Maggie paused. Then she said, This must be one of the McPheron brothers.
That’s right. The good-looking smart one.
Well, Raymond, she said. It’s nice of you to call.
That’s not as comical as you think, Harold said.
Isn’t it?
No, it ain’t. Anyhow, what’s your answer? Where would you buy a crib if you was to need one?
I’m to understand that you don’t mean a corn crib. You wouldn’t have to ask me about that.
That’s right.
I believe I’d drive over to Phillips. To the department store. They’d have a baby section.
Whereabouts is it?
On the square across from the courthouse.
On the north side?
Yes.
Okay, Harold said. How you doing, Maggie? You doing all right?
She laughed. I’m doing fine.
Thanks for the information, he said. Happy New Year’s to you, and hung up.
The next morning the McPheron brothers came up to the house from work about nine o’clock, covered up against the cold, stomping their boots on the little porch, taking their thick caps off. They had purposely timed their return to the house so as to find the girl still seated in the dining room at the walnut table, eating her solitary breakfast. She looked up at them where they stood hesitating in the doorway, then they came in and sat down across from her. She was still in her flannel nightgown and heavy sweater and stockings and her hair was shining in the winter-slanted sun coming in through the uncurtained south windows.
Harold cleared his throat. We’ve been thinking, he said.
Oh? the girl said.
Yes ma’am, we have. Victoria, we want to take you over to Phillips to do some shopping in the stores. If that’s all right with you. If you don’t have something else planned for the day.
This announcement surprised her. What for? she said.
For fun, Raymond said. For some diversion. Don’t you want to? We thought you might appreciate getting out of the house.
No. I mean, what are we shopping for?
For the baby. Don’t you think this little baby you’re carrying is going to want some place to put his head down some day?
Yes. I think so.
Then we better get him something to do it in.
She looked at him and smiled. What if it’s a girl though?
Then I guess we’ll just have to keep her anyway and make the best of our bad luck, Raymond said. He made an exaggeratedly grave face. But a little girl’s going to want a bed too, isn’t she? Don’t little baby girls get tired too?
They left the house about eleven that morning after the McPheron brothers had finished the morning feeding. They had come back in and washed up and changed into clean pants and clean shirts, and by the time they had put on the good handshaped silver-belly Bailey hats that they wore only to town the girl was already waiting for them, sitting at the kitchen table in her winter coat with the red purse looped over her shoulder.