but as time was limited I finally coaxed the conversation
around to the subject of the viands to be offered the lordly creatures
in the way of propitiation for the insult that we were forcing them to
swallow by taking matters in our own hands, and then we had a really
glorious time.

I am glad I have had a year or more in Paris, months in Italy, weeks in
Berlin, and a sojourn in England, just so that I can be sure myself and
assure the others with authority that there are no such cooks in all the
world as the women in the Harpeth Valley of Tennessee, United States of
America.

The afternoon wore away on the wings of magic, and the long, purple
shadows were falling across the street, a rustle of cool night wind was
stirring the tree-tops and the first star was coming timidly out into
the gloaming, before they all realized that it was time to hurry and
scurry under roof-trees.

Lee Greenfield was waiting at the gate for Caroline.

Just as Henrietta had taken a last peep at the clock on the hall table
and gone to answer Sallie's call to come and help Aunt Dilsie in the
bedding of the Kitten and the Pup, Polk's Hupp stopped at the gate, and
he and Jane came up the front walk in the twilight together.

She had on his flannel coat over her linen one and his expression was
one of glorified and translucent daze. I didn't look at her--I felt as
if I couldn't. I was scared! For a second she held me in her arms and
kissed me, _really_--the first time she had ever done it in all my
life--and then went on upstairs with a nice, cool good-night and "thank
you" to Polk.

"Evelina," he said, as he handed me the empty lunch-basket and also the
empty fish-bucket, the first he had ever in his life brought in from
Little Harpeth, "I was right about that Hallelujah chorus being the true
definition of the real woman--only they are more so. I have seen a
light, and you pointed the way. Will you forgive me for being what I
was--and trust me--with--with--good-night!" He was gone!

Jane's kiss had been one of revelation--to me!

For a long time I sat out there in the cool, hazy, windy autumn
twilight breeze, that was heavy with the scent of luscious wild grapes
and tasseled corn, fanning the flame of loneliness in me until I
couldn't have stood it any longer if a tall gray figure of relief had
not come up the street and called me down to my front gate.

"Hail the instigator of a bloodless revolution," laughed the Crag as I
stopped mys