / interrupted. ''any large
South american animal-a tapir, for
example,"
"You may take it, young man,
that I am versed in tha eIennen+s of