Miss Clegg"s att.i.tude as she stood in the doorway was one of blended commiseration and disgust.
"Well, I never would "a" believed it o" Jathrop!" she burst forth at last.
""T wa"n"t Jathrop," Mrs. Lathrop protested feebly; "it was the--"
"I know, but the cow never come of her own free will, "n" it strikes me "t Jathrop"s the one to blame. I never was so done up in my life "s I was when I hear this about you. You kin believe me or not jus" "s you please, Mrs. Lathrop, but I was so nigh to struck dead "t I stopped short with one leg on the station "n" the other on the train.
It was Johnny "s dodged out o" the ticket-office to tell me the minute the train stopped, "n" I d"n" know but I"d be there yet--f"r I was clean struck all in a heap--only a man jus" behind jammed me with a case o" beer "t he was bringin" home. To think "s I see you goin" to the barn jus" "s I was lookin" f"r a place to hide my keys afore leavin", "n" then to think "s them was your last legs "n" you usin"
"em "s innocent "s a gra.s.shopper on a May mornin"!--I tell you I was so used up I thought some o" askin" to be druv up here, but Johnny didn"t have no time to give pertickilers "cause the telegraph begin to work jus" at that very minute "n" he had to dodge back to see what they wanted to tick him about, so I see "t the wisest thing was to walk up "n" find out f"r myself. Besides, you c"n understand "t if you was beyond hope I"d be nothin" but foolish to pay a quarter to get to you in a hurry, "n" I never was one to be foolish nor yet to waste quarters, "n" so I come along through town, "n" as a consequence I guess "t I know "s much "s you know yourself now."
Mrs. Lathrop looking duly inquisitive for details of her own accident, Miss Clegg advanced forthwith upon a seat and occupied it before beginning.
"I see Mrs. Macy first, "n" she told me all as to how it happened. She says you turned two back somersaults "n" just missed squashin" the cat, "n" "t young Dr. Brown told her "t if he hadn"t been so busy plantin" his garden to-day he certainly would "a" felt "t it "d "a"
been nothin" but right to diagnose you all over. Mrs. Macy says she ain"t none too over-pleased "t the way he spoke, for, to her order o"
thinkin", you had a pretty serious kick "n" you"d ought to realize it.
She wanted me to ask you "f he had you hang to the head-board while he give your leg a good hard jerk, "cause she says "t that"s the only real safe way to make all the bones come back into place; she says "f you ain"t shattered you"re bound to come straight pervided the doctor jerks hard enough. She says they did her lame leg that way over thirty years ago, "n" she says "t, sittin" down "n" side by side, she"d bet anything "t the minister "n" all the deacons couldn"t pick out one from t" other. She says all her trouble comes when she walks. Nights "n" rockin" she"d never know she was lame herself."
Mrs. Lathrop looked slightly distressed.
"Gran"ma Mullins come up while we was talkin", "n" she"s terrible upset over you. She never had no lameness, she says; her trouble "s all in her ribs,--them ribs "t go from under your arms down. But she wants to know if you was put in plaster, "n" she said f"r me to ask right off."
"Yes; I--" replied Mrs. Lathrop.
"Oh!" Susan"s face darkened. "I declare, that"s too bad. "N" young Dr.
Brown "s gone now too. I see him "n" Amelia drivin" out towards the Sperrits" while I was in the square. Well, if it"s on, it"s on, "n"
the Lord be with you, Mrs. Lathrop, f"r "f Gran"ma Mullins says truth, no one else c"n help you now. You see, she told Mrs. Macy "n" me what plaster is. It"s eatin", that"s what it is. Plaster "ll eat anythin"
right up, hide, hair, "n" all. She says don"t you know how, when you smell a dead rat in the wall, you throw some plaster in on him, "n"
after a while you don"t smell no more rat "cause there ain"t no more rat there to smell; the plaster "s eat him all up. She says you may laugh "f you feel so inclined, but there ain"t no such big difference between your leg "n" a dead rat but what it"ll pay you to mark her words. She says "f it don"t do no more "n eat the skin off it"ll still be pretty hard for you to lay there without no skin "n" feel the plaster goin" in more "n" more. She says "t we all wish him well, "n"
yet no one in their right mind c"n deny as young Dr. Brown is n"t old Dr. Carter, "n" no amount o" well wishin" c"n ever make him so. She says "f she was you she "d never rest till old Dr. Carter "d looked into that leg, f"r a leg is a leg, "n" it says in the Bible "t if you lose your salt what "ll you salt with."
