time no one knows what he means, but that ain't nothin' ag'in' him,
f'r I think with a lawyer you ginerally don't. It's a part o' their
business not to let no one know what they mean, f'r 'f law was simple
no one 'd ever get fooled."

'N' Jath--"

"He's gone. You c'n make your mind easy about him, f'r he got away all
safe. Hiram Mullins chased him clear to the station 'n' nigh to
catched him, but there was a train jus' movin' out, 'n' Jathrop
shinned up the little fire-escape on the back o' the calaboose 'n' was
off. 'N' now 't he is gone, Mrs. Lathrop, I'm goin' to right out plain
'n' tell you to your face 's it's a good thing f'r you 's he _is_
gone, 'n' you want to thank Heaven 's sent him to you 't that train
was so handy to take him away ag'in."

"But what--" asked Mrs. Lathrop feebly.

"It was the cow," said Susan. "Don't you remember how I run last
night? I hear a noise, 'n' my first thought was 's it was Jathrop or
mebbe the butcher, but I got to the window jus' in time to see a tail
make the turn o' the gate, 'n' the seein' the tail showed right off 's
it warn't Jathrop nor yet the butcher. Seems 't Jathrop, not seein' no
ring to tie her to, tied her to a spoke in the hay-rack 'n' in her
mooin' she broke it. Seems't then she squose out into the chicken-coop
'n' then busted right through the wire nettin' 'n' set off. She run
like wild fire, they say. She headed right f'r town 'n' down the main
street. She come into the square lickety-split, 'n' the town committee
was in the middle of it examinin' the band-stand where Judge Fitch
says 't it shakes when he has to stamp 'n' pound in his speeches. She