Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-12-13
PIERRE DEPARTS

to go merrlly as a marriage bell. Even tho lovclorn swains, now that their chances had hopelessly gone. settled down as men almost invariably GO to the acceptance of the inevitable. And the village maidens, now that so danger ous rival was removed into the calner atmosphere of matrimonv, could afford to go back to their loving kindness to their old companion.
 Marie lived in a dream of joy. She adored her husband, and he returned her love with q young husbands plenitude of carcsses. He was tender with her moth CT and each evening entertained her fa- thcr with host of "reminiscences. The cottage became each evening q new so- cial center. One after another old friends dropped in to hear the wonderful tales which Narie's husband had to tell Need less to say these stories were all. or at l least i'll great part, in some way reminis- cent of his own rrowess, his daring or his acuteness. The simple rustics sat i with open mouths, and the speaker grew 1 in heroic proportion in their minds. His i adventures seemed to be marvellous. In 1 his absence from France in the foreign 1 country-the name of which, by the way. he was very careful never to men, tion-he seemed to have been always in l hot water. His record of escapes from ! prison would have led a wiser audience to infer that there must have been some good reason for lis so constantly getting 1 into prison, since he had so many a time a need to get ont again.
 | Once he went so far as to show on his 1 ankles the chain marks which he bore | with him in his escape from the galleyS. | This was an occasion of festive nature. | the silver wedding of his parents-in-law when the wine had flowed pretty freely | and the tongues of all had been loosened. | Marie did not like such thing spoken of even in jest or for the purpose of c a boast. Her husbands honor and credit were dear to he. and it was like blow 70 her to hear even from his lips tho mention of the fact. The rest, however, were not so particular, and to the men it was only an excuse for another glass, while the pity of the women grew. Some of the latter had even little jcal- pussy on the subject-their husband or their lover had not such marks to show. End therefore could not be distinguished in a similar way.
 The next day. when Robert had uuite ! lCOONtItti I4lIlISNl1 IIG NI4tl IlbI NstIt NIli any allUSion should be made to the occa- sion, and when his wife with her heart full of pity wished to comfort .im with caress for his past suffering he got quite cross and spoke su sharply tu her that for good while she felt a little afraid and did not venture to allude again 10 tn" topic.
 There was only one of those who had been present whcn the confidence WAS made whu seemed 10 remember it. This was Marie: old lover Pierre. He said nothing at the time. but few evenings afterward when he was by chance alone with the husband and wife he asked Robert how long he had worn the chain Robert answered tartly that he had worn it longer than he had cared to wear it, l whereupcn Pierre. somewhat nettled, an swered that 1t was pity he had to put uI with 50 much unpleasantness and won dercd he had not chosen to get rid of il sooner when ii troubled him so much He said this in an aggravatingly doubt ful 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 restraining hi: passion said to him slowly and witt such an intention of affront that the other could not but notice it had he beer never So thick slinned:
 My good fellow we often have to pu up with unpleasant things and with un pleasant people, too, but we who art not mere vulgar boors know well how to get rid of them when the time comes.
 Pierre did not want to distress Mari by quarreling with her husband in he presence, soho simply shrugged his shoul ders and seemed to take the matter as joke. All the same, however. he tool the matter to heart, and although he le the conversation drop for the time he de termincd to renew it at another tim when Mario should not be present. Il the meantime he was i'll st case at sucl a rcLuG and took the earliest opportuni ty ho could of getting away. He peve came to Farmer Beaumont's house again and as tho incident had the effect of cur ing him of his seemingly hopeless pas sion ho was perhaps ill tho long run gla of tho rude rebuff.
 Not very long afterward he had
 slight altcrcation with Macaire. The lat ter. when he had taken certain amour of wine-which, by the way, began t '
 was given to rude kind of '-chaff, which had always in it such a measur of unkindness that it became ,apparen that he had rough side to his characte , and something of decidedly bullyin nature, the very suggestion of which bt gan to make him enemies. From thi l he began in measure to be feared, an
 there were not wanting some who whe
 he was rot present predicted some ev D to him from his rough tongue. Anon
 those who felt aggrieved by Roberts LII
 kind badinage was Pierre, but he T,
 solved not to have any altercation if |
 could avoid it for the sake of Marie ; peace of mind.
 He was, however, only very your
 man, and the blood of youth is hot, ar
 there are limits to young mans p
 tience.
 The occasion came one evening whe ' Macairc was more than usually roug
 in his manner and seemed almost as - he had determined to have a quarr
 with some one. He tried to provoke h
 usual victims, but without avail. Tn
 irritated him, and he grew nastier st
 in his manner, but still without respons
 so that when Pierre joined the circle
 greeted him in the most insulting ma ner he could, saying:
 Come here! Come here, my lit
 jack-in-the-box! Make way there, ge ], tlemen, for the unhappy lover who w tossed! Come, little boy. Drink
 measure to the successful rival who ca :. ried off the bride"
 10 Pierres blood began to boil, the mo
 so because the other young fellows 1
 gan to laugh loudly, partly to cover tht