The Homesteader: A Novel

by Oscar Micheaux

  CHAPTER VII

  A GREAT ASTRONOMER

  Not long ago a man died who had made astronomy a specific study forsixty years. He knew the planets, Mars and Jupiter, and Saturn and allthe others. He knew the constellations and the zodiac--in fact he wasfamiliar with the solar system and all the workings of the universe.This man had predicted with considerable accuracy what seasons would bewet, and what seasons would be dry. He also foretold the seasons ofwarmth and those of cold. And he had said that about every twenty years,the world over would be gripped with drought. This drought would beginin the far north, and would cover the extreme northern portion of thecountry the first year. The second year it would reach further south,and extend over the great central valleys and be most severe near thenorthern tier of states. Following, it would go a bit further south thenext year, and so on until it would finally disappear altogether.

  So according to this man's prediction, the country of our story wouldexperience a severe drought soon, preceded by a slight one as aforerunner. For two years the crops would be inferior but the followingyear would see it normal again.

  So be it.

  It had been dry the year before, and had been just a little bit so theyear before that. We know by the shortage of crops Jean Baptiste hadraised that such had been so. So, with hundreds of acres, and the sunshining hot, and the wind blowing from the south, it was no surprisewhen he became now, an altogether different person. (For you see thelife--that life that makes men strong and fearless and cheerful had gonefrom the body of Jean Baptiste.) Then he began to grow uneasy. It is,perhaps, somewhat difficult to portray a drought and its subsequentdisasters. We beg of you, however, that you go back to the early yearsin the peaceful, hopeful, vigorous country of our story: In the yearsthat had been before when everything had pointed to success. Rainfallhad been abundant; frost had waited until October before it showed hiswhite coat upon the window sill. Land values had climbed and climbed,and had gone so high until only the moneyed could even reckon to ownland. And Jean Baptiste controlled a thousand acres.

  Over all the country, the pounding of steam and gasoline tractors filledthe air with an incessant drumming; the black streaks everywhere toldthe story of conquest. The prairie was giving place to the inevitablesettler, and hope was high in the hearts of all. So the wind had blownhot many days before the settlers became apprehensive of anything reallyserious.

  Never since they had come to this country had they experienced suchintense heat; such regular heat; such continued heat. A week passed andthe heat continued. It blew a gale, and then a blast; but always it washot, hot, hot!

  Two weeks passed, and still it blew. Before this it had at leastsubsided at night, although it did begin afresh in the morning. But nowit blew all night and all day, and each day it became hotter, the soilbecame dryer, and presently the crops began to fire.

  "Oh, for a rain!" every settler cried. "For a rain, a rain, a rain!" Butno rain came.

  So every day there was the continual firing of the crops.

  The corn had been too small in the beginning to require much moisture,and the dry weather had enabled the farmer to kill the weeds, so itstood the gaft quite well, for a time, and grew like gourd vines in themeantime. It was the wheat, the oats, the rye and the barley that werefirst to suffer. These were at their most critical stage, the time whentiny little heads must dare seek the light. And as they did so, thecruel heat met and burned them until thereupon they cried and died fromgrief. And still the drought continued.

  No showers fell. The crops needed water. After the third week of suchintense heat, the people groaned and said "'93" had returned with allits attendant disaster. And still the wind kept blowing. The air grewhot, hotter; almost to stifling with the odor of the burning plants. Thearoma mixed with the intense heat was suffocating. The grass upon theprairie gave up, turned its tiny blades to the sun and died to theroots, while all the grain of the land, slowly became shorter. Itstruggled, it bent, and at last turned what had pointed upward,downward, and also died of thirst.

  And then the people awakened to the emergency. They began to take noteof the fact that many had gone into debt so deeply until there were manywho could never get out unless they sold their land! This had been sowith poor managers, speculators, and others before. When they found thatthey were unable to make it, there had always remained the alternativeof selling out. And this had been so easy, because the people at largewanted the land. So instead, heretofore, of retiring in defeat, theweakest had retired in apparent victory. "For my homestead, I received$8,000," or maybe it had been $10,000. So it had been. Great prices toall who wanted to sell. Only a small portion of them, however, hadwanted to sell up to date.

  But when the crops were surely a failure for the most part, hundreds andthousands and even more quarters were offered for sale. Then came theshock--the jolt that brought the people to a stern realization of whatwas before them. The buyers! There were no buyers! No, the buyers nowwhen many wished to sell, stayed in Iowa, and Illinois and wherever theylived, and refused to come hither!

  So, for the first time the people in the new country were face to facewith a real problem. And this continued to be augmented by the intenseheat. Hotter it had grown, and at last came a day when all the smallgrain was beyond redemption, only the corn and the flaxseed were yet apossibility. So to Jean Baptiste we now return.

  He had written to his wife, and she had replied to his letter. He readthem where he lived, on the homestead she had left, and longed simplyfor her to return. He lived with his mind in a dull quandary. It wasuseless to try to find consolation hating the cause of his troubles, sohim, he tried much to forget. It would all come right some day, he stillhoped, and worried between times over his debts. He had borrowed moremoney to develop his land; was behind in the interest, now, and also thetaxes, and his wife wrote for money.

  This was what Glavis had advised him to do--Send her money and all wouldbe right. Yes, that was what Ethel and her mother and her father had allthought right. Send her money. But the day of plenty of money for JeanBaptiste was slipping. The burning, dried crop that lay in the field,would bring no money. But this he dared not write. If he wrote and toldthe woman he had married--for a wife she surely was no more--that wouldbe to tell the family. And that Prince of Evil, the Reverend, would saywith his wonted braggadocio: "Um-m. Didn't I tell you right! That is awild country out there for wild people, only." So Baptiste kept what wasruining the crops to himself.

