“And did you send for him?” the Colonel asked with some alarm, and Jake replied:  “I went for him an’ he wasn’t thar—­had moved off—­an’ another gemman, the Rev. Mr. Charles Mason, what I foun’ at the hotel, ’tended de buryin’ with his pra’r book, ‘case I wanted somethin’ ’bout de Resurrection an’ de Life.  ’Twas as fust class a funeral as we could have out hyer.  She wore her white gown—­the one Mandy Ann says she wore when you war hyer.  You members it?”

The Colonel nodded, and Jake, thinking he could do nothing better than repeat all the particulars, went on:  “She had a nice coffin from Palatka, an’ Mandy Ann done fixed her rale nice, wid flowers in her han’s, an’ on her bosom, an’, does you ‘member givin’ Mandy Ann a dollar when you’s here afore?”

Again the Colonel nodded and Jake went on:  “Well, she done bought a ring wid some of it—­not rale gold, you know, but looked most like it—­an’ what do you think Mandy Ann did, as the last thing she could do for Miss Dory?”

Jake was growing excited, and the Colonel nervous, as the negro continued:  “It was too small for her, to be shue, but she thought a sight on’t, but more of Miss Dory’s good name.”

There was a great ridge in the Colonel’s forehead, between his eyes, as he repeated, “Her good name?”

“Yes, sar,” Jake answered.  “What could you ’spec when dar’s a lill chile, and no fader for shoo, as anybody knows, but me an’ Mandy Ann, an’ Mas’r Hardy.  Naterally they’d talk.  But I ’shured ’em ’twas all right, an’ knocked down one or two Crackers what grinned when I tole ‘em, an’ Mandy Ann did a power of fitin’.  She’s great at it—­jess like a cat, an’ we got ’em pretty much all under, except a few ole women, who never quite gin in till de last.  Ole granny Thomas was de worst, an’ de rest follered her; but she gin in when she seen de ring Mandy Ann slipped on Miss Dory’s weddin’ finger, an’ dar wasn’t a s’picion on de lam’ as she lay in her coffin.”

The Colonel’s lips moved spasmodically, while Jake continued:  “Thar was a right smart of ’em hyar, an’ the minister read from de pra’r book jest as I seen ’em in Virginny ‘mongst de quality, an’ when de blacks set up a singin’ so loud that ole Aunt Judy nighly had de pow’—­dat’s a kind of fit, you know, when dey gits to feelin’ like kingdom come—­I stopped her.  I was boun’ to have de funeral fust class.  When ole Miss died, I let ’em have dar way, an’ ole Aunt Judy had de pow’ till her missus, who was hyar, shook her out on’t.  That was ole Miss Thomas, who stood out agin Miss Dory till she seen de ring.  She says to me, says she, ’Does you know whar de chile’s fader is?’ an’ says I, ‘S’posin’ I do?’ ’Then sen’ for him,’ says she.  ‘Tain’t fittin’ de chile to stay on hyar.’  ’I’m gwine to sen’,’ says I, an’ I did, an’ you’ve done come.  Is you gwine to take her?”

Jake’s broad chest heaved as he asked this question, to which the Colonel replied, “That is what I came for.”