Police!!!

ul morning in July, by the pellucid waters of Lake Susan W. Pillsbury, gnawing sec

iscovered indiscreetly embracing a pretty assistant in the Administration Bu

ht all the younger members of the scientific staff in turn,

we had arrived at the rendezvous in time to bribe the two gui

sitting on the shore of Lake Susan W. Pillsbury, at a little distance from us, trying to

urmured. But hunger goaded them to attack

as sayin

hope they brought their own. If they didn't,

te women. There was one among them-but le

ose to the four-score mark. She stepped high in the Equal Franc

gauntly glittering with thick-lensed eye-glasses. She was the P

rofusely toothed, muscular, and President of

ing point-President of the National Eugenic and Purity League; tall, gnarled, sinuou

e was Angelica White, a delegate from the Trained Nurses' Association of America. The nurses had been too busy with the

ut let that pass. I mean only to be scientifically minute. A passion for fact has ever obsessed me. I have little literary ability and less desire to sully my

ghty and mu

re inadvisable

, but declined remuneration. My message belo

indefinable and agreeable nuance which

as deeply sorry that my c

tle Batt, in that remarka

ith spontaneous alacrity, leaping

n ominous stare at us, "is atroc

a smiling at

food for the several species of mam

e cooking for wild-

miles

end Dr. Jones, slapping at midges with a hand that might have

" said Miss Dingleheimer, "even if th

to another. In Miss McFadden's eye there

save us all this day week!" And she hurled the con

little B

tarted. What is the name of the fi

that Lake Gladys Doolittle Batt was the f

, picking up her carved an

ad brought one, too

mule, set him in motion, and dr

sy travelling, so easy that we never noticed that we had already gone around the

y feebly that I was doing it as a sort of pre

ing!" she snarled. "D

kipped forward in the wake of my mule, with something of the s

voiced my doubts concerning the

ge-belts, ponchos, and the toilet reticules of the ladies; then marched the Reverend Dr. Jones, and, in order, filing behind her, Miss Dingleheimer, Mrs. Batt, Mi

much interfered with by the fo

L RI

OR EXTE

while sh

carry this banner fo

stores, not daring to shift our burdens to Arthur, because we had already stuffed into the panniers of that simple and dignified animal all our collecting boxes, cyanide jars, butterfly nets, note-books, reels of piano w

to relate it. But facts are facts; we discarded nearly a ton of feminine impedimenta. There was fancy work of all sorts in the m

erfumery, cosmetics, hot-water bags, slippers, negligees, novels, mag

'd have to do some scrubbing now. Science can not be halt

everal lofty mountains. I was ready to drop with fatigue, but I nerved myself, dre

olittle Batt! Eureka

mask my apprehension with a smile. The ladies were regarding

ureka!" and began to caper about as though the size and beauty of the pond had affect

s. Doolittle Batt ch

named after me

m?" I s

istened with my name, somebody is going

he majestic pines, gazed upon the lofty and eternal hills, then ventured a sneaking glance

y of water, which I understood had been honoured with my name, was t

eebly. "It's quite round and clear, and it'

torted Mrs. Doolittle Ba

ut women than did I. He sa

n should make the Government answerable for its duplicity

looked at Kitten. H

Government is held responsible for this odious act of insulting duplicity. I-I won't have my name given

h passion. "Are you certain that you have made n

room for doubt," I said, al

?" she demanded passionately. "Did I come here to loo

And Miss White came forward, cool, clean, fresh as a p

nd enough to build the fire and help me-" She let her violet eyes linger on me for an instant, then on Brown. A momen

r provisions, and we waited very polit

e, bacon, flap-jacks, soup

mmunition. They banqueted largely. I gazed in amazement at Mrs. Doolittle Batt as

leheimer and the Reverend Dr. Jon

erected the row of little tents. Eve

he silk, drove pegs, and bro

ion, and were sleepy; and as each toilet case or reticule contained also a nightgown, they

who insisted on cooking something for us, although we protested

ew minutes, watching us bus

she said gently. "Yo

th by a tall, fair, fresh young girl

still, crystalline water which was all rose and gold in the sunset, save whe

jumping. There ought to be lots of them

bit of water. Not a circle, not t

deep," rem

shores of this tiny gem among lakes. Deep, deep, plunging down i

fessor Farrago, of Bronx Park, measured a lake in the Thunder Mounta

looked at m

e Grapta species. It settled on a chip of wood, uncoiled its deli

rnia," remarke

nal angle of the secondaries and the argentifero

ipes on the primaries a

The summer form lacks t

ce was broken by the

Alaskan guides were so familiar with

turned v

aving picked up a smattering. I

s curiously, musingly. Also, at moments, I fancied

sa

on, but Mrs. Batt refused them." She gazed thoughtfully upon the waters of Lake Gl

e had betrayed oursel

fascinated gaze an expression akin to terror, for sudden

d, "I wish they had co

t, leaving us with our hats pressed against our stomachs, attempting

peared behind her tent flaps. "She'll never let on to Medus

one imbued by such

scent smile. He certainly was

delightful way o

ed," I said

ce at you that way?" he inq

said

tten." Which bottled tha

against a huge pine-tree, watching the last t

a trout has splashed? It can't be

are suc

ones. I wonder h

d take soundings," he said. "The heavy artillery won't

udde

mehow, that resolute and bony one has

. Ba

es

d seri

en she asks for her knitting. W

aded us while she was asleep, an

y, don't you?" he r

said I. "Besides, they don't

seem to be very much

by little the lake lost its shape in the darkness, until only an irregular,

and luminous surface of the water was shattered as with a subterranean explosion; a geyser of scintillating spray shot upward flashing, foaming, towering a hundred feet into the air. And through it I seemed to catch a glimpse of a vast, quivering, twistin

afened by the watery crash of that gigantic something that had fallen into t

hing sound almost metallic. Vision and hearing told us that th

ed Brown. "Is there a v-

ering shape that seemed to fa

t was it?

he lake and fell back-the way a trout leaps. H

you mean?" s

f-f-fish, could it?" I as

must have been a falling star. Did you eve

e surf had subsided somewhat, enough for another sound to

White-robed figures loomed in front of them.

llery was evide

y chastely scuttled into their tents and thrust

rthquake?" shrilled the Reverend

att, in a deep and shaky voice. "Are w

flying-star which had happened

"I've had my money's worth. I wish to go back to N

fore another meteor falls in th

t do you know about it, anyway! I want to go home. I'm putti

er rise high in the starlight, another, another, until the entire lake was but a cluster of gigantic geysers exploding a hundred feet

echoed from mountain to mountain; the tree-tops fairly stormed spray, driving it in sheets through the leaves; and

tt on one arm and the Reverend Dr. Jones upon my bosom. Both had fa

swooned in

swooned in h

pproached him I heard him say some

I drew nearer and peered closely at what he was holding s

for as I stumbled over a tent-peg she opened her blu

he murmured. She looked at

s White retire and lie down. This meteor

she said, with considerable composure, that she was feeling better; an

, the pieces dismounted and lying t

hich I have forgotten; but it was something about a flock of meteors which hit the earth every twelve billion years, and that it was now all over for another suc

he base of our tree, presently we heard weird noises from

own and I, fearfully excited, still dazed and bewildered, sat with our fascinated eyes fixed on

tific discovery of the most enormous

sks and appear before these misguided and feminine victims of our duplicity in our own characters as scientists. We must boldly avow

utually reassuring each other concerning our common ability to