gold inside of it that I don't think o' Miss Amaryllis's hand and
Miss Amaryllis's ring.

[Illustration: MISS PENELOPE AND MISS AMARYLLIS.
_Page 80._]

"They both had golden hair, Miss Penelope and Miss Amaryllis, but Miss
Penelope had gray eyes like a dove's, and Miss Amaryllis had brown
ones with dark lashes. I reckon it was Miss Amaryllis's eyes and hair
that made her what she was. You can find plenty o' women with brown
eyes and brown hair, but when you find one with brown eyes and golden
hair, why, it's somethin' to ricollect. And then, there was her voice.
You've heard me tell many a time about Miss Penelope's voice, and Miss
Amaryllis had one that was jest as sweet, but hers was low and deep
where Miss Penelope's was clear and high. Miss Amaryllis played on the
guitar, and summer nights they'd sit out on the portico and sing
together, and the old judge used to say that when his gyirls sung the
very mockin'-birds stopped to listen.

"Many a woman has hard work to find one man to love her, and many a
woman can't find even one, but Miss Amaryllis had more beaus on her
string, and more strings to her bow, than any fiddler, in the state;
and she danced with 'em and sung to 'em and played with 'em like a cat
plays with mice, and then, when she got ready, she'd send 'em on their
way, and she'd go on hers. And as fast as one went another'd come. The
judge's wife used to shake her head and say, 'My daughter, there's
such a thing as a woman sayin' "No" once too often.' And Miss
Amaryllis she'd say, 'Yes, and there's such a thing as a woman sayin'
"Yes" a little too soon;' and the old judge he'd laugh and say, 'Let
her alone; one of these days she'll find her master.' And sure enough
she did. They said it was love at first sight on both sides when Miss
Amaryllis and Hamilton Schuyler met each other at a big party at
Squire Elrod's, and before long the weddin' day was set, and everybody
was sayin' that Miss Amaryllis had found her match at last.

"Hamilton Schuyler was as handsome as Miss Amaryllis was pretty, and
when it come to family he had as much to brag of as she had. He was a
first cousin to Squire Meredith Schuyler, and all the Schuylers had
fine houses and plenty o' land. Rich folks in that day had a way of
namin' their places jest as rich folks do now. The Elrod place was
called The Cedars, and Hamilton Schuyler had a big house on the same
'pike, and that was Schuyler Court. The Schuylers was mighty pro