Both women felt all this peace and beauty of the morning dimly, and it disturbed Mrs.
Councill because the other was so impassive under it all.

At last, after a long and thoughtful pause, Mrs.Councill asked a question whose answer she knew would decide it all--asked it very kindly and softly: "Creeshy, are you comin' in ?" "No," was the short and sullenly decisive answer.

Mrs.Councill knew that was the end, and so rose, with a sigh, and went away.
"Wal, good-by," she said, simply.
Looking back, she saw Lucretia lying at length, with closed eyes and hollow cheeks.

She seemed to be sleeping, half-buried in the grass.

She did not look up nor reply to her sister-in-law, whose life was one of toil and trouble, also, but not so hard and helpless as Lucretia's.