Mrs. Lathrop"s distress deepened visibly.
"I tell you I was more "n a little troubled over her words. Gran"ma Mullins ain"t one to make up nothin", "n" I know myself "t that "s true about the plaster. I "ve eat up rats that way time "n"
again,--mice too, f"r that matter. It "d be an awful thing f"r you to lay there peaceful "n" happy till it come time f"r him to unwrap your leg "n" then when he unwrapped have him find no leg in the centre.
Nothin" "t he could say would help any--there you "d be one leg gone forever. "F it was your foot, it "d all be different, f"r you could hop around right spry with a false foot, but I d"n" know what good your foot "ll do you with the leg in between gone. I never hear o" no real foot on a false leg, "n" "f I was you, I certainly wouldn"t want to lay wonderin" "f I still had two legs f"r six weeks."
"Six weeks!" cried Mrs. Lathrop, with a start that collapsed at once into a groan; "must I lay--"
"Gran"ma Mullins says," pursued Susan, ""t the reason she knows so much about it all is "t she had a cousin with a broken leg once. It wa"n"t no cow "s kicked him, jus" he was give to meditatin", "n" while meditatin" durin" house-cleanin" he stepped down the wrong side o" the step-ladder. She says the doctor didn"t so much "s dream o" plasterin"
him up, he put splints on him, "n" he come out fine, but she says he was suthin" jus" awful to take care of. They thought they couldn"t stand it the first weeks he was so terrible cross, but then his bones begin to knit, "n" she says she hopes she may fall dead then "n" there "f she ever hear anythin" to equal that leg-knittin". She said they was livin" so far out "t they could feel to leave him "n" go to church Sunday, "n" she says when they was comin" back they could hear him knittin" a good half-mile away."
"Dear, dear--" commented Mrs. Lathrop, giving a heave of unrest.
"Can you feel your leg now?" Susan inquired.
"Yes; I--"
"Then it "s all right so far, but, my! you mus" n"t begin gettin"
restless this soon. You ain"t been kicked six hours yet, "n" you "ve got to lay that same way f"r six weeks. After a while it"ll be pretty bad, I expeck, but you ain"t got nothin" to complain of to-day. I see the minister just after I left Mrs. Macy, "n" he said you must say to yourself, "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof" "n" get along the best you can. I c"d see he was some put out over your gettin" a cow, f"r he c"d n"t but understand "t with a cow over the fence I was n"t goin" to be takin" milk from over the crick. He said "t your bein"
kicked was a judgment "n" the sins o" the parents should be visited on the children even unto the third "n" fourth generation. I did n"t know whose sins he was meanin", the cow"s or Jathrop"s, but I did n"t ask.
I guess we "d ought to make allowances f"r the minister,--he ain"t seemed to ever be able to bear up under them twins. He was pushin" "em in the carriage to-day "n" drawin" little Jane after him in a express wagon. I asked him how his wife was, "n" he said she"s doin" nicely, only she can"t decide what to name the baby. He walked with me a piece; it seemed to do him good to speak out frank "n" open, "n" I guess he sees more "n" more what a mistake he"s made; he couldn"t but see it, I sh"d suppose, f"r his wife "s had four children in three years, "n" I didn"t even adopt one. It"s that four-in-three-years business "t seems to "a" used him up the most. He says he never even had a idea "t it could be done. He says his first wife was so different, "n" he says it"s just been shock after shock, "n" two shocks when the twins come. Little Jane caught her dress in a wheel while we was talkin", "n" we had to turn her "n" the express-wagon both upside down "t once afore we could unwind it, "n" while we was doin" that, one o" the twins fell out o" the carriage. The minister says he don"t thank no man to talk race-suicide when he"s aroun"; he says his blood runs cold to think what his family "ll be at his silver weddin". I tell you, Mrs. Lathrop, I will own "t I"ve always felt some sore at the minister on a"count o" his not marryin" me, but "f I ever desired any species o" revenge I certainly "d be hard to please "f I didn"t get it to-day when I see him with twins ahead "n" little Jane behind "n" nine at home."
