The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1893-09-27

dered he had not chosen to get rid of it
sooner when it troubled him so much.
He said this in an aggravatingly doubt
full way, as If he did not believe the story,
which, to do him justice, was but the
exact expression of his sentiments. Rob-
ert got very angry, but r22training his
passion said to him slowly and with
such an intention Of aifrOlt that the
other could not but notice it had he been
never so thick skinned:
"My good fellow, we often have to put
up with unpleasant things and with IN
pleasant people, too, but we who are
not mere vulgar Doors know we'll how
to get rid Of them when the time comes. .
Pierre did not want to distress Marie
by quarreling with her husband in her
presence, so he simply shrugged his shout
ders and seemed to take the matter as q
joke. All the same, however, he took
the matter to heart, and although he let
the conversation drop for the time he de-
ternined to renew it at another time
VIXEN Marie should not be present. In
the meantime he was i'll at ease at such
rebuff and took the earliest opportuni-
ty he could of getting away. He never
came to Farmer BeaumOnts house again,
and as the incident had the effect of cur
ing him Of his seemingly hopeless pas
sion he was perhaps in the long run glad
Of the rude rebuff.
Not very long afterward he had a
slight alteration with Macaire. The lat
ter, when he had taken q certain amount
Of wine-Which, by the way, began to
occur with incommendable frequency
was given to rude kind Of ''chaff, ="
which had always in it such a measure
of unkindness that it became apparent
that he had q rough side to his character
and something of a decidedly bullying
nature, the very suggestion Of which be-
gan to make him enemies. From this
he began in a measure to be feared, and
there were not wanting some who when
he was not present predicted some evil
to him from his rough tongue. Among
those who felt aggrieved by Roberts I'M
kind badinage was Pierre, but he re
solved not to have any alteration if he
could avoid it for the sake of Marie S
peace of mind.
He was, however, only q very young
man, and the blood Of youth is hot, and
there are limits to a young mans pa
tience.
The occasion came one evening when
Macaire was more than usually rough
in his manner and seemed almost as il
he had determined to have a quarrel
with some one. He tried to provoke his
usual victims, but without avail. This
irritated him, and he grew nastier still
in his manner, but still without response
so that when Pierre joined the circle he
greeted him in the most insulting man
ner he could, saying:
"Come here! Come here, my little
jack-in-the-box! Make way there, gen
tlemen, for the unhappy lover who was
tossed! Come, little boy. Drink &
measure to the successful rival who car
ried off the BRIDE"
Pierres blood began to boil, the more
so because the other young fellows be-
gan to laugh loudly, partly to cover Their
own discontinue and some Of them in a
secret hope that Pierre, who was well
known to be one Of the strongest young
men in the place, might be inhamed to
chastise the insOlence which had been
showered upon them. He tried to con
troll himself and succeeded to some de-
gree, although the hot flush of passion