like de sun shinin' in de mawnin'. Will you
gim me your caird?"

This was Mandy Ann's master-stroke at good manners. She had seen such
things at "Miss Perkins's" in Jacksonville, and had once or twice taken
a card on a silver tray to that lady, and why not bring the fashion to
her own home, if it were only a log-cabin, and she a bare-foot,
bare-legged waitress, instead of Mrs. Perkins's maid Rachel, smart in
slippers and cap, and white apron. For a moment the stranger's face
relaxed into a broad smile at the ludicrousness of the situation. Mandy
Ann, who was quick of comprehension, understood the smile and hastened
to explain.

"I done larn't a heap of things at Miss Perkins's, which we can't do
hyar, 'case of ole Miss bein' so quar. Miss Dory'd like 'em right well."

"Certainly," the stranger said, beginning to have a good deal of respect
for the poor slave girl trying to keep up the dignity of her family.

Taking a card from his case he handed it to Mandy Ann, who looked at it
carefully as if reading the name, although she held it wrong side up.
There was no silver tray to take it on--there was no tray at all--but
there was a china plate kept as an ornament on a shelf, and on this
Mandy Ann placed the card, and then darted up the stairs, finding her
mistress nearly dressed, and waiting for her.

"Oh, his card? He gave it to you?" Eudora said, flushing with pleasure
that he had paid her this compliment, and pressing her lips to the name
when Mandy Ann did not see her.

"In course he done gin it to me. Dat's de way wid de quality both Souf
and Norf. We livin' hyar in de clarin' doan know noffin'." Mandy Ann
replied.

On the strength of her three months sojourn with Mrs. Perkins, who was
undeniably quality, she felt herself capable of teaching many things to
her young mistress, who had seldom repressed her, and who now made no
answer except to ask, "How do I look?"

She had hesitated a moment as to the dress she would wear in place of
the one discarded. She had very few to select from, and finally took
down a white gown sacred to her, because of the one occasion on which
she had worn it. It was a coarse muslin, but made rather prettily with
satin bows on the sleeves, and shoulders, and neck. Several times,
since she had hung it on a peg under a sheet to keep it from getting
soiled, she had looked at it and stroked it, wondering if she would ever
wear it again. Now she took it down and smoothed the bows of ribbon