Near the end of the Christmas holidays, Frank happened to be in the village upon some unimportant business. While loitering near a group of young men in one of the shops, he started on hearing the name of Margaret Helmstedt coupled with a light laugh. Frank’s eyes flashed as he advanced toward the group. He listened for a moment, to ascertain which of their number had thus taken the name of Miss Helmstedt upon irreverent lips; and when the culprit discovered himself, by again opening his mouth upon the same forbidden theme, without another word spoken on any side, Frank silently and coolly walked up, collared, and drew him struggling out from the group, and using the riding wand he held in his hand, proceeded to inflict upon him summary chastisement. When he considered the young man sufficiently punished, he spurned him away, threw his own card in the midst of the group, inviting whomsoever should list to take it up (with the quarrel), mounted his horse and rode home. He said nothing of what had occurred to any member of the family. But about the middle of the afternoon, he received a visit from the deputy sheriff of the county, who bore a pressing invitation from a justice of the peace, that “Franklin Pembroke Houston, of said county,” should appear before him to answer certain charges. “Why, what is this?” inquired Colonel Houston, who was present when the warrant was served. “Oh, nothing, nothing; only I heard a certain Craven Jenkins taking a lady’s name in vain, and gave him a lesson on reverence; and now, I suppose, I shall have to pay for the luxury, that is all,” replied Frank. And then, being further pressed, he explained the whole matter to his father. “You did well, my boy, and just what I should have done in your place. Come! we will go to the village and settle up for this matter,” said the colonel, as he prepared to accompany his son. The affair ended, with Frank, in his being fined one hundred dollars, which he declared to be cheap for the good done. But not so unimportant was the result to the hapless girl, whom every event, whether festive or otherwise, seemed to plunge more deeply into trouble. When, after New Year, Franky went away, Mrs. Houston accompanied him to Belleview, whence he took the packet. And after parting with him, on her return through the village, she chanced to hear, for the first time, the affair of the horsewhipping, for which her Franky had been fined. Upon inquiry, she further learned the occasion of that chastisement. And her indignation against Margaret, as the cause, knew no bounds. Happily, it was a long, cold ride back to the Bluff, and the sedative effect of time and frost had somewhat lowered the temperature of little Mrs. Houston’s blood before she reached home. Nevertheless, she went straight to Margaret’s sanctum, and laying off her bonnet there, reproached her bitterly.