When Ruth reached her home she found her father worrying a great deal
because of his inability to remember past things. "Ruth," he said,
"it's a shame that you have to work so hard to support Clara and me and
I can't do anything to help, can't even remember who it was that stole
my money."
"Don't worry, daddy, I will soon have money enough to send you to Dr.
Lilly--I have about an hour's work to do tonight, and you know that
every cent I earn from this extra work goes into the fund to send you
to the specialist."
He placed his arm about her and she pillowed her head on his breast.
"Ruth," he said, "you are one of the best daughters that ever lived,
and your daddy appreciates what you are trying to do for him, but don't
build on it too much, for the doctors here say there is no hope for me."
"They don't know everything, and Dr. Lilly has made some wonderful
cures. I can't help but believe that he can do something for you."
Aunt Clara announced dinner, and they went into the dining room. "I am
glad you are having dinner early, Aunt Clara," said Ruth.
"Are you hungry, Ruth, or have you an engagement with that Mr. Golter?"
her aunt asked.
"I am not very hungry and I haven't a date with anybody, but I have
some work to do."
After the meal was over Ruth worked for an hour and a quarter. After
her work was finished she went out alone for a walk. She had walked
about half way to the business section when she was agreeably surprised
to meet Harold.
"Well, when did you get back?" she asked.
"Just got in, and was coming out to call on you."
"I was just taking a walk. Will you walk with me, or shall we return to
the house?"
"I would just as soon walk. I have been riding on the train so long
that I need to stretch myself."
"How was the luck?" she inquired.
"The finest kind. I got the job, and now it's up to me to make good."
"I am sure you will do that," she said.
"Ruth, it helps a lot to have someone who has confidence in you.
Especially when that someone is one in whom you are interested--someone
whom you think of as a real friend."
"I am glad on your account that you landed this big job, and I am
pleased that you will show Mr. Stover and McBryan that you can succeed
without any of their help and in spite of them."
"Ruth, I received a shock when I got off the train tonight."
"Did you touch a live wire?"
"No, worse than that. I heard of your affidavit in the paper, and I
couldn't believe it until I got the paper and read it."
"You shouldn't be shocked at a little thing like that."
"I was afraid that you would be subjected to adverse criticism and that
Stover would make it unpleasant for you at the bank."
"He wasn't any too well pleased. He wanted to know why I did it. I told
him I did it for fun; that I had no intention of injuring the Klan. He
said that he did not care how much it hurt the Klan."
"Oh, he didn't! That shows a lack of principle at which I am not
surprised."
"Mr. Stover has been good to me and was always a good friend of
father's, but he has certainly done and said some things of which I
cannot approve. These things have caused me to lose confidence in him
to some extent, but, Harold, I can't help but believe that he thought
that the only chance to secure the city job for you was to induce
you to give up the Klan and that he really believes that it is a bad
organization."
"I think you are mistaken. I am of the opinion that Stover is just what
he showed himself to be in his attempt to bribe me to turn traitor to
the Klan and in this statement he made to you--a crook."
"I don't think that. But--well, I don't know just how to explain it."
"What did he object to about the prank that you played on Rastus?"
"He said that he did not like to have one of the bank's employees the
subject of comment and his friend Springer subjected to ridicule."
"He's very solicitous about Springer's feelings."
"I told him that I was not going to shed any tears over Springer; that
if he had given an accurate account of the incident without prejudice
he would not have been caused any embarrassment by my affidavit.'"
"Good for you! I hope he tells Springer what you said."
"Mr. Stover told me not to do it again and I promised that I
wouldn't--but, say, it was lots of fun."
"Tell me about it."
She gave him a full account of the escapade and of the negro's
declaration that he was feigning fright to please her. They both
enjoyed a good laugh.
After a walk of half an hour or more they returned to the house and
he requested her to play and sing. She went to the piano and ran her
fingers lightly over the keys and then, turning to him, asked, "What do
you prefer?"
"Oh, you know that I like the old Southern melodies. These present-day
songs have so little to them."
She had a good soprano voice, and as she sang the songs of the
Southland for him, he drifted out on the beautiful sea of finer
sentiments. When she had finished singing he walked over to her and
took one of her hands in his. "Ruth," he said, his voice vibrant with
emotion, "I love you and if you can give me your love I will be the
happiest man in the world."
"Harold," she replied, "we have been such good friends that I am
afraid that we may destroy that relation in a desire to establish a
more satisfactory one. I have heard that friendship is above love. Our
friendship has been such a beautiful thing that I would not want to mar
it by----"
"You don't believe that stuff even if such a noted philosopher as Plato
did say it, do you Ruth? I know that it isn't true. My heart tells me
it isn't true. You don't believe it, do you?"
