The Homesteader: A Novel

by Oscar Micheaux

  CHAPTER XIV

  OH, MERCIFUL GOD, CLOSE THOU MINE EYES!

  Reverend Newton Justine McCarthy had once lived in Peoria, Illinois, andwas well acquainted with the late Robert Ingersoll. Moreover, he hadadmired the noted orator, and although he had not the courage, in truth,he believed as Ingersoll believed. And because he did, and was forced tokeep his true convictions a secret, while he preached the gospel he didnot believe, he had grown to hate almost all people. But N.J. McCarthywas not aware of this fact himself.

  Ever since he brought his daughter home, and had thereby parted her fromthe man she married, he had never been the same. Always he was troubledwith something he could not understand. His dreams were bad. The awfulsensations he very often experienced while in slumber, grew so annoyingthat at times he found that he was almost afraid to sleep. Then, apersistent illness continually knocked at his door. The truth of it was,that he was battling with a conscience he had for years crucified. Butit would persist. So deep had he sowed the habits he followed, and sointrenched were the roots of these habits, until it was no easy task touproot them.

  He had left Mrs. Pruitt near midnight of the day when Jean Baptiste hadarrived on his trip in a last effort to secure his wife. The family hadretired before he arrived home, and having some business in the rear ofthe house, he passed through the room which contained the bed whereinhis daughter, Orlean, lay in peaceful slumber. When he was returning hepaused briefly to observe the face of the sleeping girl in themoonlight. Peacefully she slept, and for the first time in his life hesaw therein something he had never seen before. He felt his flesh andwondered at the feeling that was come over him. It seemed that he wasasleep, but positively he was awake. He _was_ awake, and looking intothe sleeping face of his daughter. But if he _was awake, what was it hesaw_?

  Surely not. But as he stood over her, he thought he could see her eyesopen, and look at him strangely, regard him in a way she had never donebefore. And as she looked at him, he thought she raised her hand thatlay under the cover, and with her forefinger leveled, she pointed athim. In the trance he imagined he could hear her voice. She called him:

  "Father?" And betimes he answered.

  "Yes, daughter."

  "Where is my husband?" He gave a start. He thought he caught atsomething, and then he heard her again:

  "You have sent him away, out of my life, and the day is coming when youwill be called upon to answer for your sins!"

  He thought he was trembling. All about him was turmoil. He saw thepeople, the friends of the family, and all the people he had preached toin thirty years, and all were pointing an accusing finger at him. Andout of the chaos he heard them crying: "_Shame, oh shame! That youshould be so evil, so vile, such a hypocrite, and let your evil fallupon your own daughter!_" He saw then the wife he had taken from Speed.He saw that one in his misery, he saw him sink, and renounce fromweakness the sentiments he had started in the world to teach. He saw himstruggle vainly, and then saw him fall, low, lower, until at last theflames of hell had swallowed him up. "Merciful God," he cried, and hewas sure he staggered. "Was it _I_ who brought all this?" But before hecould recover, the procession kept passing.

  Behind Speed came the wife he had robbed him of. She carried in her armsa baby that he had given her. By the hand she led the other illegitimateoffspring. There they were, the innocents that had no name. He saw thebent head of the woman, and saw the grief and anguish in her face. Hesaw her suddenly stop and fall, and while she lay upon the earth, herchildren were taken, and grew up surrounded with all that was bad andevil. He saw one suddenly dead, while still a boy, murdered by thecompanions he kept. He saw his young body in the morgue. And before allthis had passed, he saw this one's mother again, the woman he hadfooled, in the depth of the "tenderloin." He saw her a solicitor, and hecould hear himself groan in agony.

  The years passed, and while he grew older, other things came and went; atrain of evil deeds he had committed, and at last came his own daughter.He saw her passing and when he saw her face, the agony thereinfrightened him. Was it so! Had _he_, done that, too? Was _he_ the causeof what he saw in this girl's face? Suddenly he saw her change, and inthe distance he saw Jean Baptiste, and all he had suffered. "_Oh,merciful God, close thou mine eyes_," he thought he could hear himselfcall. But his eyes would not close, and the one to whom he appealedappeared to be deaf, and the procession continued.

