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BELGIAN CHARACTERISTICS AND CUSTOMS
more serious because it was so intangible. It was
his wife this time who was causing him concern.
As he trudged stolidly forward, his troubled mind
took up again that fruitless and wearying circle of
the worried. True they had both been homesick
the first year, and a little frightened the time their
first-born had arrived, what with no doctor avail-
able a any price.  However, those matters had
quickly righted themselves. Now with a splendid
harvest, closer neighbors, and an opportunity to
take things easier, his Marie had suddenly become
listless toward his plans and what was worse had
developed the temper of a tigress.  For two
weeks already she was irritable and cross and to-
day had come to the climax. He paused to recharge
his pipe and he had to smile again in spite of his
forebodings. Maybe it was only the laziness due
to the heat of midday, but his ox team had stalled
in dragging a felled maple. Marie was driving at
the time. Suddenly, with an outburst that would
have jolted a mule skinner, his good wife had
grabbed the ox goad and belabored the animals so
lustily that they were glad to run bellowing for
their lives. He had to chuckle when he thought of
it. The surprised cattle appeared to have actual-
ly forgotten about the log that trailed behind them.
That wasn't all. Because he had dared to laugh,
his wife had turned the batteries of her wrath on
him and when she had completely exhausted his
lineage, had stalked away to the house and stay-
ed there. At first he thought to consult his neigh-
bor, Clement Joly, young like himself, but then he
prudently decided to seek elder counsel instead.
He was heading now for his old friend, Jean B.
Macceaux. In double harness old Jean Baptiste
was a veteran, and incidentally he ran a little
tavern, also, up on the county line. Amia was in
no mood to visit with others, so he shaped his
course to avoid the Kinnart homestead and again
the Spinette, Delfosse and Groufcoeur clearings.
Now he was skirting the boundary lines of the
Denis homestead and here at last the trail widen-
ed and he knew he approached his destination. He
was on a well defined road, traversing east and
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