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been utilized in making discoveries promotive of his 

 reputation and power. You must concede that his 

 patience in listening to our crude papers and in flooding 

 with light our ignorant discussions was heroic, not to say- 

 fairly sublime ; while his delicacy and tact in concealing 

 our imperfections from ourselves and in stimulating us to 

 higher attainments were as beautiful as they were helpfuL 

 Nor were his efforts vain. One of us brought him a 

 crocodile from Florida ; another a flamingo and turtle 

 from the Bahama Islands ; another the bones of extinct 

 animals from the marl beds of New Jersey; another 

 copper nuggets from Lake Superior, and others, gold and 

 silver ores from Colorado and Nevada. Nor was this all. 

 When Doctor Cook heard of rare and valuable specimens 

 which their owners would not donate, and the money for 

 which he knew not where to beg, he would buy them 

 himself and would point to them with a tone of satisfac- 

 tion which it made one happy to witness, though he never 

 gave a hint of his own unselfish liberality. 



One day, while inspecting some remarkable fossil 

 tracks, which were among the finest in the whole world 

 and were enough to have made the face of Hugh Miller 

 glow like a star, I asked : "What did they cost?" "Oh, 

 I don't know; between one and two hundred dollars, I 

 suppose." "Where did you get the money ?" "Oh, I got 

 it." "Did the Trustees furnish it?" "Not that I know 

 of." "Did you thrust your hand into the pocket of some 

 alumnus ? " "I guess not," he replied, with a character- 

 istic shrug of his shoulders and shake of the head. 

 "Well, where did you find it?" "Oh, no matter; I found 

 it." "Ah, I see," said I; "you have been playing another 

 one of your tricks upon your own purse." "Perhaps so," 

 he replied, while his eyes were laughing and sparkling ; 

 "but you needn't say anything about it, though." In the 

 same way Doctor Cook gave hundreds, rather, I believe 



