"Pleased to meet you," said Mis' Holcomb. "I was saying to Eppleby that I wondered if you'd come. Eppleby says, 'I donno, but like enough they've went for a ride somewheres.' Lovely day, ain't it? Been to the cemetery?"
I said that we had not been there yet, and,
"Since it's kept up it makes a real nice thing to show folks," Mis' Holcomb said. "I s'pose you wouldn't come inside for a bite of supper, would you?"
My neighbour—bless her!—had on a black wool dress to do honour to my guest.
"It's nice for the neighbours to see company comin' and goin'," she said cordially, "though of course we don't have any of the extra work. But I guess everybody likes extra work of this kind."
And as we drove away:—
"Good-by," she cried, "I hope you'll have a good night's rest and a good breakfast."
When I looked at the New Lady I saw her eyes ever so slightly misted.
"Spring didn't die," she said—as Little Child had said. "Spring knew how to keep alive. It got down in these people's hearts."