“It ain’t goin’ to be the lawyer, either,” she informed the expectant Mrs. Lathrop, “‘n’ I hav’ n’t no tears to shed over that.  I went there the first thing after dinner, ‘n’ he give me a solid chair ‘n’ whirled aroun’ in one ’t twisted, ‘n’ I did n’t fancy such manners under such circumstances a tall.  I’d say suthin’ real serious ‘n’ he’d brace himself ag’in his desk ‘n’ take a spin ’s if I did n’t count for sixpence.  I could n’t seem to bring him around to the seriousness of the thing nohow.  ‘N’ I come right out square ‘n’ open in the very beginnin’ too, for Lord knows I ‘m dead sick o’ beatin’ around the bush o’ men’s natural shyness.  He whirled himself clean around two times ‘n’ then said ’s long ’s I was so frank with him ’t it ‘d be nothin’ but a joy for him to be equally frank with me ‘n’ jus’ say ’s he’d rather not.  I told him he ’d ought to remember ’s he ‘d have a lot o’ business when father died ’f he kept my good will, but he was lookin’ over ‘n’ under himself to see how near to unscrewed he was ‘n’ if it was safe to keep on turnin’ the same way any longer, ‘n’ upon my honor, Mrs. Lathrop, I was nigh to mad afore he got ready to remark ’s father ’d left him a legacy on condition ’t he did n’t charge nothin’ for probatin’.”

Mrs. Lathrop chewed her clover.

“So I come away, ‘n’ I declare my patience is nigh to gin out.  This gettin’ married is harder ‘n’ house-paintin’ in fly-time.  I d’n’ know when I ’ve felt so tired.  Here’s three nights ’t I ’ve had to make my ideas all over new to suit a different husband each night.  It made my very bones ache to think o’ pilin’ them eight children ‘n’ the minister on top o’ father, ‘n’ then the next night it was a good jump out to that farm, f’r I never was one to know any species o’ fellow-feelin’ with pigs ‘n’ milkin’.  ‘N’ last night!—­well, you know I never liked Mr. Weskin anyhow.  But I d’n’ know who I can get now.  There’s Mrs. Healy’s husband, o’ course; but when a woman looks happier in her coffin ’n she ever looked out of it it’s more’n a hint to them’s stays behind to fight shy o’ her husband.  They say he used to throw dishes at her, ‘n’ I never could stand that—­I’m too careful o’ my china to risk any such goin’s on.”

Mrs. Lathrop started to speak, but got no further.

“There’s a new clerk in the drug-store,—­I see him through the window when I was comin’ home to-day.  He looked to be a nice kind o’ man, but I can’t help feelin’ ’t it ‘d be kind o’ awkward to go up to him ‘n’ have to begin by askin’ him what my name ’d be ’f I married him.  Maybe there’s them ’s could do such a thing, but I ‘ve never had nothin’ about me ’s ‘d lead me to throw myself at the head o’ any man, ‘n’ it’s too late in the day f’r me to start in now.”

Mrs. Lathrop again attempted to get in a word and was again unsuccessful.

“I don’t believe ’t there’s another free man in the town.  I’ve thought ‘n’ thought ‘n’ I can’t think o’ one.”  She stopped and sighed.