the course of an hour or two he had adorned his hat with a
variety of orthoptera, coleoptera, and all the other opteras known to the
insect-catching profession. A large Cecropia spread its bright wings
across the crown of his hat, and several green Katydids appeared to be
climbing up the sides for an introduction to the brilliant moth; three
dragon-flies sat on the brim, and two or three ugly beetles kept watch
between them. As for grasshoppers, they hung by threads from the
hat-brim, and made unique pendants, which flew and flopped about his face
as he ran hither and thither with his net, sweeping the air for new
victims. Hurrying with long strides after a large locust which he
suspected of belonging to a new species, and which flew high and far, his
eyes were so uplifted to his game that he did not see anything else, and
he ran down a hill and fairly against a lady, and then drew back in
startled surprise and apologized. But before his hasty apology was
half-uttered he lifted his eyes to the face of the lady and saw that it
was Miss Minorkey, walking with her father. Albert was still more
confused when he recognized her, and his confusion was not relieved by
her laughter. For the picturesque figure of Charlton and his portable
museum was too much for her gravity, and as the French ladies of two
centuries ago used to say, she "lost her serious." Guessing the cause of
her merriment, Charlton lifted his hat off his head, held it up, and
laughed with her.

"Well, Miss Minorkey, no wonder you laugh. This is a queer hat-buggery
and dangling grasshoppery."

"That's a beautiful Cecropia," said Helen Minorkey, recovering a little,
and winning on Albert at once by showing a little knowledge of his pet
science, if it was only the name of a single specimen. "I wouldn't mind
being an entomologist myself if there were many such as this and that
green beetle to be had. I am gathering botanical specimens," and she
opened her portfolio.

"But how did you come to be in Metropolisville?"

"Why," interrupted Mr. Minorkey, "I couldn't stand the climate at
Perritaut. The malaria of the Big Gun River affected my health seriously.
I had a fever night before last, and I thought I'd get away at once, and
I made up my mind there was more oxygen in this air than in that at
Perritaut. So I came up here this morning. But I'm nearly dead," and here
Mr. Minorkey coughed and sighed, and put his hand on his breast in a
self-pitying fashion.

As