Elsie's Motherhood

by Martha Finley

  Chapter Ninth.

  "I feel my sinews slackened with the fright,And a cold sweat thrills down o'er all my limbsAs if I were dissolving into water."--DRYDEN.

  Early one evening, a few days subsequent to the tragical death of Jones,the Ion family carriage, well freighted, was bowling along the roadleading toward the Oaks.

  A heavy shower had laid the dust and cooled the air, and the ride pastblooming hedgerows, and fertile fields was very delightful. The parentswere in cheerful mood, the children gay and full of life and fun.

  "Oh, yonder is grandpa's carriage coming this way!" cried Eddie as theyneared the cross-road which must be taken to reach Roselands in the onedirection, and Ashlands in the other.

  "Yes, turn out here, Solon, and wait for them to come up," said Mr.Travilla.

  "On your way to the Oaks?" Mr. Dinsmore queried as his carriage haltedalong side of the other. "Well, we will turn about and go with you."

  "No, we were going to Roselands but will put off the call to anotherday, if you were coming to Ion," Mr. Travilla answered.

  "No, the Dinsmores had not set out for Ion, but to visit Sophie atAshlands; Daisy, her youngest child, was very ill."

  "I wish you would go with us, Elsie," Rose said to Mrs. Travilla. "Iknow it would be a comfort to Sophie to see you."

  "Yes, we have plenty of room here," added Mr. Dinsmore, "and yourhusband and children can certainly spare you for an hour or so."

  Elsie looked inquiringly at her husband.

  "Yes, go, wife, if you feel inclined," he said pleasantly. "The childrenshall not lose their ride. I will go on to Roselands with them, make ashort call, as I have a little business with your grandfather, then takethem home."

  "And we will have their mother there probably shortly after," said Mr.Dinsmore.

  So the exchange was made and the carriages drove on, taking oppositedirections when they came to the cross-road.

  Arrived at Roselands, Mr. Travilla found only the younger members of thefamily at home, the old gentleman having driven out with his daughters.Calhoun thought however that they would return shortly, and washospitably urgent that the visitors should all come in and rest andrefresh themselves.

  The younger cousins joined in the entreaty, and his own childrenseeming desirous to accept the invitation, Mr. Travilla permitted themto do so.

  They, with Aunt Chloe and Dinah, were presently carried off to thenursery by Molly Percival and the Conly girls, while their father walkedinto the grounds with Calhoun and Arthur.

  "Wal," whispered Dick to his cousin, drawing him aside unnoticed by therest, who were wholly taken up with each other, "now's our time for somefun with those Ku Klux things. They must be about done, and I reckonwill be packed off out o' the house before long."

  Walter nodded assent; they stole unobserved from the room, flew up totheir own for the key, hurried to the sewing-room of their mothers, andfinding there two disguises nearly completed, sufficiently so for theirpurpose, arrayed themselves in them, slipped unseen down a backstaircase, and dashing open the nursery door, bounded with a loud whoop,into the midst of its occupants.

  Children and nurses joined in one wild shriek of terror, and made asimultaneous rush for the doors, tumbling over each other in their hasteand affright.

  But fortunately for them, Mr. Travilla and Calhoun had come in from thegrounds, were on their way to the nursery, and entered it from the hallbut a moment later than the boys did by the opposite door.

  Mr. Travilla instantly seized Dick, (Calhoun doing the same by Walter),tore off his disguise, and picking up a riding-whip, lying convenientlyat hand, administered a castigation that made the offender yell and roarfor mercy.

  "You scoundrel!" replied the gentleman, still laying on his blows,"I have scant mercy for a great strong boy who amuses himself byfrightening women and helpless little children."

  "But you're not my father, and have no right, oh, oh, oh!" blubberedDick, trying to dodge the blows and wrench himself free, "I'll--I'll sueyou for assault and battery."

  "Very well, I'll give you plenty while I'm about it, and if you don'twant a second dose, you will refrain from frightening my children infuture."

  It was an exciting scene, Walter getting almost as severe handling fromCalhoun, nurses and children huddling together in the farthest corner ofthe room, Baby Herbert screaming at the top of his voice, and the otherscrying and sobbing while shrinking in nervous terror from the hideousdisguises lying in a heap upon the floor.

  "O, take them away! take them away, the horrid things!" screamedVirginia Conly, shuddering and hiding her face. "Wal and Dick, youwicked wretches, I don't care if they half kill you."

  "Papa, papa, please stop. O, Cal, don't whip him any more. I'm surethey'll never do it again," pleaded little Elsie amid her sobs andtears, holding Vi fast and trying to soothe and comfort her.

  "There, go," said Calhoun, pushing Walter from the room, "and if everI catch you at such a trick again, I'll give you twice as much."

  Dick, released by his captor with a like threat, hastened after hisfellow delinquent, blubbering and muttering angrily as he went.

  Calhoun gathered up the disguises, threw them into a closet, locked thedoor and put the key into his pocket.

  "There!" said he, "they're out of sight and couldn't come after us ifthey were alive; and there's no life in them; and little else but linenand cotton."

