called  Mmiinfii  pfrpefin,  who  preserve  a  sole-mn 
silence  at  the  examination  tables,  fraternize  with 
every  new  generation  of  freshmen,  und  at  last 
become  part  of  the  fixed  furniture  of  their  Jhnn 
.Voter.  In  the  largest  American  colleges,  such 
men  arc  mercilessly  dropped  or  soot  h>  a  Blvlnlty 
School;  but  the  European  universities,  whose 
temper  the  centuries  have  mellowed,  harbor  in 
their  spacious  Gothic  bosoms  .a  tenderer  heart 
for  their  unfortunate  sons.  There  the  professors 
greet  them  at  the  green  tables  with  a  good-hu¬ 
mored  smile  of  recognition;  they  arc  treated  with 
gentle  forbearance  and  are  allowcft  to  linger  on, 
until  they  die  or  become  tutors  in  the  families  of 
remote  clergymen,  where  they  Invariably  fall  In 
love  with  the  handsomest  daughter  and  thus 
lounge  Into  a.  modest  prosperity. 
If  this  had  been  the  fate  of  our  friend  HJerk,  wo 
Simula  have  dismissed  him  here  with  a  confident 
“  nrtfC’on  his  arc’s  pi  igrliuage.  Hut,  unfortunate¬ 
ly,  Ujerk  was  Inclined  to  hold  the  government  In 
some  way  responsible  for  his  own  poor  success  as 
a  student;  and  this.  In  connection  with  an  sca- 
thotlc  enthusiasm  for  ancient  Greece,  gradually 
convinced  him  that  the  republic  was  the  only 
form  of  government  under  which  men  of  his  tastes 
and  temperament  were  apt  to  flourish.  It  was, 
like  everything  l.hat  pertained  to  him,  a  cheerful, 
genial  conviction,  without  the  silghlost  tinge  of 
bitterness.  The  old  Institution.^  were  obsolete- 
rotten  to  the  core,  he  said,  and  needed  a  radical 
renovation,  ilc  could  sit  for  hours  of  an  evening 
In  the  Students’  Union  and  discourse  over  a  glass 
of  mild  toddy  on  tUebenoOlaof  universal  suffrage 
and  trial  by  Jury,  while  the  plcturcsiiueuess  of  Ids 
language,  his  gonial  sarcasms,  or  occasional  witty 
allusions,  W(tuhl  call  forth  uproarious  applause 
from  throngs  of  admiring  freshraou.  These  were 
the  sunny  days  in  llalfdan’s  career,  days  long  to 
be  rcmeiuborcd.  'I'Ucy  came  to  an  abrupt  end 
when  old  Mrs,  DJerk  died,  leaving  nothing  behind 
her  but  her  furntturo  and  some  triniug  debts. 
TUe  son,  who  was  not  an  einlmmlly  practical 
man,  underwent  long  hours  of  misery  In  trying 
to  settle  nil  her  affairs  and  finally,  In  a  moment  of 
extreme  dejection,  sold  his  entire  InhcrlUmco  In 
a  lump  to  a  pawnbroker  (reserving  for  himsell  a 
few  rings  and  trinkets)  tor  the  modest  sum  of  250 
dollars  specie.  Ho  then  took  formal  leave  of  the 
Student, s'  Union  In  a  brilliant  speocli.  In  which  ho 
traced  the  paralhdisms  between  the  lives  of  I’crl- 
cles  and  Washington  -In  his  opinion,  the  two 
greatest  ineu  the  world  had  eversnen— expounded 
hls  theory  of  democratic  government  anfl  ex¬ 
plained  the  causes  of  the  raphl  rl.se  of  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Kepuljllc.  The  next  morning  he  exchanged 
half  of  ULh  worldly  possessions  for  a  ticket  to  Now 
York  and  within  a  few  days  set  sail  for  Iho  land 
of  proniLse,  In  the  far  West. 
