"
"A--" said Mrs. Lathrop, opening her eyes somewhat.
"A baby," repeated Susan. "I feel you ought to be the first one to
know it because, 's much 's I'm out, you'll naturally have the care of
it the most of the time."
Mrs. Lathrop clawed feebly among her pieces and seemed somewhat
bewildered as she clawed.
"Mrs. Shores' ba--" she queried.
Susan screamed.
"_Mrs. Lathrop!_"--she stopped knitting so that she might concentrate
her entire strength into the extreme astonishment which she desired to
render manifest in those two words--"Mrs. Lathrop!--Me!--adopt Mrs.
Shores' baby! Adopt the baby of a woman as 'd gone off 'n' left it!"
Mrs. Lathrop looked deeply apologetic.
"I didn't know--" she ventured.
"Well, you'd ought to of," said Susan, "'n' if you didn't I'd never
own to it. Such a idea never entered my head, 'n' I can't conceive
when nor how it entered yours. Only I'm free to confess to one thing,
Mrs. Lathrop, 'n' that is 't 'f _I_ was give to havin' ideas 's
senseless 's yours often are, I'd certainly keep my mouth shut 'n' let
people 's knows more do the talkin'."
Mrs. Lathrop swallowed the rebuke and remained passively overcome by
the after-clap of her astonishment.
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