Mrs. Littlejohn

A "man-tall, man-grim woman" wearing a "faded wrapper" (219), Mrs. Littlejohn is the proprietor and manager of the two-story boarding house in Frenchman's Bend. She provides kindness and various kinds of support for those whom she believes are deserving, such as Ike Snopes or Mrs. Armstid, or to the injured Henry Armstid. Typically, she is a silent observer of the behavior of the men around her, as when she quietly goes about doing her washing while observing the sale of the spotted ponies. Later, when one of the ponies gets loose in her house and frightens Ratliff, she takes action and speaks: "[the horse] whirled again and rushed on down the hall and onto the back porch just as Mrs. Littlejohn, carrying an armful of clothes from the line and the washboard, mounted the steps. 'Get out of here, you son of a bitch,' she said. She struck with the washboard" (335).