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Lillian Simmons 
 
 or 
 The Conflict of Sections 
 
 A STORY BY 
 
 OTIS M. SHACKELFORD, A. B. 
 
 Author of, A Dream of Freedom Realized, Seeking 
 the Best, and Other Essays and Poems. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED 
 
 by 
 William Hamilton 
 
 BURTON PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 
 Publishers and Book Sellers 
 KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI 
 
Copyright 1915 
 
 by 
 OTIS M. SHACKELFORD 
 
To a departed father, to a beloved mother, 
 to devoted sisters and, brothers; is this volume 
 lovingly dedicated by, 
 
 THE AUTOR. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 In our travels, North and South, we find 
 among our people certain social evils and false 
 notions of life, which need to be corrected. 
 Unity of action, and of opinion, in all sections of 
 this country, is absolutely necessary, if we 
 would progress in social and business uplift. 
 And in order to call attention to many of our 
 short comings and things which tend to stint our 
 growth, as a race, or nation, we write this story 
 of "Lillian Simmons" or "The Conflict of Sec 
 tions." 
 
 It is based upon some of the vital questions 
 and problems of the day. 
 
 It is a love story which creates interest and 
 claims the attention, and at the same time 
 touches upon the various phrases of the race 
 problem in a pleasing yet subtle way. Separate 
 schools, the "Jim Crow Car," segregation in its 
 many forms, and other things pertaining to the 
 welfare of the race, are discussed in turn. 
 
 Our characters are clear cut, and are por 
 trayed in an intensely human way, representing 
 types not only of our own colored race, but they 
 7 
 
8 PREFACE 
 
 are typical of the entire human family. They 
 are true to life. And we would be happy could 
 their names live forever. 
 
 But for this we do not hope. We do hope 
 however, to inspire others of our race who are 
 literarily inclined, and to show forth the great 
 possibilities in this new field of endeavor. We 
 as a race want a place in Literature. We want 
 to be heroes in song and story. We want to 
 play leading roles on the stage and in book. 
 We want to stir the emotions of men. We 
 want to provoke laughter, tears and applause. 
 We are tired of playing the foolish, silly, insigr 
 nificant part as given to us by the literature of 
 other races. And we think the time has come 
 for us to take this line of work in hand. 
 
 The soil of the Negro literary field is in 
 deed rich and abounds in vast tracts, from 
 which material for history, song, and story 
 may be gathered. 
 
 We hope this effort will inspire the boys 
 and girls of our race, who are being turned out 
 of our High Schools and Colleges each year, and 
 who have literary taste and inclination, to write 
 along various lines. We would ask them to use 
 the grammar, the rhetoric, and the correct En 
 glish which they have mastered, in the making 
 of a literature and a history for their race, in 
 
PREFACE 9 
 
 creating characters and heroes, that will live 
 long after they are dead. 
 
 Take the stories from the lips of the old 
 grandfathers and mothers, and with the skill 
 which many of the young people posess, polish 
 them up. 
 
 They will make interesting reading and in 
 a few years from now, when the lips of the old 
 are forever sealed, and the chance for obtaining 
 much authentic history is forever gone, they 
 will be of great value. 
 
 We hope that much good will come from 
 our effort. We invoke the good will and sym 
 pathy of our readers. May our purpose inspire 
 and please them if the story does not. 
 
 We wish to thank the Burton Publishing 
 Company for suggestions and favors shown, 
 and the good will that it has always extended 
 to us. We highly recommend them to others 
 who may have work like this to be done. 
 
 We also wish to thank Mr. William Hamil 
 ton, one of Missouri's best colored artists for 
 illustrations. With his talent there is much 
 good that he can do for his race. 
 
 And last, but by no means least, we wish to 
 thank Mrs. Eva L. Lewis, of Paducah, Ky., for 
 copying our manuscript in so beautiful a hand 
 
10 PREFACE 
 
 and preparing it for the press. 
 
 The parts that these people have played in 
 producing "Lillian Simmons," or "The Conflict 
 of Sections" are indispensable, and again we 
 thank them. 
 
 With this we give the book into the hands 
 of the Public. Let them use it as they will. 
 
 THE AUTHOR 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 Chapter I The North Against the South. Page 
 
 A Fight 15 
 
 II Lillian Simmons 25 
 
 " III The Newspaper Article 38 
 
 IV The Indignation Meeting 47 
 
 V The Warning Heeded 65 
 
 11 VI Thwarted 79 
 
 " VII The Two Arguments 88 
 
 VIII Reverses For the Simmons 
 
 Family 97 
 
 " IX A Teacher Wanted 102 
 
 X A Business Venture 114 
 
 " XI Mrs. Simmons Rebuke 125 
 
 " XII Christopher's Grocery Burns 132 
 
 " XIII A Colored Town 137 
 
 11 XIV The Jim Crow Car 
 
 " XV Love Letters 147 
 
 " XVI George Simmons Arrest 153 
 
 11 
 
12 TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 Chapter XVIII Mrs. Simmons Visits Page 
 
 Charles 164 
 
 XIX A Grave Situation 173 
 
 XX Lillian's Distress 177 
 
 XXI Lillian at Home 188 
 
 XXII The Trial 188 
 
 11 XXIII The Conclusion 204 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 1. Seeking an opportuuity to land a Page 
 
 telling blow. 24 
 
 2. "When you cast "flections on de 
 Souf, you cast 'flections on me." 59 
 
 3. "I have always been averse to Colored 
 
 schools and Colored teachers." 103 
 
 4. Charles Christopher's Grocery store 
 
 was in flames. 134 
 
 5. "My case has been tried and settled 
 
 in the Court of Courts." 193 
 
 6. "Come and meet my folks," said George, 
 
 I want them to know you." 198 
 
 7. The North and South united by the 
 
 ties of business and by the ties of love. 207 
 13 
 
CHAPTER I 
 
 THE NORTH AGAINST THE SOUTH 
 
 Charles Christopher, a young colored man 
 of the South, after having been knocked and 
 tossed about in various ways, found himself 
 many miles from home among strange people 
 with strange ways and strange environments. 
 The country contrasted with his own in many 
 ways. Physical conditions were different as 
 were the customs and manners and brogue in 
 speech. Hence for a long time he was at sea. 
 He had lost his bearings as it were. 
 
 Having, however, found employment in a 
 Northern hotel, for it was in the North he was 
 now located, he was thrown in company with 
 young men whose traiding was different to his, 
 and which was in keeping with the section in 
 which they lived. 
 
 He readily became acquainted with them 
 and soon they were on very friendly and famil 
 iar terms. He did not know though how to take 
 their jokes and slurs caat at him and the sunny 
 15 
 
16 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 country in which he lived and loved. 
 
 They were thoughtless young men, and 
 knew not how deeply they were piercing the 
 heart of their new comrade with their satire. 
 They did not know that Charles Christopher, 
 though balked and checked by poverty, had a 
 fine sensitive nature; that his thoughts were 
 pure and his ideals were lofty; that he had a 
 high aim in life; that it was this high aim which 
 had led him on step by step until he had com 
 pleted his education in one of the Southern 
 Colleges. 
 
 Not one of his companions was equal to him 
 in book lore. But they were ignorant of his 
 preparation in many ways, for a great and use 
 ful life. They felt themselves superior to him 
 because they were born and raised in the North. 
 This argument alone they thought sufficient to 
 establish their superiority. And to tell the truth 
 this was the only argument they had in their 
 favor when compared with Charles Christopher. 
 
 One morning after hours he went down by 
 the river side, as was a habit of his. to watch the 
 distant boats and water craft as they plied to 
 and fro and up and down stream. While thus 
 engaged his attention was attracted by loud and 
 
THE NORTH AGAINST THE SOUTH 17 
 
 angry voices not far from him. He arose and 
 walked leisurely in the direction of the seeming 
 quarrel. 
 
 "You Southern niggers come up here and 
 spoil our privileges," were the words he dis 
 tinctly heard as he approached. ' 'There was a 
 time when we could eat in any restaurant in 
 town and now we are barred from all down 
 town places except Jim Allen's. We used to sit 
 where we pleased in the theatres;we used to be 
 permitted to go to any of the Parks, and now 
 that's all over. Just because you Southern 
 people have come up here with your ignorance 
 and roughness. Why I have taken my compa 
 ny many a time to the "Grand," and sat in the 
 box on the first floor. I can't do it now." 
 
