The Homesteader: A Novel

by Oscar Micheaux

  CHAPTER XIV

  THE CONTEST

  Moving a building fifty miles across even a prairie is not an easy task,and before Jean Baptiste reached his wife's homestead with the buildinghe had purchased, he had suffered much grief. And with the Reverendalong, ever ready to keep their minds alive to the fact, it was made noeasier. But because he was so chronic, he was left to grumble while hisson-in-law labored almost to distraction into getting the building tothe place before he would be compelled to turn back and face the contestwhich was scheduled for an early hearing. They succeeded in getting itwithin twenty miles of the claim when they were compelled to abandon thetask for the time and return to Gregory to fight the contest.

  This developed at times into a rather heated argument, and a prolongedone that tried the patience of all, dragging over a period of threedays. It became obvious during the proceedings that the contestant andhis cohorts desired as much as possible to keep away from Baptiste andon the other hand to concentrate their cross-fire upon his wife. But,expecting this, they found him on his guard, countering them at everyangle, and, assisted by an able land attorney, he was successful inupsetting in a large way, their many, subtle and well laid plans,causing them to fail in making the showing they had expected to.

  To begin with their corroborating witness, James J. Spaight, developedbefore the close to more definitely corroborate for the defense. He hadcome to the trial with false testimony prepared, and had, under afusillade of cross-examinations, broken down and impaired and weakenedthe prosecution. In all such cases the one contesting is placed at amoral disadvantage, and the fact that Crook was a banker, fully able tohave purchased relinquishment as others over all the county had done,was ever in the witness' mind, and did not help his case. Baptiste'swife proved much stronger after the first day. This was due largely tothe fact that her father had been present on the first day, and had kepther so much alive to what she was sacrificing in struggling to assisther husband in his ambition to be rich, until she was perceptibly weak.The time limit on his ticket having about expired he had been compelledto return to Chicago the morning of the second day of the trial.

  It was the consensus of opinion that she would retain her claim, thoughwith so many cases to consider, it was obvious that it would take manymonths, and possibly a year to get a hearing--that is, before theofficers of the local land offices could settle the case.

  This done, Jean Baptiste returned and completed moving the house on theclaim, fixed it up, dug a well, fenced in a small pasture and returnedto gather his corn which amounted to about half a crop.

  So time passed and the holidays approached and another phase in theirrelations took shape when the Reverend insisted that they come toChicago to spend the holidays. It was very annoying. Orlean wasexpecting to become a mother in the early spring, and because they hadnever informed him of the fact, it brought considerable embarrassment toall.

  It was difficult to explain to his Majesty that they would not comeinto the city for the holidays. The Elder had insisted that he wouldsend them tickets, and because Jean Baptiste had scoffed at the idea,trouble was brewing as a result. It was then he lost his patience.

  "Can your father not understand, Orlean," he complained, with a deepfrown, "that I cannot accept his charity? Because I have made up my mindnot to go to Chicago, does not mean that I am not able to purchase ourtransportations there and back. It's the expense of the trip and whatgoes with it that has caused me to decide to dispense with it. But it'salmost useless to try to reason anything with him, and I'll not wastethe effort." Whereupon he would say no more.

  He was having troubles of his own. He owed ten thousand dollars, andupon this, interest accrued every few months, and the rate was high.Besides, he had other pressing bills, and the grain he had raised wasbringing very low prices. Therefore, he was in no mood to dally with apoverty poor preacher whose offer was more to show himself off and placeBaptiste in a compromising position, than his desire for them to behome. He made no effort to appreciate the sentiments or to understandJean Baptiste. And the fact that his daughter loved her husband and waswilling to help him seemed to be lost sight of by N. Justine McCarthy.Being accustomed to having people flatter him as a rule, was so engravedin his shallow nature, that he was unable to see matters from a liberalpoint of view.

  Their relations reached a climax when Orlean was with his sister on theclaim a few days before the Yuletide. Baptiste received a letteraddressed to her from the Elder. Thinking that, since she was on theclaim, it might be something urgent, he opened it. It _was_ urgent. Itcontained a money order covering the price of a ticket to Chicago witha trite note that he expected her soon, and that he, her husband, couldcome on later.

  We shall not attempt to describe the anger that came over Jean Baptistethen. And, as is most likely the case when a man is angry, he does thething he most likely would not do when his feelings are under control.With hands that trembled with anger, he turned the note over, wrote in afew words that he had defined his position with regards to coming toChicago; that he would be obliged if the other would mind his ownbusiness; that he had married his wife and was trying to be a husband inevery way to her; but that he was running his house, and was thereforereturning the money therewith.

  It served as a declaration of the war between the two that had beenimpending for months. We are too well acquainted with their regard foreach other, so upon this we will not dwell; but upon receipt ofBaptiste's letter, the Reverend sang his anger in a letter that fairlyscorched the envelope in which it was enclosed. He threatened to turnthe world over, and set it right again if the other did not do thus andso. To the threats, Baptiste made no reply. In a measure he wasrelieved; he had at last made his position clear to the other, and hiswife, of course, was with him in the controversy. In view therefore, ofthe manner in which she had been trained, this made matters ratherawkward. The yield of crops had not been one half the average, and ittook almost all he had made to pay the interest, taxes and expenses.Baptiste was not cheerful; but Orlean was to become a mother, and he wasa practical man. So together they passed a happy Xmas after all. In factthe only cloud upon their horizon of happiness was her father.

  Evidently he voiced what he had done to near friends, and they had notendorsed his action. Orlean was the wife of Jean Baptiste and if heexpected her to stay with him, it was their affair, even if the Reverendhad only intended to help. Attempting to force charity on others is notalways sensible, so the Elder wrote later that it was "up to them," andif they had agreed to stay in the West Xmas, it was alright with him.

  This was very considerate of him--apparently, after all the noise he hadmade, and Orlean was much relieved, and loved her father still. Herhusband was also relieved, and forgot the matter for the time. But didthe Reverend?

  Well, that was not his nature. He never forgot things he should forget.Oh, no! He had not been a hypocrite forty years for nothing! In themeantime, the Xmas passed as it has for more than nineteen hundredyears, winter set in, and the spring was approaching when thecatastrophe occurred.