THE FLAMING SWORD
And what a time we have had to keep Helen peeping through the railings
at Dr. Wright as he stood in the brilliant moonlight on the gallery at
Grantly, while the crazed mob of darkies advanced jauntily to the front
of the old mansion! It was their intention to enter and claim the spoils
thereof: treasures that they had begun to think belonged to them by
reason of their long service and the service of their fathers and
fathers' fathers.
Confident that the mansion was empty, they made no endeavor to be quiet.
All the white folks for miles and miles around were feasting at the
count's ball; as for the burning rick,--they had not thought that the
fire would do more than warm things up for their deed.
"Now fur the loot!" cried James Hanks. "An' we mus' hurry up, 'cause
whin the ol' tabbies gits home from the ball they mus'n't be hide or har
of the house lef' standin'."
"Bus' open the bar'l er coal ile!" suggested one black brute, "so's we
can pour her on."
"They keep the coal ile in the woodshed," a little bandy-legged man
remarked.
"Now see hyar! Befo' we enter this here domicyle, they's to be a reg'lar
understandin' 'bout the findin's," continued James Hanks. "The money is
to be 'vided ekal an' the silvo and chino an' other little value bowles
is to be portioned out 'cordin' to they valubility."
"Sho'! Sho'! We's all 'greed to that!" came in a chorus.
"I goes fust, as the man 'pinted by Gawd as yo' leader."
As James Hanks started up the broad steps he was dumfounded when Dr.
Wright came forward. He retreated down the steps and the crowd of
darkies behind him surged backward.
"What is it you want?" asked the young physician quite simply, in a
voice as cool and natural as though he were a soda clerk dealing out
soft drinks.
"We--er--we--we didn't know any of the white folks was in."
"Exactly!" and Dr. Wright came closer to the nonplussed darky. "Perhaps
God has appointed me to defend this home."
"We is hyar fur our rights," came from the extreme edge of the crowd in
a growling voice.
"Your rights!"
"Yessah!" and James Hanks spoke up more bravely, emboldened by the
support he felt the crowd was able to give him.
"Aw go on, Jeemes! He ain't even armed," cried the black brute who had
been so free in his suggestions about breaking open the barrel of
kerosene. "Gawd wouldn't send nobody 'thout even a razor."
Helen saw the crowd pushing forward. She felt a choking in her throat
and loosened the cord that fastened her evening wrap. The heavy cape
and hood fell to the ground. She was over the railing in a twinkling
of an eye, dragging her ancient weapons of offense and defense with
her. The hood had loosened her hairpins and now her hair fell around
her shoulders in a heavy shower. She ran along the gallery, dragging
the sword with one hand and with the other clutching the shield and
scimiter. Without a word she thrust the great sword in the
outstretched hand of the young man.
He looked at her in astonishment and terror. Having locked her in the
hall he had thought of course she would remain there. At least, he had
so devoutly hoped so that he had made himself believe that was where he
would find her when this wretched affair was over.
His face blanched and his knees trembled visibly. The fear that he had
not felt for himself was intense for this girl, but he grasped the sword
and waved it over the crowd.
At sight of Helen the crowd set up a groan. They sank on their knees
or fell prone to the earth. God had sent an angel of vengeance with a
flaming sword for their undoing. Indeed less superstitious persons than
those poor darkies might have been startled by the sudden appearance of
Helen Carter. Her dress, that Nan had described as like the moon, might
well have been the garb of an angel. Her long light brown hair, usually
so carefully coiffed but now falling below her waist, added to the
make-up, as did also the ancient shield and the crescent scimiter.
With the shield held forward, as though to guard the doctor, and the
scimiter raised aloft, she stood gazing on the trembling crowd.
"Gawd save this nigger! Gawd save this nigger!" cried the abject one
with the bandy legs.
"A angel of destruction, carryin' a flamin' sword! Lemme git out'n
this!" wailed another.
"'Twas Jeemes Hanks set fire to the straw stack! Not me! Not me!" from
one who knelt and rocked himself back and forth.
"I ain't teched a thing what don't b'long to me!"
"I jes' come along to see the fun! I ain't nebber had no idee er harmin'
Miss Ellanlouise!"
