o' Jathrop." 

 Miss Clegg paused, and drew a long, refreshing breath. 

 "I guess you've had a nice breakfast," she said in a minute, "only you'd ought to eat more." 

 "I didn't feel much—" said Mrs. Lathrop. 

 "Well, you 'd ought to. How's your leg? C'n you feel it this mornin'?" 

 "Oh, yes, I c'n—" 

 "Then it's all right so far. But I hear last night 's you c'n feel a leg even after it 's been cut off. Mrs. Macy says she heard of a man 's suffers awful yet in a leg as he lost in a planin'-mill over thirty years ago." 

 "My Lord alive!" cried Mrs. Lathrop. 

 "So you see you ain't sure whether your leg 's still there or not. However, I 've got to go, leg or no leg. I told Mrs. Macy I 'd be at the minister's at half-past eight to boil 'em all fresh 'n' I ain't got more 'n time to make it easy. I 'll be home to get you some dinner." 

 "I wish I knew where Ja—" 

 Susan stopped in the act of bending for the tray. 

 "Mrs. Lathrop!—Mrs. Lathrop! Do you mean to say 's you don't know a blessin' when it 's throwed right square in your face like yesterday? Jathrop 's gone, 'n' he can't never come back, 'n' if you had ten legs you 'd ought to yield the last one o' 'em up to Heaven without a murmur out o' sheer gratitude over his bein' took. Now you lay still there 'n' don't even think such foolishness, or the Lord may lose his patience like the cow did hers, 'n' after feelin' 'n' seein' 'n' hearin' what a cow c'n do, I shouldn't feel noways inclined to rouse the Lord 'f I was you." 

 So saying, Susan took up her tray and left the room. 

 The morning was very long to the broken-legged one, who found herself quite unable to sleep under such circumstances. Her mind did not exactly race about among the startling developments of the past few hours, but it did dwell dubiously upon the more unfortunate phases of past, present, and (possible) future events. 

 She was glad beyond words when she heard Miss Clegg's step on the 

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