 At this juncture Charles approached the 
 bunch of young men and calmly asked in what 
 way had the Southern negroes spoiled their 
 privileges. 
 
 "Why hello Charles," said the speaker who 
 so passionately held the "floor." ''Where did 
 you spring from. I suppose you are here to 
 champion the cause of the Southern darkies," 
 said he sarcastically. "Well we are pretty good 
 friends Charlie, but you are from the South and 
 I must tell you the truth." 
 
18 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 The speaker above mentioned and who 
 seemed to be the leader in the harangue, was 
 George Simmons, whose father was in fair cir 
 cumstances, having served several years as 
 clerk in the City Treasurer's office, and who, 
 in his life time, had received good salaries at 
 various other employments. He owned his 
 own home which was very beautiful and well 
 kept and located in the very best part of the 
 city. His family consisted of his wife and two 
 children. George, who was now twenty-two 
 years of age, and his. daughter Lillian, now 
 blooming into womanhood at eighteen. 
 
 Both children had finished in the High 
 School. Both had received honors at the close 
 of their school career and were well known in 
 the city, especially among the school people. 
 George boasted of having "starred" on the Foot 
 Ball team, and Lillian had played substitute on 
 the Basket Ball team. Their records for scolar- 
 ship were good and they were very popular. 
 
 And it was George with his many accom 
 plishments, with his record in the High School 
 and his knowledge of existing previous condi 
 tions, who now confronted Charles Christopher, 
 worked up to a high pitch of excitement, and 
 prepared to tell him the plain truth. 
 
\ 
 
 THE NORTH AGAINST THE SOUTH 19 
 
 George Simmons was a handsome youth of 
 medium build, graceful and athletic in his move 
 ments. He was what might be called a light 
 brown skin in complexion, and had dark hair, 
 not of the finest grade which nature gives to 
 many colored people, neither was it of the 
 coarser kind, but it was such as was very be 
 coming to his complexion. He also had an air 
 of freedom and independence about him which 
 is usually in evidence with Northern born and 
 Northern educated colored people. His training 
 and high spirit showed perceptibly when he 
 spoke with flashing eye to Charles Christopher. 
 "In what way have they spoiled our privi 
 leges? Why I can mention a dozen instances. 
 Five years ago old Josh Greene came up here 
 from the South, and the first week he was here 
 he got smart. He went down to the park and 
 sat down at one of the refreshment tables, and 
 because one of the white waitresses was a little 
 slow about waiting on him he became insolent, 
 declaring that he was in there first, that his 
 money was as good as anybodys, that he was 
 not in the South now, and that he must be 
 served at once. He raised so much Cain that 
 they did serve him, but declared he would be 
 the last colored person served in that place. 
 
20 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 "And since that time no one of our race has 
 been served there. Same thing happened when 
 Pete Williams got in a fight with the manager 
 of the boat house. He went out in a boat and 
 stayed over time and did not want to pay. 
 When he returned the manager demanded pay 
 for over time. His reply was, "If you get pay 
 out of me, you will have to take it out of my 
 hide," whereupon the manager went after him 
 and an awful fight ensued, in which the owner 
 of the boat house was fearfully cut. The result 
 was that all negroes were barred from the 
 privileges of the park. Two years ago a drunk 
 en Negro from the South was sitting in the par 
 quet of the Temple Theatre and raised a disturb 
 ance, yelling and applauding at the wrong time. 
 He didn't know how to appreciate a good play, 
 He laughed outright during a death-bed scene, 
 and when an usher called him down he got sore 
 and wanted to fight. After that the colored peo 
 ple had to sit in the gallery to themselves in the 
 Temple Theatre and it was not long before the 
 other theatre's followed the Temple's example. 
 
 "And then you ask in what way have the 
 Southern niggers spoiled our privileges. If I 
 had my way I would have a law passed prohibit 
 ing this obnoxious influx from the South." 
 
THE NORTH AGAINST THE SOUTH 2! 
 
 At this point in George Simmons'passionate 
 speech Charles Christopher interrupted: 
 
 "You Northern people have yet to learn 
 this lesson, George Simmons, that white people 
 are white people, that blood is thicker than 
 water, that the racial instinct will assert itself. 
 That one bad negro cannot spoil the privileges 
 of a community of good negroes, unless the 
 prejudice in the hearts of the other race is 
 aroused. They seek the slightest excuse for 
 humiliating and imposing hardships upon our 
 people. Why not seize these disturbers by the 
 nape of the neck and the seat of the pants and 
 hurl them bodily through the gates and doors of 
 their places of amusements, thus making an ex 
 ample of such offenders for all time to come? 
 This would be the proper way to proceed. 
 This is what they do to their own offenders, and 
 this would show respect for deserving, well- 
 trained individuals of all races. Why bar the 
 good on account of the bad. Why cast them all 
 on a heap together and treat them all as un 
 worthy? Tell me why, George Simmons, in a 
 straight-forward, candid manner the reason 
 why? Or have you ever tried to figure it out?" 
 
 At this juncture Charles paused for a re 
 ply. 'There is but one reply George, if you are 
 
22 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 honest enough to make it, or if you have sense 
 enough to see it. It is simply this: that prejudice 
 is rapidly growing all over this country. It is 
 taking or has taken deep root in your city. This 
 is inevitable and it would have come sooner or 
 later regardless of the conduct of these so-styled 
 bad Southern "niggers." Like the wolf that 
 wanted to devour the innocent lamb and for an 
 excuse charged it with having muddled up his 
 water in the stream where he was to drink. 
 The lamb begged pardon and showed him where 
 it was impossible for him to muddy up his drink 
 ing water since he was several yards below 
 where he, the wolf, had to drink. The wolf 
 could find no legal excuse for devouring the in 
 nocent lamb, so he pounced upon it without an 
 excuse. So, through prejudice with or without an 
 excuse, these hardships are inflicted upon you." 
 "Oh no, you can't tell me that," said George 
 Simmons impatiently. "For instance in the 
 High School, colored boys have always played 
 on the Foot Ball team and the Base Ball team. 
 Colored girls have always played right along by 
 the side of white girls on the Basket Ball team. 
 I was 'Class Orator' of my class. Frank Mack 
 was Valedictorian of his class. Each year 
 honors have been distributed according to the 
 
THE NORTH AGAINST THE SOUTH 23 
 
 merits of individual scholars, regardless of race, 
 color or previous conditions. We have attend 
 ed balls and parties given by white people here. 
 And I am convinced of this fact that, wherever 
 this rough, ignorant and uncouth class of Ne 
 groes can be controlled or held at bay, the 
 whites of this section are fair and will exhibit 
 no prejudice! My father has been clerk for ten 
 years And I don't care to discuss this subject 
 with you any further. You had better carry 
 your Southern ideas and prejudices out of this 
 town. We don't need you to teach us any les 
 sons. And my advice to you is to 'beat it.' 
 There is always some stray Negro coming here 
 advocating separate schools, Negro business, 
 Negro this and that, scattering seeds of pre 
 judice where no prejudice exists. And I am 
 going to take it as a part of my duty to stop it. 
 So you 'beat it' out of this town as soon as you 
 can arrange to do so." 
 
 Charles Christopher was surprised at 
 George's last utterance with its "background of 
 passion," to use a President Wilson expression, 
 but he was not nonplused by this argument. 
 He knew that it was fallacious and he was pre 
 pared to overthrow it if George, through angry 
 passion, had not brought the discussion to an 
 
U LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 abrupt close by an intentional insult. The 
 thrust was more than his manhood could stand. 
 
 "What do you mean George Simmons?" 
 His large eyes fairly gleaming with rage. "You 
 know not what you say. Don't you know I had 
 rather obey the call of death a hundred times 
 than submit to your demand? I have no interest 
 in this place, but I shall not leave until it pleases 
 me to do so. As to this insult that you have 
 directed with unerring aim at me, I shall not 
 stand it. You must whip me right now for I 
 am going to fight you with all the strength that 
 is in my body. So prepare." 
 
 At this he began taking off his coat. By 
 this time quite a crowd of loafers, white and 
 colored had gathered, and were eager to see 
 what promised to be a good fight, the young 
 men being evenly matched in size, strength and 
 skill. And too, each had friends or sympathizers 
 in the crowd as was evidenced by the applause 
 and encouragement that each received. 
 
