The caption in the Webster edition is not in italics in either of the two 1885 printings, nor the 1886, 1888, or 1891 reprints. I think the 1891 edition was the last printed from the original plates. So, no, it has no bibliographical significance, but it could have some textual significance if there is evidence that the change represents an authorial change. Have you checked the 1896 (issued as part of the aborted Harper collected edition), 1899 (Author's edition), or 1903 (Hillcrest) editions? I got my count on "nigger" in HF from doing a search on the Twain's World CD, and I remember that I was doing that to verify somebody else's count, but I don't recall whose. I don't recall if I counted contents, illustrations, captions, but I'd assume that I did. Kevin Mac Donnell Austin TX