“I see Felicia Hemans down buyin’ suthin’ with Sam along with a basket to carry it home in.  I asked ’f Mrs. Duruy was gone, ‘n’ they said yes, ‘n’ Sam grinned ‘n’ Felicia giggled, same ’s usual.  I c’n see ’t the Allens is all put out ‘t Sam’s bein’ around with any one but Polly, ‘n’ Mrs. Allen asked me ’f I really thought Mrs. Duruy ’d ought to ‘a’ gone off like that.  I said I thought it was a awful risk for Felicia Hemans ‘cause o’ course she might marry Sam in consequence.  Mrs. Allen didn’t like it, ‘n’ she bounced Brunhilde Susan’s carriage-springs so hard ’t she made Brunhilde Susan wake up.  Mr. Kimball was out in front o’ his store, ‘n’ he hollered across to me ’t he was giv’ to understand as Brunhilde Susan was learnin’ to hang onto money already.  Every one laughed, ‘n’ I declare ‘t for the life o’ me I don’t see how no one c’n make a joke over a baby’s swallowin’ a lent nickel.”

“Who—­” queried Mrs. Lathrop.

“Well, Mrs. Fisher was one of ’em.  She did sort of explain it away afterwards, though.  She said she was so happy she laughed at any nothin’ at all.  Seems Mr. Fisher set John Bunyan to cuttin’ the grass, ‘n’ the boy went ‘n’ sheared right over the bed o’ petunias.  Seems them petunias was the apple o’ Mr. Fisher’s eye ‘n’ he wanted a dish of ’em with every meal.  Mrs. Fisher says ’t to her mind a woman has work enough gettin’ the meals without havin’ to get petunias too, ‘n’ she was nothin’ but glad to see what a clean shave John Bunyan made o’ the whole thing.  She was down town buyin’ him some marbles.  She went into Shores after ’em, an’ she ‘n’ Miss White come out together.  I know suthin’ had happened the minute I see Miss White’s face, f’r angels chantin’ glory was nothin’ to it.  Do you know, Mrs. Lathrop, that Fox never lived up to the trumpet bargain one hour, but jus’ yelled ‘n’ blew alternate, till the Deacon was nigh to deaf ‘n’ old Mrs. White begun to hear, ‘n’ they was all ’most fit for the Insane Asylum when Mrs. Sperrit come in to leave a skirt for new braid, ‘n’ she jus’ up ‘n’ took Fox home with her.  She says ’t he can make all the noise he wants to out on the farm, ‘n’ the Whites is all but in Paradise as a result.”

“I sh’d think—­” suggested Mrs. Lathrop.

“Well, I d’n’ know,” said Susan; “you may think so, but you didn’t look like it when I come.  You looked to be asleep, Mrs. Lathrop, ‘n’ bein’ ’s to-day’s been a hot Monday ‘n’ to-morrow ’ll likely be a hot Tuesday, I feel some inclined that way myself.  So good-night.”

* * * * *

Susan’s prophecy as to what the next day would be came true.  It was a scorching Tuesday, and nothing but the feast of gossip which “the square” held upon this particular week could ever have drawn a crowd there on so sultry a night.

“But every one was out,” she told Mrs. Lathrop, as they met by the fence along towards nine o’clock, “‘n’ oh my! you’d ought to ‘a’ been there.  Mrs. Craig’s found her cat, ‘n’ that takes the lead, for she come back of her own accord from a place where no one ’d ever ‘a’ expected her to come back from.”