He wrote Stella a letter informing her that John Graham had hired a gang of thugs to attempt his assassination1 on the night he was to meet her, that he had been desperately2 wounded in her service, and begged that she call at once.
Stella sent him a reply that cut deeper than the bullet from John’s revolver. It was very brief. Steve read it with muttered curses:
Mr. Stephen Hoyle,
I have long suspected that you were a liar3. Last night you proved yourself a coward. Our acquaintance has ended.
Stella Butler.
Steve paced his room in a speechless rage for an hour, dressed to call on her and demand an interview, and suddenly changed his mind at the sight of a squad4 of troops hurrying past his door.
The arrest of John Graham had brought him to the verge5 of collapse6. He trembled at the thought that his turn might come next, and feared to put his head out the door.
When ten minutes later the soldiers who had passed suddenly appeared at every exit of his house and loudly knocked for entrance, he dropped into a chair shivering with abject7 terror.
When arrested he turned his heavy white face toward the sergeant8 piteously.
“I beg of you, officer, allow me to stay here under guard. I am desperately wounded, by an accident.”
“You’ll have to go to jail,” the trooper snapped.
“But, my dear man, I can’t. I can’t walk,” he gasped9 with laboured breath. “Just let me stay here under arrest until I can arrange with the authorities to give bail10.”
“Ye’ll have ter fix that at headquarters—come on,” he answered gruffly, seizing Steve and lifting him to his feet.
The heavy form collapsed11 and he sank in a heap on the floor.
The sergeant looked at him a moment with contempt, turned to his men and said:
“Keep him under guard till I report.”
The moment he had gone, Steve revived and crawled in bed, his teeth chattering12 with a nervous chill. The soldiers sat down and laughed in his face, and cracked jokes about the bravery of men who could ride well at night but sometimes fainted in the daylight.
The Attorney General had ordered Steve’s arrest on a shrewd guess which Ackerman had made on hearing of the strange fight between two groups of horsemen in the country at dusk the night before. The detective had seen the doctor leaving Hoyle’s house and learned at once that Steve was wounded.
In attempting to serve the warrant on John Graham he had found that he had ridden into the country alone in the direction taken by Steve Hoyle. Ackerman had long suspected Steve of complicity in the movements of the Klan, and knowing the deadly enmity between the two men had at once reached the conclusion that a feud13 within the ranks of its members could alone account for the situation.
“Arrest Hoyle,” he urged on Champion; “threaten him with immediate14 conviction for conspiracy15 and murder and see what happens.”
The Attorney General had taken his advice, and on receiving the report of Steve’s “illness” from the sergeant, went immediately to see him.
Steve was profuse16 in his expressions of cordiality.
“I’m sorry, General Champion,” he said, with loud friendliness17, “that my father and mother are in the North at present. They spend a great deal of their time up there among you good Yankees. The fact is they are specially18 fond of you. My father, you know, was a secret union man during the war and has always voted your ticket since, though for social reasons he don’t say much about it down here.”
Steve winked19 and laughed feebly.
“Is it so?” asked the General.
“Yes, of course,” Steve hurried on, “and I want to ask you as a personal favour to my father, if not to me, to accept my bail for 拢10,000. The whole thing, I assure you, is an absurd mistake. My father and I can convince you of this on his return.”
The General pursed his lips and watched Steve shrewdly for a moment.
“I’m sorry I can’t accommodate you, Mr. Hoyle. We cannot accept bail in cases of this kind. You must realise at once that you are in a very dangerous position. Beyond a doubt your life is in peril20.”
Steve attempted to laugh but choked with terror, saying feebly:
“Oh, not so bad as that, General. I’m a lawyer myself you know. I can only be tried on a charge of murder before a state judge and jury. You have no right to put a man on trial for his life here.”
“Right or no right, young man, we are going to do it under the Act of Congress. We’ve got the power. The army is here. The Supreme21 Court may decide the Act unconstitutional later.”
“I assure you, General, the charge against me is a monstrous22 falsehood,” Steve protested vigorously.
“And yet, my boy, the men have found in the search of this house a full Ku Klux regalia for man and horse. Sergeant, bring that thing in!”
The trooper stepped in the door and held up before Steve’s astonished gaze the costume which he had taken under his saddle the night before on his trip to meet Stella.
Steve sat up in bed trembling and perspiring23.
“Why, yes, of course,” he stammered24. “That has been here for some time. I’ve made no attempt to conceal25 it. It was given me by a client of mine who was a member. I’m keeping it as a curiosity.”
“A dangerous curiosity to keep about your house in these times, sir,” said the General sternly. “Let’s come to the point. Do you wish to keep out of jail or do you wish to test the power of the United States Government to put you on trial for your life?”
“I want to keep out of jail,” was the quick answer.
“That’s sensible. Then face the facts. My detective has watched you for three months. I can convict you of murder.”
Steve fumbled26 his hands nervously27 while the General paused and gazed steadily28 at his wavering eyes.
“Now, I’ve a generous proposition to make you.”
“Yes?—yes?” Steve gasped.
“One that will give you an opportunity to prove yourself a patriot29 and a hero—a patriot because you will render your country a great service—a hero because you must brave the scorn of every white man and woman whose opinion is worth anything to you. Will you consider it?”
“Yes,” Steve answered.
“Give me the information needed to destroy the Invisible Empire and I will not only release you from custody30; I will make you my assistant and ultimately secure your promotion31 to a judgeship. Your answer?”
“I’ll do it, General, I’ll do it!” Steve cried, while the maudlin32 tears of a coward’s relief from mortal fear coursed down his fat cheeks. “I’ll stand by you and help save our country by restoring law and order.”
The General thanked and congratulated him, again called him a patriot and hero and sent for his stenographer33. For four hours he was closeted with Steve.
At dusk the soldiers moved with sure tread in every county in Piedmont Carolina, and before the sun rose the blow had fallen swift, relentless34, terrible!
The Klan leaders in every county were behind the bars.
More than five hundred arrests were made in the county of Independence. Around the jail, and half a dozen improvised35 prisons, throngs36 of sadfaced wives, mothers, sisters and sweethearts stood silently weeping.
The next morning Champion wired the President asking that the Honourable37 Stephen Hoyle be appointed acting38 Assistant United States District Attorney, and his request was granted.
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1
assassination
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| n.暗杀；暗杀事件 | |
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desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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liar
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| n.说谎的人 | |
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squad
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| n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组 | |
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verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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abject
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| adj.极可怜的，卑屈的 | |
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sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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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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bail
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| v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人 | |
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collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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feud
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| n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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conspiracy
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| n.阴谋，密谋，共谋 | |
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profuse
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| adj.很多的，大量的，极其丰富的 | |
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friendliness
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| n.友谊，亲切，亲密 | |
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specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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perspiring
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| v.出汗，流汗( perspire的现在分词 ) | |
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stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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fumbled
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| （笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下 | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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patriot
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| n.爱国者，爱国主义者 | |
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custody
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| n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留 | |
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promotion
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| n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传 | |
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maudlin
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| adj.感情脆弱的，爱哭的 | |
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stenographer
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| n.速记员 | |
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relentless
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| adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的 | |
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improvised
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| a.即席而作的,即兴的 | |
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throngs
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| n.人群( throng的名词复数 )v.成群，挤满( throng的第三人称单数 ) | |
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honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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