How can a gentleman fight such a thing with "not a dollar spent"
announcement?"
"Phoebe," said the major with the quick illumination of one of his challenging smiles, "you can generally depend on the Almighty to back the right man when he"s fighting the right fight. Suppose you put up a little faith on the event--be something of a sporting character and back David to win. Backing thoughts help in the winnings they tell us these days."
"I have, Major--I am--I do, but this hunt to-night positively--positively frightens me. It seemed so--so regardless of consequences--so trivial and--and inconsequent that--" Phoebe paused and the major was astonished to see that she was veiling tears with her thick black lashes.
"Phoebe, child," he said as he bent over quickly and laid his hand on hers, "I ought to have answered you sooner. He is prepared to make the speech of his life tonight at seven-thirty, but at ten he joins his friends to hunt. Didn"t you draw your conclusions hurriedly--and against David?"
In a second the tightness in Phoebe"s throat relaxed and the tears flowed back to their source, only one little splash jeweled her cheek that had flamed into a blush of joy and contrition.
"Ah," she said softly as she drew a deep breath, "I am so glad--glad!... I must hurry, for I"m an hour late already. Good-by!"
"Good-by, and remember that faith is one of the by-products of affection.
And I might add that the right kind of faith finds tactful ways of--of admission. Do you see?" And the major held her hand long enough to make Phoebe look into his kind eyes.
And from the ten minutes in the library of Major Buchanan the disciplining of the heart of Phoebe Donelson began and was carried on with utter relentlessness. The first castigation occurred when David failed to phone her at two o"clock, and a half-hour later Caroline Darrah called anxiously to know her decision and impart the information that David had arranged that she and Phoebe go out to the fork in her car with Mrs. Buchanan. Phoebe, to her own surprise, found that she intensely desired another arrangement that involved David and his small electric, but she received the blow with astonishing meekness and delighted Caroline with her enthusiastic acquiescence in the plans for the evening.
And so through the busy afternoon while David Kildare met committees, sent in reports and talked over plans, he also managed to sandwich in the settling of numerous little details that went to make good the night"s sport. And it was all done in apparent high spirits but with an indignant pain in his usually glad heart.
Meanwhile Caroline Darrah, in a whirl of domestic excitement incident to the preparing of a hamper for the midnight lunch out on the ridge, which she had entreated Mrs. Matilda to leave entirely to her newly-acquired housewifery, stepped into the middle of the pool political and never knew it, in the innocence of her old-fashioned woman"s heart.
"Miss Ca"line," ventured Jeff as he a.s.sisted her in packing the huge hamper that occupied the center of the dining-room table, "is Mister Dave sure "pinted to be jedge of the criminal court--he ain"t a-joking is he?"
"Why, no, indeed, Jeff," answered Caroline Darrah as she rolled sandwiches in oiled paper before putting them into a box. "What made you think that?"
"Well, it"s a kinder poor white folksy job fer him, fooling with c.r.a.p-shooting n.i.g.g.e.rs and whisky soaks, but if he wants it he"s got ter have it, hear me! And Miss Ca"line, some of us colored set has made up our minds that it"s time fer us ter git out and dust ter help him. You see this here is a independent race and it"s who gits the votes, no "Publican er Dimocrat to it. That jest naterally turns the colored vote loose at the polls. And fer the most of the black fools it"s who bids the mostes, I"m sorry ter say, as is the fact."
"But you know Mr. David has said from the first that he will not buy a vote. Will he have to lose--how many of the colored people are there--oh, Jeff, will he have to be beaten?" Caroline Darrah clasped a sandwich to the death in her hands and questioned the negro with the same faith that she would have used in questioning Major Buchanan.
"No, ma"am, he ain"t going ter git n.i.g.g.e.r-beat if we can help it--us society colored set, you understand, Miss Ca"line." Jeff"s manner was an interesting mixture of pomposity and deference.
"I don"t quite understand, Jeff; you explain to me," answered Caroline Darrah in the kind and respectful voice that she always used to these family servants, which they understood perfectly and in which they took a huge delight.
"Well, it"s jest this way, Miss Ca"line, they is sets in the colored folks jest like they is in the white folks. We is the _it_ set, me and Tempie and Eph and all the fust family people. We"s got our lawyers and dentists and a university and a ice-cream parlor with the swellest kinder soda fount in front. You heard how Mister David got that Country Club for us, didn"t you? Well, he backed the rent notes of the soda fount, too--and he"s jest naterly the fust set candidate fer anything he wants ter be."
