62 NORTH CAROLINA 



excited over the matter, but at least my 

 few fellow boarders at the hotel either felt 

 or simulated a pretty constant interest. 

 " AVell," one or another of them would say, 

 as I dragged my weary steps up the hill to 

 the door, at the end of a day's outing, " well, 

 have you seen any ravens yet ? " 



One day there appeared at the dinner- 

 table a bright, rosy-faced, clear-eyed, whole- 

 some-looking boy of nine or ten years, and 

 the gentleman who had brought him in as 

 his guest presently introduced him to me, 

 with the remark that perhaps " Bob " could 

 give me information upon my favorite topic. 

 Bob smiled bashfully, and I began my ex- 

 amination. Yes, he said, he had seen ravens. 

 How often, should he say? Why, almost 

 every day. When did he see them last? 

 Yesterday. How many were there ? One. 

 It was flying over. Did it call ? Yes, they 

 always did. How much bigger than a crow 

 was it ? Not much, but the voice was very 

 different. This last was a model answer, — 

 not at all the answer of a dishonest witness, 

 or of an honest witness ambitious to make 

 out a story. It was impossible to doubt him 

 (his father and his older brother confirmed 



