ed. Mr. Esvido
grumbled much, but obeyed. There was a warning in the fate of the
neighbor, Antone Ramos, who in last year's olive season had thought
one evening to smoke a pipeful of tobacco secretly, and lo! the
American, ever watchful, came to Antone Ramos' house that very
night, and the tobacco smoke was perceptible! Antone Ramos was
discharged!

Therefore, during this year's olive harvest, Mr. Esvido, with a
cautious respect for the American's preternaturally, acute
perception concerning tobacco, refrained from smoking, and found
solace in listening with Delpha to Mrs. Esvido's evening readings
from the Biblia Sagrada. It seemed marvelous to Mr. Esvido that his
wife could read. The marvel of it had never lessened for him, and
one night he said proudly, "We make good bargain when we give squash
for Biblia Sagrada! Biblia Sagrada ver' good book."

One day Mrs. Esvido read something that startled Delpha. Site could
hardly believe it possible that her mother hid read aright.

The words in the Portuguese language were these: "Amai a vossos
inimigos, fazei bem aos que vos tem odio." (Love your enemies; do
good to them that hate you.)

Alas! Delpha knew whom that meant.

There had long been a deep-seated quarrel between her and Sara
Frates. Thinking of this bitter animosity, Delpha felt keenly the
command, "Fazei bem aos que vos tem odio."

Olive harvest went on. The Esvido olives were gathered. Then Delpha
and Sara and others went to work in the American's costly olive-oil
mill, scalding the mill-stones and the crushing troughs daily,
sweeping the scraps of olive skins from the floors, and scalding the
floors to keep every odor away from the precious olive oil. Before
beginning this season, the walls of the building had been given a
coat of whitewash, and now a wood fire must not be lit anywhere near
the premises, for the precious olive oil might take a smoky taste.

It was therefore with great wrath that Delpha, who was careful to
obey rules, found one day, in a crushing trough under her
supervision, some scattered little pieces of iron. Now iron must
never be allowed to come in contact with olive juice. The tannic
acid in the olive juice acts very rapidly on the iron, producing a
kind of ink, that turns the oil black and almost ruins it. The
American's crushing troughs and weights were of granite. Delpha was
sure Sara had scattered the pieces of iron in the crushing trough on
purpose to bring Delpha into troub