by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER VIII
AN OVERWHELMING ARGUMENT
Levi Bedford had not come to the bridge to interfere with theconversation or to listen to what was said; but as he was returning fromthe distant fields of the plantation by the creek road, he could nothelp seeing that a stormy interview was in progress on the bridge. Hebelieved that he understood Titus Lyon better than Noah did. Heconsidered him capable of violence to his brother when under theinfluence of liquor, and he deemed it prudent for him to be within callif he was needed.
Noah would have scouted the idea of Titus raising his hand against him,even when he had been drinking; for in former years they had alwayslived together on the best of terms. Levi had seen more of the masonwithin a few years than Noah. While the colonel lay unburied in themansion, he had spent most of the time at Riverlawn, and to some extenthad assumed the control of the plantation.
The manager had not required the negroes to do anything but necessarywork during the sad interval; but Titus had interfered, and sent thefield-hands to their usual occupation. He had "bossed" Levi himself asthough he were only a servant, and even meddled with the affairs ofDiana in the house. The manager could not resent this interference atsuch a time, and he could not help seeing that Titus was taking morewhiskey than usual; for he had even ordered Diana to bring out thechoice stores of this article which the colonel had kept for his friendsrather than for his own use.
He talked to Levi just as though the plantation would soon come into hishands, and had made himself as unnecessarily offensive to the overseerand all the petted servants as possible. It would not be overstating thetruth to say that he was thoroughly hated at Riverlawn. Levi had packedhis trunk in readiness to leave as soon as the tyrant took possession ofthe place; and even some of the people were thinking of making their wayto the free State of Ohio.
Levi bowed and smiled as he passed the planter, but he only reined inhis fiery steed, and did not stop. He did not even look at Titus, muchless salute him, for he despised him; and pleasant as he was to all onthe place, including the people, he was an honest man, and appeared tobe just what he was. He rode over in the direction of the river, andwhen he reached a thicket of trees and bushes he stopped the colt andtied him to a tree. He remained there where he could see the bridgewithout being seen by those upon it.
"I wonder that you keep that fellow on the place," said Titus, as Levirode off. "In my opinion, and I have seen more of him than you have,Noah, he is a rascal;" and the last remark was seasoned with an oath.
"I think he is a very useful man, and my family are already very muchattached to him; for he is always good-natured, and kind and obliging toeverybody," replied the planter.
"There ain't no accounting for tastes, as my wife says; but if I hadthis place that cuss would get kicked out before he had a chance tobreathe twice more," said Titus with a look of disgust which caused himto twist his mouth and nose into such a snarl that Mrs. Titus wouldhardly have known him.
Levi had not told his employer in what manner the would-be owner of theplantation had conducted himself on the place after the death of thecolonel; and Noah could not understand why his brother had such anantipathy to so genial a man as the manager, viewed from his own and hisfamily's standpoint.
"I take Levi as I find him, and I have been very much pleased with him,"added Noah.
"But I did not come over here to talk about that dirty shote," continuedTitus, suddenly bracing himself up to attack the subject of thegrievances which had gnawed like a live snake at his vitals for nearlytwo years. "In the fust place, I want you to understand, Noah Lyon, thatthere ain't a word of truth in the story Meely told this noon in yourhouse."
"All right, Brother Titus," replied Noah. "I haven't looked for the armsand ammunition, and I know nothing about them."
"Do you believe what I say, Noah?" demanded Titus with a savage frown.
"I have no reason to doubt your statement."
"If you and your family want to make trouble over that statement, Is'pose you can do so. You 'n' I don't agree on politics."
"We are not disposed to make trouble. If there should be any difficultyit will come from your side of the house, Titus."
"You are an abolitionist, and folks on the right side in this countyhave found it out. They don't believe in no Lincoln shriekers, and theUnion's already busted," said the Secessionist brother with a good dealof vim; and in this, as in other matters, he believed the popularsentiment was on the side he wished it to be.
"I voted for Lincoln, and I believe in the Union," added Noah quietly.
"Yes; and there is five hundred men in this county that would like todrive you out of the State, and burn your house over your head!"exclaimed Titus, becoming not a little excited. "I believe they'd doneit before this time if I hadn't stood in their way."
"Then I am very much obliged to you for your friendly influence. I wasnot aware that I had been in any peril before," returned Noah with asmile, which was suggestive of a doubt in his mind. "Do you think I amin any danger from such an outrage as you suggest?"
"I know you are!" Titus belched out with something like fury in hismanner. "If it hadn't been for me they'd done it before now. You haven'tbeen a bit keerful in your doings. You've got up a Union meeting at theBig Bend schoolhouse for to-morrow night; and if you go on with it, I'malmost sure you will get cleaned out; and the folks on the right sidemay come over here, after they have shut your mouths at the Bend, andsee whether your house will burn or not. I have done all I could to keepour folks quiet, and advised them not to meddle with the meeting at theschoolhouse; but if you keep on the way you're going, I won't beresponsible for what happens."
"Though I came from the North since you did, all the people I meet seemto be very friendly to me," answered Noah, the smile still playing uponhis lips; a satirical smile which indicated that he did not believe morethan a very small fraction of what his brother had been saying.
