Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-09-03
"sacre." said Aristide.


stare of the envious; the touch Of the
drummer's fingers holding half her
book; the gloom Of Aristide. Voilai
She ignored everything, did monsieur's
petite file, who knew the multiplication
, table and ALSO how 70 eoquette with half
- dozen lovers at once. FTe7r'
Why didn' you come last Sunday?'
> she asked Aristide, when they met out
. side the church.
Il hearyou have company" ne replied,
Z sullenly.
"Das noting" she smiled. sweetly.
"Dey be glad to see you, too. My papa
and my mamma. ve'y glad vas"
''Ta'ank you said the sulIen Aristide.
He looked away from her stubbornly
and his eye fell upon the pink tip to the
,drummer's nose.
You comm TO de picnic on de
Fourth She persisted. gently, while
lie chapeau du haut-forme began to
hdget. Aristide turned from the nose
to her eyes and spoke slowly, like one
thinking hard.
L dunno, me; but t'ink mebbe. yas,
come. You goin' be dere?"
"Oh, yes" said the high hat; eve will
be there. He drew Marguerite's hand
through his arm with hint of owner
ship, but Aristide, raising his hat, turned
10 talk TO old man Tomasso without a
trace OF chagrin or anger in his hand
some face. All the way home he walked
and talked with old man Tomasso And
yet the old man had but one daughter.
and she was married. At the forks they
shook hands cordially, as men do over a
compact, and Aristide said, eagerly:
IF you don t'ink five gallon be
enough"
But the old man interrupted with a
roar of laughter: Enough? Sho!
You think be goin carry hes wheesky in
his hat or in hees head? ?" And he roared
again. Aristide went home smiling
1t was the Fourth of July, and the pic
mic was on. Well on. Hours ago the
men had come in with cast-nets and
seines full of fish; the women had made
the gumbo and the coffee, and lie chapeau
du haut-forme had struck up friend
ship with old man Tomasso. The first
time they strolled away together the
drummer smoked a cigar, the old man
cigarette; the next time the old man
II,
after dinner, and always they strolled
in the direction of a certain little dell.
BY the time the ground was cleared for
the dance lie chapeau du haut-forme had
begun to get gay. Too gay, Marguerite
thought, and told him so, sharply.
Whereupon lie chapeau went away
alone toward the little dell. Mar
guerite danced gayly with everybody;
so Gid Aristide. while old man Tomasso
lay in the shade and smoked some big
cigars. The sun began to sink. the old
people to pile pots and pans and children
into wagons; the young men to dash
up in style with their sulkies. seat their
girls and dash away with even more
style. Suddenly, in the very thick of
that laughing throng Marguerite felt
fearfully alone. She and lie chapeau du
haut-forme had walked overt was
such little way-but where now was
the high hat? Another sulky dashed
up. another girl was borne laughing
from her side; another and another. In
an agony of humiliation she imagined
herself going home alone-she. who
had not wanted an escort since she was
six. There came another whirr OF
sicken her-a little bay mare dashed by
and swung sharply on its launches. a
brand-new sulky glittered in the sun. a
tail young fellow was barring a hand
some head before her. He had taken her
hand he had seated her calamity. Away
. they dashed. now perilously near a
child. now grazing dog. over-taking
and passing everything ahead. the
mares head tossing, the sullSy glittering.
Aristide, nonchalant. bouyant At last
Marguerite came to her serenity.
we are on the wrong road" she re-
marked. demurely.
Aristide flushed up finely. Gust lir|
way" he pleaded. Il want to talk wit
you" OF her masters will the mare
slowed to a walk. OF her own will she
curved shyly from shiny object beside
the road The young driver fiicked IL
absently with his whip. "Le chapeauI
du haut-forme." he murmured. "Dasso.
old man Tomasso had n jug of anissette|
in dere."
Marguerite tossed her head and IL
brushed Aristide's shoulder.
He looked down to apologize; she
looked up TO smile.
Marguerite" the boy blurted.
blindly.
What de matter?" she asked, with
gentlest coquetry.
In the twilight the little mare re-
passed, without noticing It. the shiny
black object beside the road; she was
walking along leisurely with sageine
lines. Whatever there may have been
in the murmurs that reached her ears
from time to time there was no order to
hurry. AriStide was sitting sideways
and Marguerite had taken off her hat. II
the dusk they could still see each 9th
er's eyes. Neither of them noticed what
it was the wheel struck on Marsuerite's
side of the sui Y that Jared them lit,
tie closer together hut the next day ole
man Tomasso found it pretty badly