polishing, and she rubbed it until it looked nearly as well as
when Ted brought it to her from Jacksonville.

"I wish to de Lawd I knew ef dar was any partic'lar finger," she
thought, as she stood by the coffin looking at the calm face of her
mistress.

By good luck she selected the right finger, on which the ring slipped
easily, then folding the hands one over the other, and putting in them
some flowers, which, while they did not hide the ring, covered it
partially, so that only a very close observer would be apt to think it
was not real, she said, "If you wasn't married with a ring you shall be
buried with one, an' it looks right nice on you, it do, an' I hope ole
granny Thomas'll be hyar an' see it wid her snaky eyes speerin' 'round.
Axed me oncet who I s'posed de baby's fader was, an' I tole her de
gemman from de Norf, in course, an' den made up de lie an' tole her dey
had a weddin' on de sly in Georgy--kinder runaway, an' his kin was mad
an' kep' him to home 'cept oncet when he comed hyar to see her, an' I
'clar for't I doan think she b'lieve a word 'cept that he was hyar.
Everybody knowd that. I reckon she will gin in when she see de ring."

Pleased with what she had done, Mandy Ann left the room just as the
first instalment of people arrived, and with them old granny Thomas. In
the little community of Crackers scattered through the neighborhood
there were two factions, the larger believing in Eudora, and the smaller
not willing to commit themselves until their leader Mrs. Thomas had done
so. On the strength of living in a frame house, owning two or three
negroes and a democrat wagon, she was a power among them. What she
thought some of those less favored than herself thought. When she "gave
in" they would, and not before. Up to the present time there had been no
signs of "giving in" on the part of the lady, whose shoulders still
hunched and whose head shook when Eudora was mentioned. She should go to
the funeral, in course, she said. She owed it to ole Miss Harris, and
she really had a good deal of respect for the nigger Jake. So she came
in her democrat wagon and straw bonnet, and because she was Mrs. Thomas,
walked uninvited into the room where the coffin stood, and looked at
Eudora.

"I'd forgot she was so purty. It's a good while sense I seen her," she
thought, a feeling of pity rising in her heart for the young girl whose
face had never looked fairer than it did now with the seal of death upon
it. "And s