“I wouldn’t bother to hold up my head to tell her, Evelina,” came from the doorway in Polk’s delighted drawl as he and Jane stepped into the room.  “Pretty comfortably placed, that head, I should say.”

“Oh, Jane!” I positively wailed as I extracted myself from the Crag’s gray arms and buried myself in Jane’s white serge ones that opened to receive me.  And the seconds that I rested silently there Polk spent in shaking both of the Crag’s hands and pounding him on the back so that I grew alarmed.

“I didn’t do it, Jane, I didn’t do it,” I almost sobbed with fear of what her disappointment was going to be.  “He beat me to it!”

“Truly.  I’m sorry,” Cousin James added to my apology as he stood with his arm on Polk’s shoulder.

“I dare you, dare, you to tell ’em, Jane,” Polk suddenly said, coming over and putting a hand on one of my shoulders and one on Jane’s.

“Evelina and Mr. Hardin,” Jane answered gallantly with her head assuming its lovely independent pose, but with the most wonderful blush spreading the beauty that always ought to have been hers all over her one-time plain face, “the wager stands as won by Evelina Shelby.  She had properly prepared the ground and sowed the seed of justice and right thinking that I—­I harvested to-night.  I had the honor of offering marriage to Mr. Hayes just about fifteen minutes ago.  I consider that mode of procedure proved as feasible and as soon as I have received my answer, whatever it is, I shall immediately proceed with making the endowment and choosing the five young women according to the agreement.”

“Polk!” I exclaimed, turning to him in a perfect panic of alarm.  Could he be trifling with Jane?

“Evelina,” answered Polk, giving me a shake and a shove over in the direction of the Crag, “you ought to know me better than to think I would answer such a question as Jane put to me, while driving a cranky car in waning moonlight.  If you and James will just mercifully betake yourselves out there on the porch in the cold for a few minutes I will try and add my data to this equality experiment with due dignity.  Go!”

We went!

“Love-woman,” whispered the Crag, after I had broken it to him that we were going to be a Governor of Tennessee, and not a railroad attorney, and he had crooned his “Swing Low” over me and rocked me against his breast for a century of seconds, down on my old front gate, “you are right about the whole question.  I see that, and I want to help—­but if I’m stupid about life, will you hold my hand in the dark?”

“Yes,” I answered with both generosity and courage.

And truly if the world is in the dusk of the dawn of a new day, what can men and women do but cling tight and feel their way—­together?