Darkness was beginning to gather slowly and with almost an apologeticair, as if it regretted the painful duty of putting an end to theperfect summer day. Over to the west beyond the trees there stilllingered a faint afterglow, and a new moon shone like a silver sickleabove the big barn. Sally came out of the house and bowed gravely threetimes for luck. She stood on the gravel, outside the porch, drinking inthe sweet evening scents, and found life good.

　　The darkness, having shown a certain reluctance at the start, was nowbuckling down to make a quick and thorough job of it. The sky turned toa uniform dark blue, picked out with quiet stars. The cement of thestate road which led to Patchogue, Babylon, and other important centresceased to be a pale blur and became invisible. Lights appeared in thewindows of the houses across the meadows. From the direction of thekennels there came a single sleepy bark, and the small white woolly dogwhich had scampered out at Sally's heels stopped short and uttered achallenging squeak.

　　The evening was so still that Ginger's footsteps, as he pounded alongthe road on his way back from the village, whither he had gone to buyprovisions, evening papers, and wool for the sweater which Sally wasknitting, were audible long before he turned in at the gate. Sally couldnot see him, but she looked in the direction of the sound and once againfell that pleasant, cosy thrill of happiness which had come to her everyevening for the last year.

　　"Ginger," she called.

　　"What ho!"The woolly dog, with another important squeak, scuttled down the driveto look into the matter, and was coldly greeted. Ginger, for all hislove of dogs, had never been able to bring himself to regard Toto withaffection. He had protested when Sally, a month before, finding Mrs.

　　Meecher distraught on account of a dreadful lethargy which had seizedher pet, had begged him to offer hospitality and country air to theinvalid.

　　"It's wonderful what you've done for Toto, angel," said Sally, as hecame up frigidly eluding that curious animal's leaps of welcome. "He's adifferent dog.""Bit of luck for him," said Ginger.

　　"In all the years I was at Mrs. Meecher's I never knew him move atanything more rapid than a stately walk. Now he runs about all thetime.""The blighter had been overeating from birth," said Ginger. "That wasall that was wrong with him. A little judicious dieting put him right.

　　We'll be able," said Ginger brightening, "to ship him back next week.""I shall quite miss him.""I nearly missed him--this morning--with a shoe," said Ginger. "He wasup on the kitchen table wolfing the bacon, and I took steps.""My cave-man!" murmured Sally. "I always said you had a frightfullybrutal streak in you. Ginger, what an evening!""Good Lord!" said Ginger suddenly, as they walked into the light of theopen kitchen door.

　　"Now what?"He stopped and eyed her intently.

　　"Do you know you're looking prettier than you were when I started downto the village!"Sally gave his arm a little hug.

　　"Beloved!" she said. "Did you get the chops?"Ginger froze in his tracks, horrified.

　　"Oh, my aunt! I clean forgot them!""Oh, Ginger, you are an old chump. Well, you'll have to go in for alittle judicious dieting, like Toto.""I say, I'm most awfully sorry. I got the wool.""If you think I'm going to eat wool...""Isn't there anything in the house?""Vegetables and fruit.""Fine! But, of course, if you want chops...""Not at all. I'm spiritual. Besides, people say that vegetables aregood for the blood-pressure or something. Of course you forgot to getthe mail, too?""Absolutely not! I was on to it like a knife. Two letters from fellowswanting Airedale puppies.""No! Ginger, we are getting on!""Pretty bloated," agreed Ginger complacently. "Pretty bloated. We'llbe able to get that two-seater if things go buzzing on like this. Therewas a letter for you. Here it is.""It's from Fillmore," said Sally, examining the envelope as they wentinto the kitchen. "And about time, too. I haven't had a word fr............