Mrs. Lathrop applied her clover, but said nothing.

“Well, I d’n’ know as there’s any good to be gained out o’ our standin’ here chattin’ any longer.  We’d better be gettin’ to bed ‘n’ thankin’ our merciful Father ‘t we hav’n’t got none o’ the minister’s children, ‘n’ that’s a prayer ’s not many c’n put up this night.”

Mrs. Lathrop threw her clover away and returned to her own domicile.

* * * * *

On Wednesday, between the intense heat and the equally intense excitement engendered by Mr. Kimball’s suggestion, the town was rife with a hive-like tumult.  Miss Clegg went down to return Mrs. Macy’s call soon after dinner, and when she got back it was all of six.  Mrs. Lathrop was so anxious to hear the latest news from the seat of war that she had prepared a company tea by the dining-room window and hailed Susan directly she was near enough to hail.

“I want you to come to—­” she cried.

“Well, I believe I will,” her friend answered cordially.  “I believe I’d really enjoy to pervided you ain’t got nothin’ with dried currants in it.  They say the heathen Chinese eat flies for currants, but I never was no heathen Chinese.”

“I ain’t got—­” Mrs. Lathrop assured her.

“Then I’ll come ’s soon ’s I c’n get my bonnet off,” Susan answered, and proceeded to unlock her own domain and enter into the sacred precincts thereof.

Ten minutes later the friends sat on opposite sides of Mrs. Lathrop’s hospitality.

“I s’pose ’t a good deal—­” began the older woman, as she poured out the tea.

“More’n any other day,” said the younger; “it almost seems ’s ’f more ’s happened than I c’n remember to tell over again.  I see Mrs. Macy, ‘n’ it was lucky ’t I went to see her, f’r she was the one ’s knowed everythin’ this day, f’r sure.  The first thing she told me was ’t the minister ’s got his ear-muffs right along with him.  She says the ear-muffs is the only thing ‘t she didn’t find, f’r she’s willin’ to swear ’s she opened more ’n a hunderd bundles.  She said she was clean wore out towards the last, ‘n’ discouraged too, ‘n’ she thought she’d go over to Mrs. Duruy’s ‘n’ ask Felicia Hemans if she know’d anythin’; so she did, ‘n’ when she got there the house was all shut up, ‘n’ a piece o’ paper stuck in the front door between the knob ‘n’ the wall, simply statin’ ’t Felicia Hemans ‘n’ Sam was gone to Meadville to get married.  All it said was ’Me ‘n’ Sam were married in Meadville afore you can get this.  Your everlasting daughter.’  She see ’t it was meant for a little surprise for Mr. Duruy when he come home ‘xpectin’ to get his dinner, ‘n’ she thought she’d ought to give it to him right off; so she went back ‘n’ got her stick ‘n’ jus’ went to town ’s quick ’s ever she could ‘n’ walked straight in on him with it.  He took on awful ‘n’ stamped around an’ shook, his fist right in her face, an’ swore at her till she was frightened ’most to death,