The Homesteader: A Novel

by Oscar Micheaux

  CHAPTER XVI

  A STRANGE DREAM

  When the others had gone, Jean Baptiste rolled over again upon thefloor, and was conscious that one eye was closed and swollen, filledwith blood from a wound inflicted by his wife just below it. He rose toa sitting posture presently, and looked around him. He was in the hall,and when he looked through the open door into the parlor, he saw Mrs.Merley stretched on the settee before him weeping. He staggered to hisfeet, and went toward her.

  She looked up when he approached, and dried her eyes. "You spoiledthings, Jean," she accused, and he noted the disappointment in hervoice, and also detected a note of impatience.

  "Yes, I admit I did, Mrs. Merley, and I'm sorry--for you."

  "For me?" she repeated, not understanding his import.

  "Yes," he replied wearily. "For _you_."

  "But--but--why--for _me_?"

  "Well," he said, with a sigh, "It _had_ to be as it was. I wanted her.But it would have been disaster in the end on his account, because Icould never have brought myself to honor him, and to have lived with herI should have been forced to--at least pretended to do so, and thatwould have been worse still."

  She was thoughtfully silent then for some time, then she regarded himclosely, and said as if to herself:

  "Well, I fear you are right. Yes, I _know_ you are when I recall how sheabused you a while ago. Gracious! I did not know that it was inOrlean."

  "Nor did I," he said, his face covered with his hands.

  "_He_ made her that way through the influence he has exerted over her.Evil influence. I have a feeling that there will come a day when thatinfluence will work the other way," she said musingly, "_he_ will be thevictim, and the punishment will be severe."

  Both were silent for a time, and nothing but the ticking of the clock onthe mantel disturbed the quiet. He presently raised his head, and in sodoing uncovered his face. It was dark and distorted, swollen a greatdeal, and one of his eyes was closed. She saw it then for the firsttime.

  "My God, Jean!" she exclaimed, arising and hurrying to him. "Your faceis swollen almost beyond recognition. Why, my dear, you are in adreadful fix!" She stood over him scarcely knowing just what to do. Thenshe regained her composure. She caught at his arm, as she cried:

  "Come with me, quick!" He arose and followed her upstairs and into thebedroom she had prepared for him and Orlean. In a corner there was alittle basin, and to this she led him. She then had him hold his faceover the basin while she carefully bathed it. This done, she asked himto go to bed while she went downstairs, returning presently withliniments and towels, and bathed his wounds again and bandaged his facecarefully.

  "Now, Jean," she said kindly, "I will leave you. But you will do thisfavor which I ask of you?"

  He turned his face toward her.

  "Don't advise Mr. Merley about what has occurred here tonight," shesaid.

  "I understand," he replied quietly. Thereupon she left him to himself.

  At the Vernon Avenue home of the McCarthys, the house was in an orgy ofexcitement. When the Reverend had been advised regarding hisson-in-law's presence in the city, he recalled the seance he hadexperienced the night before. When the women came, he was preparing togo to the west side for his daily visit with Mrs. Pruitt. But upon thisadvice, he desisted, and decided to remain home.

  When the mongers had taken their gossip from his presence, he fell intodeep thought. For the first time since he had precipitated the trouble,he saw the situation clearly. He was aware that his act by this time,had helped nobody, had made no one happy or satisfied--not even himself.Almost he agreed with himself then, that he had miscalculated; JeanBaptiste was willing apparently, to forego his wife's loss and the lossof her homestead, before he would do as the Elder had planned andestimated he would. His conscience was disturbed. He recalled theunpleasant nights he had endured in the last few months. He recalledthat while Orlean always pretended to him that she was satisfied, forthe first time in his life, he saw that it was due to the training, thesubservience to his will, and not to her own convictions.

  He arose from his seat and walked the floor in meditation. Habit,however, had become such a force with him, that he could hardly resistthe impulse to commit some action; to rush to Mrs. Merley's and makehimself conspicuous. He struggled between impulse and conscience, andneither won fully. After an hour, however, he reached this decision: Hewould not go to or call up Mrs. Merley. He would just leave it to themto solve, and if they should finally reach some agreement betweenthemselves, he would not stand in the way. When he had reached thisconclusion, he went into the street, and was surprised at the relief hefelt. Not for months had he enjoyed a walk as much as he did that one.

  But while Newton Justine McCarthy had struggled with his conscience, andat last found solace in admitting at this late hour to what he shouldhave done two years before, he had failed to reckon with other featuresthat asserted themselves later. He had not estimated that if JeanBaptiste sought his wife secretly, it must have been because he wishedto avoid him. He failed to see that this man had suffered bitterlythrough his evil machinations. He failed, moreover, to appreciate thathis training of Orlean to the subservient attitude, would prevent herfrom returning to her husband or reaching any agreement with him untilshe had first ascertained that such would be agreeable to her father.Had he so reckoned the scene just related might not have occurred.

  It was while they were sitting at supper that the telephone rang. Whenthe conversation ensued, the Reverend sought not only to promulgate goodwill by leaving it to Jean Baptiste, but he thought also to encouragehim by inviting him to the house, and in this he meant well. But behindhim stood Ethel. She caught the gist of excitement and instantly beganto scream.

