The San Francisco call., 1895-10-13
THE EXTRAORDINARY LOYALTY OF A FRIEND,
BY w. Q. MORROW.

This is the story as it was written by my
old friend, DR.. Entrefort, that extraor-
binary Creole of whom [ have printed ac-
counts heretofore. [ shall premise it's
introduction here with the assurance that
while I know him to have been of be-
wilder1ngly complex temperament and of
a nervous organization having SO fine and
sensitive qualities as to set him widely
apart from ordinary mortals, still his
intellect and intelligence were of a COM
manding order, his will seemingly invinci-
BILE, and, last of all, his sincerity unfailing.
Following is his own account of very
extraordinary experience, written at my
request.
| Nv most intimate friend in the medical
college of New Orleans was Rupert Honcut,
descended from the Huguenots and
native of South Carolina; a small
| man, dark, nervous, shy and singularly
gentle and affectionate. I need say moth
ing of his higher qualities of manhood; he
would not have been my friend had he not
possessed them in the noblest degree.
Neither Of US was aware of the peculiar
character of the intimacy which had
grown up between US until we had been
separated by graduation and were going
apart in different ways-he to live at
Charleston, l to make visit to Paris and
Berlin for the further prosecution of my
surgical studies. We were deeply grieved
upon parting, but we promised to write
very frequently. l would not be ready to
sail for Europe for two or three months,
and Rupert-ttere being no railroads in
the South in those days-took a sailing
vessel for the Atlantic coast. 1 mention
these trivial circumstances for reasons
which will presently appear.
Although I had never been on deep
water, was familiar with the aspect oi
such minor vessels as visited New Orleans
at that time, which was before the con-
struction of the Eads jetties and the
deepening of the Mississippi River; but
had never seen large vessel, and there.
fore was amazed to discover that when
Rupert left the lighter which bore him tc
the mouth of the river, and clambereo
upon the deck of the large liner bound fol
the Atlantic, 1 too seemed to be aboard
and to be filled with admiration over the
noble appearance of the ship. AS quickly
as possible afterward | consulted books
giving full descriptions of such vessels
and discovered that what had assumed
} to be vision was correct in all it's details
! This had occurred to me one drowsy after
!, , noon while lay half awake on a certain
couch of which I was very fond. At th
S time was not familiar with the strang,
! history of this couch, and unless you in
t sist that it is necessary to a complete un
derstanding of the many peculiar circum
: stances which afterward became ASSOCIATED
e with it prefer not to give it, for reason
I which 1 shall make clear when 1 can Sc
you again. I shall say now only that i
was surprisingly comfortable affair, tha
no one but myself could find any pleasur
in reclining on it, and that my family haC
abandoned it wholly to my use.
Rupert was to have put in considerabl
time during the voyage in writing to me
and 7 also was to write to him as much a
l could during that interval. l went abou
my own agreeable task at odd moments
but one day thing occurred which cause
me to tear my writing into fragments.
1 had been so busy with social pleasure
and with preparations for my trip to Eu
rope that had found little time to rest o
my favorite couch. Indeed, it was only Q