divide it in half, so. I divide it
in half once more, and make a point. Now I shorten my string, one-half.
On each side of my long line I make me a half circle--only half way
round on the opposite sides. So, now, what I got, eh? You understand
him?"

I shook my head. He pointed in turn to the rude ornamentation in the
shell clasp. I declare that then I could see a resemblance between the
two designs!

"It is curious," I said.

"_Mein Gott_! it iss more than curious. It iss vonderful! I haf two
_Amazonias_ collected by my own bands, and twelve species of my own
discovery, yess, in butterflies alone. That iss much? Listen. It iss
notings! _Here_ iss the _discovery!_"

He took a pace or two excitedly, and came back to thump with his
forefinger on the little desk.

"What you see before you iss the sign of the Great Monad! It iss known
in China, in Burmah, in all Asia, in all Japan. It iss sign of the great
One, of the great Two. In your hand iss the Tah Gook--the Oriental
symbol for life, for sex. Myself, I haf seen that in Sitka on Chinese
brasses; I haf seen it on Japanese signs, in one land and in another
land. But here you show it to me made by the hand of some ignorant
aborigine of _this_ continent! On _this_ continent, where it did not
originate and does not belong! It iss a discovery! Science shall hear of
it. It iss the link of Asia to America. It brings me fame!"

He put his hand into a pocket, and drew it out half filled with gold
pieces and with raw gold in the form of nuggets, as though he would
offer exchange. I waved him back. "No," said I; "you are welcome to one
of these disks, if you please. If you wish, I will take one little bit
of these. But tell me, where did you find these pieces of raw gold?"

"Those? They are notings. I recollect me I found these one day up on the
Rogue River, not far from my cabin. I am pursuing a most beautiful moth,
such as I haf not in all my collection. So, I fall on a log; I skin me
my leg. In the moss I find some bits of rock. I recollect me not where,
but believe it wass somewhere there. But what I find now, here, by a
stranger--it iss worth more than gold! My friend, I thank you, I embrace
you! I am favored by fate to meet you. Go with you to Washington? Yess,
yess, I go!"

CHAPTER XVIII

THE MISSING SLIPPER

There will always remain something to be said of woman as long as
there is one on earth.--_Bauflers_.

My new friend, I was glad to no