“Make believe!”
“Why, yes, of course. You’ll have ter be the one ter do it, ‘cause I’m goin’ ter be the dead one, an’--”
“Harriet!”
“There, there, please, Thaddeus! I’ve jest got ter see Jehiel and Hannah Jane ’fore I die!”
“But--they--they’ll come if--”
“No, they won’t come. We’ve tried it over an’ over again; you know we have. Hannah Jane herself said that if anythin’ ‘serious’ came up it would be diff’rent. Well, I’m goin’ ter have somethin’ ‘serious’ come up!”
“But, Harriet--”
“Now, Thaddeus,” begged the woman, almost crying, “you must help me, dear. I’ve thought it all out, an’ it’s easy as can be. I shan’t tell any lies, of course. I cut my finger to-day, didn’t I?”
“Why--yes--I believe so,” he acknowledged dazedly; “but what has that to do--”
“That’s the ‘accident,’ Thaddeus. You’re ter send two telegrams at once-- one ter Jehiel, an’ one ter Hannah Jane. The telegrams will say: ‘Accident to your mother. Funeral Saturday afternoon. Come at once.’ That’s jest ten words.”