  He sent her five dollars, and this brought the most pleasant letter hehad yet received. It also brought one from Glavis, who followed the samewith another, which was more to the point. It was this he wrote:

  "CHICAGO, ILL., June, 30th, 191--

  "_Dear friend Baptiste_:

  "I have your recent letter, and it gives me a great pleasure to reply to it. You would have had my last letter sooner; but I left it to Ethel to mail, and this she did not do, so that explains the delay.

  "Now we are getting along very well in Chicago, and hope the same prevails in the West. By the papers I read where considerable dry weather is prevailing over a part of the West, but hope it hasn't struck your part of the country. Appreciating, however, your disposition to come directly to a point, I will now turn to a subject that I am sure will be of greater interest to you than anything else, and which is Orlean, your wife.

  "It gives me a pleasure to state that she appears more relieved of recent than she has since returning home. But I will not hesitate to tell you why. It is because of you, and you only. Always she talks of you--to me--and it pleases me to talk with her concerning you, for it is with you her mind is at all times. I fear that you cannot appreciate her now as you were once inclined to do; but really think you would be justified, fully so, if you did.

  "Now, for instance, when you sent the money not long ago, it gave her great delight. That you haven't forgotten that she is your wife and have some regards,
in spite of all, meant to her very much. She took it and bought her a pair of shoes, with a part; the other she spent to have pictures made so that she might send you one. And I speak truly that to send you one was the sole object in her having them made.

  "The poor girl has suffered much--agonies. It is not her disposition to be as she has somehow been compelled to be. I can't quite explain it, but if it was left to Orlean's dictates, things would not be as they are. Yet, you might not appreciate this, either. But to make it plainer: Orlean has her mother's disposition, and that is not to assert her rights. Too bad.

  "Well, there was a little incident that touched me the other day, and which I will tell you of. A certain lady was over and seeing her with the new shoes, she asked who had bought them. Poor Orlean! It is certainly to be regretted that a girl of her temperament, and kind disposition must be placed forever in a false light. Frankly it worries me. I trust you will understand that the true state of affairs has not been given to the public, and here I will draw a long line instead of saying what will be best left unsaid----But Orlean replied to the lady in these words: 'My husband bought them for me.'

  "I wish you could understand that it is all one great mistake. I wish you knew the truth and the suffering this poor girl has been put to; for if you did you would know that she is a good girl, and loves the man she has married with all her soul--but Orlean is not like other women. She's weak and--oh, well, I must close here because it hurts me to tell more.

  "I will, however, in conclusion say: Do not despair, or grow bitter toward her. This is a strange world, and strange things happen in it. Of but one thing I can assure you, and that is: The right must come and rule in the end. Yes, nothing but right can stand, all else passes. Therefore, hoping that you will be patient, and trust to that I speak of, believe me to be,

  "Always your friend,

  "E.M. GLAVIS."

  Now it so happened that when Glavis had completed this letter, he wascalled to the phone, and later into the street. He was gone a half houror more, and in the meantime, Ethel came upon it, and read it. Her evillittle eyes narrowed to mere slits when she had finished. She had notedwhat had been going on--Orlean and her husband always finding eachother's company so congenial.

  "Well," she muttered after a time. "The time to strike iron is whileit's hot. I'll have to get that man of mine straightened out." Whereuponshe went to her room, and here is the letter she wrote:

  CHICAGO, ILL., June 30TH, 191--

  "_THE REVEREND N.J. MCCARTHY, CAIRO, ILL._

  "DEAR FATHER: We received your letter and were glad to hear you say that you expected to come to Chicago soon. I was just thinking awhile ago, that if you could come soon, real soon, it might be best. Certain matters need your attention. I will not state which, but I, you know, am aware of how you have been slandered and vilified by a certain person that you know. Well, that person is again finding a way to influence those who are near to us. So knowing how equal you are to the most arduous task, I take this means of communicating that which is most expedient.

  "Hoping that your health is the best, and that we may see you real soon, believe me to be, as ever,

  "Your loving daughter,

  "ETHEL."

  So it happened that out in the West where the most terrific andprotracted drought the country had ever experienced was burning cropsand hopes of the people included, Jean Baptiste was made joyful.

  He understood Glavis' letter; he understood what he had said and what hehad not said. He had suffered. He saw disaster creeping upon him fromthe drought rent fields. Is it, therefore, but natural that in hismoments of agony and unhappiness, shattered hopes and mortal anguish,that he should turn to the woman who had been his mate. To have her totalk to; her to tell the truth to and share what little happiness therewas to be had in life, he became overly anxious? Thereupon he wrote her,sending another check for five dollars.

  July 5th, 191--

  "_My dear wife_:

  "I am writing and sending you a little more money, and since you must be well by now, and realize how much I need you, I am enclosing a signed but not filled-in-amount check, with the request that you come home right away. You will start, say the 10th, that will place you in Winner on the night of the eleventh, on Saturday, where I will meet you.

  "I will expect you, dear; and please don't disappoint me. I have not seen you for three months now, and that has not been my preference. The amount will be sufficient for your fare, and expenses please, and I will write no more; but should anything happen that you can not start on that date, then write or wire me that I may know.

  "With love to you, I am,

  "As ever, your husband,

  "JEAN."