"Isn"t he just the kindest best man, Jeff?" asked Caroline Darrah, in her enthusiasm sacrificing a frosted m.u.f.fin cake between her clasped hands.
"Yes"m, he am that fer a fact, and they can"t no low-down whisky b.u.m beat him fer jedge, neither--"specially ef they count on using n.i.g.g.e.rs to do it with. You see the race am so mighty close, that all the booze bosses is a telling the n.i.g.g.e.rs that they is got the "ballunce uf power" as they calls it and it"s up ter them ter elect a jedge fer whisky, the friend "at"ll let "em drink it down. Why, they"s got out a bottle of whisky as has on the label "Your Colored Friend", and it"s put up in clear gla.s.s and at the bottom you can see five new dimes a-shining. A n.i.g.g.e.r gits the bottle and the fifty cents ef he votes with them. Old Booze is flinging money right and left, fer if Mister David gits in he"ll sh.o.r.e have ter git out."
"That is perfectly awful, Jeff!" exclaimed Caroline with horror-stricken eyes. "The poor people made to sell themselves that way--and the whole city to lose David, a good judge, because they can"t know what they do.
It is horrible and n.o.body can help it!"
"I ain"t so sure about that, Miss Ca"line! Me and Tempie and Doctor Pike Johnson and the dentist and Bud Simms, the man what runs the Palms, have thought up a scheme ef we kin work it. You see they ain"t a n.i.g.g.e.r from Black Bottom to Mount Nebo as wouldn"t sell his soul ter git ter the Country Club and say he"s been invited there. Now, we thought as how it would be a good plan ter give it out that we was going to have er David Kildare jedge celebration out there and have invertation tickets printed. Then we could go ter the polls and fight down any dollar bottle of whisky ever put up with one of them invites--every man ter bring a lady, and dancing down in a corner of the card. We"d scotch them by saying no "lection, no dance, so they"ll vote straight. Ain"t that the swell scheme? It"ll work if we can make it go."
"Jeff," she exclaimed, "that is a perfectly splendid idea! You must do it, for offering them fun will be no bribery like whisky and money--it will do them _good_." Sometimes it is just as well that a woman be not too well versed in the science logical.
"Yes"m, and I believe it will work--ef we jest had a barbecue to put down in the other corner opposite the dancing I know it would draw "em, but ice-cream will be about all we can git fer the subscription money, and cold as it is ice-cream won"t be no drawing card."
And there was no doubt that Jeff unfolded his plan to Caroline Darrah from pure love of sympathy and excitement and for no ulterior purpose, although it served to further his schemes as well as if he had been of a most wily turn of mind.
"Jeff," exclaimed Caroline Darrah excitedly, "how much would it take to have a barbecue and ice-cream and everything good to go with it and a big band of music and fireworks and--"
"Golly, Miss Ca"line, they will be most five hundred of "em and the "scription ain"t but a little over fifty dollars. I"m counting on the dancing and the gitting-there ter draw "em."
"We can"t risk it," said Caroline. "I will give you two hundred and fifty dollars and you can let it be known that no such celebration ever was as the one his colored friends are going to give in honor of the election of Judge David Kildare--his united colored friends, Jeff, high and low."
"Miss Ca"line, I"m a-skeered to take it! Mister David, he"s jest naterly--"
"Mr. David need never know about it. It is a subscription and you have collected it--advertise that fact. I"m one of his friends and I can subscribe even if I am white. You must take it, and get to work about it.
Only four more days, remember, and we all must work for Mr. David; and too, Jeff, for those poor ignorant people who would commit the crime of letting themselves sell their votes." There was real concern for the endangered souls of the c.o.o.ns in Caroline"s voice, and Jeff was duly impressed.
They both fell to work on the packing of the basket as Temple"s voice was heard in the distance, for they knew she would express herself in no uncertain terms if she found the amount of work done unsatisfactory.
But when he departed, Jeff carried in his pocket a slip of paper about which it nearly scared him to death to think, and one of the money-bags of the late Peters Brown was eased by the extraction of a quarter thousand. Caroline was happy from a clear conscience and a virtuous feeling of having saved a crisis for a dependent and ignorant people.
