Susan Clegg and Her Friend Mrs. Lathrop | Page 4

'n'
remark 't our minister ain't no good a tall.--'N I d'n' know but I'll tell
any one 's asks me the same thing, f'r it certainly ain't nothin' f'r me to
weep over, 'n' the blood be on his head from now on."
Miss Clegg paused briefly, and her eyes became particularly wide open.
Mrs. Lathrop was all attention.
"Mrs. Lathrop, you ain't lived next to me 'n' known me in 'n' out 'n' hind
'n' front all these years not to know 't I 'm pretty sharp. I ain't been
cheated mor' 'n twice 'n my life, 'n' one o' them times was n't my fault,

for it was printed on the band 't it would wash. Such bein' the case, 'n'
takin' the minister into consideration, I do consider 't no man would 'a'
supposed 't he could get the better o' me. It's a sad thing to have to own
to, 'n' if I was anybody else in kingdom come I 'd never own to it till I
got there; but my way is to live open 'n' aboveboard, 'n' so to my shame
be 't told 't the minister--with all 't he's got eight children 'n' I ain't even
married--is certainly as sharp as me. Last night when I see him comin'
up the walk I never 'd 'a' believed 's he c'd get away again so easy, but it
just goes to show what a world o' deceit this is, 'n' seein' 's I have father
to clean from his windows aroun' to-day, I 'll ask you to excuse me 'f I
don't draw the subjeck out none, but jus' remark flat 'n' plain 't there
ain't no chance o' my ever marryin' the minister. You may consider that
a pretty strong statement, Mrs. Lathrop, 'n' I don't say myself but 't with
any other man there might be a hereafter, but it was me 'n' not anybody
else as see his face last night, 'n' seein' his face 'n' bein' a woman o'
more brains 'n falls to the lot of yourself 'n' the majority, I may just as
well say once for all that, 's far 's the minister's concerned, I sh'll never
be married to him."
"What did he--" began Mrs. Lathrop.
"All 't was necessary 'n' more too. He did n't give me hardly time to
state 't I was single afore he come out strong 't we 'd both better stay so.
I spoke right out to his face then, 'n' told him 't my shingles was new
last year 'n' it was a open question whether his 'd ever be, but he piped
up f'r all the world like some o' the talkin' was his to do, 'n' said 't he
had a cistern 'n' I 'd only got a sunk hogshead under the spout. I did n't
see no way to denyin' that, but I went right on 'n' asked him 'f he could
in his conscience deny 't them eight children stood in vital need of a
good mother, 'n' he spoke up 's quick 's scat 'n' said 't no child stood in
absolute vital need of a mother after it was born. 'N' then he branched
out 'n' give me to understand 't he had a wife till them eight children all
got themselves launched 'n' 't it was n't his fault her dyin' o' Rachel
Rebecca. When he said 'dyin',' I broke in 'n' said 't it was Bible-true 's
there was 's good fish in the sea 's ever was caught out of it, 'n' he was
impolite enough to interrupt 'n' tell me to my face 'Yes, but when a man
had been caught once he was n't easy caught again.' I will own 't I was

more 'n put out 't that, for o' course when I said fish I meant his wife 'n'
me, but when he pretended to think 't I meant him I begin to doubt 's it
was worth while to tackle him further. One man can lead a horse to
water, but a thousand can't get him to stick his nose in 'f he don't want
to, 'n' I thank my stars 't I ain't got nothin' 'n me as craves to marry a
man 's appears dead-set ag'in' the idea. I asked him 'f he did n't think 's
comin' into property was always a agreeable feelin', 'n' he said, 'Yes,
but not when with riches come a secret thorn in the flesh,' 'n' at that I
clean give up, 'n' I hope it was n't to my discredit, for no one on the face
of the earth could 'a' felt 't there 'd be any good in keepin' on. But it was
no use, 'n'