d
meeting of the Sewing Society--Mrs. Lathrop, sleeping the sleep of the
stout and elderly in her kitchen rocker, was suddenly aroused to a
swaying sense of the world about her by the sound of her name, the
same being pronounced in her neighbor's voice, the key of that voice
being pitched uncommonly high.

"Mrs. Lathrop!--Mrs. Lathrop!--oh-h-h, Mrs. _Lathrop_!"

Mrs. Lathrop got to the window as fast as her somewhat benumbed
members would allow.

Susan was standing on her own side of the fence, her eyes glowing with
excitement.

"The minister's come back!"

Mrs. Lathrop simply fell out of the door and down the back steps. As
she hastened towards the fence, her usual custom led her to hastily
snatch a handful of her favorite blend, and then--

"When--" she gasped.

"This afternoon, right after lunch. You never hear the like in all
your life! Where do you suppose he was all this week? Just nowhere at
all! Out on the farm! Yes, Mrs. Lathrop," as that worthy clung to the
fence for support in her overwhelming astonishment,--"yes, Mrs.
Lathrop, he 'n' his wife were out there on the farm all the time.
Seems 't that night when Mrs. Allen come in 'n' told 'em 't they'd got
to go on a vacation so early the nex' mornin', they was all upset.
They didn't have no money nor no clothes nor no place to go to, 'n'
the minister's wife begun to cry jus' 's soon 's Mrs. Allen was gone.
Seems she was settin' there cryin' when Mrs. Sperrit drove in, in the
cool o' the evenin', to pay her pew-rent in pigs-feet, 'n' what did
Mrs. Sperrit do but jus' up 'n' ask 'em both to come out to the farm.
Told 'em they wouldn't have no board to pay out on the farm 'n' 't
they could stay 's long 's they liked. It seemed like it was all they
could do, so they arranged it 'n' it all worked fine. Seems they took
the train to the junction, 'n' Mr. Sperrit met 'em there 'n' drove 'em
straight across country home, 'n' they 've been there ever since, 'n'
maybe they'd been there yet, only Mrs. Sperrit is like a lot o' other
people in this world,--she's forever goin' to extremes, 'n' she
couldn't be content with jus' the minister 'n' his wife 'n' Bobby, so
she had to keep bringin' home more 'n' more o' the childern, until
they was so thick out there 't to-day, when Henry Ward Beecher
arrived, the minister went to Mr. Sperrit 'n' asked him if he thought
anybody 'd mind 'f he 'n' his wife come in town 'n' finished their
vacation in their own house. I guess m