t the horse. Not as his horse was n't worth lookin' at
either. His legs had gone out behind so far 'n' so unexpected that it
seemed like he could n't get them high enough 'n' close enough to suit
him, 'n' he just stood there drawin' them up alternate for all the world
like a fly on fly-paper. Mr. Dill said he felt like if his horse was n't
ever goin' to be able to h'ist his legs no quicker'n that he 'd have to
have damages, 'n' at that word I nigh to sat right down. I tell you
what, Mrs. Lathrop, Mr. Weskin has bred this damage idea too deep into
this town for any comfort. It 's got to where it's better to hurt
yourself most any way than to damage some one else only a little. I
would n't take the chances of sayin' 'shoo' to a hen on a slippery
mornin', 'n' things has come to a pretty pass when you 've got to
consider a hen's back-slidin's. Such bein' the case I felt more 'n a
little troubled when Mr. Dill said damages, but I tried to look on the
bright side, 'n' I told him that it seemed to me that a proper-minded
horse would have hauled in his legs when he felt himself slippin' in
half. Mr. Dill said his horse unfortunately could n't see with his tail
'n' was also brought up to consider anvils as solid. I answered as all I
could say was as it was a great pity as his horse was n't built enough
like the rest of the world to have better hindsight than foresight,--'n'
then I looked at the anvil in the crick--'n' then I come home."

"'N' that--" said Mrs. Lathrop, sadly.

"Yes, that very night!--it was that very night that the lightnin' struck
my house"--Susan halted a moment to turn and look at the house. "I never
will see why the lightnin' had to strike my house, Mrs. Lathrop, with
yours so handy right next door; but it did strike it--'n' me inside
sleepin' the sleep of the nigh to poverty-stricken 'n' done-up, 'n'
never as much as dreamin' of bein' woke by a brick bouncin' out of my
own flesh 'n' blood stove-hole. My heavens alive! what a night that was,
'n' even if nothin' catched fire everythin' in kingdom come rained in,
'n' when mornin' come 'n' I see what a small hole it was after all I
would n't ever have believed it if you 'd swore it till the week after
doomsday."

"And then--" said Mrs. Lathrop, sympathetically.

"Yes, 'n' then come the roof-mendin'. I never can feel to blame myself
there because I did n't want to pay no carpenter, 'n' you know yourself,
Mrs. Lathrop, as it looked just as easy to get up on th