THE OLD SOUTH DRAWS THE SWORD.
When Royson reached his office he quietly locked himself in, and,
lighting a cigar, threw himself into his easy-chair. He recalled with
carefulness the minutest facts of his interview with Annie Montjoy, from
the moment he seated himself beside her, until his departure. Having
established these in mind he began the course of reasoning he always
pursued in making an estimate of testimony. The basis of his cousin's
action did not call for much attention; he knew her well. She was as
ambitious as Lucifer and possessed that peculiar defect which would
explain so many women if given proper recognition--lack of ability to
concede equal merit to others. They can admit no uninvited one to their
plane; not even an adviser. They demand flattery as a plant demands
nitrogen, and cannot survive the loss of attention.
And, reading deeper, Royson saw that the steadfast, womanly soul of the
sister-in-law had, even in the knowledge of his cousin, over-shadowed
hers until she resented even the old colonel's punctilious courtesy;
that in her heart she raged at his lack of informality and accused him
of resting upon the young girl. If she had been made much of, set up as
a divinity, appealed to and suffered to rule, all would have been fair
and beautiful. And then the lawyer smiled and said aloud to that other
self, with whom he communed: "For a while." Such was the woman.
Long he sat, studying the situation. Once he arose and paced the floor,
beating his fist into his hand and grinding his teeth.
"Both or none!" he cried, at last. "If Montjoy is nominated I am
shelved; and as for Mary, there have been Sabine women in all ages."
That night the leaders of the opposition met in secret caucus, called
together by Royson. When, curious and attentive, they assembled in his
private office, he addressed them:
"I have, gentlemen, to-day found myself in a very embarrassing position;
a very painful one. You all know my devotion to our friend; I need not
say, therefore, that here to-night the one overpowering cause of the
action which I am about to take is my loyalty to him. To-day, from a
source I am not at liberty to state here, I was placed in possession of
a fact which, if used, practically ends this campaign. You must none of
you express a doubt, nor must any one question me upon the subject. The
only question to be discussed is, shall we make use of the fact--and
how?" He waited a moment until the faces of the committee betrayed their
deep interest.
"Whom do you consider in this city the most powerful single man behind
the movement to nominate Montjoy?"
"Morgan," said one, promptly. It was their unanimous judgment.
"Correct! This man, with his money and zeal, has made our chances
uncertain if not desperate, and this man," he continued, excitedly, "who
is posing before the public and offering odds of three to one against us
with old Morgan's money, is not a white man!"
He had leaned over the table and concluded his remarks in almost a
whisper. A painful silence followed, during which the excited lawyer
glared inquiringly into the faces turned in horror upon him. "Do you
understand?" he shouted at last. They understood.
A southern man readily takes a hint upon such a matter. These men sat
silent, weighing in their minds the final effect of this announcement.
Royson did not give them long to consider.
"I am certain of this, so certain that if you think best I will publish
the fact to-morrow and assume the whole responsibility." There was but
little doubt remaining then. But the committee seemed weighed upon
rather than stirred by the revelation; they spoke in low tones to each
other. There was no note of triumph in any voice. They were men.
Presently the matter took definite shape. An old man arose and addressed
his associates:
"I need not say, gentlemen, that I am astonished by this information,
and you will pardon me if I do say I regret that it seems true. As far
as I am concerned I am opposed to its use. It is a very difficult matter
to prove. Mr. Royson's informant may be mistaken, and if proof was not
forthcoming a reaction would ruin our friend." No one replied, although
several nodded their heads. At length Royson spoke:
"The best way to reach the heart of this matter is to follow out in your
minds a line of action. Suppose in a speech I should make the
charge--what would be the result?"
"You would be at once challenged!" Royson smiled.
"Who would bear the challenge?"
"One of the Montjoys would be morally compelled to."
"Suppose I convince the bearer that a member of his family was my
authority?" Then they began to get a glimpse of the depth of the plot.
One answered:
"He would be obliged to withdraw!"
"Exactly! And who else after that would take Montjoy's place? Or how
could Montjoy permit the duel to go on? And if he did find a fool to
bring his challenge, I could not, for the reason given in the charge,
meet his principal!"
"A court of honor might compel you to prove your charge, and then you
would be in a hole. That is, unless you could furnish proof."
"And still," said Royson, "there would be no duel, because there would
be no second. And you understand, gentlemen," he continued, smiling,
"that all this would not postpone the campaign. Before the court of
honor could settle the matter the election would have been held. You can
imagine how that election would go when it is known that Montjoy's
campaign manager and right-hand man is not white. This man is
hail-fellow-well-met with young Montjoy; a visitor in his home and is
spending money like water. What do you suppose the country will say when
these facts are handled on the stump? Col. Montjoy is ignorant of it, we
know, but he will be on the defensive from the day the revelation is
made.
