Owens thereupon told swiftly and forcibly what he had heard. More advance of the Germans--it was familiar news. But somehow it was taken differently here within sound of the guns. Dorn studied his comrades, wondering if their sensations were similar to his. He expressed nothing of what he felt, but all the others had something to say. Hard, cool, fiery, violent speech that differed as those who uttered it differed, yet its predominant note rang fight. "Just heard a funny story," said Owens, presently. "Spring it," somebody replied. "This comes from Berlin, so they say. According to rumor, the Kaiser and the Crown Prince seldom talk to each other. They happened to meet the other day. And the Crown Prince said: 'Say, pop, what got us into this war?' "The Emperor replied, 'My son, I was deluded.' "'Oh, sire, impossible!' exclaimed the Prince. 'How could it be?' "'Well, some years ago I was visited by a grinning son-of-a-gun from New York--no other than the great T.R. I took him around. He was most interested in my troops. After he had inspected them, and particularly the Imperial Guard, he slapped me on the back and shouted, "Bill, you could lick the world!" ... And, my son, I fell for it!'" This story fetched a roar from every soldier present except Dorn. An absence of mirth in him had been noted before. "Dorn, can't you laugh!" protested Dixon. "Sure I can--when I hear something funny," replied Dorn. His comrades gazed hopelessly at him. "My Lawd! boy, thet was shore funny," drawled Brewer with his lazy Southern manner. "Kurt, you're not human," said Owens, sadly. "That's why they call you Demon Dorn." All the boys in the squad had nicknames. In Dorn's case several had been applied by irrepressible comrades before one stuck. The first one received a poor reception from Kurt. The second happened to be a great blunder for the soldier who invented it. He was not in Dorn's squad, but he knew Dorn pretty well, and in a moment of deviltry he had coined for Dorn the name "Kaiser Dorn." Dorn's reaction to this appellation was discomfiting and painful for the soldier. As he lay flat on the ground, where Dorn had knocked him, he had struggled with a natural rage, quickly to overcome it. He showed the right kind of spirit. He got up. "Dorn, I apologize. I was only in fun. But some fun is about as funny as death." On the way out he suggested a more felicitous name--Demon Dorn. Somehow the boys took to that. It fitted many of Dorn's violent actions in training, especially the way he made a bayonet charge. Dorn objected strenuously. But the name stuck. No comrade or soldier ever again made a hint of Dorn's German name or blood. "Fellows, if a funny story can't make Dorn laugh, he's absolutely a dead one," said Owens. "Spring a new one, quick," spoke up some one. "Gee! it's great to laugh.... Why, I've not heard from home for a month!" "Dorn, will you beat it so I can spring this one?" queried Owens.