ANDENKEN, 
liarmlessncss,  she  .added,  “  How  very  funny  you 
speak  1" 
"  Yes,”  he  said,  stooping  down  to  take  her  tiny 
begloved  hand.  "  I  do  not  speak  as  well  as  you 
do,  yet ;  but  I  shall  soon  learn.” 
Clara  looked  puzzled. 
How  old  are  you  ?”  she  asked,  raising  her  par¬ 
asol  and  throwing  back  her  head  with  an  air  of 
superiority. 
“  f  am  twenty-four  years  old." 
She  began  to  count  half  aloud  on  her  fingers, 
“one,  two,  three,  four,’' but  before  she  reached 
twenty,  she  lost;  her  patience. 
“Twenty-four!”  sheexclalmed,  “  that  Isagre.at 
deal.  I  am  only  seven  jmd  papa  gave  me  a  pony 
on  my  birthday.  Have  you  got  a  pony  7" 
“No;  I  have  Bothlng  but  what  la  In  the  valise 
and  you  know  I  could  not  very  well  get  a  pony 
Into  it.” 
Ulara  glanced  curlou.sly  .at  the  valise  and  laugh¬ 
ed;  then  suddenly  she  grew  serious  again,  put 
her  hand  I  nto  her  pocket  and  seemed  to  be  searoh- 
1  ng  eagerly  for  something.  Presently  she  hauled 
out  a  small  porcelain  doll's  head,  then  a  red- 
palntcd  block  with  letters  on  It,  and  at  last  a 
penny. 
“Do  you  want  them?”  she  said,  reaching  him 
her  treasures  In  both  hands.  “You  may  have 
them  all.” 
Before  he  had  time  to  answer  a  shrill,  penetrat¬ 
ing  voice  cried  out : 
“  Why,  gracious!  child,  wliat  are  you  doing?” 
And  the  nurse,  who  had  been  deeply  absorbed 
I  n  the  New  Y ork  Ledger,  came  rushing  up.  snat-ch- 
cd  the  child  away  and  retreatod  as  hastily  as  .she 
had  come. 
Haltilan  rose  and  wandered  for  hours  aimlessly 
along  the  Intertwining  roads  and  foot-paths.  He 
visited  the  monagei  los.  admlrcrl  the  statues,  took 
a  very  light  dinner,  consisting  of  cofTce,  sand¬ 
wiches  and  Icc,  at  the  (’hlncse  Pavilion  .and,  to¬ 
ward  evening,  dtscovered  an  Inviting  leafy  arbor, 
where  he  could  withdraw  into  the  privacy  of  hls 
own  thoughts  and  ponder  upon  the  still  unsolved 
problem  of  hls  de.stlny.  The  lliuo  incident  with 
the  child  had  taken  the  edge  off  his  unhappiness 
and  turned  him  Into  a  more  eoncMIatory  mood  to¬ 
ward  himself  and  the  groat  pitiless  world,  which 
seemed  to  take  so  little  notice  of  him.  And  he, 
who  had  come  here  with  so  warm  a  heart  and  so 
ardent  a  will  to  join  In  the  great  work  of  hiunan 
advancement— to  find  himself  thus  hai’shly  ig¬ 
nored  and  biifToted  ahoni,  as  If  ho  were  a  ho.stllo 
Intruder !  Before  him  lay  the  huge  unknown  otby 
where  human  life  pulsated  with  large,  lull  heart- 
throbs,  wlicre  a  breath lcs,s,  weird  lutojislty,  a 
cold,  Perce  pa-sslon,  seemed  to  bo  hurrying 
everything  onward  In  a  maddening  whirl- 
where  a  gentle,  warm-blooded  enthusiast  like 
Idmsclf  had  no  i)laceatidcoidd  expect  naught  but 
