CHAPTER XIII
STEVE ALLEN LEARNS MISS THOMASIA’S SECRET AND FORSWEARS CARDS
The roughness of the treatment Jacquelin had received at Leech’s handscaused his wound to break out afresh, and for a time he was seriouslyill. But he had some compensations. Every girl in the neighborhooddeemed him her especial favorite and charge. And from time to time, inthe door walked, floated, or entered somehow, a goddess; and with hercame heaven. Her entrance was always a miracle; she lit up the room,radiance took the place of gloom; the racked nerves found a suddenanodyne, and in the mere joy of her presence, Jacquelin forgot thathe was crippled. She read to him, sat by him, soothed him, talkedwith him, sympathized with him, turned darkness into light, and pain,at least, into fortitude. How divinely tender her eyes could grow assome sudden paroxysm wrung his nerves, and brought a flush to his wancheek! How solicitous was her voice! How soft her touch! And how muchshe knew! As much as Aunt Thomasia! How could a young girl have read somuch! It stimulated Jacquelin, and he began to emulate her, as in olddays, until reading became a habit.
Under these influences Jacquelin actually began to get well.
Middleton passed by one evening and saw the young girl sitting onthe rose-bowered veranda, by Jacquelin’s lounge, reading to him. Thesoft cadences of a charming voice were borne to him murmurously. Astrange pang of loneliness shot through him. That far-away visitin the past seemed to rise up before him, and the long years weresuddenly obliterated. He was back, a visitor at a beautiful oldcountry-place, where joy and hospitality reigned. Jacquelin was ahandsome, bright-faced boy again, and Blair was a little girl, withthose wonderful eyes and confiding ways. Middleton wondered if heshould suddenly turn and walk in on them, with a reminder of that oldtime, how they would receive him. He was half-minded to do it, andactually paused. He would go in and say, “Here, the war is over—let’sbe friends.” But suddenly a man passed him and glanced up in his faceand saluted. It was Leech, and Middleton saw him look across to wherethe invalid and his fair young nurse sat on the shaded veranda, andknew what his thoughts were. The spell was broken. Middleton steppeddown from romance to the hard ground of reality, and passed on to givehis orders for the evening.
Jacquelin’s arrest and illness had come near breaking up theentertainment (a name which had been substituted for ball, to meetthe scruples of Miss Thomasia and some other pious ladies). But thisJacquelin would on no account hear of. Besides, after the orderforbidding public gatherings at night, it would look like truckling.As, however, in the family’s absence, the assembly could not be held atRed Rock, it was decided to have it at the court-house, where Jacquelinnow was. This concession was made; the largest and best buildingthere for such an entertainment was one used as a Masonic hall, andoccasionally as a place for religious services. This hall was selected.Who was responsible for its selection was not actually known. Thurstontold Middleton that when he said he ought to have been a bishop, heplaced his abilities far too low—that really he ought to have been apope. But he did not appear in the matter at all except to meet theobjections raised by Leech, and to silence that official by an allusionto his recent pious ministrations in that building. Steve Allen wasthe chief advocate of the hall, and took the lead in its selection andalso in its defence; for some objection was made by others than Leechto having a party in this building, and on very different grounds.Miss Thomasia and some others who were not entirely satisfied anyhowabout dancing, thought that it was certainly more likely to be wrongin a room which had been sometimes used, however rarely, for religiousservices, and it took some skill to overrule their objections. Thurstonsaid to Mrs. Dockett that it had never been consecrated. “So far fromit,” said Mrs. Dockett, “it has been desecrated.” (The last serviceheld in it had been held by a Union chaplain, who had come up from townand preached in it to the soldiers, with Leech on the front bench.)
Miss Thomasia, being for once in accord with both Thurston and Steve,gave in, and actually lent her aid and counsel, at least so far asrelated to the embellishment of the hall, and of some who were toattend there. She ventured her advice to Steve in only one matterrelating to the outside. Having found him at work one evening, making ashort rustic bench to be placed under one of the trees in the yard, shesaid she hoped he did not intend that for two people, and that youngman scandalously replied that he was making it short on purpose for herand the General; and, in the face of her offended dignity, impudentlyadded that the General had engaged him to do it, and had given him themeasurements.
“Steve Allen, I am too old for you to talk to me so,” said MissThomasia.
“‘Taint me, Cousin Thomasia; ’tis the General,” persisted Steve, andthen, as the little faded lady still remained grave and dignified, hestraightened up and glanced at her. Stepping to her side, he slippedhis arm round her, like a big stalwart son, and, looking down in herface with kindly eyes, said, tenderly:
“Cousin Thomasia, there aren’t any of ’em like you nowadays. They don’tmake ’em so any more. The mould’s broken.” He seated the little ladygently on the bench, pleased and mollified, and flung himself on thegrass at her feet, and the two had a long, confidential talk, fromwhich both derived much comfort, and Steve much profit (he said). Atleast, he learned something new, and when as the dew began to fallMiss Thomasia rose, it was with a better insight into the nature ofthe reckless young fellow; and Steve, on his part, had a new feelingfor Miss Thomasia, and led her in with a new tenderness. For MissThomasia had told the young man, what she had never admitted to a soulin all her life—that the reason the General, or anyone else, had neverwon her was that long ago her heart had been given to another—“thehandsomest, most brilliant man I ever saw,” she said—who had lovedher, she believed, with all his soul, but had not been strong enough toresist, even for her sake, the temptation of two besetting sins—drinkand gambling—and she had obeyed her father, and given him up.
Steve was lying full length on his back at her feet, his face turned toher, and his clasped hands under his head.
“Cousin Thomasia, who was he, and what became of him?” he asked, gently.
