er humorists, but he put
the brakes on his temper and thus kept from sliding any further down
grade.

Reaching into his coat pocket, he drew forth not his trusty revolver,
but a small diary with a red cover and a dainty ivory knobbed pencil in
the small sheath. Dost thou remember, honored reader, when thou hadst
one of them given thee to keep the record of thy important life? I bet
thou dustest. Perhaps, for ten successive days were daily jottings put
down; if very persistent perchance fifteen days were recorded and then
you quit. Carried away in the rushing course of events, the little diary
was left to wither on the shores of Time.

While this stuff has been recited Jim made a careful drawing of the
brick which he annotated with proper data, keeping all the time an
imperturbable face under the very pointed jibes of the station loungers.

His work in the interests of Science being finished he stepped over to
the place of the scorners, and planting himself squarely in front of the
most boisterous of the group, began calmly to make a sketch of this
wide-mouthed individual. Instantly the fellow's face grew sober, and the
crowd ready for any kind of fun began to jeer him.

This made the man angry and he made a bull-like rush for Jim, who was
not prepared for this maneuver and he was thrown from his balance,
striking with considerable force upon the station platform.

CHAPTER VI

AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE

The crowd, which was a good-natured one, gathered around cheering its
champion and laughing at Jim's fall. But James was thoroughly aroused by
the fall, which had added insult to an injury, and exerting part of his
unusual strength he struggled to his feet, and caught his opponent at
arms' length from him, and then turning him over gave him a few hearty
spanks while the crowd roared.

Naturally the man was furious when Jim turned him loose with a shove
that sent him staggering back for a number of feet, and he picked up a
good sized rock. He came on to demolish Jim with it, but some of his
comrades collared him so that he could not do any mischief and the
attention of the crowd was diverted to some more visitors to the shrine
of the wonderful Rocky Mountain Bat. One was a tall and angular
Englishman dressed in some rough looking suiting and his good lady who
had on a long ulster and a hat with a green veil accompanied him.

"Aw, and what is that?" he questioned, standing and looking at the
curtained box.

"