a  .^peetly  destruction.  A  strange,  unconquerable 
dread  took  possesHlon  of  him,  as  If  ho  had  been 
caught  In  a  swift,  strong  whirlpool,  from  which 
he  val/dy  struggled  to  escaite.  He  crouched  down 
among  the  foliage  and  shuddered.  Ho  coidil  not 
return  to  the  city.  No,  no ;  ho  never  would  re¬ 
turn.  Ho  would  remain  here  hidden  and  unseen 
until  morning  and  then  he  would  seek  a  vessel 
bound  for  hls  dear  native  land,  where  tho  great 
mountains  loomed  ui)  In  serene  majesty  toward 
the  blue  sky,  where  the  pine  forests  whispered 
their  dreamily  sympatJiollc  legends,  In.  the  long 
Hummer  twilights,  where  human  oxlstenec  Powed 
on  In  calm  beauty  with  the  nriOdest  Him.s,  small 
virtues  and  small  vices  which  were  the  liaitplncas 
of  modest.  Idyllic  .soid.s.  Uc  oven  saw  himself  In 
spirit  recoimllug  to  hls  a.sLonlshed  countrymen 
the  wonderful  things  he  had  seen  and  heard  dur¬ 
ing  hls  foreign  pilgrimage,  and  smiled  U)  hlm.seH 
as  ho  Imagined  thoir  wonder  when  ho  should  tell 
them  about  tho  beautiful  little  girl  who  had  lieeri 
the  Prst  and  the  only  one  to  oITer  him  a  friendly 
greeting  In  the  strange  land.  During  thoso  re- 
PocMoits  he  toll  asleep  and  slept  soundly  tor  two 
or  throe  hours.  Once,  ho  ficoined  to  hoar  fooLsteps 
and  whispers  among  the  trees  and  made  an  effort 
to  rouse  blrnst'lf,  but  weariness  again  overmas¬ 
tered  him  and  he  slept  on.  At  last,  he  felt  hiraaolf 
seized  violently  by  the  sUo'ilders,  and  a  gruff 
voice  shouted  In  hls  ear: 
“  Get  up,  you  sleepy  dog  l” 
He  rubbed  lus  eyes  and,  by  tho  dim  light  of  the 
moon,  6£iw  a  Herculean  policeman  lifting  a  stout 
stick  over  hls  head,  Hls  former  terror  came  upon 
him  with  Increased  violence  and  Ids  heart  stood 
(or  a  moment  still,  ttien  again,  hammered  away 
as  If  It  would  burst  hls  sides. 
“Como along!”  roared  the  policeman,  shaking 
him  vehemently  by  tho  collar  of  hls  coat. 
In  hls  bewilderment  he  quite  forgot  where  he 
was  and,  in  hurried  Norse  sentences,  assured  hls 
persecutor  that  he  was  a  harmless,  honest  trav-  ! 
eler,  and  implored  him  to  release  him.  But  the 
ofnclal  Hercules  was  Inexorable. 
“  My  vall.se, my  valise !”  cried  Halfdan.  “  Pray 
let  me  get  my  vailao." 
They  returned  to  the  place  where  he  had  slept, 
but  the  valise  was  uowhero  to  be  found.  Then, 
with  dumb  despair,  ho  resigned  himself  to  hls 
fate  and,  after  a  brief  ride  on  a  street-car,  found 
himself  standing  In  a  large,  low-celled  room;  he 
covered  hts  face  with  hls  hands  and  burst  Into 
tears. 
“The  grand— the  happy  republic,”  he  murmur¬ 
ed,  “  spontaneous  blossfimlng  of  the  soul.  Alas ! 
I  have  rooted  up  my  life.  I  fear  It  will  never 
blossom.” 
