The Hindered Hand Part 20

Seabright, wringing his hands.

"You may git now, I say," said the man.

Mr. Seabright sought to put on his clothes, but trembled so that he did not make much headway. His visitor, to expedite matters, a.s.sisted him in dressing.

"Take your money and the like. I won't need it where I'll be 'fore night," said the intruder.

Mr. Seabright took advantage of this offer to pile into a small valise all the money, valuable papers and jewels in the house that he could find. He went out of the rear door and pa.s.sed back to his stable, and out into the alley.

Casting a look back at his house, he said: "Farewell, Hades!" Looking up into the heavens, he whispered as he ran: "In case, O stars, any inquiry is made of you as to my whereabouts, please let it be known, of course without specifying the exact spot, that I have gone to the land of the Eskimo. My face will soon be overgrown with a beard which I shall so dye that the keenest scented mob in all the world can not discern any difference between my humble self and the anatomy of the regulation Eskimo. So, farewell!"

CHAPTER XXVI.

_Gus Martin._

Gus Martin, for it was he who was Mr. Seabright's visitor, saw to it that every window and door of the house was properly barred, and then repaired to the tower which commanded every approach to the house. To his very great surprise he found the tower a veritable a.r.s.enal with ammunition in abundance and death dealing devices of the most improved types. He perceived that the tower was protected by armor plate and was so constructed that one might fire upon others with practically no danger of being hit himself.

"Beyond doubt I shall go to judgment to-day, but I shall take along with me a putty good body guard," said Martin, as he settled himself back.

The day dawned beautifully, and Martin put a hand to his lips and threw a kiss at the sun. "To-morrow I'll know more about you than I do now,"

said he. "And some others will, too," he added.

At about eleven o'clock he saw leaping the front gate a tall raw boned bloodhound.

"It's a pity a pore dum' brute has got to lead this pursession; but if it mus' be, it mus' be."

So saying, he lifted his rifle to his shoulder and a shot rang out on the air. The beast leaped high up in the air, twisted his head to one side and plunged forward lifeless. Within a few more moments a second hound appeared, and he met a like fate. Soon there was a clatter of a horse's feet and an officer of the law came das.h.i.+ng down the street. As he got opposite the Seabright home a rifle shot rang out and his horse fell, throwing the rider against an electric light post, and stunning him for the time being. Martin aimed his rifle at the officer as he lay, then lowered it.

"Not yet. Ain't had the confab yet."

The people in the vicinity perceived that there was something unusual going on and began to crowd in front of the s.p.a.ce facing the Seabright residence. It soon became known that Rev. Percy G. Marshall had been murdered and the murderer had been tracked to the Seabright residence.

It was also surmised that the offender was a Negro, as the hounds had traced him from the place of the killing to a Negro dwelling, thence on to the Seabright house. The city of Almaville was soon in a ferment and the white people poured out to that section of the town. Several thousand people were soon ma.s.sed in the neighborhood of the Seabright residence.

Martin had provided himself with a speaking trumpet and through it he now shouted, "You people are permitted to stand in front uv these premises, but you mustn't 'tempt to git over my front yard fence."

Some one suggested the getting of a trumpet to induce whoever the party was to allow officers of the law to come in unmolested. The trumpet was procured and the following dialogue took place.

The trumpeteer of the crowd shouted, "Whoever you are, we call upon you in the name of the State to surrender."

Martin replied, "I'm a n.i.g.g.e.r. Martin is my name. I have killed a white man fur a good cause. Before I give up I would like to have a little talk with the sheriff. Tell him to step to the neares' tellerphone place and call up Seabright."

The sheriff did as requested and Gus went to the telephone.

"Say, Mistah Sheriff, this is Gus Martin that saw Dave Harper lynched.

If I give up to you will you perteck me?"

"I'll do what I can, Martin. Of course, you know what you have done."

"Will you lose your life trying to perteck me?" asked Martin.

"Well, uh--well, Martin, that's pretty hard to say, considering you murdered one of my race, you know."

[Ill.u.s.tration: "'I have tellerphoned 'round the world and there ain't no justice nowhere fur a black man. We'll fight it out right here.'"

(184-185)]

"Ring off," said Martin.

Gus now called up the Governor's office.

"Governor, this is Gus Martin. Will you perteck my life if I surrender to this heah sheriff? I am 'cused uv killin' a white preacher."

"I can do nothing unless called upon by the sheriff of your county,"

said the Governor, and put up the telephone receiver.

The Seabright residence had 'long distance' telephone connections and Gus called up the White House at Was.h.i.+ngton. He stated his case and the secretary to the President replied:

"We are powerless to act. The most that we can at present do is to create a healthy public sentiment against lynching."

"Ha! ha! ha!" laughed Gus through the telephone. "Is that all you can say to a man that risked his life fur your flag?"

Gus now called up the British legation to sound it on the question of proposing intervention on the part of the leading nations of the world.

He was told that the problem was a domestic one and that foreign countries could not intervene. Gus returned to his trumpet and said,

"I have tellerphoned 'round the world and there ain't no justice nowhere fur a black man. We'll fight it out right here."

In the meantime five young men had formed an agreement that they would make the dash to the building. They had figured that Gus could not shoot all five before one of them could reach the lower door and be sheltered from the fire. They made the dash, but Gus was quicker than they fancied, and one by one they went down before his deadly aim. The city was in a frenzy.

We must leave the scene of combat for a while in order to be prepared for the dramatic turn events were about to take.

CHAPTER XXVII.

_Tiara Mystifies Us._

Tiara was sitting on the front porch of her home gazing pensively out upon the blue hills that fringed the distant horizon.

On the day previous she had been able to p.r.o.nounce the wounded Earl well and he had gone forth solemnly pledged to no longer rebel against the overwhelming desire of the Negro race to pursue steadily the policy of moral suasion, as exemplified by Ensal.

That morning Eunice had taken her departure and had for some reason or other refused to let Tiara know her destination.

Tiara missed Eunice, but there was a countervailing joy in her soul.

Eunice gone, her period of exile was over, and Ensal--O, well, well; he could call to see her sometimes. That was as much as she would admit to herself, but there was an enlivening sparkle to those beautiful dark eyes whenever that individual came before her mind. She was intending that night to write him a note suggesting that he ought to call and receive an account of her stewards.h.i.+p in the matter of preserving Earl's life. That was a non-committal piece of territory on which a renewal of friendly relations might begin, she felt. The newsboy came riding along and tossed the afternoon paper upon her porch. She picked up the paper, opened it and glanced at the various headings. In an instant her interest in the paper was more than perfunctory.