"Hi there! Jack and Jill, where you off to? Wait!"
The men looked out, and saw two small chocolate-brown infants precipitate themselves upon Val. She sat down on the grass with the two small creatures in front of her, and soon had them rolling about and squealing with merriment.
"Where on earth did she find those pickaninnies?" asked Scherer.
"Offspring of Venus; little sunburned, that's all."
Val's dog-cart came to the gate, and she called out:
"Ethan, come and mind the twins while I get my hat."
He came out, and the children scuttled at sight of him.
"Do smile and reassure them," Val said, reproachfully. "There are ways of looking black that darkies don't mind, but— Oh, forgive me!" She caught up his hand and smiled tenderly at him. "I was only making fun, but it was stupid fun. I don't make light of your political anxieties, but life must go on, you know, and we must smile—just a little." She ran into the house and came out with hat and gloves. "Put the babies into the cart, Ethan. They're coming for a drive."
The black children, preternaturally solemn while Ethan and Scherer lifted them in, grinned and squealed with excitement the moment they were landed by the side of "Miss Val."