re. "There, that's settled! Now where shall I find
Professor Marvin, please?"

"Professor Marvin!" repeated Jared stupidly.

"Yes; Professor George Marvin," bowed the stranger.

"Why, there ain't no Professor Marvin, that I know of."

"Mebbe he means old Marvin's son," interposed Seth Wilber with a
chuckle.

The stranger turned inquiringly.

"His name's 'George,' all right," continued Seth, with another chuckle,
"but I never heard of his professin' anythin'--'nless 't was laziness."

The stranger's face showed a puzzled frown.

"Oh--but--I mean the man who discovered that ants and--"

"Good gorry!" interrupted Seth, with a groan. "If it's anythin' about
bugs an' snakes, he's yer man! Ain't he?" he added, turning to his
friends for confirmation.

Jared nodded, and Squire Fletcher cleared his throat.

"He's done nothing but play with bugs ever since he came into the
world," said the Squire ponderously. "A most unfortunate case of an
utterly worthless son born to honest, hard-working parents. He'll
bring up in the poor-house yet--or in a worse place. Only think of
it--a grown man spending his time flat on his stomach in the woods
counting ants' legs and bugs' eyes!"

"Oh, but--" The stranger stopped. The hotel-keeper had the floor.

"It began when he wa'n't more'n a baby. He pestered the life out of
his mother bringing snakes into the sittin'-room, and carrying worms in
his pockets. The poor woman was most mortified to death about it.
Why, once when the parson was there, George used his hat to catch
butterflies with--smashed it, too."

"Humph!" snapped the Squire. "The little beast filled one of my
overshoes once, to make a swimming-tank for his dirty little fish."

"They could n't do nothin' with him," chimed in Seth Wilber. "An' when
he was older, 'twas worse. If his father set him ter hoein' pertaters,
the little scamp would be found h'istin' up old rocks an' boards ter
see the critters under 'em crawl."

"Yes, but--" Again the stranger was silenced.

"And in school he did n't care nothing about 'rithmetic nor jography,"
interrupted Jared. "He was forever scarin' the teacher into fits
bringin' in spiders an' caterpillars, an' asking questions about 'em."

"Gorry! I guess ye can't tell me no news about George Marvin's
schoolin'," snarled Seth Wilber--"me, that's got a son Tim what was in
the same class with him. Why, once the teacher set 'em in the same
seat; but Tim could n't stan