 In less time than it takes to relate it, the 
 young men were standing before each other, 
 hatless and coatless, in true pugilistic attitude, 
 seeking an opportunity to land a telling blow. 
 
Seeking an opportunity to land a telling blow. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 Lillian Simmons was a beautiful brown 
 skin maid of eighteen summers. And this 
 particular morning as she stood on the front 
 veranda of her father's stately home, with eyes 
 that sparkled and black wavy hair that glistened 
 in the sunlight, falling in a thick cluster of curls 
 about her girlish neck, she looked more like the 
 nymphs or fairies of the woods than she did the 
 ordinary mortal at home. 
 
 Lillian, it must be admitted, was beautiful 
 to an extraordinary degree, but she was not 
 spoiled. She was handled and tutored by a very 
 sensible mother who, though she loved her 
 children, knew too much about them to spoil 
 them. 
 
 She did not believe in lavishing luxuries 
 upon them, but she did believe in furnishing 
 such things, as would promote the health of 
 the body and the growth of the mind. Unlike 
 most colored parents, she realized that the mind 
 25 
 
26 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 was the most important part about her children, 
 and she did not hesitate to purchase books, in 
 structive games and toys; things that would 
 cause her children to think and study and do 
 much toward their own self-developement. In 
 other words she did not starve the mind at the 
 expense of the body. She knew that both must 
 be fed. 
 
 Thus Mrs. Simmons had brought to the 
 threshold of womanhood, a lovable, beautiful, 
 sensible, accomplished girl. A girl full of health 
 and vigor and buoyancy of spirit. A girl whose 
 training had not been neglected in any line. 
 Cooking, sewing and piano playing were her 
 accomplishments and she was very proud of her. 
 No young woman could have a greater asset to 
 character or a greater aid to future life and 
 happiness than she, with qualifications like 
 these, 
 
 This morning she had just finished her por 
 tion of the housework and had gone out on the 
 veranda to do deep breathing and other exer 
 cises that she had found beneficial to health. 
 Through these exercises she had learned the 
 real secret of how to be healthful and beautiful. 
 
 She remained there some time basking in 
 the June sunshine, gazing at nature everywhere 
 
LILLIAN SIMMONS 27 
 
 arrayed in her most beautiful and attractive 
 garments. 
 
 "What is so rare as a day in June? 
 Then, if ever, comes perfect days; 
 
 Whether we look or whether we listen 
 We hear life murmurs or see it glisten." 
 
 She repeated to herself the above quotation, 
 which was quite befitting. "Isn't that true?" 
 she said, as she stooped and patted the large St. 
 Bernard dog on the head, that lay happily at 
 her feet. Ted never moved from his position, 
 with his head resting between his paws, but 
 rolled his eyes effectionately and wagged his 
 bushy tail responsively, as if he understood her 
 words and appreciated her happy, poetic frame 
 of mind. 
 
 "You big noble boy," she murmured, and 
 with a cheerful laugh she displayed an even set 
 of ivory-like teeth, of which any queen might be 
 proud. Then with a hop, skip and jump she 
 hastened into the house to the side of her 
 mother. 
 
 "Mother this is a grand day. I feel like strol 
 ling! If I were a poet I would write something. 
 I am going to dress and go to the Public Library 
 and get a good book, may I?" Her mother read 
 ily assented and it was not long before she was 
 
28 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 hastening along the shady side of the street 
 toward the new Carnegie Library. 
 
 So pleased was she with the fresh morning 
 air, perfumed as it were with blossoms from 
 natures hot house, and with song and twitter of 
 birds and the steady rythmic flow of the majes 
 tic river, that she decided to prolong her walk, 
 and take the path that led along the river front. 
 
 She had not gone far, however, when she 
 saw a crowd of men and boys at a distance and 
 heard yells and clapping of hands. She continued 
 on her way until she had almost reached the 
 place of excitement. "Hit him in the neck! 
 Kill him! Now you got him!" and other ex 
 pressions told her that there must be a fight in 
 progress. At this moment a small boy came run 
 ning to her exclaiming, "Miss Lillian! Your 
 brother George is fighting. Him and Charley 
 Christopher are having it! You had better come 
 and stop it. He's hurting George. George is 
 just a bleedin!" 
 
 When Lillian came upon the scene, the boys 
 were fighting like demons. Each, during his 
 school career, had trained in athletic sports,and 
 was well prepared in self-defense. Both knew 
 the rough tactics resorted to in Foot Ball games 
 and they employed them in this awful fight. 
 
LILLIAN SIMMONS 29 
 
 Both knew how to punch in a pugilistic way and 
 they were doing so. Side stepping, swinging 
 and upper-cutting was indulged in to the great 
 delight and satisfaction of the crowd. It was 
 really a pretty fight to those who loved a con 
 test and knew anything about pugilism. And 
 but for the timely arrival of Lillian it would per 
 haps have been a fight to the finish. 
 
 The crowd slunk back when she approach 
 ed, most of them knowing that she was George's 
 sister, and dropped their heads and began to 
 walk away. 
 
 ' 'Shame on you George,'" she said, rushing 
 in and pulling him by the shoulders. "What on 
 earth is the matter with you?" 
 
 "Let loose sister, I am going to kill this 
 Southern nigger," said George,who was breath 
 ing heavily and bleeding profusely at the nose 
 and mouth. 
 
 "You are going right home with me. I am 
 ashamed of you. What will papa and mama 
 say when they know of this?" 
 
 George was too tired or nervous to reply. 
 Charles Christopher, embarrased and chagrined 
 at sight of George Simmon's beautiful sister 
 turned with hung-down head to his hat and 
 coat, picked them up and walked away. 
 
30 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 George made one more effort as if to get to 
 him, then giving over to the remonstrances of 
 his sister reached for his coat and hat and put 
 ting them on, remarked, "This is not done with 
 yet, you Southern dog. I'll get you some other 
 day." 
 
 The fight had had its effect on him. He 
 was considerably bruised and beaten. Both 
 eyes were black and his face and ears were 
 badly swollen. He was a sorry looking spec 
 tacle with his face and hands and clothing be 
 smeared with blood, as he passed along the 
 street. 
 
 After reaching home he attempted to ex 
 plain to his mother and sister the cause of the 
 fight. His mother, though sorry for him, was 
 disgusted on account of his hot-headedness and 
 his method of getting rid of Southern negroes. 
 She too felt that they had been a menace to the 
 community, and shared the opinion with the 
 other Northern people that they were the cause 
 of much of the prejudice that was now cropping 
 out in their town. But being a very conserva 
 tive woman and not given much to criticism or 
 to the judging of others, had not given the mat 
 ter very deep thought or consideration, had no 
 suggestion whatever to offer. 
 
LILLIAN SIMMONS 31 
 
 George declared that he was going to con 
 tinue along the lines that he had started until 
 every objectionable character was gone. He 
 said that he had many staunch friends that 
 thought as he did, and he knew that they would 
 help him. 
 
 "I don't know that I would take so much 
 upon myself," said Lillian. "You may get the 
 worst of it Who is this fellow Christopher 
 any way?" she asked. She wished to know 
 more about a young man who could make her 
 big strong brother, who starred on the Foot Ball 
 team a season ago, look like that. 
 
 "Ah he is one of them smart Alex' from the 
 South. He claims to be a College graduate. 
 Think of a graduate from a Negro College." 
 
 ''I was talking to some of the boys about 
 Southern niggers coming up here and spoiling 
 our privileges and he took it up. He brought 
 up a lot of his Southern talk and argument and 
 made me sore. So I told him to 'beat it' out of 
 this town as soon as he could." 
 
 "Why you didn't tell him that, did you 
 George." 
 
 "I certainly did," said George. 
 
 "And what did he say?" 
 
 "Oh, he got dramatic and reared himself 
 
32 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 back and said, 'I had rather die a hundred deaths 
 than to acceed to your demand; you have insult 
 ed me, so now you've got to whip me/ or words 
 to that effect. So we started from there. And 
 if you had not come up and interfered I would 
 have given him a good thrashing. I had him 
 going and all I wanted was to land one more 
 punch to make him take the count. He is an 
 awful tough guy though, but I'll get him yet." 
 
