"But every one was out," she told Mrs. Lathrop, as they met by the
fence along towards nine o'clock, "'n' oh my! you'd ought to 'a' been
there. Mrs. Craig's found her cat, 'n' that takes the lead, for she
come back of her own accord from a place where no one 'd ever 'a'
expected her to come back from."

"Where did--" asked Mrs. Lathrop eagerly.

"Come up in the well-bucket," replied Miss Clegg promptly,--"she come
up in the well-bucket this afternoon all but her tail, 'n' they think
Augustus must 'a' strained that throwin' her in by it 'n' so it soaked
off extra easy. Mrs. Craig went for him the minute she see the cat,
but, lor', you can't get nothin' out o' Augustus; he jus' said, 'Wash
zhat?--Zhat a cat?--Zhi a cat?--Zhu a cat?' 'n' Mrs. Craig was too mad
f'r words. She says 't they've been noticin' a curious taste in the
water, but not bein' in the habit o' drinkin' the house cat, they
never thought of its bein' him. She's troubled over findin' the cat
'n' troubled some more over not findin' the tail. She says Mr. Craig
says 't he wouldn't consider for one second cleanin' out a well for a
trifle like a cat's tail, 'n' yet, for her part, she ain't noways
inclined to keep on livin' on cat's hairs indefinitely. She says 't
Mr. Craig says 't she can easy fish the tail up with the well-bucket,
but fishin' for suthin' 's you can't see ain't so funny as a woman's
husband 's apt to make out. 'S far 's my observation 's 'xtended, a
man always gives his wife to understand that what'd be a bother or
mebbe impossible for him to do 'll be jus' a pleasant afternoon for
her. I took it on myself to tell her that very same thing. 'Let him
fish that tail himself for a day or two,' I says; 'about the six
hundred an' fortieth time 't he winds up that bucket 'n' finds himself
still short o' that tail I'll venture my guess 't he won't find the