The characters in the short story "A Mother in Mannville," by Marjorie Rawlings are the narrator, Jerry, the narrator's pointer dog, and Miss Clark from the orphanage. 

The narrator is a writer. The reader must make inferences as to whether the narrator is a male or female. The only clue is that Jerry talks about buying gloves for his mother, and asks the narrator if her hands are the same size, which points to the narrator being a female. She is described as a transient, renting a cabin in the Carolina mountains to do some writing. Prior to that, she was in a subtropical climate, and she later leaves the Carolinas for Mexico. 

The narrator has a companion, who is a pointer dog named Pat. The narrator describes a close communion between the dog and Jerry. They run together in the laurel, lie by the fire together, and Jerry takes care of Pat when the narrator leaves for a few days.

Jerry is a twelve-year-old orphan who comes to chop wood for the narrator. He is described as undersized, with hair the color of corn husks and blue-gray eyes. The narrator describes him as possessing a special quality. He has integrity. She describes it as founded on courage, but more than just being brave. Jerry was honest, but had more than just honesty.

Miss Clark is the contact the narrator has at the orphanage. She is described as an honest spinster. She is the one who informs the narrator that Jerry doesn't have a mother in Mannville, or anywhere else.