LOOSE THREADS
Mrs. Goddard alone knew of Carolina's discouragements, disappointments,
and dangers, as the summer came and went. To all others the girl turned
a smiling face, and Mrs. La Grange often wondered at her courage. How
could she know that there were times when that sorely tried courage
ebbed so low that many a cipher telegram winged its soft way to her
practitioner for help, and that the battle with tears and disheartenment
was fought out alone in the silence and sanctuary of her closet?
Often things went very wrong. She was cheated by men because she was a
woman. She was hated by the rural doctors because she healed diseases.
She was an object of suspicion among the neighbours because she was not
"orthodox." She was accused of inciting the negroes to an idea of
social equality because she taught them. Father Hennessey gave her all
the trouble he could, but Carolina's constant and unvarying kindness to
the poor in his parish finally drove him to an armed neutrality. He
hated her, but dared not show it too openly, because she had powerful
influence back of her. The La Granges rose to her defence _en masse_,
and carried all their enormous relationship with them. Carolina had
removed the largest blot from their escutcheon, and no price was too
great to pay. Flower became the pet of the whole family, and, in their
gratitude, they even endeavoured to provide for Onteora, but that wise
woman, having seen justice meted out to her child, silently disappeared,
and, beyond knowing that she lived and wanted for nothing, they could
discover no more about her.
She was not too far away, however, to keep the unruly negroes in order,
and many a warning went out from the voodoo when Carolina's interests
were jeopardized.
'Polyte's surveillance was something Carolina had not bargained for. At
first his devotion was engendered by gratitude for the trust she placed
in him, and fear, for he knew that she actually held over him the power
of life and death. Even if she were ignorant of the true significance
of that meeting in the woods, at what moment might not some stray
anecdote bring home to her its meaning? 'Polyte was no fool, and there
were times when he writhed in a hell of fear.
Then gradually Carolina's personality began to gain ascendency over him,
as it had over Tempy and Calla and Rose Maud, and even flighty ones like
Lily and her kind, and he worshipped her as a superior being. Carolina
embodied to the negroes the old times of prosperity and the patriarchal
protection of the whites. They liked the idea of the restoration of the
old Guildford mansion. Aged negroes, who had known the place in its
prime, heard of its rebuilding and journeyed back many weary miles to
see "old mahstah's" granddaughter, and to test her hospitality. Several
of these Carolina annexed and housed in the clean and shining new
quarters, and she was amply repaid by their real knowledge of past
events and their idolatry of herself as the last of the Lees.
'Polyte studied her every whim, and carried it out with the zeal of a
fetich.
The mare Araby became her property almost by magic. 'Polyte would never
say one word concerning it, but one day Barnwell Mazyck sent word to
Carolina that she could have the mare on her own terms, only he felt
obliged to warn her that Araby had turned vicious.
'Polyte spoke only one sentence.
"Ef you tek her, missy, she won't trick _you_!"
"Oh, 'Polyte!" cried Carolina, "what have you been doing?"
"Not a t'ing, Miss Callina. Honest! Only I raised dat mah, en I knows
huh!"
Carolina still hesitated until Moultrie brought word that Araby had
nipped at Barney's hand, and in a rage he had kicked her. After that,
the mare would not allow him to approach, but even at the sight of him
she would rear, bite, and kick, so that, being quite useless to her
owner, he proposed to sell her,--if not to Carolina, then to some one
else.
Hearing that decided the girl. She bought Araby, and sent 'Polyte to
fetch her.
The beautiful creature proved as gentle as a lamb, and, even on the day
when 'Polyte led her up for Carolina to see, she nosed her new mistress
lovingly.
"Why, she seems just as usual," said Carolina, but she did not see
'Polyte's heaving shoulders and convulsed face.
Thus, for the most part, the negroes were Carolina's friends. They not
only stood in awe of her body-guard, 'Polyte, who knew them root and
branch, good and bad alike, but their childish vanity was tickled by the
beauty of the small white marble chapel Carolina built on the estate,
which had an organ and stained-glass windows and a gallery for negroes.
This had been Mr. Howard's gift to the little band of Christian
Scientists which he had found on his first trip down South, meeting
every Sunday on Carolina's cottage porch, which, vine-shaded and
screened and furnished daintily, was as large as the cottage itself. He
took infinite pleasure in furnishing the finest material and in rushing
the work with Northern energy, and personally supervising the building.
He well knew that he could please Carolina in no better way, and, when
Rosemary Goddard's husband, the Honourable Lionel Spencer, became
president of the turpentine company, which was organized on the basis of
Carolina's investigations, and confirmed by Mr. Howard's agents, and it
became necessary for the Spencers to live in South Carolina, Rosemary
was elected first reader of the little church, and Carolina offered them
the use of her cottage until they could build, while she and Cousin Lois
took possession of the now completed Guildford mansion.
