“I must confess,” he said, “that my information as to the zoölogical distribution in this particular locality is considerably limited. The habitat of the animal, however, includes many regions of similar latitude and physical characteristics. But the felis pardus——”
“The what?”
“I mean the panther,” stammered the lecturer.
“Ahem! Er—what was I saying? Oh, yes! The felis pardus is a digitigrade mammal and also carnivorous. Consequently I should hardly support the hypothesis that he would disturb the various vegetable products which we left behind us——”
“Do you mean,” queried Dewey, solemnly, “that panthers don’t eat pumpkin pie?”
“Exactly,” said the Parson. “That was just what I was trying to say.”
“B’gee!” chuckled Dewey, “no one would ever have guessed it. But as you say, panthers eat meat. If one had been wandering about last night, therefore, it is probable that he’d have taken Indian instead of his pie.”
“Bless my soul!” gasped Indian. “Please don’t talk like that.”
“As to the further characteristics of the quadruped,” said the Parson, continuing his lecture, “I may say by way of an introduction to the subject that scientific research has disclosed——”
“Whoop!”