s, she and Ambrose, and,
although already understanding perfectly the object of his visit, some
time must pass before the one or the other could be forced into a
surrender.

"Raisin' children is killin' work, Ambrose," Susan began at once,
darting a direful glance at her offspring.

And Ambrose's voice was honey: "Most anythin's killin' work, ain't it,
Susan?" he returned, depositing himself on the floor of her stoop so
that his long legs overhung the side allowing his feet to touch the
ground. "I've heard of folks lyin' in bed and doin' nothin' but singin'
psa'ms continuous, and yet comin' to the same end."

"It's a lot peacefuller way." Mrs. Barrows' interest was now so plainly
concentrated within her saucepan, whirling a kitchen towel around and
around in it until its revolutions were fairly dizzying, that nothing
could seem more remote from the remarks and behaviour of herself and her
neighbour than any introduction of the subject uppermost in both their
minds.

However, Susan Jr. did not belong to that noble army whose lives were at
the present instant recorded in her lap, for, shutting up "The Book of
Martyrs," she sniffed:

"I didn't do nothin' but laugh and tell the female delegation about the
King with his ten thousand men who marched up a hill and then marched
down again," she explained.

And in the face of this information what was the use of either Mrs.
Barrows or Ambrose trying further to avoid the issue? The time had come
for a voluntary surrender.

"She won't go, or at least she says she won't, though there ain't no
use in me tellin' you, Ambrose, bein's as from Susan Jr.'s words you've
already guessed," Susan struck in. "But when we ladies got out to the
district school this mornin' in the bilin' sun, what do you think, that
girl came a-runnin' out to meet us a-wavin' her hand and smilin' and
pretendin' she believed we'd come to welcome her to 'Pennyrile.' And
then before any of us ladies could speak and tell her our errand, why,
she began showin' us around the old school-house and sayin' she knew we
would understand, 'cause we were women too, how hard things would be for
her if we didn't help her, until most of the delegates either plumb
forgot the reason of our visitation or else was too skeered to speak up.
It wasn't so with me!"

Susan paused for a reply, but her neighbour continued his unusual
silence, the while pensively engaged in studying the toe of his boot.
Coming farther out on to h