by Thomas Dixon
CHAPTER XXVIII
VIA DOLOROSA
Minerva was still laughing at the collapse of her enemy and Andy shelteringhimself behind her when a sharp call cut her laughter short:
"Minerva!"
"Yassah"--she answered soberly.
"You have been a faithful servant to me," Norton began, "you have neverlied----"
"An' I ain't gwine ter begin now, sah."
He searched her black face keenly:
"Did Tom slip back here to see Miss Helen while I was away on this lasttrip?"
Minerva looked at Andy, fumbled with her apron, started to speak, hesitatedand finally admitted feebly:
"Yassah!"
Andy's eyes fairly bulged:
"De Lordy, major, I didn't know dat, sah!"
Norton glanced at him:
"Shut up!"
"You ain't gwine ter be hard on 'em, major?" Minerva pleaded.
He ignored her interruption and went on evenly:
"How many times did he come?"
"Twice, sah."
"He sho come in de night time den!" Andy broke in. "I nebber seed 'imonce!"
Norton bent close:
"How long did he stay?"
Minerva fidgeted, hesitated again and finally said:
"Once he stay about er hour----"
"And the other time?"
She looked in vain for a way of escape, the perspiration standing in beadson her shining black face:
"He stay all night, sah."
A moment of stillness followed. Norton's eyes closed, and his face became awhite mask. He breathed deeply and then spoke quietly:
"You--you knew they were married?"
"Yassah!" was the quick reply. "I seed 'em married. Miss Helen axed me,sah."
Andy lifted his hands in solemn surprise and walled his eyes at Minerva:
"Well, 'fore Gawd!"
Another moment of silence and Andy's mouth was still open with wonder whena call like the crack of a revolver suddenly rang through the room:
"Andy!"
The negro dropped to his knees and lifted his hands:
"Don't do nuttin' ter me, sah! 'Fore de Lawd, major, I 'clare I nebberknowed it! Dey fool me, sah--I'd a tole you sho!"
Norton frowned:
"Shut your mouth and get up."
"Yassah!" Andy cried. "Hit's shet an' I'se up!"
He scrambled to his feet and watched his master.
"You and Minerva go down that back stairway into the basement, fasten thewindows and lock the doors."
Andy's eyes were two white moons in the shadows as he cried throughchattering teeth:
"G--g--odder mighty--what--what's de matter, major?"
"Do as I tell you, quick!"
Andy dodged and leaped toward the door:
"R--right away, sah!"
"Pay no attention to anything Mr. Tom may say to you----"
"Nasah," Andy gasped. "I pay no 'tension ter nobody, sah!"
"When you've fastened everything below, do the same on this floor and comeback here--I want you."
"Y-y-yas--sah! R-r-r-right a-way, sah!"
Andy backed out, beckoning frantically to Minerva. She ignored him andwatched Norton as he turned toward a window and looked vaguely out. As Andycontinued his frantic calls she slipped to the doorway and whispered:
"G'long! I be dar in er minute. You po' fool, you can't talk nohow. You'reskeered er de major. I'm gwine do my duty now, I'm gwine ter tell himsumfin' quick----"
Norton wheeled on her with sudden fury:
"Do as I tell you! Do as I tell you!"
Minerva dodged at each explosion, backing away. She paused and extended herhand pleadingly:
"Can't I put in des one little word, sah?"
"Not another word!" he thundered, advancing on her--"Go!"
"Yassah!"
"Go! I tell you!"
Dodging again, she hurried below to join Andy. Norton turned back into theroom and stood staring at something that gleamed with sinister brightnessfrom the top of the little writing desk. An electric lamp with crimsonshade seemed to focus every ray of light on the shining steel and a devilin the shadows pointed a single finger and laughed:
"It's ready--just where you laid it!"
He took a step toward the desk, stopped and gripped the back of the settee,steadied himself, and glared at the thing with fascination. He walkedunsteadily to the chair in front of the desk and stared again. His handmoved to grasp the revolver and hesitated. And then, the last thought ofpity strangled, he gripped the handle, lifted it with quick familiar touch,grasped the top clasp, loosed the barrel, threw the cylinder open andexamined the shells, dropped them into his hand and saw that there were noblanks. One by one he slowly replaced them, snapped the cylinder in placeand put the weapon in his pocket.