All  the  hlgh-llown  adjectives  he  had  employed 
In  hl.s  ijari Ing  speech  In  the.SluUent's  Union,  when 
he  paid  Ids  enthusiastic  tributo  to  the  Grand  Itc- 
publlc,  now  kept  recurring  to  hhn  and  In  this 
moment  the  parado.v  seemed  cruel.  The  Grand 
Republic— what  did  It  care  for  such  as  he?  A 
pair  of  brawny  arms  fit  to  wield  Uvn  plck-axe  and 
to  steer  tho  plow.  It  received  with  r.?;  eager  wel¬ 
come  ;  for  a  chlld-llke,  loving  heart  and  a  gener- 
ou,sly  fantastic  brain,  It  had  but  t  he  stern  greet' 
Ingot  the  law. 
I  THixK  Of  tboc  When  the  forest  trees 
Bend  to  the  whiBp’rln«  evening  breeze ; 
TX  hen  the  song  of  the  nightingale 
M  akes  music  in  the  wood  and  vale. 
When  thiukest  thou  of  me  ? 
I  think  of  thee  by  the  woodland  spring. 
Where  the  oake  thoir  shadows  fling ; 
AVlien  the  day  and  gloomy  night 
Mingle  in  the  dark  twilight. 
Where  thinkest  thou  of  me  ? 
r  thiuk  of  thee  with  sinik's  and  tears ; 
Mith  trembling  hopes  and  anxious  fears ; 
With  longings  for  thy  presence  near— 
Thy  voice  to  bless,  thy  smile  to  cheer. 
How  thinkost  thou  of  mo  f 
O  think  of  me  until  wo  meet, 
Beyond  the  bier  and  wiiuliug-sUcet; 
Until  our  hearts  in  tho  world  above, 
Are  one  forever  in  Joy  and  love ! 
Thus  only  think  I  of  thee ! 
[From  thf  Germnn 
irr. 
'  Tho  next  morning.  Halfdan  wivs  released  from 
tho  police  station,  having  first  been  fined  five 
dollars  for  vagrancy.  .Ml  hls  money,  with  the 
exception  of  u  few  jiounds  which  ho  had  exchang¬ 
ed  In  Liverpool,  he  had  lo,st  with  Ids  valise,  and 
ho  had  to  hls  knowledge  not.  a  si nglo  acquaintj- 
nncp  In  the  city  or  on  tho  whole  conilaout.  In 
■order  to  Increase  liLS  capital  he  bought  some  fifty 
Tribunes;  but,  aaltwa.s  already  late  In  the  day, 
he  hardly  succocxled  in  .selling  asinglo  coi>y.  The 
next  morning,  he  oneo  more  stationed  himself  on 
tho  corner  of  Murray  street  and  Broadway,  hoi)- 
Ing  In  hts  innocence  to  dispose  of  tho  papers  ho 
had  still  on  h.and  from  the  previous  day,  and  ac¬ 
tually  did  fin.l  a  tow  customers  among  tho  people 
who  were  Jumping  In  and  out  of  tlio  omnibuses 
that  pasHiHl  tq)  and  down  tho  great  thorouhtaro. 
To  hls  surprise,  however,  ono  or  ilioso  gentlemen 
Toturrifd  to  him  with  a  very  wralhful  counte¬ 
nance,  shook  Ills  fist  at  film  and  voclferal.ed  with 
excited  gcatures  Bomethlng  wlilch  to  llalfdan’s 
ears  had  a  very  ludiitelllglblo  sound.  He  tniide  a 
•vain  effort,  to  defend  himself;  the  situation  ap- 
pearcil  so  utterly  tncomprehcn.slblc  lo  him  and, 
in  hls  dumb  UoIples.suesH,  ho  looked  pUlful  eiiongh 
to  move  tho  heart,  of  a  stone.  No  English  phrase 
Hugg(!Hte.d  Itaelf  to  him,  only  a  row  Norse  Interjec¬ 
tions  ro.se.  to  hls  Ups.  The  man’s  anger  suddenly 
abJitcd;  ho  picked  up  tho  paper  wlilch  he  bad 
thrown  on  the  sidewalk  and  Stood  ror  a  whllo  re- 
gardDig  Halfdan  curiously. 
“  Are  yon  a  Norwegian  ?”  he  asked. 
