white, cryin' together seems to bring a heap of comfort to the members
of your sex."

"I think perhaps I shall try that," she agreed, smiling in spite of
herself; and her smile was like sunshine in the midst of a shower. "I'll
begin by kissing her right smack on the mouth--like this." And she
kissed the Judge squarely on his.

"Judge Priest," she stated, "this town is due for more than one
surprise. Do you know who's going to be the matron of honour at my
wedding three weeks from now? I'll give you just one guess."

He glanced up at her quizzically.

"Whut do you s'pose the young man is goin' to have to say about that?"
he asked.

"If he doesn't like it he can find some other girl to marry him," she
said.

"Oh, I kind of imagine he'll listen to reason--especially comin' frum
you," said Judge Priest. "He will ef he's the kind of young man that's
worthy to marry Tom Dabney's daughter."

* * * * *

It is possible that some of the bridegroom's kinspeople, coming down
from the North for the wedding, were shocked to find a wizen, coal-black
woman, who was lame of one leg, not only taking part in the ceremony,
filling a place next in importance to that of the contracting pair and
the maid of honour, but apparently in active and undisputed charge of
the principal details. However, being well-bred persons, they did not
betray their astonishment by word, look or deed. Perhaps they figured
it as one of the customs of the country that an old shrill-voiced
negress, smelling of snuff and black silk, should play so prominent a
role in the event itself and in the reception that followed.

However, all that is ancient history now. What I have to add is a
commingling of past local history and present local history. As I said
at the outset, there were formerly any number of black children in our
town who bore the names of white friends and white patrons, but to my
knowledge there was never but one white child named for a black person.
The child thus distinguished was a girl child, the first-born of Mr. and
Mrs. Harvey Winslow. Her full name was Charlotte Helm Winslow, but
nearly everybody called her Little Sharley. She is still called so, I
believe, though growing now into quite a sizable young person.

CHAPTER VI

JOHN J. COINCIDENCE

Somebody said once that facts are stubborn things, which is a lie. Facts
are almost the most flexible things known to man. The historian
appreciates th