He visited Europe to see Mme. Bla- 

 vatsky, founded and became president 

 of the Gnostic Theosophical Society of 

 Washington, and later became the per- 

 petual president of the Esoteric Theo- 

 sophical Society of America. In i8go 

 he published an expose of the impos- 

 tures of Blavatsky, and from that time 

 his interest in the cult gradually ceased. 

 Most men can do some things well, 

 but nature is seldom so lavish of her 

 gifts as to produce a genius who does 

 all things equally well. It is rare to 

 find a man like Dr. Coues, who was 

 capable of incessant drudgery in the 

 most prosaic technicalities, yet blessed 

 with the poetic temperament and ar- 

 dent imagination, able to array the 

 deepest problems in a sparkling style 

 which fascinated while it convinced. 

 His literary labors would have killed 



most men, but to his grasp of mind 

 nature had kindly joined a strong, 

 healthy body that proved capable of 

 any demand upon his physical endur- 

 ance that his intellectual activity might 

 make. He was tall, well-formed, classic 

 in features, straight as an arrow, with 

 the air of the scholar without the stu- 

 dent's stoop, betraying no trace of 

 mental weariness — a man with the 

 tastes of a sybarite and the soul of a 

 poet; to quote from a leading journal, 

 "the imagination of a Goethe and the 

 research of a Humboldt." 



In conversation he was fascinating, 

 possessing much of the personal mag- 

 netism ascribed to James G. Blaine. It 

 was the pleasure of the writer to have 

 many interviews and to enjoy a some- 

 what intimate correspondence with him 

 almost up to the time of his death. 



BOBBY^S ** COTTON-TAIL.' 



GRANVILLE OSBORNE. 



Name's Bobby Wilkins; I'm a-goin' on six years old; 



Aunt Polly says 'at I'm agettin' purty pert 'n bold; 



She 'aint er might uv use fer boys 'at's jest er-bout my size; 



If Tabby'n me hev eny fun her "angry pashuns rise," 'n 



When I try ter make some sparks fly out uv Tabby's tail 



Aunt Polly says, " Bad boys like you are sometimes put in jail;" 



But I don't mind her not a bit, an' make jest lots uv noise, 



An' nen she looks so cross an' sez, " Deliver me frum beys." 



II. 

 iVIy Aunt Polly likes her cat er-nough sight better'n me, 'n' 

 Keeps a-coddlin' it 'ith cream 'n' sometimes catnip tea. 

 Seen some tracks behin' ther shed, an' nen I sez, sez I, 

 " I'll catch yer, Mister Cotton-Tail, to make a rabbit pie;" 

 So me'n' Tommy Baker found er empty cracker box; 

 Thought we'd hev it big er-nough fer fear he wuz er fox. 

 An' nen we propped ther cover up 'n' fixed it ^ith a spring 

 'At shut it suddin' 'ith a bang ez tight ez anything. 



III. 

 We cut er fresh green carrot top 'n' put it in fer bait, 

 Wuz both so sure we'd ketch him 'at we couldn't hardly wait; 

 Pounded in some stakes each side 'n' made it good 'n' stout; 

 If Mister Cotton-Tail got in he never could get out. 

 Tom staid 'ith me till mornin', an' almos' 'fore it wuz light 

 We run behin' ther shed 'n' foun' our trap all shet up tight; 

 An' nen I shouted, " Got him!" 'n' Tom threw up his hat — 

 Blame 'f that ol' rabbit wasn't my Aunt Polly's cat! 



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