He had no doubt that the gang with whom Titus and his sons associatedwould do all and even more than he prophesied; but they did not form thepublic sentiment of the county.
"You don't meet all nor a tenth part of the people, and you don't knowwhat is running in their heads," protested the Secessionist. "You andyour two boys keep on howling for the Union when the people round hereare all dead set agin it. What can you expect? Seven States is out ofthe Union, and that busts the whole thing."
"I don't think a majority of the people about here are of your way ofthinking, Brother Titus; but if I am in danger of mob violence, as yousay I am, my house is my castle; I shall defend it as long as there isanything left of me," added Noah, the same smile resting on his lips ashe uttered his strong words.
"Defend your house!" said Titus with a bitter sneer. "You hadn't betterdo anything of the sort. If you show fight, the crowd will hang you toone of them big trees. You ain't reasonable, Noah. Do you cal'late onfighting the whole county?"
"We differ considerably in regard to the state of feeling in thiscounty. We are between two fires, and I think we had better not sayanything more on that subject."
"That's so; but one fire is an alfired sight hotter than t'other; andthat's the one that will burn up that big house of yourn."
"I shall defend my house, and I think I shall be able to hold my own.But I am not an abolitionist any more than you are, Brother Titus,"mildly suggested Noah.
"You shriek for the Union, and it's all the same thing among honestfolks down here," retorted the Secessionist.
"I hold about fifty slaves, and I had an idea that this made me aslaveholder," said Noah lightly.
"Don't you own 'em?" demanded Titus violently; for this subject touchedupon one of his grievances. "I have done everything I could to save youfrom any hard usage on the part of our folks in spite of the way you'veused me."
"I am not aware that I have used you badly, Brother Titus."
"You call me brother; but judging from your actions you ain't no brotherof mine."
"I should like to have you
tell me in what manner I have wronged you,Titus. I hear from others that I owe you five thousand dollars; but I amnot aware that I owe you a nickel," replied the planter, who had by thistime come to the conclusion that the quarrel his brother insisted uponfomenting might as well be brought to a head then as at any other time.
Titus was silent for a moment, and resumed his seat on the bench, fromwhich he had risen a dozen times in his excitement as the interviewproceeded. He looked as though he was gathering up his thoughts in orderto present his argument, as he evidently intended it should be, in themost forcible manner.
"If a man has two brothers, and one of them goes back on him, is thatany reason why the other should go back on him?" asked the dissatisfiedone with more coolness and dignity than he had before exhibited.
Mrs. Amelia, years before, had tried to reform his language, picked upin the taverns and among coarse associates, and she had succeeded tosome extent. He could talk with a fair degree of correctness; but he hadtwo methods of expression, one of which he called his "Sunday lingo,"used on state occasions, and his ordinary speech at home and among hischosen associates, enlarged by the addition of some Southern words andphrases. He began his argument in his best style, though he had neverbeen able to banish his use of the milder slang.
"Decidedly not," replied Noah very promptly. "On the contrary, he oughtto stand by the brother if he has been wronged."
"That is just exactly what you have not done, Noah Lyon!" exclaimedTitus, springing from his seat again. "And Nathan said unto David, 'Thouart the man!'"
"Which means that I am the man," answered Noah, his smile becomingalmost a laugh. "I didn't know, Brother Titus, that I was the David, andI must ask you to explain."
"Dunk went back on me," continued the malcontent, recalling the name bywhich the colonel was known on the farm in his boyhood.
"I was not aware that Dunk did any such a thing. I suppose you mean inhis will."
"That is just what I mean!" stormed Titus. "He gave you ten thousanddollars more than he gave me; and that was not fair or right."
"But the will explains why he did so."
"On account of fetching up them two children! I wouldn't have brought inany bill for taking care of my dead brother's children. I ain't one ofthem sort!" protested Titus.
"But you refused to take one of them into your family when I proposed itto you," suggested Noah very gently.
"Because my wife was sick at the time," said Titus, wincing at theremark.
"You did not offer to take one of them afterwards. But I did not bringin any bill; I never even mentioned the matter to the colonel when Iwrote to him. I boarded, clothed, and schooled them for ten years, andpaid all their doctor's bills."
"But Dunk gave you ten thousand dollars for it; and it wasn't right. Hespent a month with you in Derry not long before he died, and yousmoothed his fur in the right way," snarled Titus.
"But the children were not mentioned. I am sure it cost me a thousanddollars a year to take care of the children; but I did not complain, andnever asked you or Dunk to pay a cent of the cost. The colonel made hiswill to suit himself; and he never spoke or wrote of the matter to me."
"You got on the right side of him, and he cheated me out of whatrightfully belonged to me. I ain't talking about law, but about right.Half of that ten thousand belongs to me, and you are keeping me out ofit."
"It was right for you and Dunk to pay as much for supporting the orphansas I did. Then you and he owed me two-thirds of the sum bequeathed tome. At compound interest that would amount to more than I receive underthe will. I will figure it up when I have time, and of course if you oweme anything on this account, you will pay me."
This argument completely overwhelmed Titus; but Levi had concluded therewould be no violence, and dashed over the bridge on his fiery colt.