He glanced about the room furtively, walked to each of the tall Frenchwindows, closed the shutters and carefully drew the heavy draperies. Heturned the switch of the electric lights, extinguishing all in the roomsave the small red one burning on the desk. He would need that in a moment.
He walked softly to the foot of the stairs and called:
"Tom!"
Waiting and receiving no answer he called again:
"Tom! Tom!"
A door opened above and the boy answered:
"Well?"
"Just a word, my son," the gentle voice called.
"I've nothing to say, sir! We're packing our trunks to leave at once."
"Yes, yes, I understand," the father answered tenderly. "You're going, ofcourse, and it can't be helped--but just a minute, my son; we must saygood-by in a decent way, you know--and--I've something to show you beforeyou go"--the voice broke--"you--won't try to leave without seeing me?"
There was a short silence and the answer came in friendly tones:
"I'll see you. I'll be down in a few minutes."
The father murmured:
"Thank God!"
He hurried back to the library, unlocked a tiny drawer in the desk, drewout a plain envelope from which he took the piece of paper on which wasscrawled the last message from the boy's mother. His hand trembled as heread and slowly placed it in a small pigeon-hole.
He took his pen and began to write rapidly on a pad of legal cap paper.
While he was still busy with his writing, in obedience to his orders, Andyand Minerva returned. They stopped at the doorway and peeped in cautiouslybefore entering. Astonished and terrified to find the room so dimly lightedthey held a whispered conference in the hall:
"Better not go in dar, chile!" Andy warned.
"Ah, come on, you fool!" Minerva insisted. "He ain't gwine ter hurt us!"
"I tell ye he's wild--he's gone crazy, sho's yer born! I kin feel demfingers playin' on my windpipe now!"
"What's he doin' dar at dat desk?" Minerva asked.
"He's writin' good-by ter dis world, I'm tellin' ye, an' hit's time me an'you wuz makin' tracks!"
"Ah, come on!" the woman urged.
Andy hung back and shook his head:
"Nasah--I done bin in dar an' got my dose!"
"You slip up behin' him an' see what he's writin'," Minerva suggested.
"Na, you slip up!"
"You're de littlest an' makes less fuss," she argued.
"Yes, but you'se de biggest an' you las' de longest in er scrimmage----"
"Ah, go on!" she commanded, getting behind Andy and suddenly pushing himinto the room.
He rushed back into her arms, but she pushed him firmly on:
"G'long, I tell ye, fool, an' see what he's doin'. I back ye up."
Andy balked and she pressed him another step:
"G'long!"
He motioned her to come closer, whispering:
"Ef yer gwine ter stan' by me, for de Lawd's sake stan' by me--don't stan'by de do'!"
Seeing that retreat was cut off and he was in for it, the negro picked hisway cautiously on tip-toe until he leaned over the chair and tried to readwhat his master was writing.
Norton looked up suddenly:
"Andy!"
He jumped in terror:
"I--I--didn't see nuttin', major! Nasah! I nebber seed a thing, sah!"
Norton calmly lifted his head and looked into the black face that had beenhis companion so many years:
"I want you to see it!"
"Oh!" Andy cried with surprised relief, "you wants me to see hit"--heglanced at Minerva and motioned her to come nearer. "Well, dat's different,sah. Yer know I wouldn't er tried ter steal er glimpse of it ef I'd knowedye wuz gwine ter show it ter me. I allers is er gemman, sah!"
Norton handed him the paper:
"I taught you to read and write, Andy. You can do me a little serviceto-night--read that!"
"Yassah--yassah," he answered, pompously, adjusting his coat and vest. Heheld the paper up before him, struck it lightly with the back of his handand cleared his throat:
"Me an' you has bin writin' fer de newspapers now 'bout fifteenyears--yassah"--he paused and hurriedly read the document. "Dis yo' will,sah? An' de Lawd er mussy, 'tain't more'n ten lines. An' dey hain't naryone er dem whereases an' haremditaments aforesaids, like de lawyers puts indem in de Cote House--hit's des plain writin"--he paused again--"ye givesde house, an' ten thousand dollars ter Miss Helen an' all yer got ter deColumnerzation Society ter move de niggers ter er place er dey own!"--hepaused again and walled his eyes at Minerva. "What gwine come er Mr. Tom?"