“  Yes,  I  ca,(ne  from  Norway  yesterday.” 
“  \V  hat's  your  name  7” 
“  llalfdau  B.ierk.” 
“UaUdan  Bjorki  My  .stars!  Who  would  have 
thought  of  nicolltig  you  here !  You  do  not  rccog 
nlzeme.,  I  ntippo.se  7” 
Halfdan  declared  with  a  timid  tremor  In  hls 
voice  tlwt  lie  could  not  at  tho  moment  recall  hls 
features. 
“No;  i  imagine  1  must  havo  changed  a  good 
deal  since  you  saw  me,”  said  the  man,  suddenly 
dropping  Into  Norwegian.  “lam  Gustav  oiaoti. 
I  iiHoiI  to  live  In  the  same  hou.sc  with  you  once, 
but  that  Is  long  ago  now.” 
Gustav  GLson— lo  be  sure,  ho  was  tho  porter’s 
aoti  in  tho  honso,  where  hts  mother  hatl  once 
during  hls  ehlUlhood,  taken  a  fiat.  He  well 
irmombered  ha  ving  clamlesllnoly  inuled  Jack- 
knives  atid  hiittous  with  him,  In  spite  of  the  fre¬ 
quent  warnings  he  had  received  to  havo  nothing 
to  do  with  him ;  for  Gustav,  with  hts  broad  freck¬ 
led  face  and  red  hair,  was  lookcdiipon  by  the  gen¬ 
teel  Inhabitants  or  tho  upper  fiats  as  rather  a 
dlsroiiiitublu  ch.araoter.  He  had  onco  whipped 
tho  sou  of  i  colouel  who  had  been  impudent  to 
him,  and  thrown  a  snowball  at  the  head  of  a  new- 
lledged  lieutenant,  which  offonsc.s  ho  bad  duly 
expiated  at  a.  liousoot  oorreetion.  .Sliiro  Mint  llnio 
lie  had  vanished  from  llnlidan’s  horizon.  Ho  land 
still  tho  Hume  broad  freckled  face,  now  covered 
wit.h  a  lusty  growth  of  coar.se  red  heard,  the  same 
rebRUlou.s  lieaol  of  hair,  which  refused  i,o  yield  to 
the  subduing  Inllneuees  of  tho  comb,  tho  siime 
plebeian  hands  and  foot  and  uueouMi  elnmsiuess 
of  form.  But  hts  linen  was  Irreproueliablo,  tind  a 
certain  dash  In  hls  maimer  and  tho  loud  fa.slilon- 
«blones.sof  hls  attlro gave  unuiistakabloovldonees 
of  prosperity. 
“Come,  Bjerk,"  said  ho,  in  a  toim  of  good- fel¬ 
lowship  which  w.'is  not  without  its  sting  to  tho 
Idealistic  ropuhlloaii,  “you  must  tuko  ufi  a  better 
business  that)  HcllUig  yo.stonlay’s  Tribuno.  Timt 
•won’t  pay  here,  you  know,  (kaue  along  to  our 
ofilco  and  I  wlU  see  If  something  can  t  bo  done 
tor  you.” 
“  But  I  should  he  sorry  to  give  you  Double,” 
stajuuiored  Halfdan,  whoso  native  pride,  even  in 
•Ida  present  wretchedness,  protested  agaln.st  ae- 
fcpUng  a  favor  from  ono  whom  ho  had  hcon  wont 
to  regard  as  hls  Inferior. 
“NoftsoiiS(!|  my  boy.  Hurry  up;  I  li.avcn'tmueh 
time  to  spare.  The  office  is  only  two  blocks  from 
Jicrc.  You  don’t  look  as  If  you  could  afford  to 
throw  away  a  friendly  offer.” 
