app'inted herself to go 'n' look the house over to-morrow mornin'. I
must say 't 'f she don't find them ear-muffs the c'mmunity 'll be
pretty blue to-morrow night. No one knew how fond they was of the
minister until they begin to find out what them thirteen childern come
to when you add 'em all up separately. I d'n' know's I ever was so
glad of anythin' in my life 's I am that I drew No. 14 out o' Mrs.
Craig's sugar-bowl. Fate 's a strange thing when you look it under 'n'
over 'n' hind end to, Mrs. Lathrop,--there was me drawin' No. 14 'n'
Mrs. Craig herself gettin' Augustus, 'n' all on account of a
sugar-bowl, 'n' that sugar-bowl hers 'n' not mine."

Mrs. Lathrop applied her clover, but said nothing.

"Well, I d'n' know as there's any good to be gained out o' our
standin' here chattin' any longer. We'd better be gettin' to bed 'n'
thankin' our merciful Father 't we hav'n't got none o' the minister's
children, 'n' that's a prayer 's not many c'n put up this night."

Mrs. Lathrop threw her clover away and returned to her own domicile.

* * * * *

On Wednesday, between the intense heat and the equally intense
excitement engendered by Mr. Kimball's suggestion, the town was rife
with a hive-like tumult. Miss Clegg went down to return Mrs. Macy's
call soon after dinner, and when she got back it was all of six. Mrs.
Lathrop was so anxious to hear the latest news from the seat of war
that she had prepared a company tea by the dining-room window and
hailed Susan directly she was near enough to hail.