“He was your father, Steve, and you might have been—” The voice was solow that the young man did not catch the last word. He unclasped hishands, and placed one forearm quickly across his face, and lay quitestill for a minute or two. Then he moved it. Miss Thomasia was sittingquite motionless, her eyes in her lap, and with the fading light of theevening sky slanting under the trees and resting on her face and soft,silvered hair. She sighed so softly it might have been only breathing.
“I never knew it,” said Steve, gently; “but I might have known.”
He rose slowly, and leaning over her, kissed her tenderly, and she laidher head on his shoulder.
“Yes, Steve, now you know.”
And Steve said, yes, and kissed her again like a son.
“Cousin Thomasia,” he said, presently, “I will not say I will neverdrink again; but I will promise you not to gamble again, and I will notdrink to excess any more.”
“Oh! Steve, if you knew how I have prayed for you!” said the littlelady, softly.
“Well, maybe, Cousin Thomasia, this is in answer to it,” said Steve,half seriously.
There was as much preparation for the entertainment as there had everbeen in the old times for the greatest ball given at Red Rock orBirdwood. Some of the guests from distant neighborhoods came severaldays before-hand to be in time, or to help superintend, and stayed atthe houses of their friends near the county seat. Even the General’sbachelor establishment was transformed for the occasion into a nest ofdoves, who, it was said, put up more little knick-knacks than he hadever seen, and made the old fellow more comfortable than he had everbeen before in all his life.
Thus the little village, which for some time had been hardly more thana camp, over-run with negro camp-followers, suddenly took on a new airand freshened up, with young girls in cool dresses and big hats on thestreets, or making pleasant groups under the trees in the yards on theslopes out
side the hamlet, from which laughter and singing to the musicof guitars floated down to the village below. The negroes themselvesjoined in, and readily fell into old habits, putting themselves inthe way of the visitors, whom they overwhelmed with compliments, andclaims, and offers of service.
Amid this, Middleton and Thurston went in and out quietly, attendingto their duties, drilling and inspecting and keeping their eyes open,less for treason than for the pretty girls who had come suddenly uponthem like flowers after a spring rain. They met a few of them casually,either through Steve Allen or Mrs. Dockett, whose house was filled withthem; but the new-comers treated them with such undeniable coolnessthat there was little encouragement to prosecute the acquaintance.Even plump Miss Dockett stiffened perceptibly, and treated LieutenantThurston with more severity than she had ever exhibited since he hadmade those wonderful bargains.
Only one man in the whole village appeared absolutely out of humorover the stir and preparations, and that was Leech. The plan which heand Still had laid down to prevent the assembly having failed, Leechdetermined to break it up, at all hazards. Still was in constant, ifsecret, conference with him. They had told Sherwood and Moses that theycould prevent it. If it were held in spite of them, it would prove thatthey were less powerful than they pretended to be.
Leech would go to town and obtain a peremptory order forbidding thisvery meeting.
“Have it made out so you can give it, yourself,” counselled Still.“Wait till the last minute and then spring it on ’em. We’ll show ’emwe’re not to be treated as they please. They don’t know me yet, butthey soon will. I’ve got that as will make some of ’em wince. I’ll show’em who Hiram Still is.” He tapped his pocket significantly.
So it was decided, and Leech went off to the city to use his influencewith Colonel Krafton, while Still was to prepare a foundation for hisinterference, through the negro leaders, Sherwood, Moses, and NicholasAsh.
That evening there was a little more stir among the negroes aboutthe court-house than had been observed before. Sherwood and Moseswere there, sent down by Still, and that night they held a meeting—areligious meeting it was called—at which there was some singing andpraying, and much speaking or preaching—the two preachers beingSherwood and Moses. They could be heard all over the village, and atlength their shouting and excitement reached such a pitch and attractedso much attention that some of the residents walked down to the placewhere they were congregated, to look into the matter. Moses wasspeaking at the moment, mounted on an impromptu platform, swaying hisbody back and forth, and pouring forth a doctrine as voluble in wordsas it was violent in sound and gesture, whilst his audience surgedaround him, swaying and shouting, and exciting themselves into a sortof wild frenzy. The white men who had gathered, listened silently andsullenly to the sounds rising in unison with the speaker’s voice. Somewere of the opinion that he ought to be stopped at once and the meetingbroken up, and there were plenty of offers to do it. A more prudenthead, however, had adopted another course. Dr. Cary, who happened tobe in the village that night, hearing what was going on, and knowingwhat might occur at any moment, called on the officer in command, andstated to him the danger of a collision. Captain Middleton walkeddown to the meeting with him to make his own observation. Only a fewmoments sufficed. The violence of the speaker, who was now dancingback and forth; the excitement of the dusky crowd pressing about him;the gathering of white men on the edge of the throng, speaking in low,earnest tones, their eyes turned to the speaker, suggested promptmeasures.
“Don’t de Book say, as we shall inherit the nth?” cried the speaker,and his audience moaned and swayed and shouted in assent.
“An’ ain’t de harvest white fur de laborer?”
“Yas-yas,” shouted the audience. “White fur de laborer!”
“Unless you stop them, Captain, we shall; for we know that it isnecessary and that it will be a kindness to them,” said the Doctor,quietly; and the officer recognizing the necessity, though he littleunderstood the Doctor’s full meaning, assented promptly. He pushedhis way through the throng, followed by the Doctor. He stopped thespeaker and mounted the platform, and in a few words forbade anyfurther speaking and ordered the crowd to disperse, which it did almostimmediately, dissolving like magic before the officer’s order. Thenhe turned to the speaker, and with a sharp reprimand for his actioncommanded him to leave the village. The trick-doctor cringed, and witha whine of acquiescence bowed himself off.
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