Susan Clegg and Her Friend Mrs. Lathrop | Page 9

more?" the
maiden asked the matron.
"I believe I'd try the blacksmith if I was you; he looks mighty nice
Sundays."
Miss Clegg sighed heavily and turned to re-enter the house.
Mrs. Lathrop went "round by the gate" and became again an inmate of
her own kitchen. There the thought occurred to her that it was an
excellent morning to clean the high-shelf over the sink. For years past
whenever she had had occasion to put anything up there, showers of
dust and rolls of lint had come tumbling down upon her head. Under
such circumstances it was but natural that a determination to some day
clean the shelf should have slowly but surely been developed.
Accordingly she climbed up on the edge of the sink and undertook the
initiatory proceedings. The lowest stratum of dirt was found to rest
upon a newspaper containing an account of one day of Guiteau's trial.
Upon the discovery of the paper Mrs. Lathrop suddenly abandoned her
original plan, got down from the sink, ensconced herself in her kitchen
rocker, and plunged into bliss forthwith.
An hour passed pleasantly and placidly by. Bees buzzed outside the
window, the kettle sizzled sweetly on the stove, the newspaper rustled
less and less, Mrs. Lathrop's head sank sideways, and the calm of
perfect peace reigned in her immediate vicinity.
This state of things endured not long.
Its gentle Paradise was suddenly broken in upon and rent apart by a
succession of the most piercing shrieks that ever originated in the throat
of a human being. Mrs. Lathrop came to herself with a violent start,
sprang to her feet, ran to the door, and then stood still, completely
dazed and at first unable to discern from which direction the

ear-splitting screams proceeded. Then, in a second, her senses returned
to her, and she ran as fast as she could to the fence. As she approached
the boundary, she saw Susan standing in one of her upstairs windows
and yelling at the top of her voice. Mrs. Lathrop paused for no
conventionalities of civilization. She hoisted herself over the fence in a
fashion worthy a man or a monkey, ran across the Clegg yard, entered
the kitchen door, stumbled breathlessly up the dark back stairs, and
gasped, grabbing Susan hard by the elbow,--
"What is it, for pity's--"
Susan was all colors and shaking as if with the ague.
"You never told me 's it 'd work so quick," she cried out.
"What would--"
"The feathers!"
"Whose feathers?"
"Father's feathers."
"Lord have mercy, Susan, you don't mean--"
"Yes, I do."
"He ain't never--"
"Yes, he is."
Mrs. Lathrop stood stricken.
Susan wiped her eyes with her apron and choked.
After a while the older woman spoke feebly.
"What did hap--"

Miss Clegg cut the question off in its prime.
"I don't know as I c'n ever tell you; it's too awful even to think of."
"But you--"
"I know, 'n' I'm goin' to. But I tell you once for all, Mrs. Lathrop, 't
this'll be a lesson to me forever after 's to takin' the say-so o' other folks
unto myself. 'N' I didn't really consider 't I was doin' so this time, f'r if I
had, Lord knows I'd 'a' landed three beds atop o' him afore I'd 'a' ever--"
She stopped and shook convulsively.
"Go on," said Mrs. Lathrop, her curiosity getting the better of her
sympathy, and her impatience ranking both.
Susan ceased sobbing, and essayed explanation.
"You see, after you was gone, he said 't he was pretty hot these last
nights, 'n' 't that was maybe what kept him so awfully awake. I asked
him if--if--maybe the feather-bed 'n'--well, Mrs. Lathrop, to put the
whole in a nut-shell, we settled to move him, 'n' I moved him. I know I
didn't hurt him one bit, for I'm 's handy with--at least, I was's handy
with him 's I am with a broom. 'N' I laid him on the lounge, 'n' dumped
that bed out into the back hall. I thought I 'd sun it 'n' put it away this
afternoon, f'r you know 's I'm never no hand to leave nothin' lyin' aroun'.
Well, I come back 'n' got out some fresh sheets, 'n' jus' 's I was--"
The speaker halted, and there was a dramatic pause.
"Where is--" Mrs. Lathrop asked at last.
"Back in the feathers. My heaven alive! When I see what I'd done, I
was that upset 't I just run 's quick 's ever I could, 'n' got the bed, 'n'
dumped it right atop of him!"
There was another dramatic silence, finally broken by Mrs. Lathrop's
saying slowly and gravely,--
"Susan, 'f I was you I wouldn't never say--"

"I ain't goin' to. I made up my mind to never tell