"Me neither! Me neither!"
"Jeemes Hanks, He's the one, good Gawd! He's the one!"
James Hanks, goaded to desperation by the backslidings of his followers,
turned on them in fury:
"You low down sneaks! Can't you see that this ain't no angel of the
Lawd? This is one of them gals come to live in the ol' tumble-down
overseer's house, jes' a play actin' to scare you. If'n we can't down
them we ain't worth of the name of Loyal Af'cans. Come on, boys, an'
let's finish 'em an' thin we can git our loot. I ain't afraid of them. A
flamin' sword ain't in it with a gun." He reached for his hip pocket.
Dr. Wright grabbed the angel of the Lord most unceremoniously and held
her behind him. The kneeling and groveling mob was divided in its
feelings as to whether Helen was or was not a celestial visitor, but
they were one and all anxious to be through with the night's work
without bloodshed. This was an outcome they had not bargained for. To
go to Grantly and get all the money that they ignorantly supposed the
old ladies to possess, to steal the silver and whatever else they
fancied and then to set fire to the ancient pile, thereby destroying
all trace of their burglary, so that when the white folks came home
from the count's fine ball there would be naught to tell the tale, was
a very different matter from this thing of having to get rid of two
persons, perhaps kill them and then be found out.
"Jeemes, you is foolish in de haid," spoke up Bandy-Legs.
"Indeed you are!" came in clear ringing tones from Helen as she waved
her scimiter, the moonlight flashing on it. "This minute the whole
county knows that Grantly is on fire and that all of you are here."
"Oh, rats! Whatcher tryin' ter give us?" from the scornful, incredulous
leader.
"I am telling you what is so. As soon as I heard you in the yard and saw
the light from the straw stack, I gave a hurry call and got the
neighbors on the 'phone."
"An' what was you an' the young man a-doin' of in Grantly?" sneered
James, coming up quite close to Helen. "Looks like whin Miss Ellanlouise
is to the ball, it's a strange place----" but James was not allowed to
finish what he had to say. Dr. Wright's powerful fist shot out and the
darky received a scientifically dealt blow square on his jaw bone that
sent him backwards down the steps, where he lay in a huddled heap and
like the Heathen Chinee:
"Subsequent proceedings interested him no more"--at least, not for a
while.
Their leader down and out, the crowd began to melt away, but in a tone
that commanded instant obedience George Wright bade them to halt.
"Listen, you fools! If one of you budges from this spot until I give
him permission I will lick him to within an inch of his life. Miss Ella
Grant had a fainting spell and could not go to the ball, and Miss Carter
and I came over here from Weston when her sister telephoned us the
trouble she was in. We were just leaving the house when you arrived."
"Is Miss Ellanlouise in dar now?" asked a trembling old man.
"Yes!"
"Praise be ter Gawd fer stayin' our han'! Praise be ter Gawd!"
"Yes, you had better give praise. I am not going to tell you what I
think of you for attempting this terrible thing. You know yourselves how
wicked and foolish you are."
Just then a light shot across the yard and in a moment the red car
belonging to the count came whizzing into view.
"Now you may go, all but you, and you, and you!" indicating the ones who
had been so glib about the kerosene and their rights, and the one who
had known so well that God would not have sent an angel without even a
razor.
The men pointed out tremblingly obeyed, coming up to the steps as though
drawn by a magnet. The rest of the mob simply disappeared, dodging
behind the box bushes and losing themselves in the convenient labyrinth.
That little red car had brought over six men: the count and his
secretary, Mr. Carter, Mr. Sutton, Lewis Somerville and Bill Tinsley.
Hardly a word had been spoken on that ride. The count had pushed the
powerful engine to its utmost ability and it had taken the car through
heavy mud, up hills and down dales, through mire and ruts with a speed
truly remarkable.
"Some car!" remarked Lewis.
"Some!" grunted Bill.
Mr. Carter's mouth was close set and his eyes looked like steel points.
All of his girls were dear to him but Helen had always seemed closer for
some reason; perhaps her very wilfulness was the reason. And now as he
thought of her in danger, it seemed as though he could single-handed
tackle any number of foes. He prayed continuously as he stood on the
running-board of that speeding car, but his prayer was perhaps not very
devout:
"Oh, God, let me get at them! Let me get at them!"