The  last  words  suddenly  roused  Ilalfilan  from 
hls  apathy,  for  tic  felt  that  they  were  true.  A 
drowning  man  cannot  affbril  to  make  nlco  dis¬ 
tinctions— cannot  afford  to  ask  whether  the  help¬ 
ing  hand  that  ts  extondod  to  him  bo  that  or  an 
equal  or  lufcrlor.  So  ho  swallowed  hls  humlila- 
tlon  and  threaded  Ids  way  through  tho  bewilder¬ 
ing  turmoil  of  Broadway,  by  tho  side  of  hls  ofiic- 
lou.s  friend. 
They  entered  a  large,  clegantly-fiirnlahcd  office, 
where  clerk.s  with  sleek  and  severely  ap.ithctlc 
countenances  stood  scribbling  at  their  dcsk.s. 
“  You  win  have  to  amuso  yourstdf  as  best  you 
cau,”  said  Olson.  “.Mr.  Van  Kirk  will  be  here  in 
twenty  minutes.  I  hnveu’e  time  to  entertain  you.” 
A  dreary  half  hour  passed.  Then  the  door  open¬ 
ed  and  a  tall,  handsome  man,  with  a  full  grayish 
beard  and  a  commanding  preseneo,  entered  and 
took  hls  scat  at  a  desk  In  a  smaller  adjoining 
office.  He  opened,  with  great  dispatch,  a  pile  of 
letters  which  lay  on  the  desk  before  him.  called 
out  la  a  sharib  ringing  tone  for  a  clerk,  who 
promptly  appeared,  handed  him  halt  a  dozen 
letters,  accompanying  each  with  a  lu  lef  direction, 
took  some  clean  paper  from  a  drawer  and  fell  to 
writing.  Them  was  something  bilsk,  determined 
and  business-like  In  bis  mannur,  wlileh  made  it 
seem  very  hopeless  to  llaffdait  to  appear  before 
him  as  a  petUfoner.  Present  ly  Olson  entered  tho 
private  office,  eii,.;iiig  lijo  door  behind  him,  and  a 
tow  ndnutes  lator  roaiipeareri  and  suiiunoned 
Halfdan  Into  the  chief’s  presence. 
“You are  a  Norwegian,.!  hear,” said  the  mer¬ 
chant,  looking  ground  over  hls  shoulder  at  the 
man,  ruifdan  Rjerk  hy  name,  landed  on  Mm  pier 
at  Casllo  Garden.  He  passed  through  tho  straight 
misname, 
wuiPh  money  he  had-.at 
which  he  grew  very  much  frightened. 
“  And  your  destination  7”  demanded  the  gruff- 
looklijg  ruaellonary  at  tho  desk. 
polltoly  youth,  and  touched  hls  hat 
“Do  you  think  I  have  time  for  Joking?”  roared 
tho  Official,  with  an  oath,  ^  ^ 
The  .Vorseman  ran  Ids  hand  through  hls  hair 
Qonciuatory  smllo  and  tri^d 
h  s  best  to  look  brave ;  but  hls  hand  trembled  and 
hls  heart  thumped  away  at  an  alarmlmrlv  mii.-k- 
-  ,  - injJIl 
pusli  iroiu  tho  gate-keeper  sent  him  flying  in  the 
liberty 
Halfdan  Bjrrk  was  a  tall.  Bleuder-llmbed  .youth 
‘lelicatc  flume;  he  liad  a  pair  of  wonder¬ 
fully  .  andld,  imrellecllng  blue  eyes,  a  smooth, 
eleito,  heardless  face,  and  soft,  w.nvy  light  litdr 
wldoh  was  pushed  back  ironi  Ids  forehead  with¬ 
out  parting.  HLS  mouth  and  chin  wore  well  rut 
but  their  lines  were,  perhaps,  rather  weak  for  a 
man.  When  In  rcjiosG,  the  mserntjle  of  hls  feat¬ 
ures  was  exceedingly  pleasing,  and  somehow  re- 
inlndod  ono  of  Correggio’s  St  John.  Ho  had  loft 
hls  native  land  because  he  was  an  ardent  repub¬ 
lican  and  was  abstractly  convinced  that  man. 
