T WAS the second day out on a rather rough voyage. Most of the passengers were busily engaged in the absorbing pastime of trying to turn inside out, and failing to accomplish it, became dejected and sallow.

There is nothing particularly tender about me, owing, I presume, to the fact that my character has begun to show the effects of too long and intimate association with the beefsteak furnished at my last boarding-house, which article was more the friend of the dentist than of the vender of anti-fat. Still I found the society of these contortionists in the cabin too depressing for even my hardened constitution, and went up on deck for a change of

scene.

I sought out a sheltered spot on the leeward side and sat down. I had been there but a moment when an agile, black-haired man of about twenty-eight, clad in a heavy ulster, approached, and sitting down in a chair near me, asked if I would have a cigar. I would, and did. It was a very good cigar. This fact caused me to conclude that he was no ordinary man, and I think the story I am about to relate will prove the correctness of my opinion. We were soon quite friendly, and I shortly learned the following facts.

His name was Morse Gordon. He had completed his medical studies at Ann Arbor the previous year and had been spending the summer in New York, attending clinics and other vile things. He was an enthusiast in his profession and thoroughly modern in his ideas. He was especially interested in the application of the Roentgen rays and hypnotism to surgery. I had come on deck to escape the miseries of the writhing wretches downstairs only. to be a listener to harrowing tales of "most beautiful" operations performed on subjects who had taken no anesthetic, but had been put into a hypnotic sleep which left them wholly insensible to pain, but seemingly conscious in all other respects. I cannot say that I found this sort of conversation very interesting, but I did find the man intensely so, and as nis

cigars were prime and his companionship, aside from his "shop talk," quite enjoyable, I was very glad that we had been thrown together.

I discovered also that he was bound for the same German University as I, to take a special course in medicine. We were thus brought more closely together and later arranged to "chum it" on reaching M—. This arrangement I now consider one of the most fortunate of my life, for it brought me in close contact with the most wonderful man I ever knew and made me an active participant in events the most thrilling of my life.

True, at times, not seeing the end, I wished myself far enough away from him. Our acquaintance began in rough weather, and it was through storms the most severe that it grew into an attachment more than brotherly. All my other experiences abroad. are tame, commonplace events when compared with those which cluster about this.

one man.

One evening, a few months after our arrival at the university, we were strolling about the streets of the town, when Morse suddenly stopped in front of a house which stood next to a popular beer-hall, and looking up at the front windows in the second story in which a light could be seen, said, "It looks as though Drynder was at home."

"And who is Drynder?" I inquired.

"I forgot you are not a Medico. If you were you would know Drynder. He is the handsomest man in the university. Come up and see if you don't think so." And he took me by the arm and led me up the stairway as though he was taking me into some museum to show me a freak.

The building was one of the oldest in the town. It had settled over to one side so that it had the appearance of leaning its wooden shoulders against the adjoining building, like a drunken man against a lamp-post. This appearance of inebriety was accentuated by the two little squinting window-eyes in the second story which seemed about half-open, gazing in a stupid, bleary manner into the street below.

Altogether it looked as though it might have just stepped out of the adjoining resort and was unable to go any farther. We climbed up a stairway at one side of this old toper, inhaling its strong beery breath as we did so, and arriving at the top, knocked upon a decidedly ricketylooking door. A deep, resonant voice informed us that we might enter. Morse pushed the door open and I followed him into the room. It was a peculiar place of fairly good dimensions, but plainly furnished, the furniture consisting chiefly of pine tables, a lot of chairs and a halfdozen couches. The only occupant of the room was seated with his fect on one of the tables, and an immense pipe in his mouth.

He arose to greet us as we entered, and upon being introduced to me, informed us that he was glad to make the acquaintance of Herr Harris and hoped he was well. I informed him that I was in a fair state of preservation, and in compliance with his invitation seated myself in one of the chairs, while Morse took one at the table facing Drynder.

"I hope, Herr Drynder," Morse began, resting one elbow on the table," that we do not intrude. We were just passing and I wanted to see you a moment. I suppose there is to be some meeting of the corps here to-night, but we shall only remain a few minutes."

"No intrusion, sir; no intrusion," replied our host, applying himself vigorously to his pipe. "Nobody be here for half an hour [puff]. Pleased to have you come up" [puff, puff].

"I wanted to ask you a few questions about that case you were speaking of this morning," continued Morse, twisting his chair about until he faced Drynder and resting both arms on the table.