  He saw Orlean stretch her hands out to Baptiste, and he came toward herwith arms outstretched, and he thought he heard a voice, the voice ofthe man Jean Baptiste. And the words he cried rang in his ears: "Mywife, oh, Orlean, my wife! Come unto me!"--But lo! When the two had cameclose, and the man would have held her to him, a shadow suddenly rosebetween them, and shut them out from each other's sight. He thought heraised his voice to call out to the one of the shadow. And when hecalled to him, and the one of the shadow turned, and behold! It washimself! He suddenly came out of the trance, to see Orlean sitting up inbed. He caught his breath and held his hand over his heart, as he heardher voice:

  "Papa, is that you? My, how you frightened me! I--" and then she quicklystopped. She had started to say, "I thought it was Jean," for in truthshe had dreamed of him, and that he had come for her, and she was glad,and when she arose to go she had awakened to find her father standingover her.

  "Yes, yes, my dear," he said rather awkwardly. "It is I. I stopped tolook at you and seemed to forget myself." He hurried away then, and upthe stairs to his room and went to bed, but it was near morning when hefell asleep.

  * * * * *

  It so happened when Jean Baptiste had gone upstairs to call on Mildredand her mother, he had knocked at the door below. A man lived there whomhe had known in the years gone by and who had educated himself to be alawyer. His name was Towles, Joseph Towles. Always before when he was inthe city, he had called on Towles and his family, and when their doorrose before him, on the impulse he had forgotten all else but to greetthem. He pushed the bell, and no sooner had he done so than he recalledhis mission, and that he was avoiding his acquaintances. He quicklypassed upstairs but not before Mrs. Towles had opened the door andcaught a glimpse of him passing.

  She was aware of his difficulty, and had pretended to sympathize withhim. But Mrs. Towles was a gossipy, penurious woman, and did not getalong with her neighbors overhead. So when she saw Jean Baptiste passingup the stairs, and hurrying from her without speaking, she at oncebecame angry, and with it apprehensive. She went back to where she hadbeen working over some sewing. She was thoughtful, and then regarded theclock.

  "I wonder what he is doing here?" she mused to herself. And then shesuddenly brightened with an inspiration. "_His wife_, of course," shecried, and fell to thinking further.

  She happened to be a close friend of a certain lady who lived next doorto the McCarthys on Vernon Avenue, and it was to her that she decided topay a visit on the morrow. And, of course she would discuss the factthat she had gotten a glimpse of Jean Baptiste, and would try to findout what she could.

  It was the following afternoon that she found the time to visit herfriend in Vernon Avenue. She passed by the house wherein lived theMcCarthys, and made up her mind to call there later in company with herfriend to hear the news.

  "Why, Mrs. Towles!" cried her friend when she saw her face upon openingthe door. "How nice it was of you to call, when I was not expecting you!Such a pleasant surprise," whereupon they kissed in womanly fashion. Shetook a seat by the window, for she wished to look into the street. Theother took a chair just facing her, and together they fell to talking.As they sat there, Orlean suddenly came out of the house next door,down the steps, and passed before Mrs. Towles' gaze as she went up thestreet to Wabash Avenue to fill the engagement with Mrs. Merley.

  "Oh, look," cried Mrs. Towles, pointing to the figure of the other."There goes Orlean!"

  The other strained her neck, and said:

  "M-m."

  "And I saw her husband last night."

  "You did!"
exclaimed the other in great surprise. She had a growndaughter who was very much accomplished, but unmarried. So she took adelight in such cases as Jean Baptiste's....

  "I did," replied the other, making herself comfortable and getting readyto relate his strange actions.

  "Well, well, now!" echoed the other, all attention.

  "Yes," said Mrs. Towles, and then related all that had passed which wasnot anything but catching a glimpse of Baptiste as he had disappeared upthe steps.

  "I don't think they know next door, that he is in town," suggested theother.

  "Don't they?"

  "Why, not likely. You know the last time he was here they wouldn't admithim!" They eyed each other jubilantly, and then went on.

  "Then we ought to go right over and inform them at once!" said Mrs.Towles.

  "Just what we should do," agreed the other.

  And so it happened that the Reverend learned that Jean Baptiste was inthe city; but for once he was not excited. Somehow, he hoped that Jeanwould meet Orlean, and he knew then that she had gone out for thatpurpose. He knew that she was supposed to go to a matinee, and herealized from previous statements, that Mrs. Merley was the "gobetween."

  So he took no part in the gossip that followed, nor did he for once sighin self pity.

  Perhaps after all he had decided not to interfere.