placid
Mrs. Lathrop as if she was asking a riddle or conducting an examination
for the benefit of her friend. Mrs. Lathrop, however, had turned and was
looking the other way so it was only when the length of the pause
brought her to herself with a violent start, that she answered:

"My heavens ali--"

"The answer is," said Susan promptly, "'Put 'em up so high that nobody
can reach them.'"

Mrs. Lathrop opened her eyes.

"I don't--" she protested.

"No, I did n't think as it was very sensible myself," responded Susan,
"but do you know, Elijah laughed out loud over it. That's what's funny
about Elijah to my order of thinkin'--he's so amused at himself. He
thinks that's one of the best things he's done as a editor, he says, an'
I'm sure I can't see nothin' funny in it any more than you can. An' you
don't see nothin' funny in it, do you?"

"No," said Mrs. Lathrop, "I--"

"Nor me neither," said Susan, "an' now the next one is sillier yet, to
my order of thinkin'. It's a letter an' begins, 'Dear Aunt Abby;' then
it says, 'Do you think it is possible to be happy with a young man with
freckles? My husband says Yes, but my mother says No. He's my husband's
son by his first wife. I have twins myself. I want the boy sent to a
home of some sort. What do you think? Yours affectionately--Ada.'"

"What under the--" ejaculated Mrs. Lathrop.

"Just what I said," said Susan. "I could n't make head or tail out of it
myself an' I'm afraid it'll make Deacon White mad 'cause Polly's his
second wife--yes, an' the minister's got two wives, too. I tried to make
Elijah see that but he just said to read the answer."

"What is--" asked Mrs. Lathrop.

"Oh, the answer's just as dumbfounderin' as the question, I think. The
answer says, 'Hang on to the boy. If you get the twin habit he'll prove
invaluable.'"

"Well, I--" said Mrs. Lathrop, disgustedly.

"I told Elijah that myself. I said that the minister was bound to feel
hurt over the second wife part, but with twins in the answer he's sure
to feel it means him an' I expect he'll maybe stop takin' the paper an'
join Mrs. Macy's club. Mrs. Macy got real mad at somethin' Mr. Kimball
sold her last week an' as a consequence she went an' made what she calls
her Newspaper Club, she rents her paper for a cent a day now an' she
made four cents last week. She says if Elijah Doxey ever says anythin'
in the paper about her again she'll take three papers an' rent 'em at
two mills a day an' supp