e Zotique was
sitting, the shameless, prevaricating fellow impressed upon her that
seats in that particular quarter were actually going begging.

For a few moments Katie hesitated as though she hardly knew what to
do. Absent-minded Vital was still standing and looking at her, his
whole heart in his eyes.

"Yes, I will sit next to you; it was very kind of you to take such
interest in getting me a seat."

Poor Vital! As he heard these ominous words, saw her look up and smile
at Zotique, and after great crushing sit down by his side, all the
pleasure of eating left him entirely.

As the good things began to disappear and tongues were loosened,
unobtrusive Vital seemed to be entirely forgotten, except by the
neighbor whom he had so cruelly crowded. Had it not been for this
kindly, unrevengeful soul, Vital's inner man would have been in as
beggarly a condition at the conclusion of the meal as at the
beginning. As it was, it received but scant attention. Seeing the
poverty of his plate, without asking leave, the farmer generously
filled it.

This act of kindness brought Vital's thoughts to a sudden halt, and
made him feel ashamed of the interest he had been displaying in all
the young woman, seated at his brother's side, had been doing and
saying. With a firm determination no longer to slight his plate, he
turned his attention to it, but had scarcely eaten two mouthfuls when
his treacherous thoughts stole off to Katie again. Absently laying his
knife and fork down, he was soon unconscious of all that was going on
around him.

His friendly neighbor decided it would be a most opportune time to
pass the salt, and thus give him another hint that he was losing much
valuable time.

"Oh, thank you," said Vital, absently, as he took the salt and
proceeded to distribute it over his meat in such reckless quantities
as to completely entomb the latter. For a space the farmer looked
aghast, and then, with a mystified shake of his head, turned his
attention to his own affairs, and did not look at him again till the
time for speech-making had arrived. Then, to his consternation, he saw
Vital had not made the slightest effort to extricate the hapless meat
from its strange covering. Besides the farmer, another person had
witnessed the adventures of Vital's plate!

After considerable solicitation and stimulating applause, farmer
Charest rose to deliver the first speech. "As dare are," he began in
broken English, "a few farmer here