Things were prospering with the La Grange family. Peachie had become
engaged to Sir Hubert Wemyss, who, urged by the example of his friend
Lionel Spencer, and the enormous profits of the turpentine company, had
invested largely, and, after taking Peachie to England to meet his
family and make her bow as Lady Wemyss to the king and queen, he
promised to return to America for half of the year.
Carolina went to New York twice during the summer, and visited Sherman
and Addie at their camp in the Adirondacks.
To her surprise, she found Colonel Yancey there. He had paid one or two
mysterious visits to his sisters at Whitehall, and had been deeply
pleased to discover that they were both members of the little Christian
Science church there. He even went so far as to ask Carolina to
organize a Sunday school, which had not then been done, and to enroll
Emmeline and Gladys as its first members.
He also took this opportunity, let it be said, to offer himself to
Carolina again, but promised her, if she refused him this time, after he
had declared himself a believer in the new thought, that he would never
trouble her again.
Mr. Howard viewed Colonel Yancey's conversion to Christian Science with
amused toleration, but Carolina, who knew why, held steadfastly to the
thought that there can be no dishonesty in the perfect man, and so
firmly did she cling to this affirmation that, when Colonel Yancey, in
the Adirondacks, announced that the old oil wells had again begun to
yield, and that all the money which she and Sherman had considered lost
was by way of being restored to them, Carolina resolutely closed her
eyes to any investigations which might unearth disagreeable discoveries,
even opposing her best friend, Mr. Howard, in this decision, and simply
opened her arms to her reappearing fortune and her heart in gratitude
therefor.
Neither she nor Mrs. Goddard was even surprised.
"From the moment I knew that the man's change of heart was sincere and
that he was a true Christian Scientist, I knew this restoration must
come," she said, "otherwise no blessing of peace nor untroubled night's
sleep could come to him. Christian Science lays bare the very root of
error, and when error is recognized in the light of day, it must
disappear from the heart of an honest man."
But Carolina only said in the depths of her own soul:
"See what Divine Love hath wrought!"
There were changes, too, going on in Moultrie. He had never repeated his
declaration of love to Carolina, but in every unobtrusive way he made
her feel that she was surrounded by it, while as to the lesson she had
conveyed to him in that one stinging sentence, which was never absent
from the minds of either of them, it was his mother who brought word of
its effect.
"Carolina, child, I never saw such a change in any man in my life, as
there is in Moultrie. He has subscribed for three or four Northern
newspapers, and as to books! Not novels, mind you. They are histories
and biographies and Congressional reports,--the driest things! Peachie
and I tried to read them, but we couldn't, and, when I asked Moultrie if
he were getting ready to write a book, he answered me in such a short
way, 'No, mother. I am only trying to educate myself for the first
time.' 'Oh, son!' I said, for I assure you I was hurt to hear my son,
who has had the best education of any of the boys around here, speak as
if he weren't satisfied with his education. But he only patted my head
and said he was only studying now for a purpose. What do you reckon it
is?"
"He has said nothing to me about it," said Carolina, but Mrs. La Grange
noticed her scarlet cheeks, and, thinking it might be only a
self-conscious blush, dropped the subject.
Moultrie had asked Carolina if he might write to her while she was away,
and she had assented, though with fear and trembling, for some of the
letters she had received on business from various people contained
serious shocks for a fastidious and cultivated mind, but Moultrie's
letters proved a pleasant surprise. Not only were they correctly
written and correctly spelled, but in them he had dared to let himself
go as he never had done in conversation, and Carolina found not only a
distinct literary style but an imagination which astonished her.
Although he carefully avoided subjects which had been discussed between
them, he showed a breadth and largeness of view which could only come
from a wider vision of things in general.
Then came the time, after Carolina's return, when the great turpentine
company was being organized, backed by unlimited capital, and destined
to corner the market "for educational purposes," as Kate put it, when
there arose a crying need for an honest Southern man, one who knew the
country well, one who possessed the confidence of the sly, tricky
crackers,--those crackers so crafty that straight-forward dealing is
impossible,--who possess little sense of honour, who are prejudiced
beyond belief, narrow beyond credence, ignorant beyond imagination, who
are only honest under compulsion, and who require the greatest tact, not
to say craft, in handling. These are the men who, for the most part,
produce the orchard turpentine, and who, for the company's purpose, had
to be tied up by contract in long leases. A Northern man could not have
touched them. They will deal only with their own, and even then must be
"managed."
For two months the organization of the company was held up because no
one could be found capable of filling this delicate position.
Then, to the relief of all, and to Carolina's secret delight, Moultrie
La Grange offered himself, and, upon being instantly accepted, upon Mr.
Howard's and Carolina's advice, he leased them the stumpage rights of
Sunnymede, and then and there was born the purpose to restore the home
of the La Granges, even as Carolina had restored Guildford--out of money
earned by the place itself.