she s'posed it was true about you an' the deacon, 'n'
't, so help her Heaven, she never would 'a' believed 's either o' you
had so little sense. She said to tell you 't all she 's got to say is 't
if he deceives you like he 's deceived her, you 'll know how it feels to
have him deceive you 's well 's she knows how it feels to of had him
deceive her. She says she's goin' to take a hammer an' smash that nut
'n' that daguerre'type into a thousand smithereens this very afternoon."

"I 'm sorry 's--" said Mrs. Lathrop, regretfully.

"While we was sittin' there talkin', in come Mrs. Macy, with her cat
over her arm, to ask if there was enough of it left to make a muff.
Seems 't when the automobile headed out o' town they come on the cat
crossin' the road, 'n' afore she knew 's there was a death in the family
they was tryin' to settle the cat at a dollar. Said she never see the
beat o' the way the cat was ironed flat; she jus' stood 'n' stared, 'n'
then they offered her two dollars. She took the two dollars an' come to
town, 'n' 'f there ain't enough for a muff, she 'll have a cap with the
tail over her ear. She wanted to know if it was true about you 'n' the
deacon, an' she tried to swing the cat around 's if she did n't care,
but it was easy seen she did. She said she would n't have the deacon for
a gift, 'n' I told her 's there was others havin' to admit the same
thing. I says to her, I says: 'There's a good many in this town 's won't
have the deacon, but it ain't for lack o' tryin' to get him, Lord
knows.' Jus' then we see the man with the cap 's does the settlin' for
damages tearin' by the window afoot. We run to the door an' sec him grab
Mr. Sweet's bicycle 'n' ride away on it; 'n' it did n't take no great
brains to guess 's suthin' fresh had happened under the automobile. A
little while after the man with goggles an' Mr. Jilkins come walkin'
into the square, a-leadin' Mr. Jilkins's horse. The horse was pretty
well splintered up, 'n' the harness was hangin' all out o' tune; the man
with goggles looked to be upset, 'n' Mr. Jilkins looked like he 'd been
upset 'n' was awful mad over it. Every one went to know what it was; an'
I will say, Mrs. Lathrop, 's I never hear such a story o' unforeseen
miseries pilin' up. Seems 't when Mr. Jilkins went home las' night 'n'
told his wife about you 'n' the deacon, they decided to come to town
right off to-day 'n' try to argue common sense into him. Mr. Jilkins
said 't he was n't afrai