“And off she went, for good this time.  I pitied her, in spite of her bein’ such a dough head.  I knew what sort of a husband that pool-room shark would make.  However, there wa’n’t nothin’ to be done.  And next day Cap’n Jonadab was round, madder’n a licked pup.  Seems Susannah’s lawyer at Orham had sent for her to come right off and see him.  Somethin’ about the suit, it was.  And she was goin’ in spite of everything.  And with Effie’s leavin’ at the same time, what was we goin’ to do over Sunday? and so forth and so on.

“Well, we had to do the best we could, that’s all.  But that Saturday was busy, now I tell you.  Sunday mornin’ broke fine and clear and, after breakfast was over, I remembered Effie and that ‘twas her weddin’ day.  On the back steps I found her, dressed in all her grandeur, with her packed trunk ready, waitin’ for the bridegroom.

“‘Ain’t come yet, hey, Effie?’ says I.

“‘No,’ says she, smilin’ and radiant.  ’It’s a little early for him yet, I guess.’

“I went off to ’tend to the boarders.  At half past ten, when I made the back steps again, she was still there.  T’other servants was peekin’ out of the kitchen windows, grinnin’ and passin’ remarks.

“‘Hello!’ I calls out.  ‘Not married yet?  What’s the matter?’

“She’d stopped smilin’, but she was as chipper as ever, to all appearances.

“‘I—­I guess the horse has gone lame or somethin’,’ says she.  ’He’ll be here any time now.’

“There was a cackle from the kitchen windows.  I never said nothin’.  She’d made her nest; now let her roost on it.

“But at twelve Butler hadn’t hove in sight.  Every hand, male and female, on the place, that wa’n’t busy, was hangin’ around the back of the hotel, waitin’ and watchin’ and ridiculin’ and havin’ a high time.  Them that had errands made it a p’int to cruise past that way.  Lots of the boarders had got wind of the doin’s, and they was there, too.

“Effie was settin’ on her trunk, tryin’ hard to look brave.  I went up and spoke to her.

“‘Come, my girl,’ says I.  ’Don’t set here no longer.  Come into the house and wait.  Hadn’t you better?’

“‘No!’ says she, loud and defiant like.  ’No, sir!  It’s all right.  He’s a little late, that’s all.  What do you s’pose I care for a lot of jealous folks like those up there?’ wavin’ her flipper scornful toward the kitchen.

“And then, all to once, she kind of broke down, and says to me, with a pitiful sort of choke in her voice: 

“‘Oh, Mr. Wingate!  I can’t stand this.  Why don’t he come?’

“I tried hard to think of somethin’ comfortin’ to say, but afore I could h’ist a satisfyin’ word out of my hatches I heard the noise of a carriage comin’.  Effie heard it, too, and so did everybody else.  We all looked toward the gate.  ’Twas Sim Butler, sure enough, in his buggy and drivin’ the same old horse; but settin’ alongside of him on the seat was Susannah Debs, the housekeeper.  And maybe she didn’t look contented with things in gen’ral!