 ''Stay out of trouble George," said his moth 
 er. "Keep away from such people. Nothing 
 can be gained by associating with them. You 
 have a superior education and a superior intel 
 lect and you should use them for something 
 better than an argument or a street brawl with 
 ignorant people. I would just stay away from 
 him if I were you." 
 
 "Well mother if I let him off now he will 
 think I am afraid of him. He has already said 
 that he would remain here as long as he pleased. 
 Such fellows just sow prejudice. They have 
 already caused us to be barred from privileges 
 in the parks. They have been the cause of our 
 segregation in the theatres. We can't eat in the 
 down town restaurants any more; and the next 
 thing you know, we will have 'Jim Crow' street 
 cars and perhaps separate schools." 
 
LILLIAN SIMMONS 33 
 
 George did not really believe that 'Jim 
 Crow' street cars would be instituted in the 
 North. But desiring to make his arguments ef 
 fective, and to increase the prejudice in the 
 hearts of his mother and sister against Southern 
 colored people, he magnified probabilities and 
 possibilities. 
 
 Then, remembering the defiant look in 
 Charles Christopher's eyes, and recalling the 
 questions, that had underminded his own here 
 tofore, formidable arguments, together with the 
 ability, which he had shown that morning to 
 defend himself, and to resent insult, deep down 
 in his heart, George felt that for the time he 
 had been beaten. He was no quitter, however, 
 and he was anxious for another opportunity. 
 He was by no means convinced that Charles 
 Christopher was his master, intellectually, phys 
 ically or in any other way. He knew though, 
 that the Southern element in his city was quiet 
 and conservative, only because they lacked 
 leadership. That they had gained enough 
 strength in late years to advocate and put 
 through many of their Southern ideas, in con 
 trast to the Northern ideas, regarding the solu 
 tion of the race problem. And he felt that if 
 Charles Christopher should assume the leader- 
 
34 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 ship of that element, that through his advocacy 
 many constitutional rights of his people would 
 be denied. So he concluded that he would nip 
 the thing in the bud. That Charles Christopher 
 must go. 
 
 Lillian said no more as it was her day to 
 prepare dinner. And she knew that her father 
 would be in soon. 
 
 Mrs. Simmons looked at her son sympa 
 thetically and said, "You had better go now and 
 lie down awhile on the couch and rest yourself. 
 We will tell father about it when he comes." 
 
 Mrs. Simmons, good woman that she was, 
 shared in the belief of her son, and in her heart 
 sprang a great dislike for Charles Christopher, 
 though she knew nothing of him. She hated 
 the idea of separate schools, and had often been 
 heard to say, that she would rather have her 
 children grow up in gross ignorance, than to 
 have them taught in separate schools by color 
 ed teachers. She looked upon a negro college 
 as a joke, and its graduates as ignoramuses. 
 And if Charles Christopher was a representa 
 tive of such a school, she knew that he could 
 not amount to very much, and she did not want 
 her son to associate with him or even stoop so 
 low as to quarrel or fight with him, She was 
 
LILLIAN SIMMONS 35 
 
 willing though, that he join hands with others 
 and help rid the community of this Southern 
 element, if such a thing were possible. 
 
 When Mr. Simmons came she took the re 
 sponsibility of relating to him what had hap 
 pened in the forenoon. 
 
 He was much wrought up, and declared 
 that George had acted just right; that he would 
 stand by him in whatever he undertook. He 
 declared, that he had many friends, and some 
 influence in that community, and that he would 
 see whether this young upstart from the South, 
 could remain in that town as long as he wanted 
 to or not. 
 
 He would notify his friends, call an indig 
 nation meeting, and see if the scamp could not 
 be started a little sooner than he desired. 
 
 He would show him who was running that 
 town. 
 
 Mr. Simmons, as already has been stated, 
 was clerk in the City Treasurer's office, He 
 was highly respected and did have considera 
 ble influence. He was looked upon as the lead 
 er of his people in the city and usually repre 
 sented them on the civic questions that per 
 tained to their interest. And in this case it 
 would be an easy matter to get them together, 
 as all thought much the same as he. And 
 
36 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 those, who had different views, were silent, 
 fearing to express them, lest they might offend 
 some of their neighbors, who in case they should 
 would make life in the community a burden for 
 them in the future. And as young George Sim 
 mons had surmised, it would take some one 
 who had no special interest in the community 
 or love, or respect for its people, to lead an op 
 position. 
 
 So Mr. Simmons felt safe in calling an in 
 dignation meeting for the purpose of denouncing 
 the objectionable Southerner. 
 
 When he was through eating his dinner, he 
 went in the room where George was resting, 
 and asked for his version of the fight. George 
 told him all about it. After he was through, 
 his father said, "I don't blame you, I am going 
 to call the boys together soon and see what 
 can be done about it." 
 
 "I thank you very much father," said 
 George, "I was quite sure you would approve 
 of my action." 
 
 His father then departed, saying, "I will see 
 you later about this matter." 
 
 Lillian, whose spirits were so high earlier 
 that morning, and, who saw so much beauty in 
 nature and life, whose poetic soul revelled as it 
 
LILLIAN SIMMONS 37 
 
 were, in what bade fair to be a perfect day, was 
 now sad and cast down. Her heart was trou 
 bled. And she thought, "0, how transitory and 
 fleeting is happiness." 
 
 After her duties of the noon hour were fin 
 ished, she went into the room where her broth 
 er lay, and tried to say something that would 
 comfort him. She knew that if he were not 
 suffering physical pain, his pride was wounded. 
 And had she been convinced that he would have 
 conquered the young Southerner, she would 
 almost wish that she had not interfered. She 
 tried to feel that she hated Charles Christopher, 
 for what he had done to her brother. 
 
 The rest of the day was spent in meditating 
 along this line and drawing mental pictures of 
 the fight. Even to the setting of the sun, and 
 after George had recovered himself enough to 
 go out for a stroll, she was still thinking. And 
 thus ended a well begun and beautiful June 
 day for her. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 THE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE. 
 
 Charles Christopher, save for a few scratch 
 es, and a black eye, was none the worse for the 
 fight. There was to him, one embarassing and 
 unpleasant feature, however. The one that he 
 regretted most; and that was the appearance of 
 George's beautiful sister. If he could only 
 meet her, and apologize, and explain things to 
 her, he would be satisfied. But he knew that 
 this would be impossible. She could never 
 know his side of the story. She could never 
 understand the cause for which he fought. 
 There was no way for her to learn his true 
 worth. His heart was big, and broad, and as 
 true as steel. But she would go on through 
 life, mistrusting him, despising him, for what 
 she considered a great wrong to her brother, 
 and an insult to the community. All that was 
 possible for him to do, was, to long to meet her 
 and explain. But he could not hope to do so. 
 38 
 
THE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE 39 
 
 He now quickened his steps, for it was al 
 most time to serve dinner at the hotel, where 
 he was employed as a waiter. Putting on his 
 apron he took his station at his table, and the 
 first person to be seated was a reporter for the 
 "Daily News." He knew Charles well and of 
 ten joked with him." Hello boy!" he said. "Who 
 poked you in the eye?" Charles told him about 
 the fight, how it started and all. The story 
 seemed to interest the reporter. He asked a 
 few leading questions, wrote the answers on 
 his note pad, and placed it in his pocket. 
 
 When he was through eating, he arose, 
 slipped Charles a half-dollar, as was his custom, 
 and said, "Watch the papers tomorrow boy." 
 
 Charles thanked him and told him that he 
 would. Charles did not think he could make 
 so much out of what he considered a very small 
 affair. 
 
 But the next morning the article appeared 
 in the "Daily News," in glaring headlines as 
 follows: 
 
 WAR BETWEEN THE NORTH AND SOUTH. 
 Two YOUNG NEGROES REPRESENTING DIF 
 FERENT SECTIONS FIGHT. SOUTHERN 
 
 NEGROES CLAIM VICTORY. 
 The above headlines and the column and 
 
40 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 half article, that followed, stirred up the colored 
 citizens from center to circumference. It liter 
 ally set them wild. 
 
 As a rule, when colored people see any 
 thing in the paper, they take it very seriously, 
 and if it is about their own race, they continue 
 to discuss it for months afterward. 
 
