The man who undertook this work must burn the bridges behind him, ask nothing for himself and take his life daily in his hands. He knew the state from the sea to its farthest mountain peak and without the slightest vanity felt that God had called him to this task. There was no other man who could do it, no other man fitted for it. He had the training, bitter experience, and the confidence of the people. And he had no ambitions save a deathless desire to serve his country in the solution of its greatest and most insoluble problem. He edited the most powerful organ of public opinion in the South and he was an eloquent1 and forceful speaker. His paper had earned a comfortable fortune, he was independent, he had the training of a veteran soldier and physical fear was something he had long since ceased to know.
And his house was in order for the event. He could leave for months in confidence that the work would run with the smoothness of a clock.[Pg 212]
He had sent Tom to a Northern university which had kept itself clean from the stain of negro associations. The boy had just graduated with honor, returned home and was at work in the office. He was a handsome, clean, manly2, straight-limbed, wholesome3 boy, the pride of his father's heart, and had shown decided4 talent for newspaper work.
Andy had long since become his faithful henchman, butler and man of all work. Aunt Minerva, his fat, honest cook, was the best servant he had ever known, and Cleo kept his house.
The one point of doubt was Cleo. During the past year she had given unmistakable signs of a determination to fight. If she should see fit to strike in the midst of this campaign, her blow would be a crushing one. It would not only destroy him personally, it would confuse and crush his party in hopeless defeat. He weighed this probability from every point of view and the longer he thought it over the less likely it appeared that she would take such a step. She would destroy herself and her child as well. She knew him too well now to believe that he would ever yield in such a struggle. Helen was just graduating from a convent school in the Northwest, a beautiful and accomplished5 girl, and the last thing on earth she could suspect was that a drop of negro blood flowed in her veins6. He knew Cleo too well, understood her hatred7 of negroes too well, to believe that she would deliberately8 push this child back into a negroid hell merely to wreak9 a useless revenge that would crush her own life as well. She was too wise, too cunning, too cautious.
And yet her steadily10 growing desperation caused him to hesitate. The thing he dreaded11 most was the[Pg 213] loss of his boy's respect, which a last desperate fight with this woman would involve. The one thing he had taught Tom was racial cleanness. With a wisdom inspired and guided by the brooding spirit of his mother he had done this thoroughly12. He had so instilled13 into this proud, sensitive boy's soul a hatred for all low association with women that it was inconceivable to him that any decent white man would stoop to an intrigue14 with a woman of negro blood. The withering15 scorn, the unmeasured contempt with which he had recently expressed himself to his father on this point had made the red blood slowly mount to the older man's face.
He had rather die than look into this boy's clean, manly eyes and confess the shame that would blacken his life. The boy loved him with a deep, tender, reverent16 love. His keen eyes had long ago seen the big traits in his father's character. The boy's genuine admiration17 was the sweetest thing in his lonely life.
He weighed every move with care and deliberately made up his mind to strike the blow and take the chances. No man had the right to weigh his personal career against the life of a people—certainly no man who dared to assume the leadership of a race. He rose from his desk, opened the door of the reporters' room and called Tom.
The manly young figure, in shirt sleeves, pad and pencil in hand, entered with quick, firm step.
"You want me to interview you, Governor?" he said with a laugh. "All right—now what do you think of that little scrimmage at the mouth of the harbor of Santiago yesterday? How's that for a Fourth of July celebration? I ask it of a veteran of the Confederate army?"[Pg 214]
The father smiled proudly as the youngster pretended to be taking notes of his imaginary interview.
"You heard, sir," he went on eagerly, "that your old General, Joe Wheeler, was there and in a moment of excitement forgot himself and shouted to his aid:
"'There go the damned Yankees!—charge and give 'em hell!'"
A dreamy look came into the father's eyes as he interrupted:
"I shouldn't be surprised if Wheeler said it—anyhow, it's too good a joke to doubt"—he paused and the smile on his serious face slowly faded.
"Shut the door, Tom," he said with a gesture toward the reporters' room.
The boy rose, closed the door, and sat down near his father's chair:
"Well, Dad, why so serious? Am I to be fired without a chance? or is it just a cut in my wages? Don't prolong the agony!"
"I am going to put you in my chair in this office, my son," the father said in a slow drawl. The boy flushed scarlet18 and then turned pale.
"You don't mean it—now?" he gasped19.
"To-morrow."
"You think I can make good?" The question came through trembling lips and he was looking at his father through a pair of dark blue eyes blurred20 by tears of excitement.
"You'll do better than I did at your age. You're better equipped."
"You think so?" Tom asked in quick boyish eagerness.
"I know it."[Pg 215]
The boy sprang to his feet and grasped his father's hand:
"Your faith in me is glorious—it makes me feel like I can do anything——"
"You can—if you try."
"Well, if I can, it's because I've got good blood in me. I owe it all to you. You're the biggest man I ever met, Dad. I've wanted to say this to you for a long time, but I never somehow got up my courage to tell you what I thought of you."
The father slipped his arm tenderly about the boy and looked out the window at the bright Southern sky for a moment before he slowly answered:
"I'd rather hear that from you, Tom, than the shouts of the rest of the world."
"I'm going to do my level best to prove myself worthy21 of the big faith you've shown in me—but why have you done it? What does it mean?"
"Simply this, my boy, that the time has come in the history of the South for a leader to strike the first blow in the battle for racial purity by establishing a clean American citizenship22. I am going to disfranchise the Negro in this state as the first step toward the ultimate complete separation of the races."
The boy's eyes flashed:
"It's a big undertaking23, sir."
"Yes."
"Is it possible?"
"Many say not. That's why I'm going to do it. The real work must come after this first step. Just now the campaign which I'm going to inaugurate to-morrow in a speech at the mass meeting celebrating our victory at Santiago, is the thing in hand. This campaign will[Pg 216] take me away from home for several months. I must have a man here whom I can trust implicitly24."
"I'll do my best, sir," the boy broke in.
"In case anything happens to me before it ends——"
Tom bent25 close:
"What do you mean?"
"You never can tell what may happen in such a revolution——"
"It will be a revolution?"
"Yes. That's what my enemies as yet do not understand. They will not be prepared for the weapons I shall use. And I'll win. I may lose my life, but I'll start a fire that can't be put out until it has swept the state—the South"—he paused—"and then the Nation!"
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1
eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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2
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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wholesome
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| adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的 | |
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4
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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6
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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7
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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8
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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9
wreak
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| v.发泄；报复 | |
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10
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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11
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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12
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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13
instilled
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| v.逐渐使某人获得（某种可取的品质），逐步灌输( instill的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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14
intrigue
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| vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋 | |
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15
withering
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| 使人畏缩的，使人害羞的，使人难堪的 | |
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16
reverent
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| adj.恭敬的，虔诚的 | |
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17
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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18
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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19
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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20
blurred
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| v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离 | |
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21
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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22
citizenship
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| n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份) | |
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23
undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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24
implicitly
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| adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地 | |
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25
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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