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knows how it feels to 've had him deceive her. She says she's goin' to take a hammer an' smash that nut an' that daguerre'type into a thousand smithereens this very afternoon."

"I'm sorry 's—" said Mrs. Lathrop, regretfully.

"While we was sittin' there talkin', in come Mrs. Macy, with her cat over her arm, to ask if there was enough of it left to make a muff. Seems 't when the automobile headed out o' town they come on the cat crossin' the road, an' afore she knew 's there was a death in the family they was tryin' to settle the cat at a dollar. She said she never see the beat o' the way the cat was ironed flat; she jus' stood an' stared, an' then they offered her two dollars. She took the two dollars an' come to town, an' 'f there ain't enough f'r a muff, she'll have a cap with the tail over her ear. She wanted to know if it was true about you an' the deacon, an' she tried to swing the cat around 's if she didn't care, but it was easy seen she did. She said she wouldn't have the deacon f'r a gift, an' I told her 's there was others havin' to admit the same thing. I says to her, I says: 'There's a good many in this town's won't have the deacon, but it ain't f'r lack o' tryin' to get him. Lord knows.' Jus' then we see the man with the cap 's does the settlin' f'r damages tearin' by the window afoot. We run to the door an' see him grab Mr. Sweet's bicycle an' ride away on it; an' it didn't take no great brains to guess 's suthin' fresh had happened under the automobile. A little while after the man with goggles an' Mr. Jilkins come walkin' into the square, a-leadin' Mr. Jilkins's horse. The horse was pretty well splintered up, an' the harness was hangin' all out o' tune; the man with goggles looked to be upset, an' Mr. Jilkins looked like he'd been upset an' was awful mad over it. Every one went to know what it was; an' I will say, Mrs. Lathrop,'s I never hear such a story o' unforeseen miseries pilin' up. Seems 't when Mr. Jilkins went home las' night an' told his wife about you an' the deacon, they decided to come to town right off to-day an' try to argue common sense into him. Mr. Jilkins said 't he wasn't afraid o' the property goin' out o' the family, 'cause you an' the deacon couldn't naturally expect nothin' but grandchildren at your age; but he said they jus' didn't want him married, an' they was goin' to see 't he didn't get drug into it. So they took the horse an' the colt an' the democrat an' started up to town this mornin', an' jus' beyond the bridge they met the automobile warmin' up from Mrs. Macy an' her cat. Mr. Jilkins says his horse ain't afraid o' nothin' on earth only threshin'-machines, men asleep, an' bicycles; but it never 'd seen a' automobile afore, an' it jumped right into it. Well, him in goggles an' his friend in damages jumped right out, an' the automobile run into the fence an' run over the colt, an' spilled Mr. an' Mrs. Jilkins an' the horse all out. The horse fell down an' Mrs. Jilkins couldn't get up, an' the man in the cap wanted to settle fer five hundred dollars right on the spot. Then they went to work an' got the tool-box, an' got the horse up, an' he seemed to be all right, only pretty badly marred; an' they backed the automobile out o' the fence an' give Mrs. Jilkins a drink out o' their bottle, an' tucked her up warm in the seat, an' then set to work on the democrat. They was gettin' everythin' all straightened out neat 's a pin when, all of a sudden, Mrs. Jilkins give a yell, an' they looked up to see the automobile kitin' off up the hill, an' her screamin' an' wavin' her hands; an' the next thing they see, she went over the top o' the hill an' out o' sight."

Miss Clegg stopped; Mrs. Lathrop drew in her breath.

"Well, Mrs. Lathrop, seems to me I never hear nothin' to equal that in all my born days. Mrs. Jilkins off in a' automobile alone! An' the man in the cap see it jus' 's I did, f'r he wanted to settle f'r a thousand, spot cash, then an' there. But Mr. Jilkins wouldn't settle; there's no denyin' Mr. Jilkins saw what a good thing he'd got when his wife went off in that automobile; so then the man in the cap hustled in town, got a bicycle, an' scurried after her 's fast 's he could paddle."

"Did they find—?" inquired Mrs. Lathrop.

"Not when I come home they hadn't. The man in goggles had took Mr. Jilkins to the hotel fer dinner, an' Mr. Jilkins was tickled to death, f'r he never eat in a hotel in his life before. If he goes off, he always gets back or else takes a lunch."

"Are you goin'?" Mrs. Lathrop asked.

"Yes; I'm goin' down-town again. I'm goin' right now. I want to know the end 's