Part 56 (2/2)

Webb's eccentric att.i.tude as a kind of antedated comedy. What he objected to was his wife's inability to grasp the keynote of the situation.

It was pleasant to reflect, however, as he leisurely descended the steps, that he had brought Eugenia round by less heroic measures than an a.s.sault upon her family altars. He was glad to think that he had given her a cup of tea instead.

Crossing slowly to Franklin Street, he hesitated an instant on the corner, and turned finally in the direction of his office. There was a nearer way down town, but he always chose this one because experience had taught him that if pretty women were abroad here they would be found. With the same instinct of enjoyment he might have gone out of his way daily to pa.s.s the window of a florist.

As he walked on in the spring suns.h.i.+ne he held his handsome head erect, blowing the smoke of his cigar in the scented air. He moved leisurely, finding life too good to be wasted in rus.h.i.+ng. The soft atmosphere; the fragrance of his fine cigar; the beauty of the women he pa.s.sed--these sufficed to bring the glow of animation to his smooth, full face.

Once he stopped to shake hands with pretty Emma Carr, detaining her by a jest and a laugh--and again he paused to exchange a word with Juliet Galt, who was at her window. It was only when he turned into the business street again that he brought his mind to bear upon less engaging subjects.

Then it was that he remembered he had delivered the evening before his most successful oration. He had spoken to a large audience upon ”Personal Morality in Politics,” and he had received an appreciation that was prolonged and thundering. When it was over some one had called him a ”greater orator than Withers,” to add quickly, ”and a better Democrat than Burr.” He could still see the whimsical smile Burr had turned upon the speaker, and he could still feel his own sense of elation.

Well, as for that matter, he was a better Democrat than Burr--if to be a better Democrat meant to place the party will above his personal opinion. After all, what was a party for if not to unite individual effort and to combine individual differences? If organisation was not worth the sacrifice of personal prejudices it might as well dissolve before the next election day. It was, of course, a pity that a man like Burr should dissent from the views of important politicians, but one might as well talk of a s.h.i.+p without officers as of a party without organised leaders. It was a pity from Burr's point of view, he was willing to admit, but so long as Burr would make trouble it was just as well that the ill wind should blow his own side good--he was honestly glad that it had blown Rann's influence in his direction. He had never felt more hopeful of anything in his life than he now felt of the senators.h.i.+p. Indeed, he was inclined to think that he might have something very like a ”walk over.”

”Hold on, Webb,” a voice called behind him, and a moment later he was joined by Diggs, who congratulated him upon his speech of the evening before. Webb tossed back the congratulations with a laugh. ”Yes, it's a popular subject just now,” he said. ”Since the negroes have stopped voting in large numbers we're even going in for honest elections.”

”Well, I reckon it's as well,” admitted Diggs. ”We used to have some rampant rascality under the old system, I dare say; it took clever trickery to bring in the white rule sometimes. We have a large negro majority down my way, that obliged us to devise original methods of disposing of it. It was fighting the devil with fire, I suppose; but self-preservation was a law long before Universal Suffrage was heard of.

At any rate, I had my hand in it now and then. Once, I remember, on an election day when every darkey in the neighbourhood had turned out to vote, I hit on the idea that the man who was to carry the returns across the river should pretend to get drunk and upset the boat. It was a pretty scheme and would have worked all right, but, will you believe it, the blamed fool got drunk in earnest, and when the boat upset he was caught under it and drowned.” He paused an instant and complacently added: ”But we lost those returns, all the same.”

Webb threw his cigar stump in the gutter and turned to Diggs with a laugh. ”That reminds me,” he began, and started a story which he finished on his office steps.

When he went home some hours later he found that Eugenia had regained her high good-humour. She was sitting before the fire in her bedroom, her hair flowing in the hands of Delphy, who had moved up from Kingsborough, and was doing a thriving trade as a shampooer. It was her fortnightly custom to pa.s.s from head to head in a round of the Kingsborough colony, promoting an intimate trend of gossip among her patrons.

As Dudley entered, she was seeking to induce Eugenia to consent to an application from one of the many bottles she carried in an ancient travelling bag, which had long since descended to her from General Battle.

”Lawd, Miss Euginny, dis yer ain' gwineter hu't you. Hit ain' nuttin but ker'sene oil nohow. Miss Sally Burwell des let me souse her haid in it de udder day. Hit'll keep you f'om gittin' gray, sho's I live.”

”You shan't touch me with it, Delphy. And you ought to be ashamed--I haven't a gray hair. Have I, Dudley?”

Delphy returned the bottle with a sigh, and applied herself to a vigorous brus.h.i.+ng of Eugenia's hair.

”You sho is filled out sence I see you, Ma.r.s.e Dudley,” she observed at last.

”Yes, I'm getting fat, Delphy,” returned Dudley with a laugh. ”It's old age, you know. It's a long time since the days when you spanked me with a heavy hand.”

”Go 'way f'om yer, Ma.r.s.e Dudley; you know I ain' never spank you none ter hu't. En you ain' er bit too fat ter fit yo' skin, nohow.”

Dudley regarded her with a kindly, patriarchal eye as he straightened himself against the mantel. ”Any news from down your way, Delphy?” he inquired with interest. ”What's become of Moses? Moses was always a friend of mine. He used to bring me a pocketful of peanuts from every picking he went to.”

Delphy shook her head, her huge lips tightening. ”He's down wid de purple headache,” she replied gloomily, ”twel he can't smell de diff'ence between er 'possum en er polecat. Yes, suh, Mose he's moughty low down, en' ter dis yer day he ain' never got over Ma.r.s.e Nick Burr's ous'in' you en Miss Euginny outer de cheer you all oughter had down yonder at de cap'tol. I ain' got much use fer Ma.r.s.e Nick myse'f. He's monst'ous hard on po' folks. I ain' been able to rent out mo'n oner my rooms sence he's been down dar. Dat's right, Miss Euginny, yo' hyar's des es dry es I kin git it.”

When Delphy had gone, Dudley leaned down and put his arm about Eugenia as he kissed her. ”All right, Eugie?” he asked cheerfully. Eugenia returned his caress with a startled pleasure, looking up at him affectionately, fascinated by the glow which hung about him.

”Oh, I really don't think I could do without you, Dudley,” she said quickly.

”Well, it's a good thing you don't have to,” responded Dudley as he kissed her again.

It was several days after this that Eugenia came to him one evening as he stood before the fire and laid her cool cheek against his arm.

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