Life — July 17, 1902 — page 8: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

52 -LIFE- When Thompson-Seton’s Ernest. Tle loves the And th Tle does: But b nny Bear #0 wihl, know bis 1 I O you think he'll come? id the Coyote. “Of course,” answered the Kootenay Ram im- patiently, “doesn’t he always come to see us fed? He's becoming too intense to suit me. I never did care for metaphysics. I'm like Kipling, I like men who do things. I'd have you know that I'm no muddied oaf. “Really, Krag, you're becoming too sensitive. you'd turn the glare of your ‘splendid amber eyes’ in another direction. You needn't try any of your hypnotic tricks in this park.” “Hypnotism!” echoed the Pacing Mustang, snort; “Krag doesn’t know a thing about it. primitive—nothing but brute force.” “Last year,” said Molly Cottontail, “I heard that Seton Thompson——" “What's that?” inquired the Chickadee. such person. Seton——” “Oh! Every one knows once a year.’ Tito. “But I insist upon it,” said the Chickadee, angrily. “Ask Silverspot. It’s all over the woods.” “I'm afraid, my friends, that Chickadee is telling the truth,” said Silverspot, sadly, “but, after all, what's in a—" “If you quote that thing,” said Bingo, wearily, “I'll cut the crowd of you. It's bad enough for Ernest to con- fuse us in this way, just as we were beginning to feel acquainted.” “I always thought,” continued the Pacing Mustang, “that the fellow had horse sense. But if he had con- sulted me about this change in the name of the firm, I should have said him neigh.” “We mustn't judge him too hardly,” said Chink. “When a man gets rich he must have amusement. Some men take to yachting, some to the woods, and others take to studying the hyphens in the family. We're not proud, and we'll recognize him, even with an alias.” “Well,” said Vixen, quietly, “here he comes, and we'd better treat him as if nothing had happened.” All these things had I heard from wild animals, which I had not known. They had been so absorbed in their discussion that I had gone unnoticed. But, now, as I watched the Chaser of the Stag approach, I felt that it was well to have overheard the conversation of his friends, for there was a heavy cloud on his brow, and the burden of a double name seemed to press sorrowfully upon his soul. “Eh! What is this? You are not——" “Iam not one of them,” I said, genially. “I'v been listening to a little conversation.” “Were they discussing me?” he asked, eagerly. I wish with a He's purely “There's no He told me, himself, that he’s Mr. Ernest that the Chickadee ‘goes crazy You can't be in Ernest, you know, d * Seated on a peak tn Colorado.” “Well—yes. They weren't just sure about the name.” “I hoped they hadn't heard about it. But there’s no concealing anything in these days.” “You are Mr. Ernest Th——” ‘Call me Ernie, if you want to be friendly. won't let me alone.” “Why don’t you call yourself Hobo or Swab or Ringo? It would be so effective and would seem to identify you with the rest.” “You don't understand,” he said, crossly. ancient Scottish name——" “And Thompson is just about as old, and a little more common. But we'll read your books by any other name and all hyphens look alike to me.” “What is most provoking is that this disturbance in- terferes with my work. Just as I am seated on a peak in Colorado, ready to sketch a bear or two, the telephone rings and Scribners’ want to know if Seton-Thompson is there. When I try to explain that it's Ernest Seton, they think I'm the wrong m Then the Ladies’ Home Journal will ring up in a hurry for Mr. Sat-On-Thomp- son, and——" “Then you really belong. “I'm the editor of the wild-animals department, but I haven't a thing to do with heart-to-heart talks, with whirls. But the editor and I almost had a little misun- derstanding.” “About Mrs. Rorer’s recipes?” The papers “Seton is an comicbooks.com