ohnson.

"Clear enough--so far," said Munchausen.

"But that the possession of tails by Adam and Eve entailed a love of
swinging thereby, and that they could not resist the temptation to swing
from every limb in Eden, and that therefore, while Adam was off swinging
on other trees, Eve took a swing on the forbidden tree; that Adam,
returning, caught her in the act, and immediately gave way himself and
swung," said Johnson.

"Then you eliminate the serpent?" queried Darwin.

"Not a bit of it," Johnson answered. "The serpent was the tail. Look at
most snakes to-day. What are they but unattached tails?"

"They do look it," said Darwin, thoughtfully.

"Why, it's clear as day," said Johnson. "As punishment Adam and Eve lost
their tails, and the tail itself was compelled to work for a living and
do its own walking."

"I never thought of that," said Darwin. "It seems reasonable."

"It is reasonable," said Johnson.

"And the snakes of the present day?" queried Thackeray.

"I believe to be the missing tails of men," said Johnson. "Somewhere in
the world is a tail for every man and woman and child. Where one's tail
is no one can ever say, but that it exists simultaneously with its owner
I believe. The abhorrence man has for snakes is directly attributable to
his abhorrence for all things which have deprived him of something that
is good. If Adam's tail had not tempted him to swing on the forbidden
tree, we should all of us have been able through life to relax from
business cares after the manner of the monkey, who is happy from morning
until night."

"Well, I can't see that it does us any good to sit here and discuss this
matter," said Doctor Livingstone. "We can't reach any conclusion. The
only way to settle the matter, it seems to me, is to go directly to Adam,
who is a member of this club, and ask him how it was."

"That's a great idea," said Thackeray, scornfully. "You'd look well
going up to a man and saying, 'Excuse me, sir, but--ah--were you ever a
monkey?'"

"To say nothing of catechising a man on the subject of an old and
dreadful scandal," put in Munchausen. "I'm surprised at you,
Livingstone. African etiquette seems to have ruined your sense of
propriety."

"I'd just as lief ask him," said Doctor Johnson. "Etiquette? Bah! What
business has etiquette to stand in the way of human knowledge?
Conventionality is the last thing men of brains should strive after, and
I, for one, am not going