r two days. Time he was being picked," he continued.

"Joe!"

"Oh, don't get shocked. You aren't, you know. It's nothin' new!" He
paused a moment as if to consider. "Reckon Aunt Lorry's busy with the
pickin' now. She'll hate you," he added as an afterthought.

"What for?" asked Mary Louise.

"For seein' him." Joe chuckled again and relapsed into silence.

They walked the rest of the way without speaking, around one corner
past the old meeting house, beneath the low-branched maples, up to the
McCallum gate. Mary Louise opened it and held it open, her arm barring
the way.

"Well! To-morrow's another day," said Joe, apparently disregarding it.

"It's just as well," replied Mary Louise. "I'm not quite sure the
army's helped you much, Joe."

"The army? Helped me?--I don't get you," he tried to see her eyes,
puzzled.

"You're flippant--about things that are not trivial."

"Oh!" he laughed. "It doesn't always rain when it clouds. Wait till we
get into some real heavy weather. What's the harm, anyway? We should
bother."

"That's not the only thing. You were making fun of Zenie's baby--just
like it was a little animal. They might find out some day _how_ you
quoted from the Bible. Of course, there's no real harm done--but I
don't like it."

Joe slid his hand softly along the top bar of the wooden gate till it
touched hers. She drew quietly away. "Perhaps!" he said. "The old
world runs along pretty well whether we bother or whether we don't. It
doesn't make much difference what we do or what we don't. The old
fellow's heart's all right, I reckon, and as for the niggers!--just as
good a name as Loraine. My Lord!"

She stood silent, in thought. A faint reddish glow came to them from
the curtained glass door of the ell sitting room. "Just a little
sermon to start us out right--back to work. It _is_ a serious
business, you know, Joe--reconstruction! It's a big task. Let's not
fall down on it or be trivial--shirk any of the responsibilities.
Good-night," she added suddenly, giving her hand. "It's been a
glorious day. I'll see you--in the city."

They parted, and he could hear her scrape her feet at the edge of the
porch. The stars were winking through the branches of the maples and
somewhere in the darkness a gutter was keeping up a monotonous
dripping. He passed the corner and turned back to the road with the
overlapping elms, walking with his hands thrust deep into his pockets,
his eyes watching the road. "Humph!"