The Carter Girls' Mysterious Neighbors

CHAPTER XXI

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.

CHAPTER XXII

A NEAT TRICK

The court-house was due south of Grantly and towards it the count turned his powerful little car. After running about two miles, he made a deviation to the west and then to the north.

“How much gasoline have we?” he asked Herz.

“The tank is full.”

“Good! I take it you grasp my intentions.”

“Of course! I’m no fool. It would never do to have these idiots testify in court. Where to?”

“Richmond! There we can turn them loose with money enough to get north.”

“Boss, ain’t yer gonter han’ us over?” asked James Hanks, who was rapidly recovering.

“Naturally not! You can thank your stars that you are too big a fool to be trusted to face a judge,” snarled Herz.

The three negroes who were hanging to the car were jubilant at the news.

“I sho’ is lucky,” said one. “I ain’t nebber had no sinse an’ it looks lak it done he’p me out a heap ter be so foolish lak.”

“It would be much easier to shoot them all and testify that they endeavored to escape,” suggested Herz with a humorous twist to his ugly mouth.

“Oh, boss! Please don’t do no sich a deed,” whined James Hanks. “I ain’t never a-goin’ ter let on that you – ”

“I know you are not!” and Herz put a cold revolver against the negro’s temple. “You are not even going to let on anything here in this car. Now you keep your mouth shut, and shut tight or I’ll blow your head off. We’ve got no use for people who fail.”

“Heavens! What a Prussian you are, Herz!” laughed the count.

Richmond was reached in safety. Money was handed out to each one of the grateful negroes with instructions to take the first train north and then to separate.

“They’ll catch you sure if you stick together. But if they do catch you, you keep your black mouths shut about anything connected with the Count de Lestis or me, – do you understand?”

They understood and made off as quickly as they could.

“Ain’t he a tur’ble slave driver, though?” said the bandy-legged one, and the others agreed.

No time for rest for the occupants of the little red car. Back they went over the muddy roads as fast as the wonderful engine could take them. It was just dawn when they reached a certain spot in the road on the way to the court-house where they considered it most likely they could work their machinations.

There was a sharp curve with a steep embankment on the outer edge. The car was carefully steered until two wheels were almost over the precipice. Then the count alighted, first turning off his engine. With shoulders to the wheel, the two men pushed until the machine toppled over into the ditch.

“There, my darling! I hated to do it. I hope you are not much hurt,” said the count whimsically.

“Now roll on after her,” and Herz pushed his employer over the embankment. Then he jumped down himself and wallowed in the mud.

“Here’s blood a-plenty for both of us. You can furnish blue blood but I have good red blood for two.”

He deliberately gashed his arm with his penknife and smeared his face with blood, and then rubbed it all over the countenance of the laughing count, who seemed to look upon the whole affair as a kind of college boy’s prank.

“Now your ankle is sprained and you can’t walk, so I’ll go to the nearest farmhouse for assistance and there telephone Mr. Sutton that his prisoners have escaped. You were pinioned under the car and I had to dig you out, – remember!”

“All right, but I wish you would have the sprained ankle and let me go for aid. I’m beastly hungry and besides I don’t want to be laid up just now. I rather wanted to take a walk with Miss Douglas Carter this afternoon. Heavens! Wasn’t she beautiful last night?”

“Humph!”

“Much more beautiful than her sister, although I tell you that that Helen was very wonderful, especially after her hair came down and she had played angel. I wish I could have taken that stupid doctor’s car instead of my own little red devil. I should have enjoyed ditching his car, but we needed the endurance and speed of my own darling.”

“You had better be having some pain now in case a traveler comes along the road. I’ll get help as soon as possible;” and Herz went off without any comment on the comparative beauty of the two Misses Carter. Douglas was to him the most beautiful person in all the world, but he hated himself for loving her, feeling instinctively that his love was hopeless. His very name was against him and should she ever know the truth – but pshaw! These stupid people never would find out things. They were as easy to hoodwink as the darkies themselves.

Mr. Sutton’s fury knew no bounds when he got the message from Herz that the prisoners had escaped. It was with difficulty that he composed himself sufficiently to ask after the welfare of the two gentlemen who had undertaken the job of landing the negroes safely in jail.

“The Count de Lestis has sprained his ankle and his face is all smeared with blood, – I could not tell how great were his injuries,” lied the unblushing one over the telephone. “I spent hours getting him from under the car. Fortunately the mud was soft and deep and he is not seriously injured.”

“Just where was the accident?”

