or was in the highest Andes, where no white man had ever
penetrated, the letter was many months in reaching him. The president
forgot the guinea-pigs, Morgan forgot them, Mr. Morehouse forgot them,
but Flannery did not. One-half of his time he gave to the duties of
his agency; the other half was devoted to the guinea-pigs. Long before
Professor Gordon received the president's letter Morgan received one
from Flannery.

"About them dago pigs," it said, "what shall I do they are great in
family life, no race suicide for them, there are thirty-two now shall
I sell them do you take this express office for a menagerie, answer
quick."

Morgan reached for a telegraph blank and wrote:

"Agent, Westcote. Don't sell pigs."

He then wrote Flannery a letter calling his attention to the fact that
the pigs were not the property of the company but were merely being held
during a settlement of a dispute regarding rates. He advised Flannery to
take the best possible care of them.

Flannery, letter in hand, looked at the pigs and sighed. The dry-goods
box cage had become too small. He boarded up twenty feet of the rear
of the express office to make a large and airy home for them, and went
about his business. He worked with feverish intensity when out on his
rounds, for the pigs required attention and took most of his time. Some
months later, in desperation, he seized a sheet of paper and wrote
"160" across it and mailed it to Morgan. Morgan returned it asking for
explanation. Flannery replied:

"There be now one hundred sixty of them dago pigs, for heavens sake let
me sell off some, do you want me to go crazy, what."

"Sell no pigs," Morgan wired.

Not long after this the president of the express company received a
letter from Professor Gordon. It was a long and scholarly letter, but
the point was that the guinea-pig was the Cava aparoea while the common
pig was the genius Sus of the family Suidae. He remarked that they were
prolific and multiplied rapidly.

"They are not pigs," said the president, decidedly, to Morgan. "The
twenty-five cent rate applies."

Morgan made the proper notation on the papers that had accumulated in
File A6754, and turned them over to the Audit Department. The Audit
Department took some time to look the matter up, and after the usual
delay wrote Flannery that as he had on hand one hundred and sixty
guinea-pigs, the property of consignee, he should deliver them and
collect charges at the rate of twen