ane Field.

"I s'pose there was a good deal of nice furniture in it, wa'n't
there?"

"Considerable."

"Was there nice beddin'?"

"Yes."

"I s'pose there was plenty of table-cloths an' such things? Have you
bought any new furniture, Mis' Field?"

"No, I ain't," said Mrs. Field. She moved her chair a little to make
room for Lois and Amanda when they returned. Lois sat next her
mother.

"I didn't know but you had. I thought mebbe the furniture was kind of
old-fashioned. Have you--oh, ain't it awful?"

The storm had gathered itself like an animal for a fiercer onset. The
room was lit up with a wild play of blue fire. The thunder crashed
closely in its wake.

"Oh, we hadn't ought to talk of anything but the mercy of the Lord
an' our sins!" wailed Mrs. Babcock. "Don't let's talk of anything
else. That struck somewheres near. There's no knowin' where it'll
come next. I never see such a shower. We don't have any like it in
Green River. Oh, I hope we're all prepared!"

"That's the principal thing," said Mrs. Green, in a solemn trembling
voice.

Amanda said nothing. She thought of her will; a vision of the nicely
ordered rooms she had left seemed to show out before her in the flare
of the lightning; in spite of her terror it was a comfort to her.

"We'd ought to be thankful in a time like this that we ain't any of
us got any great wickedness on our consciences," said Mrs. Babcock.
"It must be terrible for them that have, thinkin' they may die any
minute when the next flash comes. I don't envy 'em."

"It must be terrible," assented Mrs. Green, like an amen.

"It's bad enough with the sins we've got on all our minds, the best
of us," continued Mrs. Babcock. "Think how them that's broken God's
commandments an' committed murders an' robberies must feel. I
shouldn't think they could stan' it, unless they burst right out an'
confessed to everybody--should you, Mis' Field?"

"I guess so," said Mrs. Field, in a hard voice.

Mrs. Babcock said no more; somehow she and the others felt repelled.
They all sat in silence except for awed ejaculations when now and
then came a louder crash of thunder. All at once, after a sharp
flash, there was a wild clamor in the street; a bell clanged out.

"It's struck! it's struck!" shrieked Mrs. Babcock.

"Oh, it ain't this house, is it?" Amanda wailed.

They all rushed to the windows and flung open the blinds; a red glare
filled the room; a large barn nearly opposite was on fire.