unnerneath. But fasten ter dat wee
slip were a letter. We tear it open an' I reckon we both tremble. But we
tremble mo' when we see what it hol'--ten ten-dollar bills! Dat were it,
jes' one hunnerd dollars.

"Ellen come sidlin' back an' snuggle up close ter me where I hol' de
lil' ting. She done see no money, but dat wouldn't ha' made no
diff'ence. What'll a chile care fer such trash? She were all eyes an'
heart fer dat bit er flesh an' blood.

"We took de baby inter de warm kitchen an' I gits Ellen ter hold it
while I fin' her ole nursin' bottle, an' gibs de chile some food. My ole
man move about restless-like. 'What yer mean ter do?' he ask. 'I mean
ter feed an' clothe it,' I says. 'What else could I do?' He didn't make
no answer, but sit down an' watch his lil' gal o' four croonin' to de
baby in her arms.

"Sech a pretty baby! I done nurse a heap er babies, black an' white, but
neber sech a pretty one as my baby. Jes' sof an' pink, wid sech deep
eyes an' a mouf dat look like it couldn't hardly feed at its mudder's
breast. Dere weren't nuttin' 'bout it ter make it seem right in a house
whar black folks libed, 'cept de lil' curls on its head, an' dey mought
er bin a white chile's.

"My ole man an' me, we set an' talk an' talk ater de baby been fed an'
put ter sleep an' Ellen done shut her eyes at las'. We was honest folk,
maybe we hadn't oughter kep' de baby?"

Mammy bent over to kiss Hertha. "But we did, you knows dat, chile, an'
we ain't neber regret it. Dat chile's bin a blessin' eber since she open
her eyes, lyin' dar in de candlelight. Dat chile were her daddy's
delight an' her mammy don't know how ter go tru a day widoud her. An' as
fer her sister, Ellen, she'd walk tru fire ter git her what she ought
ter hab. She come into a poor home, sure 'nough, but she welcome ter all
it hold."

Mammy finished her recital with a broad wave of the hand, while Hertha
clasped her round the neck and gave her a hug that ruffled the pretty
curls, the curls that alone linked her to the colored race.

"Now tell me about my name?" she questioned when they had settled back
again.

"You asks dat, honey, an' de ain't nuthin' ter tell. Seems like I made
it up, an' den agin, seems like it were meant fer Bertha, but kinder
gentler an' deeper, same as you."

"You never heard any least thing about my people?"

The question was asked with a certain knowledge of the answer, and yet
with a wistful interrogation. Never before had th