 In the article the principals of the combat 
 were mentioned, and the cause which led up to 
 it, were given in detail. Continuing, it said that 
 the police were no where to be found, and 
 criticised them severely, for allowing more than 
 a hundred men and boys to assemble, and wit 
 ness such a contest. "The fight was stopped 
 by the sister of the gentleman, who stood up 
 for the North. A riot might have ensued had 
 it not been for her timely arrival. A riot once 
 started it is hard to tell where it might have 
 ended. For some time, the Northern Negroes, 
 and the Southern Negroes of the city, have 
 been at dagger points, over the subject of sep 
 arate schools, and the segregation question, 
 falling sometime into heated debates. 
 
 "The Northern Negroes also claim that their 
 rights and privileges in public places, have been 
 denied them on account of the influx of the bad 
 Negroes from the South; and, that they are 
 
THE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE 41 
 
 going to take steps to try to stop them from 
 coming in the city. If such steps are taken, 
 more trouble is looked for." 
 
 When Charles picked up the paper and 
 saw such an elaborate account of the affair, he 
 was astounded 
 
 "Who would have thought it?" said he. 
 Well I am in for it now; I guess the whole town 
 will be on me." He did not figure on any 
 sympathizers, outside of a few of the boys who 
 were working at the Hotel. 
 
 He met the reporter just coming in for his 
 breakfast. "For the love of Mike man," he 
 said. "You have put me in bad. These colored 
 people here will lynch me." 
 
 "Why what are they saying?" 
 
 "I haven't seen any of them yet, but I know 
 about how they feel." 
 
 "Weil your people, Charles, are easily 
 stirred up, but just as easy to quiet down. I 
 don't think you need have any fear of them." 
 
 "I tell you, if anything happens or you hear 
 of any trouble, you just let us know of it. We 
 will take care of you." 
 
 With this he took his seat at the table and 
 ordered his breakfast. 
 
 Charles served him, as usual, and when he 
 
42 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 had finished, and arose to go, he handed him 
 the usual tip, patted him on the shoulder and 
 said, "I did not mean to cause you trouble 
 Charles, but if I have, you may rest assured that 
 I will stand by you. I am from the South my 
 self. I know something about the true worth 
 of the people down there. The noblest, the 
 richest, the cream of the Negro race are down 
 there." 
 
 Charles thanked him for his words of en 
 couragement, but he could not help feeling a 
 little uneasy. He thought that he knew the 
 minds and hearts of the people much better 
 than did the reporter. 
 
 The next morning, after a night of restless 
 ness, of bad dreams and nightmares and fights, 
 which she had attempted to stop in her sleep, 
 Lillian Simmons arose and dressed. Her heart 
 was still heavy. She had hoped to awake and 
 find the happenings of the preceeding day a 
 horrible nightmare, like most persons have ex 
 perienced, at some time in their lives. But her 
 hopes were all in vain. The truth dawned only 
 too clearly, and was verified when she picked 
 up the morning paper and saw the glaring head 
 lines, that magnified and told of the unfortunate 
 affair. Lillian almost swooned when she read 
 
THE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE 43 
 
 the article, and came to the part that she played 
 in the disgraceful affair. She ran into the house, 
 clutching the paper to her breast with both 
 hands, and, with stiffling cry, fell across her 
 mother, who was yet in bed and slumbering 
 feverishly. 
 
 She immediately awoke, exclaiming, "What 
 on earth is the matter with my child? What has 
 happened?" She was awake, but it seemed an 
 age before her senses would aid her in deter 
 mining the trouble with her daughter. "Don't 
 cry like that Lillian. Something terrible must 
 have happened to 'mother's baby'." 
 
 Lillian was now choking and crying aloud, 
 as if her heart would break. Mrs. Simmons, 
 rising from bed, lifted her up, and such a piti 
 ful expression she had on her face, she had 
 never seen before. "Tell mother what's the 
 matter dear," she said, covering the face of 
 Lillian with kisses. Lillian was so grieved that 
 she could not speak. She simply pointed to the 
 glaring headlines. 
 
 Mrs. Simmons read. As she continued, it 
 was plain that she was affected. Being of a 
 light complexion, one could easily note the 
 changes in her countenance, anger and chagrin, 
 each had its turn, as she read the details as pub- 
 
44 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 lished in the paper. And when she came to 
 the part that Lillian played, she then knew the 
 cause of her daughter's great grief. 
 
 She tried to console her and treat the mat 
 ter lightly. But Lillian would not be consoled. 
 She felt that she was a part of the vulgar 
 crowd that had assembled at the fight, that she 
 was the object of public censure, and, that she 
 was disgraced forever. And as these thoughts 
 came teeming in on her troubled mind, she 
 grew hysterical, and her mother could do noth 
 ing with her. 
 
 Her ravings and loud cries brought the 
 other members of the household, that is her 
 father and brother, into the room and to her 
 side. 
 
 Mrs. Simmons thrust the paper to them 
 and told them to read. They did so, both the 
 father and the son looking on at the same time. 
 
 When they had finished the article, the 
 father tried to appear calm, but it was plain 
 that a tempest raged within. He remarked, 
 however, that he saw nothing in the article to 
 cause Lillian to be carrying on as she was. To 
 be able to break up a fight and cause a crowd 
 to scatter like that, really stamped her as a 
 heroine. 
 
THE NEWSPAPAR ARTICLE 45 
 
 "Oh do you really and truly think so papa?" 
 she said between sobs. 
 
 "Indeed I do my girl. I am really proud of 
 your action," he said, as he stopped and plant 
 ed a kiss on her feverish brow. 
 
 "Well papa if you mean it I am happy. I 
 shall not cry any more," she said, trying to 
 brighten up. But in spite of the effort, the big 
 tear drops continued to fall, and the childish 
 whimperings she was unable to control. 
 
 George stood with hung down head and 
 said nothing. But he was thinking a lot. And 
 what he was thinking would not look well in a 
 Sunday school book, nor on any printed page 
 as to that matter. 
 
 To him the details of the fight, as published 
 in the paper, contained not the semblance of 
 truth. And he was quite sure that the informa 
 tion was furnished by Charles Christopher him 
 self, or some of his Southern sympathizers. At 
 some time he would make them swallow it in big 
 doses. And with clinched fists, he gritted his 
 teeth unobserved by the others and left the 
 room. 
 
 "Something ought to be done about this," 
 said Mrs. Simmons. 
 
46 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 "Never fear mother," said Mr. Simmons in 
 reply. "Something will be done. And that 
 very soon. 
 
 "I am going to call the citizens together 
 this very night, and before twenty-four hours 
 something will be done. Why it's an outrage 
 on the community." With this he left the room . 
 And Lillian and her mother set about silently to 
 prepare the morning meal. Both were very 
 nervous and were trying to gain self control. 
 
 At the breakfast table the article in the pa 
 per was not alluded to, so it was not very long 
 before they each showed signs of cheerfulness, 
 and were enjoying their breakfast of coffee, 
 biscuits with butter, fried ham and potatoes. 
 Mrs. Simmons could make the best of biscuits; 
 she was an excellent cook. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 THE INDIGNATION MEETING 
 
 After eating breakfast all felt better. The 
 sting of the newspaper article gradually began 
 to grow less painful. All four were sensible, 
 well read people, and had long since learned 
 that everything published in the papers was 
 not true, that intelligent people did not so re 
 gard it. The consoling words that her father 
 had spoken to her, acted like magic in the heal 
 ing of Lillian's broken heart. And the rest of 
 the day she felt comparatively well. She al 
 most felt proud of the part she took in stopping 
 the fight, because her father had said that it 
 was the part of a heroine. So her grief had al 
 most passed away. 
 
 The father and son left the house together. 
 They went straight to one of the down town 
 printing offices, and had some hand bills struck, 
 announcing a mass meeting for the colored citi 
 zens to be held at the Methodist church. Busi 
 ness of importance to be transacted. The meet- 
 47 
 
48 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 ing was called for eight o'clock that night. 
 Nothing else was necessary to bring the people 
 together. They had all heard about the fight 
 and most of them had read the article in the 
 paper. And all the Northern people thought 
 alike, that something must be done. So at 
 eight o'clock every seat in the church was tak 
 en. As was customary at such meetings Capt. 
 Simmons was made permanent chairman and 
 Frank Wilson secretary. 
 
 Without further preliminaries Captain Sim 
 mons, who gained his title from some other 
 source than a soldiers record, in an address an 
 nounced the purpose of the meeting. 
 
