Year: 1860

last. As for the other German he was
sunk In heap upon the ground beside the
bed, IN speechless stupetaction. One of
his hands was on the couch, and the expir-
ing effort of the dying man was to take
this passive hand in his. Those who were
around him, seeing such a change upon
his fee, leaned hastily over him, for they
heard him whispering family,


Poor Maxi he said Poor Max p
The last act of the man who died was to
pity the man who lived


For some time it was very uncertain
whether the man who had thus slain his
best and dearest friend would not speedily
follow him into another world-so fearfullv
was he affected. For a still longer period
it was doubtful in the last degree whether
he would retain his reason. And, indeed,
at the time the story was told me he could
! hardly be said to be in his sound mind.
At that very time the man was haunted by
| a fixed presentiment that he should die in
the same way his friend had died. No
reasoning with him had the least effect
the presentiment had taken hold upon
his mind which nothing could shake Those
| who wished him well-and there were many
had often tried to lead him to a happier
frame Of mind, and to make him take an
interest in his own future They had urg-
ed him since he had taken up his abode in
Jerusalem, to settle there more comforta-
bly,, to get into better and more conven-
lent workshop, and since his skill as a
workman always ensured him the means Of
living, to marry for they knew that the
fresh interests Of domestic nature which


would follow would be Of the greatest pos
sible service to him.


The day will come, was his invariable
| answer to all such advice the day will
come when some one will shoot me with a
revolver through my back, just as shot my
friend. That day will surely come what
have | to do then with nay wife and chill
dren-with wife whom should leave a
widow-with children whom | should leave
fatherless? What have | to do with set
tling-with comfort, or a home? I shall
lie when the pistol bullet sends me to my
grave beside my friend, said the German
locksmith


SO much for what | learned from my
friend the surgeon, concerning the past life
Of the singular man by whose appearance
| had been so powerfully struck OF the
remaining portion Of his history the par
ticulars came under my own knowledge,
and with the circumstances of its termin-
alton | was myself to certain extent mix
ed up. My revolver was sent back to me
prepared, and just as was about to start
away on short Journey into the environs,
and was in some haste, set off without try
ing it. In the course Of the day, however,
partly wishing to ascertain how far my pis-
tol was restored TO a condition Of useful
ness, partly from desire to bring down a
bird which | saw on the wing, | lifted my
revolver to let fly at him. The weapon
missed fire. On examination | found the
defect this time was precisely the reverse
of what it had been before. The lock


went SO loosel y now, and had so little spring
in it, that the hammer did not fall upon
the cap with sufficient force to explode it.
/ tried the pistol several times, and find


ing it useless, sent it again, on my return to
Jerusalem to the German looksmith, charg


ing my servant to explain to him its new
defect, and above all things to caution him
as to its being loaded, as had done on the


former occasion. Mark how it returns to
him again! Why not have done It's work


next day in state, as | was told Of perfect
repair This time / took it into the gar
den to try it. The first time it went off


we'll enough, but at the next time-for
determined to prove it thoroughly found


that its original defect had returned, and


the lock would not stir, pull at the trigger


as might.


There is something radically wrong


here said. [ will go myself and see


the German lock-smith about it, without


delay


! That pistol again, said the locksmitb,


looking up, as [ entered his miserable
| abode


What would | have not given to have


been able to say anything that would have
altered the expression of that haggard


countenance? But it was impossible. l


made some attempts to draw the poor fell
low into conversation, though | felt that


even if these had not proved Gas they did


wholly useless, my comparative ignorance
of his language would have stood in the


way of saying anything that could have


been of any service. Our conversation
then limited itself to the matter in hand,
and we agreed that the only thing to be
done with the pistol now was to take its
lock off, and make perfectly nev one in
imitation of it. This, however, made it
necessary that the locksmith should keep
the weapon by him for three or four days
at least. He took it from my hands as he
told me SO, and placed it carefully on a
shelf, at the back of his shop.


Above all things | said as [ left the
shop, above all things, remember that the
revolver Is loaded