blind little beggars. They are also souvenirs of an unparalleled event
in history, namely, the destruction of the oldest breed of animal on
earth, and the youngest. And their chief virtue lies in that they will
never wear out."

Having effected the exchange, he knocked the ashes from his pipe, gripped
my hand good-night, and wandered off through the snow. Concerning this
tale, for which I have already disclaimed responsibility, I would
recommend those of little faith to make a visit to the Smithsonian
Institute. If they bring the requisite credentials and do not come in
vacation time, they will undoubtedly gain an audience with Professor
Dolvidson. The _muclucs_ are in his possession, and he will verify, not
the manner in which they were obtained, but the material of which they
are composed. When he states that they are made from the skin of the
mammoth, the scientific world accepts his verdict. What more would you
have?




A HYPERBOREAN BREW


[The story of a scheming white man among the strange people who live on
the rim of the Arctic sea]

Thomas Stevens's veracity may have been indeterminate as _x_, and his
imagination the imagination of ordinary men increased to the nth power,
but this, at least, must be said: never did he deliver himself of word
nor deed that could be branded as a lie outright. . . He may have played