be a man and forget her. There are other fish
within the sea."
And Frederick N. Chester, though struck by a
blow which would have completely shattered an
ordinary mortal, left the postoffice the same large
minded, sedate man that five minutes before he
had entered it.
CHAPTER I I.
Another year has gone around and many chan
ges have taken place in the old college. Men
who had been leaders in all student affairs had
taken their degrees and departed while others
filled their places. The sophomores of the year
previous now strolled the walks with the dignity
becoming to upper classmen; those who had'been
freshmen were now lounging around with a gen
eral air of greatness; those who had last year
been boys now assumed the air of statesmen.. Our
hero alone had returned to college to pursue a
post graduate course unchanvd. He was still the
same worshipped being that he had always been.
Inwardly he suffered pangs of sorrow that were
gradually breaking down his naturally sensitive
constitution; outwardly he greeted all with a smile
and pleasant joke as had always been his wont.
All day, as he hung over his desk in the labra
tory mixing chemicals, he could see the fare of his
lost Miggie in the fumes of nitric acid which rose
from his beakers, gazing wistfully at him
He pictured her in some foreign land, watched
by a hard-heated mother and compelled perhaps
to wed some German baron or Italian count.
Then he would rest his head upon a lamp stand
while his tears ran thick and fast down the sink. He
tied to drown his sorrows by a wild career of reck
lessness. In vain, for even from the hung-hole of
the cider barrel his Maggie, gazed upon him..
He tried to forget her by seeking the company
of the fair sex; he spent a week at the Grangers
picnic flirting with the Headless Lady; often he
had driven three miles through the rain at night
in order to forget the existance of one in the pres
ence of anotner ; he had alternated his attentions
for one term between two fair sisters ;
THE FREE LANCE.
he had been expelled from the Four Hun
dred for trying to drown his sorrow with the
Co-Eds. All was useless. At the close of the
term he sold all his property and retired to his
native town.
Here the familiar scenes where he had spent so
many happy hours, brought to his mind such pain
ful memories that in desperation he decided to re
turn once more to his Alma Mater in the hope
that it being leap-year some one at least might
pick him up. Despondency seized him, work was
neglected, and even his best friends noticed a de
cided change in his temperament. No longer did
he entertain them with his wit and• wisdom; his
head drooped sadly; his shoulders stooped; his
former dignity was departed.
At last Spring came and one , fine even
ing in May Frederick Chester was walking aim
lessly through the streets of the neighboring town
of B— when suddenly his eye lit upon a huge
show bill in a store window. Instantly his inter.
est was aroused. He always had had an inclina
tion toward joining a circus, as his talents ran in
that line, and having nothing to do he made a
careful examination of the poster to learn what
were the features of the show which must exhibit
that night. His eye fell upon this announcement:
MARVELOUS CANNON AND TRAPEEZE PERFORMANCE.
"I'll go," he exclaimed quickly and rushing to
the grounds, as he had a short time to spare until
the affair commenced, he found himself in a few
moments seated on the topmost row of boards
•
awaiting the opening.
At last it began, Chester at first watched the ring
listlessly as the gold-bespangled fairies rode around
the ring on prancing horses. At length, however,
his fine sense of humor began to be kindled by the
clowns and thought how much better he could have
done it himself and wished that he were in their
place for a few short minutes. He laughed heart
ily at the horseback performance of the man who
staggered in the ring in the garb of a drunken tramp;
MONSIEUR AND MADAME PERIQUE
-i n their