  Baby Herbert ceased his cries and cuddled down on Aunt Chloe's shoulder;the other four ran to their father.

  He encircled them all in his arms, soothing them with caresses and wordsof fatherly endearment. "There, there, my darlings, dry your tears; papawill take care of you; nothing shall hurt you."

  "Papa, they's like that horrid thing that shooted the man," sobbed Vi,clinging to him in almost frantic terror. "Oh don't let's ever comehere any more!"

  "I so frightened, papa, I so frightened; p'ease tate Harold home,"sobbed the little fellow, the others joining in the entreaty.

  "Yes, we will go at once," said Mr. Travilla, rising, Vi in one armHarold in the other; and motioning to the servants to follow, he wasabout to leave the room, when Calhoun spoke.

  "Do not go yet, Mr. Travilla: I think grandpa and the ladies will behere directly."

  "Thanks, but I will see Mr. Dinsmore at another time. Now my first dutyis to these terrified little ones."

  "I am exceedingly sorry for what has occurred; more mortified than I canexpress--"

  "No need for apology, Conly; but you must see the necessity for ourabrupt departure. Good evening to you all."

  Calhoun followed to the carriage door, helped to put the children in,then addressing Mr. Travilla, "I see you doubt me, sir," he said, "andnot without reason, I own; yet I assure you I have no property in thosedisguises, never have worn, and never will wear such a thing: much lesstake part in the violence they are meant to protect from punishment."

  "I am glad to hear you say so, Cal. Good evening." And the carriagewhirled away down the avenue.

  The rapid motion and the feeling that the objects of their affrightwere being left far behind, seemed to soothe and reassure the children,yet each sought to be as near as possible to their loved protector.

  Harold and the babe soon fell asleep, and on reaching home were carrieddirectly to bed; but the older ones begged so hard to be allowed to"stay with papa till mamma came home" that he could not find it in hisheart to refuse them.

  The Dinsmore party found Sophie devoting herself to her sick child; theattack had been sudden and severe, and all the previous night the motherhad watched by the couch of the little sufferer with an aching heart,fearing she was to be taken from her; but now the danger seemed nearlyover, a favorable change having taken place during the day.

  Daisy had fallen into a quiet slumber, and leaving the nurse to watch atthe bedside, the mother received and conversed with her friends in anadjoining room.

  Though evidently very glad to see them, she seemed, after the first fewmoments, so depressed and anxious, th
at at length her sister remarkedit, and asked if there were any other cause than Daisy's illness.

  "Yes, Rose," she said, "I must own that I am growing very timid inregard to these Ku Klux outrages. Since they have taken to beating andshooting whites as well as blacks, women as well as men, who shall saythat we are safe? I a Northern woman too and without a protector."

  "I do not think they will molest a lady of your standing," said Mr.Dinsmore, "the widow too of a Confederate officer. But where is Boyd,that you say you are without a protector?"

  A slight shudder ran over Sophie's frame. "Boyd?" she said, drawing herchair nearer and speaking in an undertone, "he is my great dread, andfor fear of wounding mother's feelings I have had to keep my terrors tomyself. I know that he is often out, away from the plantation, allnight. I have for weeks past suspected that he was a Ku Klux, and lastnight, or rather early this morning, my suspicions were so fullyconfirmed that they now amount almost to certainty. I had been up allnight with Daisy, and a little before sunrise happening to be at thewindow, I saw him stealing into the house with a bundle under hisarm,--something white rolled up in the careless sort of way a man woulddo it."

  "I am not surprised," said Mr. Dinsmore, "he is just the sort of man onewould expect to be at such work,--headstrong, violent tempered, andutterly selfish and unscrupulous. Yet I think you may dismiss your fearsof him, and feel it rather a safeguard than otherwise to have a memberof the Klan in your family."

  "It may be so," she said, musingly, the cloud of care partially liftingfrom her brow.

  "And at all events you are not without a protector, dear sister,"whispered Rose, as she bade adieu. "'A father of the fatherless, and ajudge of the widows is God in his holy habitation.'"

  Elsie too had a word of sympathy and hope for her childhood's friend,and with warm invitations to both the Oaks and Ion as soon as Daisycould be moved with safety, they left her, greatly cheered and refreshedby their visit.

  "My heart aches for her," Elsie said as they drove away, "what a sad,sad thing to be a widow!"

  "Yes;" responded Rose, "and to have lost your husband so,--fightingagainst the land of your birth and love."

  There was a long pause broken by a sudden, half frightened exclamationfrom Rosie. "Papa! what if we should meet the Ku Klux!"

  "Not much danger, I think: they are not apt to be abroad so early. Andwe are nearing Ion."

  "I presume Edward has reached home before us," remarked Elsie, "I wonderhow my little ones enjoyed their first visit to Roselands without theirmother."

  She soon learned; for she had scarcely set foot in the veranda ere theywere clinging about her and pouring out the story of their terriblefright.

  She pitied, soothed and comforted them, trying to dispel their fears andlead them to forgive those who had so ill-used them, though it cost nosmall effort to do so herself.