‘n’ then it turned out ’t he’d thought as it was her ‘s had married Sam on a’count o’ there bein’ no ‘Felicia’ signed to the letter.  The other shock when he come to understand brought on a appleplecktic fit, ‘n’, seein’ ’s young Dr. Brown ’s away, they had to send ’way to Meadville f’r old Dr. Carter, ‘n’ Mrs. Macy had to stay ‘n’ take care of him, with him light-headed half the time ‘n’ the other half all out o’ his mind ‘n’ sure she was married to Sam.  She said ‘t it didn’t take much o’ such doin’s to get her so aggravated ‘t she jus’ told him flat ‘n’ plain ’s she was sixty-seven years old and that meant ’s she knowed sixty-seven years too much to marry his son.  She said he begin to rave ‘n’ choke all fresh ’t that, ‘n’ her patience come clean to a end right then ‘n’ there, ‘n’ she picked up the water-pitcher ‘n’ told him ’f he dared to have another fit she’d half drown him.  She said he got reasonable pretty quick when he see she was in earnest, ‘n’ she had him sittin’ up by the window afore Dr. Carter got there.  Mrs. Duruy ‘n’ Sam ‘n’ Felicia Hemans all drove over with the doctor, ‘n’ Dr. Carter had telegraphed young Dr. Brown to come ‘n’ observe Mr. Duruy’s fit with him, so Dr. Brown ‘n’ Amelia ’s home too, ‘n’ all down around the crick is real gay.  O’ course Mrs. Macy ’d done with the fit afore they got there, but young Dr. Brown wants Dr. Carter to stay over night ‘n’ observe Henry Ward Beecher, ‘n’ Dr. Carter says ’t he thinks he will.  He says he ain’t got no real important case on hand jus’ now, only he says it’s a ill wind ’s blows no man good ‘n’ he’s lookin’ for this heat to lay some one out afore long.

“Gran’ma Mullins come up to Mrs. Macy’s while I was there, ‘n’ she’s pretty mad.  Seems she hurried to Mr. Duruy’s jus’ ’s soon ’s she heard of the doctors there, ‘n’ wanted ’em to come over to her house ‘n’ observe little Jane’s thumb, ‘n’ Dr. Carter jus’ flatly up and said little Jane’s thumb was beneath the kingdom o’ medicine.  She was awful put out about it, ‘n’ she vows ‘n’ declares ’s she’ll die afore she ever asks another doctor to do anythin’ f’r her.  I guess that’s true enough too, f’r ‘f the minister really is gone nothin’ ain’t never goin’ to cure her o’ little Jane.  Mrs. Macy give her some tea, but she was too used up to drink it.  She says little Jane ‘s gettin’ worse ‘n’ worse.  She bit a piece out of a gold-band cup last night, ‘n’ she gnawed all the jet cherries off o’ Gran’ma Mullins’ best bonnet while Gran’ma Mullins was to Mrs. Duruy’s.”

Miss Clegg paused to eat and drink somewhat.  Mrs. Lathrop, who had finished her own eating and drinking, sat breathless.

“I see Mrs. Fisher on my way home.  She ’s happy as ever.  She says nothin’ must do last night but Mr. Fisher must build a flyin’-machine with John Bunyan to hold the nails when he hammered.  Mrs. Fisher says she quit holdin’ nails afore she’d been married a year ‘n’ Mr. Fisher ‘s jus’ wild now ’t he’s got a new hand to hold his nails f’r him.