Susan Clegg and Her Neighbors' Affairs

Susan Clegg has news to deliver, and even a simple visit to Mrs. Lathrop becomes an occasion for elaborate preparation and a flood of talk. Anne Warner's humorous stories follow neighbors whose courtships, household routines and financial troubles provide material for Susan's vigorous opinions. The opening finds her weighing how to explain a visit from the deacon, then recounting the small practical details surrounding his late wife's illness and funeral.

Much of the comedy lies in the difference between Susan's lengthy explanations and Mrs. Lathrop's brief, unfinished replies. A later conversation turns a washed-out creek, a blacksmith's anvil and a horse's awkward predicament into an argument about property, responsibility and claims for damages. Susan's spoken idiom gives these everyday mishaps their particular rhythm. The collection suits readers who enjoy character comedy built from gossip and conversation, with ordinary neighborhood affairs magnified by one speaker's certainty that she understands them.