 "Ladies and Gentlemen," said he amid 
 breathless silence, "We have assembled here 
 this night for a cause, the gravity of which can 
 scarcely be comprehended. Much depends up 
 on what we say here and what we do here to 
 night. Dark clouds are lowering and hanging 
 heavily over us. And a storm that threatens 
 to sweep us off the face of the earth is brewing. 
 The question is, can we avert it? Can we es 
 cape it? 
 
 "You all know what has transpired in the 
 past two days, and the cause which brought 
 about the unpleasant affair as well as I. You 
 
THE INDIGNATION MEETING 49 
 
 have seen the morning paper. And each one of 
 you have had your say regarding it. We have 
 expressed ourselves privately on the question 
 oft times before and have had some pretty clear 
 cut ideas as to what ought to be done. But we 
 are here tonight to express in a public way our 
 views and ideas; to organize and form some 
 definite plan of procedure. We do not wish in 
 any way to disguise the fact that we are indig 
 nant at the insult and humiliations that are be 
 ing heaped upon us each day in increasing 
 measures. We are indignant at our daily paper 
 for publishing such an article, and coloring it in 
 the manner in which it did, this morning. Cast 
 ing a reflection on our manhood and integrity, 
 and attempting to discourage us in our struggle 
 for higher ideals and good citizenship. Yes we 
 are indignant. We are indignant at a certain 
 undesirable element from another section of this 
 country who have come among us and who 
 have brought with them habits and ideas that 
 are a menace to this community, and a detri 
 ment to the welfare of the colored citizenry,and 
 we have assembled here this night for the pur 
 pose of taking positive steps toward ridding our 
 selves of this undesirable element, and to try to 
 secure redress for some of the wrongs already 
 
50 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 inflicted upon us. This is an indignation meet 
 ing; all are allowed to express themselves, and 
 it is requested by the Chair, that as many as can 
 will do so. I have placed the matter before you, 
 act wisely and deliberately. I think I need not 
 say more. What is the further pleasure of the 
 house?" he asked, as his gavel fell heavily upon 
 the table before him. 
 
 "Mr. Chairman," a dozen voices spoke, as a 
 dozen men arose to their feet simultaneously. 
 
 "The Chair is in doubt," said the speaker. 
 "All please be seated." 
 
 "Mr. Chairman." A dozen men sprang up 
 as before. The Chair, realizing the difficulty of 
 trying to give the first man on his feet an oppor 
 tunity to speak, tried the next best plan of proced 
 ure, that is of recognizing the one furthest off. 
 
 "Mr. Washington has the floor," he said, as 
 he lifted his eyes beyond those nearest him. 
 
 Capt. Simmons was a skillful parliamentar 
 ian, and possessed much executive ability, and 
 was well fitted for the position which he now 
 held. 
 
 "To what did you arise Mr. Washington?" 
 
 "Mr. Chairman, I arise to make a motion. 
 There is really nothing before the house, and in 
 order to get things started, I move that we pro- 
 
THE INDIGNATION MEETING 51 
 
 ceed to the regular order of business for which 
 we have assembled." 
 
 "I second the motion, Mr. Chairman," said 
 the nearest man to Washington. 
 
 "It has been moved and seconded that we 
 proceed to the regular order of the business in 
 hand. Are you ready for the question?" 
 
 "Question!" A number of voices rang out 
 through the house. 
 
 "Those who are in favor of said motion let 
 it be known by the usual sign, aye." 
 
 "Aye!" The whole house shouted. "Con 
 trary, Nay." 
 
 "The motion carries by an unanimous vote," 
 said the chairman, "and we will now proceed to 
 the discussion of the business before the "house." 
 
 "Mr. Chairman," said Frank Maxwell, who 
 was very anxious to talk, and who showed great 
 signs of excitement, "I arise to a question of 
 privilege." 
 
 "Mr. Maxwell has the floor," said the chair 
 man. "Proceed Mr. Maxwell." 
 
 "Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen of 
 this assembly, I have lived in this city for 
 twenty-five years. I have seen the town grow 
 from a small village of two thousand people, to 
 its present size. I know when the spot whereon 
 
52 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 this building now stands, was a vine-clad forest, 
 a fit hiding place for the wild. I have watched 
 people come and I have watched them go, but 
 through all the vicssitudes and changes, that 
 time has wrought, I have never known such 
 bold effrontery to manhood, such wanton and 
 reckless trampling of ideals and principles un 
 derfoot, as is being practiced in our midst to 
 day. 
 
 "Are we to sit idly and see our rights and 
 privileges one by one slip from us, when it is in 
 our power to prevent? Are we going to waste 
 the time away in useless words, spoken where 
 they have no weight, where they are as seed 
 sown on stony ground, or are we, like men, go 
 ing to take decided steps tonight against further 
 injury or further insult? Who in this assembly 
 is willing to shed precious blood, yes lay down 
 his life for this cause that is vital, one might say, 
 to our very existence? I for one am ready to 
 fight to get things right. And I hope that every 
 true loyal citizen of the North is willing to take 
 a stand and prepare for the task of ridding the 
 community of this undesirable rabble that has 
 come into our midst, and has been the cause of 
 our recent and previous troubles; and the deny 
 ing to us of our constitutional rights." 
 
THE INDIGNATION MEETING 53 
 
 Maxwell, as may have been observed by the 
 reader through his speech, was an educated 
 man. He had also completed a course in law, 
 in a Northern college and had at one time be 
 longed to the Bar Association. But on account 
 of a lack of practice, he was forced to a abandon 
 the profession, and at fifty without the care of 
 a family, he was custodian of one of the large 
 down town bank buildings. He, however, was 
 highly respected by both races, and was active 
 in church work, secret organizations, politics 
 and civic affairs in general. He was an eloquent 
 firery speaker and was able to play upon the 
 emotions of his hearers, thus arousing them and 
 eliciting hearty and frequent applause. 
 
 He spoke at length and being a lawyer used 
 many technical terms, language of his own pro 
 fession, dwelling much on constitutional rights; 
 and the fourteenth and fifteenth articles of 
 amendments. Then soaring away on the wings 
 of eloquence, to heights of oratory, seldom at 
 tained by ordinary men, he concluded his 
 speech with the thrilling words of Patrick 
 Henry, "Give me liberty or give me death," and 
 took his seat amid a storm of applause that 
 shook the very foundation upon which the 
 building stood. 
 
54 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 Many others expressed themselves much 
 along the same lines, but none surpassed him 
 in eloquence and beauty and clearness of 
 thought. 
 
 The chairman, after many good and other 
 wise speeches were made in keeping with the 
 spirit of the meeting, suggested that the hour 
 was growing late, and that the discussion might 
 well be closed at that time for the purpose of 
 formulating some definite plans of procedure. 
 That he was ready to entertain suggestions or 
 motions along that line. "But first," said he, 
 "By virtue of my office as chairman of this 
 meeting, I shall proceed to appoint two com 
 mittees, one to draw up resolutions in keeping 
 with the spirit and purpose of this meeting, the 
 other as a committee on vigilance, whose duty 
 will be definitely expressed later on." 
 
 The first committee that he appointed con 
 sisted of five men, with Frank Maxwell as chair 
 man which immediately left the room to begin 
 its work. 
 
 The vigilance committee was made up of 
 ten able bodied men who retired to another 
 room and organized with George Simmons as 
 its leader or Chairman. 
 
 The Chairman announced that while the 
 
THE INDIGNATION MEETING 55 
 
 committees were out at work he would enter 
 tain any one who might yet desire to express 
 himself. "Would be glad to have a word from 
 some of the ladies," he said. 
 
 The ladies were all backward when it came 
 to talking in public, and none of them seemed 
 to show a desire to speak. 
 
 Mrs, Simmons and Lillian were there, and 
 sat together listening attentively to every word 
 that was said. They were carried away with 
 the speech-making, and it seemed that Captain 
 Simmons words spoken that morning before 
 breakfast were about to come true. 
 
 Mrs. Simmons told some of the ladies of 
 Lillian's troubles that morning. They pitied her 
 so much, for Lillian was beloved by all. But 
 they assured her, as her father had done, that 
 there was no harm done whatever. So they 
 laughed and chatted gaily until the committee 
 on resolutions returned and announced that it 
 was ready to report. 
 