pnencally  and  Individually,  lives  more  happily 
In  a  republic  thu  ulna  monarchy.  He  had  antic¬ 
ipated  with  keen  pleasure  the  large,  freely-breath¬ 
ing  lifo  he  was  to  lead  in  a  land  where  every  man 
was  hls  neighbor’s  brother,  where  no  senseless 
traditions  kepi  a  jealous  watch  over  obsolete  sys¬ 
tems  and  shriurs,  and  nochllling prejudice  blight¬ 
ed  the  spontahcou.s  blossoming  of  the  soul. 
Halfdan  was  an  only  child.  Mis  father,  a  poor 
government  olllciul,  had  died  during  hls  infancy, 
and  hls  mother  had  given  mnsle  lessons  and  kept 
boarders,  In  order  to  gala  the  means  to  give  her 
sou  wliat  Is  c.al led  a  learned  education.  In  the 
LaUn  school  Halfdan  had  enjoyed  the  reputation 
of  being  a  bright  youUi,  and  at  the  ago  of  eight- 
teen  he  had  entered  tJio  university  under  tho 
most  promising  autipices,  He  could  niako  very 
fair  verses  and  play  all  imaginable  Instruments 
with  equal  ease,  wldch  made  him  a  favorito  In 
society.  Moreover,  he  possessed  that  very  old- 
fashloncd  accompUshment  of  nutting  silhouettes; 
and  what  wim  more,  he  could  draw  the  most 
charmingly  fantastic  arabesques  for  embroidery 
patterns,  and  he  even  dabbled  in  portrait  and 
landscape  painting.  M'hatever  he  turned  hls 
hand  to,  lie  did  well— In  fact,  astonishingly  well 
for  a  auettantr,  and  yet  not  well  enough  to  claim 
the  title  of  au  artist.  Nor  did  it  ever  occur  to  him 
to  make  Buch  a  Claim.  As  ono  of  hls  fellow  stu¬ 
dents  remarked  in  a  fit  of  joalous.v,  “Once  when 
Nature  had  made  three  geniuses— a  poet,  a  musi¬ 
cian  and  a  palatisr— she  took  all  the  remaining 
odds  and  ends  anrl  shook  them  together  at  ran¬ 
dom  and  the  result  was  Halfdan  Bjerk,"  This 
agreeable  melange  of  accompllphments,  however, 
proved  very  ailracclve- to  tho  ladle,s,  who  invited 
the  possessor  to  Innumerable  afternoon  tea-par¬ 
ties,  where  they  drew  heavy'  drafts  on  hls  unflag¬ 
ging  patience  and  kept  him  steadily  engaged  with 
patterns  and  designs  for  embroidery,  leather 
flowers,  and  other  daluty  knick-knacks.  And  in 
return  for  all  hls  exertions  they  called  him 
“sweet”  and  “beautiful,”  and  applied  to  him 
many  other  enthusiastic  adjectives  seldom  heard 
in  connection  with  masmilliu)  names.  In  the  uni¬ 
versity,  talents  of  this  order  gained  but  slight 
recognition;  and  when  Halfdan  had  tor  throe 
years  been  preparing  himself  In  vaiu  for  tho  exn.- 
inen  phiiosophicuiu,  he  found  himself  slowly  and 
imperceptibly  drifting  into  the  rapks  of  the  so. 
From  Castle  Garden,  Halfdan  made  hls  way  up 
through  Greenwich  street,  pursued  by  a  clamor¬ 
ous,  troop  of  conildonco  men  and  hotel  runners. 
