turn more digestible. Finally, in despair, the judge advised the trying of the liver, but with no better success. The strongest set of molars endeavored in vain to make pulp of the leather-like mass. But still the liver kept coming on the table, and still the students persevered in their frantic efforts to make it go down. One day at dinner, Judge Bailey being ab sent, one of the students, who went by the name of Shorty, was called upon to say grace. Bowing his head and folding his hands with a reverence that would have done credit to the most devout divine, Shorty made this grace : — "Lord, what will last forever? Heaven, hell, and old Dick's liver!"

One morning, Alexander was thrown into a fever of nervous excitement by the intel ligence that two of the students, Connolly and Halliburton, were going to fight a duel! Even then they were making preparations for it. With his face the dead hue of ashes and his knees trembling so he could hardly stand, Alexander started at once for the house. He found it only too true. A terrible quarrel had taken place, the group of excited students readily informed him. Soon the two principals themselves ap peared. Their faces were set and deter mined, their eyes flashing. Each was attired in a pair of freshly done up white panta loons, a round jacket, much too small, white gloves, and a stiff white necktie. "O boys! boys! for mercy sake," cried Alexander, " don't you go ter shooting one ernother! Can't the row be settled some other way?" No, it could not, they most emphatic ally and fiercely informed him, at the same time commanding him to cease his drivelling. "But think o' yer po' mothers an' sis ters! " persisted the distracted Alexander. "O boys! boys! it'll kill 'em! it'll kill 'em, I tell yer!"

"Seize him! " commanded one of the students who seemed to be acting as leader. "Seize him!" In a few moments, in spite of his frantic struggles, Alexander hands were firmly pinioned behind him, his feet securely tied a foot or so apart. In this condition he was dragged along in the rear of the excited procession that now took up its line of march for the orchard. Two gnarled and ancient apple trees that stood about twelve paces apart, and with no other trees intervening, was decided on as the position for the duellists. Without the least tremor, still glowering upon each other, with apparently the most deadly hatred, each grimly took his place, pistol in hand. Very soon the command to fire was given. Immediately the sharp reports of two pistols rang out upon the air. With an agonized expression of countenance, Connolly threw his hands downward against his right thigh, from which the blood now began gushing forth in streams. At the same time, with a wild shriek, followed by a terrible groan, as of one in the last agony, poor Alexander fell face for ward in a dead faint. Connolly was at once carried to the house, placed in bed, and a physician summoned. He pronounced the wound ugly and dan gerous, but not necessarily fatal. With close attention and careful nursing, the patient would pull through all right. For three weeks Connolly kept his room, waited upon most faithfully by Alexander and his wife. The doctor came every day to dress the wound. He declared that his patient must have the best of nourish ment and plenty of it. Have it he surely did, for no delicacy was too good that the kind-hearted Alexander and wife could pos sibly procure. The wounded boy displayed a most ravenous appetite for one in his con dition, but so unsophisticated were this good pair, they never thought anything of it.