"I have said my action is compelled by my loyalty to Swearingen, and I
reiterate it, but we owe something to the community, to the white race,
to good morals and posterity. And if I am mistaken in my proofs,
gentlemen, why, then, I can withdraw my charge. It will not affect the
campaign already over. But I will not have to withdraw."
"As far as I am concerned," said another gentleman, rising and speaking
emphatically, "this is a matter upon which, under the circumstances, I
do not feel called to vote! I cannot act without full information! The
fact is, I am not fond of such politics! If Mr. Royson has proofs that
he cannot use publicly or here, the best plan would be to submit them to
Col. Montjoy and let him withdraw, or pull off his lieutenant." He
passed out and several with him. Royson argued with the others, but one
by one they left him. He was bursting with rage.
"I will determine for myself!" he said, "the victory shall rest in me!"
Then came the speech of the campaign at the court house. The relations
of Col. Montjoy, his family friends, people connected with him in the
remotest degree by marriage, army friends, members of the bar,
merchants, warehousemen and farmers generally, and a large sprinkling of
personal and political enemies of Swearingen made up the vast crowd.
In the rear of the hall, a smile upon his face, was Amos Royson. And yet
the secret glee in his heart, the knowledge that he, one man in all that
throng, by a single sentence could check the splendid demonstration and
sweep the field, was clouded. It came to him that no other member of the
Montjoy clan was a traitor. Nowhere is the family tie so strong as in
the south, and only the power of his ambition could have held him aloof.
Swearingen had several times represented the district in Congress; it
was his turn when the leader moved on. This had been understood for
years by the political public. In the meantime he had been state's
attorney and there were a senatorship, a judgeship and possibly the
governorship to be grasped. He could not be expected to sacrifice his
career upon the altar of kinship remote. Indeed, was it not the duty of
Montjoy to stand aside for the sake of a younger man? Was it not true
that a large force in his nomination had been the belief that
Swearingen's right-hand man would probably be silenced thereby? It had
been a conspiracy.
These thoughts ran through his mind as he stood watching the gathering.
On the stage sat Edward Morgan, a prominent figure and one largely
scanned by the public; and Royson saw his face light up and turn to a
private box; saw his smile and bow. A hundred eyes were turned with his,
and discovered there, half concealed by the curtains, the face of Mary
Montjoy. The public jumped to the conclusion that had previously been
forced on him.
Over Royson's face surged a wave of blood; a muttered oath drew
attention to him and he changed his position. He saw the advancing
figure of Gen. Evan and heard his introductory speech. The morning paper
said it was the most eloquent ever delivered on such an occasion; and
all that the speaker said was:
"Fellow-citizens, I have the honor to introduce to you this evening Col.
Norton Montjoy. Hear him."
His rich bass voice rolled over the great audience; he extended his arm
toward the orator of the evening, and retired amid thunders of applause.
Then came Col. Montjoy.
The old south was famous for its oratory. It was based upon personal
independence, upon family pride and upon intellect unhampered by
personal toil in uncongenial occupations; and lastly upon sentiment.
Climate may have entered into it; race and inheritance undoubtedly did.
The southern orator was the feature of congressional displays, and back
in congressional archives lie orations that vie with the best of Athens
and of Rome. But the flavor, the spectacular effects, linger only in the
memory of the rapidly lessening number who mingled deeply in ante-bellum
politics. No pen could have faithfully preserved this environment.
So with the oration that night in the opening of the Montjoy campaign.
It was not transmissible. Only the peroration need be reproduced here:
"God forbid!" he said in a voice now husky with emotion and its long
strain, "God forbid that the day shall come when the south will
apologize for her dead heroes! Stand by your homes; stand by your
traditions; keep our faith in the past as bright as your hopes for the
future! No stain rests upon the honor of your fathers! Transmit their
memories and their virtues to posterity as its best inheritance! Defend
your homes and firesides, remembering always that the home, the family
circle, is the fountain head of good government! Let none enter there
who are unclean. Keep it the cradle of liberty and the hope of the
English race on this continent, the shrine of religion, of beauty, of
purity!"
He closed amid a tumult of enthusiasm. Men stood on chairs to cheer;
ladies wept and waved their handkerchiefs, and then over all arose the
strange melody that no southern man can sit quiet under. "Dixie" rang
out amid a frenzy of emotion. Veterans hugged each other. The old
general came forward and clasped hands with his comrade, the band
changing to "Auld Lang Syne." People crowded on the stage and outside
the building the drifting crowd filled the air with shouts.
The last man to rise from his seat was Edward Morgan. Lost in thought,
his face lowered, he sat until some one touched him on the shoulder and
called him back to the present. And out in the audience, clinging to a
post, to resist the stream of humanity, passing from the aisles, his
eyes strained forward, heedless of the banter and jeers poured upon him,
Royson watched as best he could every shade upon the stranger's face. A
cry burst from his lips. "It was true!" he said, and dashed from the
hall.