"Why," she said, "Carrie, this woman says she's my mother!"
"Her mother!" cried a half dozen voices. "Why you said she was colored!"
"Well, so she was. She was quite light, but I knew she was colored."
"How did you know? Maybe she was only a very dark-complexioned white woman."
"Oh no, she wasn't, I know white people from colored, I've seen enough of them."
"A colored woman! well that is very strange; but do tell us what Minnie said."
"She asked her where she came from, and where she lived. She said she came in yesterday with the Union soldiers, and that she had come from Louisiana, and then Minnie told her to come with her, and she would find a place for her to stop."
"And did she leave you in the street to walk with a Nigger?" said a coarse, rough-looking girl.
"Yes, and so I left her. I wasn't going to walk down the street with them!"
"Well, did I ever?" said a pale and interesting-looking girl.