 The resolutions were read and seemed to 
 meet the approval of the assembly. They seem 
 ed to be the only remedy that would cope with 
 the conditions as they now stood. First of all 
 they condemned the morning paper for publish 
 ing such an article as it had that morning, and 
 
56 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 recommended that it be asked to refute the 
 statement, or that they be allowed to give their 
 version of what had happened the day before. 
 They denounced the Southern Negro as being 
 an undesirable citizen, that his ideas and cow 
 ardly ways tended to create prejudice. That 
 the rougher element from the South, had caus 
 ed, through his bad conduct, many of their 
 rights and privileges to be denied them. 
 
 They further recommended that the vigilant 
 committee appointed by the chairman, see to it 
 that no more undesirables be permitted to come 
 into the community. And those who were there 
 were to be held in restraint. 
 
 That the young ruffian, Charles Christopher 
 who made the vicious attack on one of their most 
 worthy and scholarly young men, be asked to 
 leave the city at once. If not through persua 
 sion, then by force. These were the most im 
 portant things, embodied in the resolutions. 
 
 "You have heard the resolutions, what is 
 your pleasure?" 
 
 "Mr. Chairman," the voice came from the 
 women's side of the house. "Mrs. Lester," said 
 the chairman. 
 
 "Mr. Chairman, I move that the resolutions 
 be received and adopted." 
 
THE INDIGNATION MEETING 57 
 
 Mrs. Lester was loudly applauded for her 
 action, and was seconded by a dozen men. 
 
 "You have heard the motion to receive and 
 adopt the resolutions, are you ready to vote," 
 cried the chairman. 
 
 "Not ready!" 
 
 All turned in the direction of the old gray 
 headed speaker at the door. 
 
 "Brother Littlejohn, state your reasons for 
 not being ready," said the chairman. 
 
 "Wall Mr. Chairman, I am not ready kase I 
 thinks youall is wrong. In de fust place dem 
 air resolutions condemin' Southern folks is 
 wrong. You all up here in de Norf seem to 
 think that the cullud folks ob de Souf has 
 caused all de troubles. But youse wrong. Hit 
 is de natchul feelin' dat one class or race of 
 people has agin annudder, lack youallshowed 
 here tonight! Hits as natchul for white folks to 
 not like cullud folks and make laws agin 'em, 
 and impose upon 'em, as it is for you all to not 
 lack Southern cullud folks and 'pose 'pon dem." 
 
 "Brother Littlejohn, you must be brief," 
 said the chairman as he moved uneasily in his 
 chair. "The hour is growing late. Confine 
 your speech to the resolutions." 
 
 "Now Mr. Chairman don't commence any- 
 
58 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 thing like dat Be fair, you all has had your 
 say, now give poor old pappie a chance. 
 
 "I know that Ise an ignorant old man, can't 
 say things proper lack de rest ob you. Kase 
 I has no book larnin', I hasn't been to school, I 
 hasn't had de chance dat you has had. But I 
 has some mother's wit, and some common 
 sense and I knows when a thing is right or 
 wrong. So please give me a chance to 'spress 
 myself. 
 
 "I was borned in de Souf and I can't set 
 still here and say nothin' in 'fense of it. Dey is 
 just as 'spectable down dar as you all is up 
 here, and dey has more money, more property 
 and more pride than you all has. And when 
 you pass resolutions 'hibitin' colored folks of de 
 Souf from comin' here youse doin' wrong. I 
 has lived in dis here town for seventeen years, 
 and me and my family has been as 'spectable 
 as any of you. And when you cast 'flections 
 on de Souf you cast 'flections on me. 
 
 "If you all wants a voice and wants to 
 measure arms wid de white man, you has to 
 getsomethin' of your own. 
 
 "Colored folks own dis buildin' don't dey? 
 Will any white man dare to come in here and 
 kick you aroun' an' impose 'pon you? No! 
 
'When you cast 'flections on de Souf, you cast 
 'flections on me." 
 
THE INDIGNATION MEETING 61 
 
 Why? Kase he reco'nizes ownership. You 
 can tell a white man whar to set in dis church, 
 kase its yourn. The white man tells you 
 whar to set in de theatres an' in de railroad 
 trains kase dey is hisn. He bars you from privi 
 leges in de Parks and Hotels kase he owns dem 
 and can do what he pleases wid 'em. Den you 
 colored folks here in de Norf try to put the 
 blame on the Southern Negro, when it is jest a 
 case of might makin' right. The stronges' race 
 takin' a stand agin the weaks, the white blood 
 assertin' itself and puttin' forth efforts to hold 
 in check other races and have de bes' things for 
 itself. 
 
 "An' if you Negroes ever 'mount to any 
 thing you got to git togedder like de Negroes of 
 de Souf has been forced to do. Have some 
 stores an' banks an' parks an' theatres an' some 
 schools ob your own. Don't wait till de white 
 folks kick you out an den blame de bad Negroes 
 from de Souf for it. 
 
 "An' annudder thing you is wrong in, you 
 has de same spirit in you dat de mob has in de 
 Souf. If you drives dis man out of town you 
 can't critize de white men who lynch Negroes 
 in de Souf. You is full of prejudice yourself 
 and you cant expect people to deal fair wid you 
 
62 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 unless you hab it in your own hearts to be fair 
 wid others. 
 
 "An' now Mr. Chairman I am through and 
 I thank you an' de ladies an' de gentlemen, for 
 given me 'der respectful 'tention. You can do 
 what you please. I has' been settin here listen 
 ing to de speeches, an' watchin' de proceedins, 
 an' when I know dat you is doin' wrong, I 
 wouldn't be much of a man to set still an' say 
 nothin'. I feel now that I has done my Chris 
 tian duty. How can de Negro race ever 'mount 
 to much when dey is fightin' agin one nother? 
 What more can you expect of de other race 
 when we has so much prejudice in our own 
 hearts? The color line is drawn in our own 
 race. Yaller Negroes think dey is better than 
 black ones. Northern Negroes think dey is 
 better den Southern Negroes. Lord help us to 
 git right." 
 
 "Your time is up," said the Chairman, strik 
 ing his gavel on the table. 
 
 Old man Littlejohn took his seat. It was 
 some time before any one spoke. It seemed 
 that they had swallowed and were now trying 
 to digest old man Littlejohn's speech. 
 
 "Are you ready to vote on the resolutions?" 
 said the Chairman finally. 
 
THE INDIGNATION MEETING 63 
 
 "Just a word, Mr. Chairman," said Maxwell, 
 who had risen to the floor. He did not want 
 the audience to feel that the old gentleman's 
 speech was worthy of an answer, yet he was 
 afraid to ignore it, lest it had gone straight to 
 the hearts of a majority who had their origin in 
 the South, and whose sympathies were with 
 the South, but who heretofore had kept silent 
 about it, either ashamed or afraid to confess it. 
 For there was some logic and some truth in 
 what the old man said. 
 
 So he began: "Mr. Chairman, it is just 
 such cowardly talk that makes the Southern 
 Negro objectionable. He is positively detri 
 mental to his own good, and to ours also. 
 There never was a nation that ever amounted 
 to anything, who did not take matters into their 
 own hands, and strike the first blow for their 
 rights. We are after our rights, Mr. Chairman, 
 our constitutional rights, and we cannot afford 
 to allow such people as these to deter us in our 
 efforts. 
 
 "I am quite sure though that every one 
 sees the matter in the proper light, and will vote 
 for the resolutions. We cannot and will not be 
 blinded by ignorance and superstition." 
 
 At this juncture the chairman put the mo- 
 
64 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 tion which carried by a safe majority. He then 
 instructed the Vigilance Committee as to its 
 duty, requesting that it carry out the things 
 recommended in the resolutions to the letter. 
 
 After which the meeting adjourned until 
 conditions should require another. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 THE WARNING HEEDED 
 
 That night George Simmons trudged home 
 ward chuckling in glee at the advantage he now 
 held over Charles Christopher. "And I am go 
 ing to use it too," thought he. 'Til show him 
 that he can't come up here talking his Southern 
 talk and get by with it." 
 
 So he went to his room and lay until morn 
 ing, planning a sweet revenge against Charles 
 Christopher. The rest of the family were 
 soon wrapt in slumber, not being used to such 
 unusual hours for retiring. 
 