The relief of finding his dear girl alive and unharmed was so great
that Mr. Carter sobbed. When Helen saw him jump from the car, she flew
down the box-bordered walk and threw herself into his arms.
"Daddy! Daddy! We saved Miss Ella and Miss Louise!"
"And who saved you?"
"Dr. Wright saved me and I saved him."
Mr. Sutton, who was magistrate for the district, made short order in
arresting James Hanks and his companions. As the vehicles arrived with
the other members of the posse there was some whisper of a lynching, but
Mr. Sutton downed the whisper with contempt.
"There hasn't been a lynching in Virginia for eighteen years and I
should hate our county to be the one to break the record. It will have a
much more salutary effect to have these poor fools locked up in jail and
be brought to trial with all of their deviltry exposed and aired in the
papers. After all, the only real harm done is the burning of an old
rotting straw stack that was not fit for bedding, as I remember."
The count and Herz were most solicitous in their endeavors to help in
any possible way. It was decided that Grantly must be patrolled for the
rest of the night, as it was feared that some of the darkies might
return. Dr. Wright smiled at the suggestion. He knew full well that the
poor negroes who had been allowed to depart would not be seen or heard
of for many a day. He had seen too great and abject a fear in their
rolling eyes to have any apprehension of danger from them.
James Hanks showed signs of returning life. The young physician leaned
over him and felt his pulse.
"Umm hum! You had better be glad I didn't break your jaw. You'll be all
right in a few days and in the meantime the quiet of the lock-up will be
very good for your nerves."
"Ah, then that is some work that Herz and I can do," cried the count.
"These men must be taken to jail, and why should not we attend to it?
Eh, Adolph!"
"Certainly!" Herz had been looking very grim ever since Chloe had
dropped the tray of second helpings for Helen.
"I wish we had handcuffs," said Mr. Sutton.
"Why, that is hardly necessary. I should think Herz and I with pistols
could take four poor devils, unarmed, to jail. Especially since one of
those devils has been already put out of business by this skilful
surgeon," laughed the count.
"Yes, and I'll go along with you," sighed Mr. Sutton who was accustomed
to early retiring. This midnight rioting was not much to his taste, but
he was determined as magistrate of the district to see the matter safely
through.
"Why, my dear man, there is not a bit of use in your going. You can
trust Herz and me to land them safely."
"Well, all right, but I feel responsible for the good of the community
and these black devils must be locked up in the court-house jail before
many hours."
"You had better take my car," suggested Dr. Wright. "It will hold the
six of you more comfortably."
"Oh, not at all! Mine brought six of us over here from Weston and can
take six away. The prisoners can stand on the running-boards, all but
the injured one, and he can sit by me. If any of them attempts to escape
we can wing him quite easily."
Dr. Wright felt rather relieved that his offer was turned down. No man
would relish his perfectly new car being used to carry four bad darkies
to jail over roads that were quite as vile as the prisoners.
Everyone felt grateful to the count for his unselfish offer, everyone
but Skeeter Halsey and Frank Maury. They had fondly hoped to have a hand
in the undertaking. The night had been a thrilling one for the two boys.
They bitterly regretted that they had not got there in time to rush in
and save Miss Helen.
"I felt like I could 'a' killed at least six niggers," Skeeter said to
Lucy and Mag.
"Humph! Only six? I could have put a dozen out of business," scoffed
Frank; and Lucy and Mag were sure they could.
The boys were allowed to divide the patrol duties with Lewis and Bill,
and very proud they were as they stalked up and down in front of the
mansion and around the barnyard, keeping a sharp lookout for skulking
blacks.
Almost everything has an amusing side if one can see it. Witness: the
jokes that are cracked by the men in the trenches in the midst of the
tremendous world tragedy. The amusing thing about that night's
happenings was that Miss Ella and Miss Louise slept right through it.
Worn out by their cake making and wrangling, intensely relieved that it
was nothing but hunger and not a stroke that had befallen one of them,
they had slept like two children.