"Ah! yes, yes," puffed our friend. "That was the case where the point of a sword broke off during a duel and imbedded itself in my friend's face. Strange case, went like a bullet! (An intermission here, to work up draught on meerschaum.) "It was a little piece,-less than half an inch long, and the man who was hit thought the other chap had scratched him, whereas he had not really touched him. Next day he had such a pain in his face that he went to a dentist to see if he

had the toothache. His teeth were all right, but he found his jaw in such bad shape where he had been struck that he thought he must have taken cold in it. It kept getting worse, and since they had not found the piece of sword in sweeping up the hall, it was thought that it might possibly be in his face; so they tried the X-ray, and, sure enough, there it was! That was a great fight, great fight!" And the smoke poured forth in immense vol

umes.

As they sat facing each other on opposite sides of the table, I could not but notice the great contrast between these two men who afterward played such important parts in the most exciting events of my life.

Drynder was an Apollo in stature, six feet tall, solidly built, with the easy manner of a well-to-do man of the world. Added to that was a fine military bearing and an athletic grace that suggested great power. With his chair tilted back, his feet on the table, and a fine meerschaum in his mouth, he seemed to be one accustomed to taking things easy. His clothes were of the finest, a diamond of intense brilliancy gleamed on his finger, across his breast was the ribbon of the thrice victorious duelist, and pushed well back on his light curling hair was the white cap of the Prussian Corps,--truly a distinguished-looking character. Still, I thought as I looked at his face that it was not such as one would look for with such a figure. It was handsome, though scarred with several swordcuts, and yet the strength which impressed one from looking at his fine build was not there. The square-cut jaw, firm mouth, and steady eye were lacking, and in their places were features which hinted at effeminacy.

Morse, on the other hand, was of slighter mold, five feet eight inches in height, but wiry and agile as a panther. His face was such as you would expect to find with Drynder's frame,--strong, firm, and with a black, piercing eye that was as sharp as a rapier-point.

During Drynder's recital Morse had kept his eyes riveted on him, seemingly intently interested in a story in which I failed to see anything unusually engrossing.

Drynder continued to describe the oc

currence more in detail, glancing occasionally at Morse. Several times as he did so I thought he seemed annoyed at the steady gaze of his listener and shifted about nervously in his chair.

"That was very strange," said Morse. "I was struck in the same place when I was a little fellow with a lead pellet from a toy pistol and nearly lost my sight. guess you can see the scar yet, can't you? And he leaned over the table toward Drynder, who hitched his chair up more closely and looked intently at Morse's eye for quite a while. "Can't you see it? "

“No,” replied Drynder, gazing steadily but vacantly. "N-o," and he placed his elbows on the table and his face in his hands and looked dreamily at Morse, who still sat with his eyes fixed on him. Slowly the German's lower jaw fell and his pipe dropped from between his teeth on to the table.

The noise seemed to rouse Morse, for he said, "I fear you find us tiresome, Herr Drynder. I see you are going to sleep."

No, I'm not," rejoined our host in a futile attempt at rousing himself. "No,

I'm not."

"Yes, but you are. See there; your eyes are shut!" said Morse, rising. "I tell you you are going to sleep. There, there! your head is nodding. Now it is on the table, and you are asleep. Well, your friends will awaken you when they come in; so I guess we might as well go." And he took up his hat and started out.

I gazed in astonishment at this peculiar turn of events. What ailed the man? Was there some peculiar phase of the German character which I had never seen before? Was it customary for men to relapse from animated conversation into sleep in a few minutes in the early evening? I was puzzled. As I followed Morse out, I looked back and saw Drynder fast asleep. I hurried down the rickety stairs after my companion who was already at the bottom. "Well!" I exclaimed, "what kind of a fellow is that? What ails him?"

Morse cast a curious sidelong glance at me and said," O, I suppose he was up late last night, and the warm room made him drowsy. I must tell you about him." With this he took my arm and hurried me along before I could ask any more questions.

As we went he told me that Drynder was the most famous swordsman in the university, and had fought in nearly all the larger institutions in the empire. Ile was the pride of the Prussian Corps and the envy of all others. He was supposed to attend medical lectures, but his connection with that department went little farther than the supposition.

I afterward heard a great deal about this man. As his appearance indicated, he was a man of wealth. He had elegant quarters in the most fashionable section, but had fitted up the barrack-like resort in which we had found him for the convenience of himself and his fellow corps meinbers, who were more frequent attendants at the hall next door than at lectures. It was a sort of halfway house between drunk and sober, where a white cap might drop anchor, if he found the earth too boisterous and billowy, and wait peacefully on one of the couches until the storm was over.

