THE CHALLENGE
Norton was morally certain now that the boy was interested in Helen. How
far this interest had gone he could only guess.
What stunned him was that Tom had already taken sides with the girl. He had
not said so in words. But his embarrassment and uneasiness could mean but
one thing. He must move with caution, yet he must act at once and end the
dangerous situation. A clandestine love affair was a hideous possibility.
Up to a moment ago he had held such a thing out of the question with the
boy's high-strung sense of honor and his lack of experience with girls.
He was afraid now of both the boy and girl. She had convinced him of her
purity when the first words had fallen from her lips. Yet wiser men had
been deceived before. The thought of her sleek, tawny mother came with a
shudder. No daughter could escape such an inheritance.
There was but one thing to do and it must be done quickly. He would send
Helen abroad and if necessary tell her the whole hideous truth.
He lifted his head at the sound of Cleo's footsteps, rose and confronted
her. As his deep-set eyes surveyed her he realized that the hour had come
for a fight to the finish.
She gazed at him steadily with a look of undisguised hate:
"What is it?"
He took a step closer, planted his long legs apart and met her greenish
eyes with an answering flash of rage:
"When I think of your damned impudence, using my typewriter and letterheads
to send an invitation to that girl to spend the summer here with Tom at
home, and signing my name----"
"I have the right to use your name with her," she broke in with a sneer.
"It will be the last time I'll give you the chance."
"We'll see," was the cool reply.
Norton slowly drew a chair to the table, seated himself and said:
"I want the truth from you now."
"You'll get it. I've never had to lie to you, at least----"
"I've no time to bandy words--will you tell me exactly what's been going on
between Tom and Helen during my absence in this campaign?"
"I haven't seen anything!" was the light answer.
His lips moved to say that she lied, but he smiled instead. What was the
use? He dropped his voice to a careless, friendly tone:
"They have seen each other every day?"
"Certainly."
"How many hours have they usually spent together?"
"I didn't count them."
Norton bit his lips to keep back an oath:
"How often have they been riding?"
"Perhaps a dozen times."
"They returned late occasionally?"
"Twice."
"How late?"
"It was quite dark----"
"What time?--eight, nine, ten or eleven o'clock?"
"As late as nine one night, half-past nine another--the moon was shining."
She said it with a taunting smile.
"Were they alone?"
"Yes."
"You took pains to leave them alone, I suppose?"
"Sometimes"--she paused and looked at him with a smile that was a sneer.
"What are you afraid of?"
He returned her gaze steadily:
"Anything is possible of your daughter--the thought of it strangles me!"
Cleo laughed lightly:
"Then all you've got to do is to speak--tell Tom the truth."
"I'll die first!" he fiercely replied. "At least I've taught him racial
purity. I've been true to my promise to the dead in this. He shall never
know the depths to which I once fell! You have robbed me of everything else
in life, this boy's love and respect is all that you've left me"--he
stopped, his breast heaving with suppressed passion. "Why--why did you
bring that girl into this house?"
"I wished to see her--that's enough. For twenty years, I've lived here as a
slave, always waiting and hoping for a sign from you that you were
human----"
"For a sign that I'd sink again to your level! Well, I found out twenty
years ago that beneath the skin of every man sleeps an ape and a tiger--I
fought that battle and won----"
"And I have lost?"
"Yes."
"Perhaps I haven't begun to fight yet."
"I shouldn't advise you to try it. I know now that I made a tragic blunder
when I brought you back into this house. I've cursed myself a thousand
times that I didn't put the ocean between us. If my boy hadn't loved you,
if he hadn't slipped his little arms around your neck and clung to you
sobbing out the loneliness of his hungry heart--if I hadn't seen the tears
in your own eyes and known that you had saved his life once--I wouldn't
have made the mistake that I did. But I gave you my word, and I've lived up
to it. I've reared and educated your child and given you the protection of
my home----"
"Yes," she broke in, "that you might watch and guard me and know that your
secret was safely kept while you've grown to hate me each day with deeper
and fiercer hatred--God!--I've wondered sometimes that you haven't killed
me!"
Norton's voice sank to a whisper:
"I've wondered sometimes, too"--a look of anguish swept his face--"but I
gave you my word, and I've kept it."
"Because you had to keep it!"
He sprang to his feet:
"Had to keep it--you say that to me?"
"I do."
"This house is still mine----"
"But your past is mine!" she cried with a look of triumph.
"Indeed! We'll see. Helen leaves this house immediately."
"She shall not!"
"You refuse to obey my orders?"
"And what's more," she cried with angry menace, "I refuse to allow you to
put her out!"
"To _allow_?"
"I said it!"
"So I am your servant? I must ask your permission?--God!----" he sprang
angrily toward the bell and Cleo stepped defiantly before him:
"Don't you touch that bell----"
Norton thrust her aside:
"Get out of my way!"
"Ring that bell if you dare!" she hissed.
"Dare?"
The woman drew her form erect:
"If you dare! And in five minutes I'll be in that newspaper office across
the way from yours! The editor doesn't love you. To-morrow morning the
story of your life and mine will blaze on that first page!"
Norton caught a chair for support, his face paled and he sank slowly to a
seat.
Cleo leaned toward him, trembling with passion:
"I'll give you fair warning. There are plenty of negroes to-day your equal
in wealth and culture. Do you think they have been listening to their great
leader's call to battle for nothing--building fine houses, buying land,
piling up money, sending their sons and daughters to college, to come at
your beck and call? You're a fool if you do. They are only waiting their
chance to demand social equality and get it. Wealth and culture will give
it in the end, ballot or no ballot. Once rich, white men and women will
come at their command. I've got my chance now to demand my rights of you
and do a turn for the negro race. You've got to recognize Helen before your
son. I've brought her here for that purpose. With her by my side, I'll be
the mistress of this house. Now resign your leadership and get out of this
campaign!"
With a stamp of her foot she ended her mad speech in sharp, high tones,
turned quickly and started to the door.
Between set teeth Norton growled:
"And you think that I'll submit?"
The woman wheeled suddenly and rushed back to his side, her eyes flaming:
"You've got to submit--you've got to submit--or begin with me a fight that
can only end in your ruin! I've nothing to lose, and I tell you now that
I'll fight to win, I'll fight to kill! I'll ask no quarter of you and I'll
give none. I'll fight with every ounce of strength I've got, body and
soul--and if I lose I'll still have strength enough left to pull you into
hell with me!"
Her voice broke in a sob, she pulled herself together, straightened her
figure and cried:
"Now what are you going to do? What are you going to do? Accept my terms or
fight?"
Norton's face was livid, his whole being convulsed as he leaped to his feet
and confronted her:
"I'll fight!"
"All right! All right!" she said with hysterical passion, backing toward
the door. "I've warned you now--I didn't want to fight--but I'll show
you--I'll show you!"