Which goes to show that a woman can put her finger into a political pie and draw it out without even a stain, while to touch that same confection ever so lightly would dye a man"s hand blood red.
CHAPTER IX
PURSUING THE POSSUM
And as if in sympathy with the heart of the pursued possum, the thermometer began to fall in the afternoon and by night had established a clear, cold, windless condition of weather. The start for the Cliffs was to be made from the fork of the River Road, where cars, horses, traps and hampers were to be left with the servants, who by half past nine were already in an excited group around a blazing, dry oak fire, over which two score plump birds were ready to be roasted, attended by the autocratic Tempie. Jeff piled high with brush a huge log whose heart was being burned out for the baking of sundry potatoes, while the aroma from the barbecue pit was maddening to even a ten o"clock appet.i.te, and no estimate could be made of what damage would be done after the midnight return from the trail of the wily tree fruit.
David Kildare as usual was M.F.H. and his voice rang out as clearly against the tall pines, while he welcomed the cars and traps full of excited hunters, as if he had not been speaking in a crowded hall for an hour or two.
Mrs. Cherry Lawrence arrived early, accompanied by the distinguished suffragist, who was as alert for sensations new as if she had been one of an exploration party into the heart of darkest Africa. They were attended by Tom and also the suave Hobson, who was all attentions but whose maneuvers in the direction of Caroline Darrah were pitiably fruitless.
He was seconded in his attentions to the stranger by David with his most fascinating manner, and Mrs. Cherry sparkled and glowed at him with subdued witchery, while Tom sulked close at her side.
Polly and young Boston had trailed Mrs. Buchanan"s car on horses and Phoebe was intent on pinning up the debutante"s habit skirt to a comfortable scramble length. Billy Bob fairly bubbled over with glee and Milly, who had come to a.s.sist Mrs. Matilda in overlooking the preparations for the feast for the returned hunters, was already busy a.s.sembling hampers and cases on a flat rock over behind the largest fire.
Her anxious heart was at rest about her nestlings, for Caroline"s maid, Annette, had gone French mad over the babies and had begged the privilege of keeping Mammy Betty company in her watch beside the cots.
"Come here, Caroline, child," called David from behind the farthest fire, "let me look at you! Seems to me you are in for a good freezing." And he drew her into the light of the blaze.
She was kilted and booted and coated and belted in the most beautiful and wholly correct attire for the hunt that could possibly have been contrived; that is, for a sedate cross-country bird stalk or a decorous trap shooting, but for a long night scramble over the frozen ground she was insufficiently clad. The other girls all wore heavy golf skirts and coats and were m.u.f.fled to their eyes; even the big-bug lady wore a knitted comforter high round her throat. Without doubt Caroline would have been in for a cold deal, if David had not been more than equal to any occasion.
"Here, Andy, skin out of that sweater and get into that extra buckskin in my electric," he said, and forthwith began without ceremony to a.s.sist Andrew Sevier in peeling off a soft, white, high-collared sweater he wore, and in less time than it took to think it he had slipped it over Caroline"s protesting head, pulled it down around her slim hips almost to where her kilts met her boots and rolled the collar up under her eyes.
Then he immediately turned his attention to the arrival of the mongrel sleuths, each accompanied by a white-toothed negro of renowned c.o.o.n-fighting, possum-catching proclivities, whom he had a.s.sembled from the Old Harpeth to lead the hunt, thus leaving Caroline and Andrew alone for the moment on the far side of the fire.
"Indeed, I"m not going to have your sweater!" she protested, beginning to divest herself of the borrowed garment, but not knowing exactly how to crawl out of its soft embrace.
"Please, oh, please do!" he exclaimed quickly, and as he spoke he caught her hand away, that had begun to tug at the collar.
"I wouldn"t keep it for the world--and have you cold, but--I can"t get out," she answered with a laugh. "Please show me or call for help."
And as she pleaded Andrew Sevier towered beside her, tall and slender, while the cold breeze with its pine-laden breath ruffled his white shirt-sleeves across his arms. Caroline Darrah in the embrace of his clinging apparel was a sight that sent the blood through his veins at a rate that warred with the winds, and his eyes drank deeply. The color mounted under her eyes and with the unconsciousness of a child she nestled her chin in the woolly folds about the neck as she turned her face from the firelight.