r do her bes' fer de
little missy," and the good creature hurried below.

CHAPTER VII

THE EXAMPLE OF A GIRL

Slowly the transport, which was called The Gem, steamed down the river
and Jeanne stayed on deck long hours to watch the scenery, which was
new and strange to her. The river was full of devious windings and the
girl was amazed at its great bends and loops, and sometimes it seemed to
her that the turns must bring them back to Memphis. The eastern shore
bounded by the lofty plains of Tennessee and Mississippi terminating
at times in precipitous bluffs afforded a great contrast to the flat
lands of the western bank. The dense forests of cottonwood, sweet gum,
magnolia, sycamore and tulip trees festooned with long gray streamers of
moss were interspersed with cypress swamps and a network of bayous.

"Whar you bin dat you ain't nebber seed no 'nolias befo'?" queried
Tennessee as she listened to Jeanne's expressions of admiration as a
particularly handsome clump of magnolias came into view on the western
bank. The channel of the river at this point ran so close to the shore
that the perfume of the creamy blossoms was very perceptible.

"I've always lived in New York City," replied Jeanne. "I saw some magnolia
trees once in Maryland, but I never saw them in blossom. Aren't they
beautiful?"

"Yes, honey. Dey is purty fer a fac'," replied the negress. "I allers
laked de 'nolias myself, and dat wuz de reason dat I named my darter so,
but we called her Snowball fer short."

"You did?" laughed Jeanne. "Why, Tenny, Snowball isn't any shorter than
Magnolia. Why didn't you call her 'Nolia,' if you wished to shorten the
name?"

"My ole marster, he done it," was the reply. "Ole marster say, 'Tenny, dat
li'l pickaninny too white ter be named anything so yaller as a magnolia.
Better call her Snowball.' Ole marster allers would hab his joke, and
dat gal of mine wuz jist as brack as de nex' one. I didn't want my chile
called Snowball. It wuzn't stylish nohow, but would you b'lebe me, chile?
De fust thing I knowed, white and culled wuz a callin' her Snowball, an'
den I did, too."

"Where is she now, Tenny? I should think you would want her with you on
these trips."

"Chile, chile, dat's de thing dat tears dis hyar old heart ob mine,"
said the woman, her eyes filling with tears. "Ole marster say she was a
'likely gal' an' she wuz, ef she wuz mine. Dey made much ob her and would
hab her roun' dem all de time. Seem