“  Aommevi  .Vie  niit.  mi)-,  Ich  htn  ouch.  Deotsch," 
cried  one.  “  Volla,  roila.  Jc  purle  Fran(:a(.<<,” 
shouted  another,  seizing  hold  of  hls  valise.  “  Jeg 
ervoiish'.  r«fi‘Ddu.?A'.”— (“lainaDanc.  I  speak 
Danish”)— roiircd  a  third  with  an  accent  which 
seriously  Impeatdiod  hls  truthlulness,  in  order 
to  escape  from  these  importunaoo  rast^als,  wjm 
were  every  moment  gottlug  bolder,  he  threw  him¬ 
self  Into  the  first  street-car  which  happened  to 
pass;  he  sat  down,  gazed  out  of  the  windows  and 
soon  becam<5  so  thoroughly  absorbed  In  the  ani¬ 
mated  scenes  which  moved  as  In  a  panorama  be¬ 
fore  hls  eyes,  that  bo  quite  forgot  where  he  was 
going.  The  co.iduetor  called  for  lare.s  and  re¬ 
ceived  an  English  shilling  which,  after  some  inef¬ 
fectual  expostulation,  he  pocketed  but  gave  no 
change. 
At  last,  after  about  an  hour’s  Journey,  the  car 
Stopped,  the  conductor  called  nut  “Central  Park,” 
and  Halfdan  woke  dp  with  a  start.  Ho  dismount¬ 
ed  with  a  timid,  deliberate  step,  stared  In  dim 
bewilderment  at  the  long  rows  of  palatial  re.sl- 
dences  and  a  chill  HcnBe  of  lonellmiss  crept  over 
Min.  The  hopeless  strangenes-s  of  every  thing  ho 
saw,  lnstc.ad  of  fllUng  him  with  rapture,  as  he  had 
once  antlclpiite<l,  sent  a  cold  shiver  to  hls  heart. 
It  Is  a  very  large  affair,  this  world  of  ours— a  good 
deal  larger  than  It  appeared  to  him  gazing  out 
upon  It  from  hls  snug  little  corner  up  under  the 
Pole;  and  It  was  as  uusyiupathetlo  as  It  was 
largo.  He  suddenly  felt  what  he  had  never  been 
aware  of  before— that  he  was  a  very  small  part  of 
It  and  of  very  little  account  after  all.  He  stag¬ 
gered  over  to  a  bench  at  the  entrance  to  tho  park 
and  sat  long  watching  the  line  carriages  as  they 
dashed  past  him;  he  saw  the  handsome  women 
In  brilliant  costumes  laughing  and  chatting  gaily ; 
the  apathetic  policeman  proraonacllng  in  stoic 
dignity  uj)  and  down  upon  the  smooth  pavements ; 
the  Jauntlly-atttred  nurses  whom,  In  hls  Norse 
innocence,  he  took  for  mothers  or  aunts  of  the 
children,  wheeling  baby-carriages  which,  to  Norse 
eyes,  seemed  miracles  of  dainty  ingenuity,  under 
the  shady  crowns  of  the  elm  trees.  He  did  not 
know  how  long  he  had  been  .sitting  there  when  a 
little  bright-eyed  girl  with  light  kid  gloves,  a 
small  blue  parasol  and  a  blue  polonaise,  quite  a 
lady  of  fa.shlon  m  mlntatnre,  stopped  in  front  of 
Mm  and  stared  at  Mm  in  shy  wonder.  He  had 
always  been  fond  of  children,  and  often  rejoiced 
in  their  afIccUouale  ways  and  confidential  prat¬ 
tle,  and  now  It  suddenly  touched  him  with  a 
warm  sense  or  human  fellowship  to  have  thla 
UlUc  dalnlll.r-hcfrillcd  and  erlsply-.starclied  beau¬ 
ty  single  him  out  tor  notice  among  the  hundreds 
who  reclined  lu  tho  arbors  or  sauntered  to  and 
fro'urider  tlie  great  trees. 
“  What  IS  your  name,  my  little  girl  7”  he  asked, 
In  a  tone  of  friendly  Interest. 
“Clara,”anawercdUiechlld,  hesitatingly;  then 
having  hy  apother  look  assiq-ed  herself  of  hls 