“At that sharp curve in the road about two miles this side of the court-house, – just beyond the bridge.”

“Umhum! Do you need any assistance?”

“No, I thank you. I’ll get some mules to right the car. I think I am mechanic enough to repair the engine.”

“How about a doctor for your friend? Dr. Wright is still with the Carters.”

“Oh – er – ah – I think he can get along very well without calling in a physician. I have bandaged his ankle.”

“You did a good deal before you gave warning as to the escape of the prisoners.”

There was no answer to this remark, so without further ceremony Mr. Sutton hung up the receiver.

There was to be no rest for the weary, it seemed. A search party must be called and the country scoured for the missing men.

CHAPTER XXIII

VISITORS AT PRESTON

Dr. Wright was pretty sure that James Hanks would not have been able to travel very far after the knockout blow he had received, so when they could not find him in the woods near by it was decided he must be in hiding in some cabin. The search continued but no trace was found of the missing men.

“Sounds shady to me,” declared Lewis Somerville.

“The idea! You can’t mean that the count and Mr. Herz deliberately let the men get away!” exclaimed Douglas.

“I believe they are capable of it.”

“Lewis! How can you?”

“I tell you I mistrust them both. I don’t like their names – I don’t like their looks – I don’t like their actions.”

“Nor do I,” declared Billy Sutton, who had dropped in that morning to have a chat after the ball. Everybody was too exhausted to think of going on with any very arduous work.

“Well, I think that after you accepted the count’s hospitality you have no right to say things about him,” broke in Nan.

“Well, hasn’t he accepted the hospitality of this country, and what is he doing? Don’t you know it is that fool darky school that got all those poor nigs thinking that Grantly belonged to them? I bet Miss Helen agrees with me.”

“I – I – don’t know,” said Helen faintly. “I am all mixed up about the whole thing. Why should the count want to make trouble?”

The matter was discussed up and down by the young people. The males for the most part sided against the count and his secretary, the females, with the exception of Lucy and Mag, taking up for them. Mrs. Carter was most indignant that anyone should say anything disagreeable about a gentleman of such fine presence and engaging manners as the Count de Lestis, one who knew so well how to entertain and who was so lavish. As for the other man, that Herz, no doubt he was fully capable of any mischief. He could not dance, had no small talk, and held his fork in a very awkward way when at the table.

The count’s ankle did not keep him in very long. He was soon around, although he limped quite painfully. His only difficulty was in remembering which foot was injured. He renewed his attentions towards the ladies at Valhalla. His protestations of concern for the Misses Grant were warm and convincing. He offered to come stay with them or let Herz come until they were sure that the county had settled down into its usual state of safety and peace.

Those ladies were not in the least afraid, however, but still declared that nobody would ever hurt them. It turned out that on the night of what came so near being such a tragedy they had had in the house exactly three dollars and twenty cents. What an angry crowd it would have been when they began the division!

Now came stirring news in the daily papers.

Diplomatic relations were broken with Germany and the declaration of war imminent! Excitement and unrest were on every hand. Sometimes Nan and Lucy would come home laden with extras with headlines of terror and bloodshed. Mr. Carter occasionally went to town with them.

“I feel as though I must find out what people are saying and thinking,” he would declare.

The truth of the matter was that Mr. Carter was well, – as well as ever, and the mere chopping of wood and stopping of cracks was not enough to occupy him. It had seemed to him as he went on that mad ride to the rescue of his beloved Helen that he was absolutely himself again. No longer could he let people plan his life for him. He was a man and meant to take the reins into his own hands. Not that his girls had not driven the family coach excellently well. They were wonderful, but he was able to do it for himself now and he intended to start.

He consulted Dr. Wright:

“I tell you, Wright, I am as fit as a fiddle and can get to work now.”

“Of course you are! Didn’t I give you a year? You have not taken quite a year but the time is almost up. The shock that night of the ball helped you on to a complete recovery a little ahead of time. Sometimes a nervous patient gets a shock that does more than rest. The trouble is, one can’t tell whether it will kill or cure.”

“Well, this one cured all right. Why, man, I could build a cathedral tomorrow!”

“Good!”

“I never can thank you enough for your kindness to me and my family. If there is ever anything I can do for you – ”

“No doubt there will be,” was the doctor’s cryptic remark.

Herz kept up his walks with Douglas, although the girl did nothing to encourage him. She did everything to discourage him, in fact, except actually ask him to let her alone. She would find him waiting on the road after school. Sometimes he would even come to the school door for her if for any reason she was detained. These walks were usually taken when the count was off on one of his many business trips.