nice. Den I
never hearn anoder word, 'cept from Miss Dory, till Mas'r Hardy writ
Mas'r Kane to sen' me home, 'case I was needed. I s'posed ole Miss Lucy
had had another fit, an' started thinkin' all de way up de river how I'd
see Miss Dory standin' in de do' wid de smile on her face, an' de light
in her eyes, an' her pleasant voice sayin' to me, "How d'ye, Jake, I'se
mighty glad to see you." 'Stid o' that she wasn't thar, an' Mandy Ann
come clatterin' down de stars, an' I hearn a baby cry. In my s'prise I
said, "What's dat ar? Has ole Miss got a baby?"

"'Mandy Ann laughed till she cried, den cried without laughin', an' tole
me wid her face to de wall, an' I was so shamed I could of hid in de
san', an' Mandy Ann, they tole me, did run inter de woods at fust to
hide herself. Den she smarted up an' fit for Miss Dory, who said nothin'
'cept, "Wait, it will all be right. I tole him I would wait. I'm a good
girl," an' fo' Heaven, I b'lieved her, though some o' de white trash
didn't at fust, but they all did at the last. Maybe I'm tirin' you?'

"'No,' I said, 'go on,' and he continued: 'I'se tole you most all dat
happened after dat till she died an' you comed to de funeral.

"'When ole miss died, I writ to de Colonel, as I tole you, an' he comed,
gran', an' proud, an' stiff, an' I tole him all 'bout Miss Dory same as
I have you,--p'raps not quite so much,--p'raps mo'. I don't remember,
'case as I said my memory is ole an' leaky, and mebby I ain't tellin' it
right in course as I tole him. Some was in de house, an' some out hyar,
whar I said, "Dis is her grave. She's lyin' under de san', but I'll fix
her up in time an' she shall sleep under de roses."

"'I tole him everything was done in order, an' how you preached about de
Resurrection an' de Life, an' how sweet she look in her coffin, an'
Mandy Ann's puttin' her ring on de weddin' finger, an' his mouf trembled
like, up and down, an' I b'lieve ef thar had been a tear in his dried-up
heart he'd of shed it.

"'Oncet, when he seemed kinder softened, I ast him squar," Ain't you her
husband?"

"'Thar was such a quar look in his eyes,--a starin' at me a minit,--an'
then he said, "I am nobody's husband, an' never shall be."

"'I b'lieve he lied, an' wanted to knock him down, but wouldn't right
thar by her grave. He tole me I was to have all the money Miss Dory had
been layin' up, an' he would send me mo' for the stun. I ast what I
should put on it, an' he said, "What was on he