And they knew it would be on the soil of a strange land when she next sot out to meet him in the starry dusk of the evenin’ shadows.
And the birds that would be a singin’ over their heads would not be the mockin’ birds of old Georgia. And different stars would be a shinin’ down on ’em, and it would be in a new world.
I spoze they thought of all this, I spoze so, as they slowly wended their way up to the house in the soft glow of the semi-twilight amidst the odor and bloom of the blossomin’ flowers, and the melancholy, sweet notes of the mockin’ birds.
They come into the settin’ room, and Victor sot down as usual and took Boy up in his arms—he loved the child.
Genieve went up into her room to tend to some last thing she wanted done, and we sot there in the settin’ room, and visited for a spell back and forth.
Josiah and Cousin John Richard had walked down to the village, and Thomas Jefferson hadn’t come home yet.
Genieve found a letter from Hester a layin’ on her table, and she opened it and read it in the last faint rosy glow of the daylight. Hester and Felix wuz to meet them where they embarked. Hester’s letter wuz full of joyful anticipation about the new home to which she wuz a goin’. Poor thing! bein’ so tosted about and misused as she had been, it is no wonder.
She and Felix wuz lookin’ forward with such delight and happiness towards the new home that their fervor thrilled Genieve’s heart anew, and she sot there after she had read the letter and looked off into the rosy light of the sunset, and she dreamed a dream.
It wuz a still twilight. The flowers about her window stood sweet and motionless against the glowin’ light.
The last golden rays come through the vine-wreathed casement and fell on the letter lyin’ open in her lap, and as she sot there with her beautiful head leanin’ back against the old carved chair-back, the shinin’ rays seemed to move and get mixed with the shadows of the vine leaves.