Norton's head sank:
"He'll be rich without this! Sign your name here as a witness," he saidshortly, picking up the pen.
Andy took the pen, rolled up his sleeve carefully, bent over the desk,paused and scratched his head:
"Don't yer think, major, dat's er terrible pile er money ter fling loose'mongst er lot er niggers?"
Norton's eyes were dreaming again and Andy went on insinuatingly: "Now,wouldn't hit be better, sah, des ter pick out one good _reliable_ niggerdat yer knows pussonally--an' move him?"
Norton looked up impatiently:
"Sign it!"
"Yassah! Cose, sah, you knows bes', sah, but 'pears ter me lak er powerfulwaste er good money des flingin' it broadcast!"
Norton lifted his finger warningly and Andy hastened to sign his name witha flourish of the pen. He looked at it admiringly:
"Dar now! Dey sho know dat's me! I practise on dat quereque two wholemont's----"
Norton folded the will, placed it in an envelope, addressed it and liftedhis drawn face:
"Tell the Clerk of the Court that I executed this will to-night and placedit in this desk"--his voice became inaudible a moment and went on--"Ask himto call for it to-morrow and record it for me."
Minerva, who had been listening and watching with the keenest interest,pressed forward and asked in a whisper:
"Yassah, but whar's you gwine ter be? You sho ain't gwine ter dieter-night?"
Norton quietly recovered himself and replied angrily:
"Do I look as if I were dying?"
"Nasah!--But ain't dey no way dat I kin help ye, major? De young folks isgwine ter leave, sah----"
"They are not going until I'm ready!" was the grim answer.
"Nasah, but dey's gwine," the black woman replied tenderly. "Ye can't stop'em long. Lemme plead fur 'em, sah! You wuz young an' wild once,major"--the silvery gray head sank low and the white lips quivered--"youtake all yer money frum Mister Tom--what he care fer dat now wid lovesingin' in his heart? Young folks is young folks----"
Norton lifted his head and stared as in a dream.
"Won't ye hear me, sah? Can't I go upstairs an' speak de good word terMister Tom now an' tell him hit's all right?"
A sudden idea flashed into Norton's mind.
The ruse would be the surest and quickest way to get Tom into the roomalone.
"Yes, yes," he answered, glancing at her. "You can say that to him now----"
Minerva laughed:
"I kin go right up dar to his room now an' tell 'im dat you're er waitin'here wid yer arms open an' yer heart full er love an' fergiveness?"
"Yes, go at once"--he paused--"and keep Miss Helen there a few minutes. Iwant to see him first--you understand----"
"Yassah! yassah!" Minerva cried, hastening to the door followed by Andy. "Iunderstands, I understands"--she turned on Andy. "Ye hear dat, you foolnigger? Ain't I done tole you dat hit would all come out right ef I coulddes say de good word? Gloree! We gwine ter hab dat weddin' all over agin!You des wait till yer seen dat cake I gwine ter bake----"
With a quick turn she was about to pass through the door when Andy caughther sleeve:
"Miss Minerva!"
"Yas, honey!"
"Miss Minerva," he repeated, nervously glancing at Norton, "fer Gawd'ssake don't you leave me now! You'se de only restful pusson in dis house!"
With a triumphant laugh Minerva whispered:
"I'll be right back in a minute, honey!"
Norton had watched with apparent carelessness until Minerva had gone. Hesprang quickly to his feet, crossed the room and spoke in an excitedwhisper:
"Andy!"
"Yassah!"
"Go down to that front gate and stay there. Turn back anybody who tries tocome in. Don't you allow a soul to enter the lawn."
"I'll do de best I kin, sah," he replied hastening toward the door.
Norton took an angry step toward him:
"You do exactly as I tell you, sir!"
Andy jumped and replied quickly:
"Yassah, but ef dem serenaders come back here you know dey ain't gwine payno 'tensun ter no nigger talkin' to 'em--dat's what dey er celebratin'erbout----"
Norton frowned and was silent a moment:
"Say that I ask them not to come in."
"I'll tell 'em, sah, but I spec I'll hatter climb er tree 'fore I explainshit to 'em--but I tell 'em, sah--yassah."
As Andy slowly backed out, Norton said sternly:
"I'll call you when I want you. Stay until I do!"
"Yassah," Andy breathed softly as he disappeared trembling and wondering.