ect. He spent his life seining the air for flying fish of
the June-bug order, and then sticking pins through 'em and calling 'em
names.

He and May Martha were the whole family. He prized her highly as a
fine specimen of the _racibus humanus_ because she saw that he had
food at times, and put his clothes on right side before, and kept
his alcohol-bottles filled. Scientists, they say, are apt to be
absent-minded.

There was another besides myself who thought May Martha Mangum one to be
desired. That was Goodloe Banks, a young man just home from college. He
had all the attainments to be found in books--Latin, Greek, philosophy,
and especially the higher branches of mathematics and logic.

If it hadn't been for his habit of pouring out this information and
learning on every one that he addressed, I'd have liked him pretty well.
But, even as it was, he and I were, you would have thought, great pals.

We got together every time we could because each of us wanted to pump
the other for whatever straws we could to find which way the wind blew
from the heart of May Martha Mangum--rather a mixed metaphor; Goodloe
Banks would never have been guilty of that. That is the way of rivals.

You might say that Goodloe ran to books, manners, culture, rowing,
intellect, and clothes. I would have put you in mind more of baseball
and Friday-night debating societies--by way of culture--and maybe of a
good horseback rider.

But in our talks together, and in our visits and conversation with May
Martha, neither Goodloe Banks nor I could find out which one of us she
preferred. May Martha was a natural-born non-committal, and knew in her
cradle how to keep people guessing.

As I said, old man Mangum was absent-minded. After a long time he found
out one day--a little butterfly must have told him--that two young
men were trying to throw a net over the head of the young person,
a daughter, or some such technical appendage, who looked after his
comforts.

I never knew scientists could rise to such occasions. Old Mangum orally
labelled and classified Goodloe and myself easily among the lowest
orders of the vertebrates; and in English, too, without going any
further into Latin than the simple references to _Orgetorix, Rex
Helvetii_--which is as far as I ever went, myself. And he told us that
if he ever caught us around his house again he would add us to his
collection.

Goodloe Banks and I remained away five days, expecting the storm to
subs