  "Get Orlean, go get my sister! Don't let that man have her, owee!" atthe top of her voice, she yelled, and Glavis and her mother had to holdher. Some friends were having dinner with them, and they now stoodtoward the rear uncertain whether to leave or remain, and heard all thatpassed. The Reverend was laboring frantically to get an answer over the'phone, and it was at this moment that Orlean had gone frantic and wasabusing her husband.

  In the excitement, Ethel kept up her tirade at the top of her voice, andin the end, the Reverend, followed by Glavis, had gone to Mrs.Merley's.

  They had now returned, and Ethel was pacified. The visitors had departedto spread the gossip, and all but Ethel was downcast. Orlean, inunspoken remorse, had retired; while the Reverend, fully conscious atlast of what his interposition had brought, was regretful, but notopenly. And the others, not knowing that he had that day repented, satat their distance and tried to form no conclusion.

  "It is over--all over," cried Orlean now in the bed. "And as I have doneall my life, I have failed at the most crucial moment. Oh, merciful God,what can you do with a weak woman like I! It has been I all along whohas made misery for myself, for _him_, and for all those near me! I! I!_I!_ That I could have cultivated the strength of my conviction; that Icould have been the woman he wanted me to be. Out there he _tried_ tomake me one; he sought in every way he knew how. But a weakling I wouldremain! And because I have sought to please others and abuse him indoing so, I have brought everybody to the ditch of misery and despair."She cried for a long time, but her mind was afire. All that her weaknessand subservience had caused, continued, and at last the event of thenight.

  "And what did I do to him?" she said now, rising in the bed. "I recallthat he came to the telephone. He stood listening to what I was saying,and I recall that when I turned slightly and saw his face, it wasterrible! Then I saw him suddenly snatch the receiver from my hand, andI heard him talking to papa. He was terribly excited, and I shall neverforget the expression on his face. I cannot clearly remember whatfollowed. I recall, however, that I struggled with him; that I struckhim everywhere I could; that I scratched his face.... And, oh, my God, Irecall what passed then!" She suddenly sank back upon the pillow andgave up to bitter anguish, when she recalled what had followed. But theexcitement was too great f
or her to lay inert. She rose again upon herelbow, and looked before her into the darkness of the room as she slowlyrepeated half aloud what had followed.

  "Yes, I _recall_. _He made no resistance. He did not defend himself, butallowed me to strike him at will. And under the fusillade of blows, Irecall that he sank slowly to his knees--sank there with his arms aboutme, and I striking him with all the strength in my body. Upon his kneesthen, he lingered, while I rained blow after blow upon his upturnedface. And now I can recall that his eyes closed, and from his lips Icaught a sigh, and then he rolled to the floor. And, here, oh, Lord, Iadded what will follow me throughout my life and never again give mepeace._

  "_While he lay there upon the floor, with his eyes closed before me, Ikicked him viciously full in the face! But even then he did not resist,but only groaned wearily. Merciful Jesus! Nor did I stop there! I jumpedon his face with my feet, and then I recall that some one caught me andsaved me from further madness!_" She was exhausted then, and lay withoutwords for a long time. Almost in a state of coma, she bordered, andwhile so, she fell into a strange sleep. The night wore on, and theclock downstairs was striking the hour of two when she suddenlyawakened. She sat straight up in bed, and jerked her hands to her head,and screamed long and terribly. The household was awakened, and camehurrying to where she lay. But in the meantime she continued to screamloudly, at the top of her voice. And all the while, perspiration flowedfrom her body. It was nigh onto four o'clock before they succeeded inquieting her, and when they had done so she lay back again upon thepillow with a groan, and the family went back to their beds to wonderwhat had come over her. All felt strangely as if something evil hadcrept into their lives, and their excitement was great. All but Ethel,who, in her evil way, was delighted, and laughed gleefully when she hadreturned to bed.

  "Laugh on, Ethel, you evil woman!" said Glavis at her side. "Evil hasthis night come into our lives. It _wasn't_ right in the beginning; it_isn't_ right now, nor was last night. Oh, I have never wanted to seethis go along as it has. Because your father has trained Orlean to obeyand subserve to his will, he has done something to her, and she hasbecome a demon instead of a weakling. Last night I saw Jean Baptistelying prone upon the floor, and knew that she had beaten him down to it,and he had not resisted. She told me as we came home what she had done,but was not aware that she was telling me. Nothing good can come ofevil, and it is evil that we have practiced toward that man. He isthrough now, and never again will he make effort to get her to live withhim. But just so sure as she has abused him, just so sure will _she_ doinjury to those who have brought this about." And with this he turned onhis side and feigned sleep.

  Alone Orlean lay trying vainly to forget something--something that stoodlike a spectre before her eyes. But she could not forget it, nor did she_ever_ forget it. It had come, and it was inevitable. She had seen _it_in her sleep. _It_ had all been so clear, and when she had awakened andscreamed so long, she knew, then that it must in time be so. She wouldnever forget it; but realizing its gravity, she decided thereupon neverto tell it--the dream--to anybody.

  The sun shone and the birds sang, and the day was beautiful without whenshe at last fell asleep again.

  EPOCH THE FOURTH

  EPOCH THE FOURTH