You don't mean to say, I hope, that you really regard it in any other light ?" "A transparent hoax!" repeated the doctor.

"Will you please state why you regard it in that light ?" "Certainly," said Melick.

"Some fellow wanted to get up a sensation novel and introduce it to the world with a great flourish of trumpets, and so he has taken this way of going about it.

You see, he has counted on its being picked up, and perhaps published.

After this he would come forward and own the authorship." "And what good would that do ?" asked the doctor, mildly.