It may be there are some who are not familiar with the German student corps; so it may be well to explain that they are societies or clubs, the nearest approach to which is found in our college fraternities, though having characteristics peculiarly their own. The members of each corps are distinguished by a certain color of cap, and I never saw a better illustration of the old adage that "Birds of a feather flock together," for you never see a white cap or a blue cap in company with any other color than its own, unless by accident. A green cap seems not to be aware that there is any other color on earth, and never holds communication with one of another corps except by the edge of a sword, and never looks at one unless through the duelinggoggles, or eye-protectors. The only ob

jects of these corps, as near as I could see, were to drink beer with members of their own and make chopping-blocks of those of all others.

Twice a week sword contests were held at the dueling-hall, at which men with no grievance whatever hacked furrows in one another's countenances or slit one another's noses in a nice sociable and entertaining manner. Occasionally some real or fancied insult was washed out by a spurt of blood either from the face of the offender or the offended. It really made little difference which; for if a man called you

a liar or accidentally trod on your corn, it was considered a soothing poultice to your wounded vanity to have him split your head open with a sword, provided you could not do him a like favor first.

These grievance-duels are much sought after by the corps men; and if one found his sword-arm getting a little stiff for want of practice, his dignity became very sensitive and his sense of honor very acute. At such times, if you were unfortunate enough to rub elbows with him in a crowd or jostle him in passing, you would be very likely to receive next day an invitation to meet the owner of the wounded dignity for a fifteen-minute chopping-match.

Of all the men in the various corps, Drynder was the most expert at this sanguinary sport. His arm was powerful, his strokes quick as light. His special characteristic, however, was the accuracy of his stroke. If it landed at all, it was always just where he desired. There was no promiscuous slashing at a man's head in general, but a nice, well-planned cut in some particular spot. His favorite operation seemed to be to make a neat, long slit down the exact center of his opponent's chin. He evidently prided himself on this particular point, and the university was rapidly filling with walking certificates of his skill; for the members of the other corps were developing double chins at an alarming rate. I could generally tell when Drynder had had an affair on hand by some other fellow's coming out with a bandaged jaw. There was a story to the effect that he could suspend a weight by a narrow ribbon and then with a sword whose point had been ground as thin as possible, split the ribbon for several feet with one quick stroke without cutting it across, leaving the weight suspended by two strands less than an eighth of an inch in width. This story, in events which soon followed, caused me great uneasiness. Being a genius, I suppose it was proper for him to be eccentric; still I could not help thinking it strange that he should have gone to sleep during our call.

It was almost a month after our first visit that Morse and I dropped in at the resort I have mentioned for a little irrigation. As we were passing one of the tables near the entrance I saw the familiar figure

of the chin-splitter seated alone with his mug, evidently waiting for friends. Morse, having caught sight of him also, stopped.

"Good evening, Herr Drynder," he said. "I see you are alone. Will you not help us make a little party?"

I thought Drynder seemed a little annoyed, but he politely saluted us, and motioning to us to be seated, said, "I shall be happy to make one of your company.

The

We seated ourselves at his table, and were soon emptying our mugs quite sociably. It being early in the evening, there were not many others in the hall. waiter had just gone for a new supply of liquid, leaving us alone. Drynder's left hand was resting on the table, while his right grasped the handle of his mug. I thought he seemed a little uneasy and restless. Not once after the first salutation had he looked squarely at Morse, who now remarked, "That is a beautiful ring you have, Herr Drynder."

"Yes," drawled our friend, turning his finger so that the diamond might catch the light; "it is a pretty fair stone."

"You would n't care to trade for my scarf-pin, would you?" said Morse jokingly.

Drynder allowed his eyes to wander from his ring to Morse, who was leaning over the table as if to exhibit his pin and looking intently at the man opposite.

In an instant their eyes met. The big fellow began to tremble as he looked fixedly at Morse, who said, "Why, my dear fellow, how nervous you are! I have often wondered how you could drink so much and yet keep such a steady hand. You had better be more temperate or your swordarm will lose its reputation."

The German looked wonderingly at his hand, which was shaking quite visibly.

"I have heard," continued Morse, "that you could strike within a hair's-breadth; but I'll venture anything you like that you can't strike that with the point of a lead pencil," and he placed a coin on the table, at the same time handing Drynder a pencil.

The latter grasped the pencil like a dagger and carefully jabbed at the coin. He did not come within half an inch of it. He looked at it in surprise, and taking more careful aim struck again, but with