dea what it's like to go to college on
wind. Say, won't it seem funny to have little Lizzie married to that
chap. She wouldn't confess to-day, but I could see there was something
up."

He paused at last, for it was being borne in upon his joy-blended
senses that his chum, who had always heretofore rejoiced when he
rejoiced, was making no response.

"It'll be good practice for my first year, don't you think?" he asked
rather lamely.

"Oh, yes, I suppose so." Charles Stuart's answer was even lamer.

John emerged from his room bearing the captured slippers.

"You're not sick, are you, old man?" he asked.

"Sick? No! What makes you ask such a fool question?"

"Why, you're looking perfectly green round the gills. You're not going
out, are you?"

For the Pretender had sprung up and was dragging on his boots. He was
finding it impossible to pretend any longer.

John watched him anxiously, all uncomprehending.

"Better let me take your temperature, Mac. Diphtheria's fairly booming
in your year. Packard has it now."

"Nonsense! I'm all right. You meds. are always on the trail of death
and disease."

"I thought you said you were going to plug to-night."

Charles Stuart was savagely dragging on his overcoat. "Well, I'm not,
I'm going out."

"You haven't a pain or an ache anywhere, have you?"

The patient might have answered truthfully that he was conscious only
of one great ache through his whole being, but instead he answered
shortly: "Pain? Your granny! No, of course not!"

The door slammed soundingly behind him, and John sat gazing at it until
the house shook with another tremendous bang, this time from the street
door.

"Well, I'll be----" said the young man, and then paused, feeling how
utterly hopeless it was to find a word expressive of his feelings. In
all the years of their life-long comradeship he had never known Charles
Stuart to behave in such a manner. "He's gone batty!" he said at last
to the closed door, and then slowly and meditatively he returned to his
books. "He's fixing for dip. all right," he added; "I'll have Bags in
to overhaul him when he comes back." Then, with the satisfaction of a
medical student who has correctly diagnosed and prescribed for a case,
he settled himself comfortably in the easy-chair and went to work.

Meanwhile the supposed victim of incipient diphtheria was striding down
the street as though pursued by that and every other fell disease. A
worse