Mrs. Lathrop sighed.
"That reminds me o" what I come over to ask you," said Susan. "Have you had any dinner?"
"No; I--"
"Then I"ll fix you some when I cook mine. I c"n call Jathrop "n" have him bring it over when it"s ready. I see him in the yard when I come by; he was peekin" in at the cow. I ain"t never had no great opinion o" Jathrop, but I guess he c"n carry a tray. "N" now afore I leave you, Mrs. Lathrop, I will say jus" once more "s my advice is f"r you to keep a sharp eye on your leg, "n" if it feels anyway like you can"t feel nothin" I"d have that plaster off in a jiffy. How"s it put on?
Round "n" roun"?"
"He"s sent for the windin"," said Mrs. Lathrop weakly; "it"s jus" got some plaster "n" a long piece o" tore sheet."
Susan moved towards the door.
"It beats me what ever made you go near the hind end o" that cow for,"
she remarked, pausing on the threshold. "Don"t you know as it "s the hind end "s always does the kickin"? The front end can"t do nothin"--"nless it gores. Does she gore?"
"Oh, I d"n" know," wailed poor Mrs. Lathrop.
"I "m goin"," said Miss Clegg, turning her back as she spoke. "You jus" lay still now "n" think o" pleasant things. Nothin" else can"t happen to you "nless the house catches fire."
Then she went out and away.
It was late in the afternoon that Susan entered next door on her second visitation of mercy.
"Did you like your dinner?" she inquired, as she brought a rocker to where it would command a fine view of the bed and its occupant.
"Dinner! I ain"t had no--"
Miss Clegg screamed.
"Ain"t had no dinner! Why, I give it to Jathrop with my own hands.
Everythin" hot, "n" the whole tucked up nice in the cloth "t I put over the bird-cage nights. I made the tea awful strong so "s to keep up your strength, "n" there was a scramble o" eggs, "n" one was fresh, I _know_. Whatever c"n he have done with it, do you suppose?"
"Maybe he ate--" Mrs. Lathrop began.
Her friend chopped her off with a second scream.
"Ate it!--Jathrop Lathrop!--Do you mean to tell me "t I"ve been stewin" myself to feed Jathrop Lathrop! "N" that good egg too. "N" all my tea. I declare, but I am aggravated. The fire "s out now "n"
everythin" "s put away or I"d go "n" cook you suthin" else, but I"d never trust that young man to carry it over."
"I ain"t hun--" said Mrs. Lathrop.
"It"s certainly your good luck "f you ain"t. But to think o" him havin" the face to eat up your dinner! But he"s got the face fr anythin". "F it wasn"t f"r hurtin" your feelin"s, Mrs. Lathrop, I"d jus" up "n" tell you "t, to my order o" thinkin", Jathrop always did look more like a frog "n he did like his own father, "n" I"ll take my Bible oath "t I"ve told Mrs. Macy that a hunderd times. She says "t he ain"t active enough to remind her o" no frog, but she always owns up "t his eyes "n" mouth is like one. "F I was talkin" to any one but you, I"d say, spot him with green "n" he could make you a nice livin"
alongside o" the dog-faced boy in a Dime Museum,--"n" never need to move. As a family, you ain"t very lively anyhow, "n" I ain"t much surprised "t the cow "s gettin" out o" patience. She"s been trampin"
aroun" "n" mooin" a lot this last hour. The minister was walkin" by with six o" the childern, "n" the childern come "n" asked "f they could see the cow "t kicked you. I didn"t see no good reason why not, so we boosted "em all up so "s they"d have a good view o" her through the little window. The minister quoted "Wild bulls o" Bashan" "n"