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Show Page 36 When we neared the crowd surrounding the Governor's Mansion, I caught a glimpse of Richard standing at the edge of the throng. (He could smile! I saw him do so when the governor's wife spoke to him.) Governor Yeardley and Madam Temperance Yeardley were a charming couple. (According to one of Anne's many sources, she had come to the colony as a child in 1609.) They served us our first taste of beer made from a native fruit called Indian plum or persimmon. Though strange to my tongue, it tasted exceedingly good. "There is John Rolfe," Anne said, pointing out to me the man who had married the Indian princess, Pocahontas. "His wife died in England and is buried there. He has since remarried. His new wife is Jane, the daughter of our hosts, the Pierces. 'It is said John Rolfe is the man responsible for developing a strain of tobacco plant that flourishes in Virginia," she added. It did not surprise me that Anne had acquired that bit of news. On ship I had often seen her, her red hair a spark in the dim light, chatting with one or another of our fellow passengers. Her good nature enticed others to give her many interesting sprigs of information. And if her words about Rolfe were true, he was the one to thank (or blame) for the plants growing hither and thither about the town. |