“He’s sent for the windin’,” said Mrs. Lathrop weakly; “it’s jus’ got some plaster ‘n’ a long piece o’ tore sheet.”

Susan moved towards the door.

“It beats me what ever made you go near the hind end o’ that cow for,” she remarked, pausing on the threshold.  “Don’t you know as it ’s the hind end ‘s always does the kickin’?  The front end can’t do nothin’—­’nless it gores.  Does she gore?”

“Oh, I d’n’ know,” wailed poor Mrs. Lathrop.

“I ’m goin’,” said Miss Clegg, turning her back as she spoke.  “You jus’ lay still now ‘n’ think o’ pleasant things.  Nothin’ else can’t happen to you ’nless the house catches fire.”

Then she went out and away.

* * * * *

It was late in the afternoon that Susan entered next door on her second visitation of mercy.

“Did you like your dinner?” she inquired, as she brought a rocker to where it would command a fine view of the bed and its occupant.

“Dinner!  I ain’t had no—­”

Miss Clegg screamed.

“Ain’t had no dinner!  Why, I give it to Jathrop with my own hands.  Everythin’ hot, ‘n’ the whole tucked up nice in the cloth ’t I put over the bird-cage nights.  I made the tea awful strong so ’s to keep up your strength, ‘n’ there was a scramble o’ eggs, ‘n’ one was fresh, I know.  Whatever c’n he have done with it, do you suppose?”

“Maybe he ate—­” Mrs. Lathrop began.

Her friend chopped her off with a second scream.

“Ate it!—­Jathrop Lathrop!—­Do you mean to tell me ’t I’ve been stewin’ myself to feed Jathrop Lathrop!  ‘N’ that good egg too.  ‘N’ all my tea.  I declare, but I am aggravated.  The fire ’s out now ‘n’ everythin’ ’s put away or I’d go ‘n’ cook you suthin’ else, but I’d never trust that young man to carry it over.”

“I ain’t hun—­” said Mrs. Lathrop.

“It’s certainly your good luck ‘f you ain’t.  But to think o’ him havin’ the face to eat up your dinner!  But he’s got the face fr anythin’.  ‘F it wasn’t f’r hurtin’ your feelin’s, Mrs. Lathrop, I’d jus’ up ‘n’ tell you ‘t, to my order o’ thinkin’, Jathrop always did look more like a frog ’n he did like his own father, ‘n’ I’ll take my Bible oath ’t I’ve told Mrs. Macy that a hunderd times.  She says ’t he ain’t active enough to remind her o’ no frog, but she always owns up ’t his eyes ‘n’ mouth is like one.  ‘F I was talkin’ to any one but you, I’d say, spot him with green ‘n’ he could make you a nice livin’ alongside o’ the dog-faced boy in a Dime Museum,—­’n’ never need to move.  As a family, you ain’t very lively anyhow, ‘n’ I ain’t much surprised ’t the cow ‘s gettin’ out o’ patience.  She’s been trampin’ aroun’ ‘n’ mooin’ a lot this last hour.  The minister was walkin’ by with six o’ the childern, ‘n’ the childern come ‘n’ asked ’f they could see the cow ’t kicked you.  I didn’t see no good reason why not, so we boosted ’em all up so ‘s they’d have a good view o’