"
Miss Clegg paused, as if the crisis had arrived. She surveyed her friend
with a meaning eye, and Mrs. Lathrop rather shrunk together and
endeavored to look courageous.
"Up to now 's been all preparin' your mind. Do you feel prepared? Are
you ready?"
"Yes, I--" gasped the victim.
"Left to myself, I sh'd 'a' waited till mornin', but he wanted you to
know to-night. He know's I'm your dearest friend. He said if I didn't
tell you right off, it might get to you some other way 'n' be a' awful
blow. He said he had to go to Meadville to-morrow, so he might mention
it down-town to-night, 'n' 'most any one might let it drop in on you. I
see the p'int o' his reasonin', 'n' so--"
"Susan," said the friend, her feelings completely overflowing all
bounds--"oh, Susan, are you really a-goin' to marry--"
Susan's expression altered triumphantly.
"Why, Mrs. Lathrop," she said, with keen enjoyment, "it ain't me 's he
wants to marry; it 's you!"
PART SECOND
THE AUTOMOBILE
Mrs. Lathrop collapsed backward and downward, her eyes closed, her mouth
opened, her hands fell at her sides, her feet flew out in front of her.
Never in the history of the world were the words "This is so sudden!"
more vividly illustrated.
Susan sat bolt upright opposite and surveyed her friend's emotion with
an expression of calm and interested neutrality.
After a while Mrs. Lathrop's eyes began to open and her mouth to close;
she gathered her hands into her lap, and her feet under her skirt,
saying weakly:
"Well, I never hear nothin' to beat--"
"I ain't surprised 't your takin' it to heart like that," said the
imparter of news.
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