"Plato was a very wise man," she said, and then dropped her eyes. With
the disengaged hand she began to toy with the lace on her dress.
"Ruth, if you would only tell me that you love me I would be thoroughly
happy." He spoke with great earnestness.
"You should be very happy anyway. A young architect who has just landed
a twelve thousand dollar job certainly should be happy."
"I am delighted to have the job, but my heart craves a greater
happiness. If you will only----"
The door between the dining room and living room was thrown open and
Aunt Clara entered. Harold dropped Ruth's hand and blushed profusely.
"Good-evening. I hope you will pardon the intrusion. I have just been
reading an article, and I wanted to ask Mr. King what he thought about
it. It was on 'Intolerance in the United States.' The writer went on to
say that the Ku Klux Klan is fighting religion. Don't you think it is
terrible, Mr. King, that we have an organization in the United States
that fights religion?"
"That would be unfortunate if it were true. Did he state what religions
the Klan is fighting?"
"Yes, the Jewish religion and the Catholic."
"I am sure the author of that article is wrong. There are a great many
people who are making similar statements. No doubt some are misinformed
but others desire to misrepresent the purposes of the Klan in order to
impede its progress."
"My Catholic neighbor gave me one of her papers to read the other
day, and I am sure that the Catholics believe it is an intolerant
organization."
"I suspect that's because they can't join it, Aunt Clara," said Ruth.
"The Klan is not anti-Catholic, anti-Jew, anti-negro, or anti-anything
else. The Klan is pro-Christian, pro-public schools, pro-America. If
the Catholics take offense because the Klan insists on the maintenance
of our public schools, the separation of church and state, and
allegiance to the United States over and above any foreign allegiance,
then so far as I am concerned they will have to be offended. If the
Jews construe the adherence to the principles of Christ as an attack
on their religion and desire to suppress the organization that adheres
to these principles, then it is plain to see that the Jews are most
intolerant."
Aunt Clara had made up her mind that the Klan was an undesirable
organization, and when she had once made up her mind to anything, like
many other folk, she was hard to change. "Members of the Klan wouldn't
vote for Catholics for office, would they?" she asked.
"It's the privilege of every American citizen to cast his ballot as he
sees fit, and he should always vote for what he believes to be the best
interests of the public. If a Klansman or any other citizen believes
that a candidate for office would not stand for the best interests of
our American institutions, what is his duty as a citizen?"
"Why, to vote against him, to be sure."
"If you vote against a Methodist, a Baptist or a Catholic in the
next election because you believe that he is not in harmony with
Americanism; that vote could not reasonably be construed as interfering
with his freedom of worship, could it?"
"Certainly not, but I think it's a bad thing to arouse so much bitter
feeling."
"It isn't pleasant to have bitter feelings aroused, but if standing for
things that are essentially American incurs the enmity of groups of
individuals we had best arouse such opposition and resist it. I am not
in favor of 'peace at any price.'"
"I was talking with Mr. Golter when he called for Ruth a short time
ago, and he says that while the principles of the Klan sound well
enough the character of the men who belong are such that it is the duty
of all good citizens to oppose them."
"The Klan requires that those who become members of the organization be
of good moral character. Of course an organization whose members number
three million will, in spite of all precaution, get some unworthy
members. Whenever a member commits any serious offense he is expelled
from the Klan. I am safe in saying that there is no other secret
organization in the world with a better personnel of membership than
the Klan. The membership is made up from all walks of life--laborers,
farmers, doctors, ministers, judges, small business men and big
business men."
"If what you say is true, why all this opposition? We scarcely pick up
a paper but there is something against the Klan."
"Every great movement has had its opponents, Aunt Clara. You know the
early Christians were persecuted, and the Masonic order in the early
history of its growth met with just such opposition as the Klan is
meeting now," remarked Ruth.
"What you say is quite true," said Harold, "and the opposition to the
Klan, in addition to the Catholics, Jews and negroes, consists of the
law violators, denizens of the underworld, politicians, misinformed
individuals and newspapers that are subsidized by some opposing factor
or that are edited by politicians."
"Well, the Klan may be all right, but I have my doubts." The Klan was
now dropped and Harold hoped that the aunt would soon retire from the
room, but she enjoyed conversing and brought up the subject of Coue's
theory and discussed it at such length that Harold excused himself and
went home. One statement made by Aunt Clara stuck in Harold's mind and
kept him awake the greater part of the night. He tried to dismiss it,
but the statement, "When Mr. Golter called for Ruth a short time ago,"
would not down, but shouted itself in his ears whenever he tried to
find sleep. The statement from the aunt, he was quite sure, explained
why Ruth could be only a friend to him. This thought tormented him
until the light of day broke in the east and Morpheus brought relief.