Later she observed her standing--ruminative and ruminating,
so to speak--at the fence. There was always a potent suggestion in
Mrs. Lathrop's pose, as she leaned and waited, which vastly
accelerated Miss Clegg's after-dinner movements. In this case less
than two minutes intervened between the waiting of Mrs. Lathrop and
the answering of her younger friend.
"Was you to--" the older woman asked, as her eyes were brightened by
the approach of her medium of communication with the world at large.
"Oh, yes," replied that lady, "I was to town, 'n' the whole town 's
light-headed 'n' runnin' hither 'n' yon like they was ants bein'
stepped on. The town's gone plum crazy over the minister bein' gone
altogether. I do believe the only happy woman in it last night was
Gran'ma Mullins, 'n' 'f you want to see happiness, Mrs. Lathrop, you'd
ought to see Gran'ma Mullins this day. Seems 't Mrs. Sperrit was
drivin' in early last evenin' 'n' she stopped at Gran'ma Mullins to
get one o' the crick stones out o' her horse's shoe, 'n' Gran'ma
Mullins was weepin' on the piazza while little Jane chewed up her
spectacle-case, 'n after she got the stone out Mrs.
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