There was a knock on Hadley's door. Who in the world would be out visiting at this early hour? She peeked through the spy hole in the door and opened it.
"Hadley Jane," said Lou Edna, from the Beauty Boutique on Main Street, "I hope I didn't give you a fright, bangin' on your door like the cops breakin' into the back room where Al Capone hid all his hooch. But just like the Prohibition temperance marchers, I'm on a mission!
I know it's just a hair past the crack 'a dawn, but I had ta' tell somebody. I was on my way to the shop and saw your light on."
"Onus decided we both should rise early this morning to greet the sun," Hadley said. "You want some coffee? I'm on my second pot."
"Boy, he did get you up early," said Lou Edna.
"Well, not that early," said Hadley. "I just love my brew. I haven't decided if I'm addicted to the taste of good java or the caffeine."
"I know what you mean," said Lou Edna. "I drink it strong and black all day at the shop. Without it, I think my face would hit the floor around three o'clock.
But listen, girlfriend, I need to tell you what's got me riled up! My nerves are strung tighter than a piano wire stretched across the Grand Canyon. I am just fit to be tied, Hadley! Fit to be tied!"
"Sit down, then," Hadley said. "And tell me about it."