nearly two o'clock before
It 's no use crying over spilt molasses . You do n't suppose I 'm going to tell any tales after you 've made me an offer of marriage , do you ? I 'm not so mean as all that , though I may have my faults . '' It was nearly two o'clock before the card announcing Deacon Baxter 's absence at dinner was removed from the front doorknob , and when the store was finally reopened for business it was a most dejected clerk who dealt out groceries to the public . The worst feature of the affair was that every one in the two villages suddenly and contemporaneously wanted molasses , so that Cephas spent the afternoon reviewing his misery by continually turning the tap and drawing off the fatal liquid . Then , too , every inquisitive boy in the neighborhood came to the back of the store to view the operation , exclaiming : `` What makes the floor so wet ? Hai n't been spillin ' molasses , have yer ?