 But Lillian, like her brother, lay awake the 
 greater portion of the time. In spite of all her 
 efforts she could not dismiss the words of old 
 man Littlejohn's speech from her mind. In fact 
 his was the only one she could remember dis 
 tinctly. Tis true she was carried away by the 
 eloquence and flowery talk of Frank Maxwell, 
 but really when she came to think about it, he 
 had left no deep thoughts over which her mind 
 65 
 
66 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 might ponder. But old man Littlejohn's advice 
 for united effort, his advice to cleanse the heart 
 of prejudice, of secret faults, of injustice did 
 mean something. 
 
 Was it not true that her brother, at the head 
 of the vigilant committee, was the same as the 
 man who leads a band of lynchers in the South, 
 who burns the homes of innocent and helpless 
 Negroes? Was it not the purpose of this com 
 mittee to condemn without trial certain misguid 
 ed persons of their own race? Was it not their 
 intention to drive Charles Christopher from the 
 city if he insisted on his right to remain? Was 
 it in obedience to the Golden Rule, "Do unto 
 others as you would have them do to you?" 
 Was it a Christian-like spirit? 
 
 Surely old man Littlejohn's talk had its ef 
 fect, to cause all these questions to come teeming 
 into Lillian's youthful mind for fair, unbiased 
 answers. Child as she was, she had the sense 
 of justice planted deeply in her nature. She 
 had individuality, she had character, and best of 
 all, moral courage. And like old man Littlejohn, 
 she could not sit still and see the wrong assert 
 ing itself without protesting against it. 
 
 Was there any way that she could prevent 
 the wrongs which were about to be perpetrated 
 
THE WARNING HEEDED 67 
 
 in this case? Could she in anyway prevent her 
 brother from doing something that for the time 
 might satisfy and heal his wounded pride, but 
 in years to come might burn into his conscience 
 and cause eternal suffering? Old man Little- 
 john so far wrong in the use of the vehicles 
 of speech, untrained in book lore, unschooled 
 in the theories of law as given to the world by 
 Blackstone, ignorant of social codes or parlor 
 ettiquette, was not wrong at heart. He had the 
 true principles of moral philosophy deeply 
 planted in his nature. And Lillian so regarding 
 it determined to stand on the platform that he 
 had laid down. It was not fair to hold a race 
 accountable for wrong acts committed by cer 
 tain individuals of that race. And the fact that 
 the white people of their town were doing this, 
 stamped them as unfair and unjust, and old man 
 Littlejohn was right when he advanced the the 
 ory that it was the natural spread of prejudice 
 which would have come sooner or later regard 
 less of the influx of the Southern Negro. 
 
 Lillian lay till morning pondering over these 
 thoughts. She loved her brother dearly and 
 sympathized with him, but she felt that he was 
 in the wrong. She felt that they were all in 
 the wrong. And she was going to try to pre- 
 
68 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 vent them from putting their wrong ideas into 
 practice. She did not want her brother to do 
 things that he would regret in later life. 
 
 So she decided to see Charles Christopher 
 and persuade him to leave the city before the 
 committee should command him to do so. And 
 if he should do so, he perhaps would save him 
 self untold trouble, and her brother George 
 would not be charged with having done a mem 
 ber of his race an injustice. So deciding she 
 arose at the usual hour and went about her 
 morning duties. 
 
 That morning at the breakfast table they 
 all showed some signs of fatigue, and of being 
 affected by the late hours kept the night before, 
 with perhaps the exception of George. He 
 looked rather bright and fresh. 
 
 "How did you all like the meeting last night," 
 he said. "Wasn't it grand?" 
 
 "I was well pleased," said Mrs. Simmons. 
 
 Captain Simmons brightened up at the 
 mention of the meeting. ~ He took great pride 
 in being a leader in the community, and consid 
 ered himself highly honored, when called upon 
 to preside, which was done nearly at all times. 
 
 "Well," he said, "I told you yesterday morn 
 ing, that before twenty-four hours, something 
 
THE WARNING HEEDED 69 
 
 would be done. Didn't I tell you all that moth 
 er? The conduct of the people was excellent," 
 he continued. "I never presided over a body 
 that was as easily controlled as that was last 
 night." 
 
 "Well the fact is, the boys have got their 
 minds made up to stop all this heathenism, and 
 when you get the people all to be of one mind, 
 they come together for business, they dont 
 have time for so much foolishness, and they are 
 easily handled. The only thing that had a ten 
 dency to mar the meeting, was old man Little- 
 john up there with his ignorance," said George, 
 "If I had been in your place father, I would 
 have sat him down." 
 
 "I think your father did the right thing to 
 let him talk. He is a good old man and no one 
 paid any attention to his ignorance. Its well to 
 humor such people," said Mrs. Simmons. 
 
 "Yes mother, but we didn't have time to 
 listen to his foolishness. He would be amusing 
 on the stage, but we were not rendering a 
 vaudeville program there last night." 
 
 "George you ought to be ashamed to make 
 sport of the old man that way. I listened close 
 ly to him and I think he was right in most all 
 he said. One thing about it, I can remember 
 
70 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 more of what he said, than I can of Maxwell. I 
 think he is right when he says that colored 
 people should not fight against each other/' 
 said Lillian, aiming to work up to the place 
 where she could question George as to what 
 he intended to do in the case of Charles Chris 
 topher. But she found out through George's 
 next remark. 
 
 "Well I know this much we are going to fix 
 that Charles Christopher. I think he will be 
 'bully' enough to refuse to go when we ask him. 
 I hope he will, because then we will have the 
 fun of making him go. We are going to give 
 him just three days in which to get ready and 
 if he doesn't go in that length of time he will 
 wish he had." 
 
 "When are you going to inform him that he 
 must leave?" asked Lillian. 
 
 "We are going to inform him this very af 
 ternoon at four o'clock. He will be off from 
 work at that time. He is off this morning at 
 ten, but we can't get the boys together at that 
 hour." 
 
 "Is the whole committee of ten going to 
 wait on him?" asked Captain Simmons. 
 
 "No, there will be only three of us goto him. 
 But if he refuses the whole ten will take part." 
 
THE WARNING HEEDED 71 
 
 Lillian said no more, but she was figuring 
 what excuse she would make to get away from 
 the house. For she was now more determined 
 than ever to thwart the plans of the committee 
 which she considered no better than a mob. 
 Ten able-bodied men against one man seemed 
 cowardly to her. As soon as breakfast was 
 over she would find some kind of excuse to get 
 away and warn Charles Christopher. Not to 
 save him, but to save her brother from a das 
 tard act which meant a seared conscience to him 
 in after life. 
 
 She would go to the library and get the 
 book that she failed to get on the day of the 
 fight. 
 
 "Mother, may I go to the library this morn 
 ing and get my book? I am lonely and want 
 something to read." She thus addressed her 
 mother, after her morning duties were per 
 formed. 
 
 "Yes dear, but don't stay long", was the re 
 ply from her mother. 
 
 So she dressed as prettily as she could and 
 started. 
 
 The morning after the indignation meeting, 
 when Charles Christopher came out of the Ho 
 tel, he went, as he was accustomed to do to the 
 
72 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 river bank. It was here where he had chanced 
 to hear the words that had stirred up so much 
 strife. 
 
 He took his usual seat and began to watch 
 life as enacted on and near the river. It was a 
 beautiful morning, almost as beautiful as the 
 preceeding day, with its stage set with natural 
 splendor, the earth bedecked with flowers, the 
 distant forest dressed in its nev/est garb, made 
 lively by the songs of birds flitting gleefuly 
 about. And Charles Christopher, inspired by 
 the surroundings began to muse sweetly to him 
 self. He had almost forgotten the unpleasant 
 event of the preceeding day. But he had not 
 forgotten the beautiful and angelic face of Lil 
 lian. "A creauture of the day/' he thought. "A 
 fairy fit only for beautiful days and lovely scenes 
 like this. Why is she forced to mingle with or 
 dinary mortals like us? But since she must, 
 then it is my right to love and admire her and 
 long and hope, if I dare, for acquaintance and 
 friendship with her. I would give almost any 
 thing could I see her and speak to her now and 
 pour out my heart yearnings at her feet, turn 
 my soul inside out as it were, that she might see 
 its purity, that she might understand and be 
 hold its true mechanism. To know and under- 
 
THE WARNING HEEDED 73 
 
 stand my heart would be to forgive the wrong 
 that she must imagine that I have inflicted upon 
 her brother. But some day, some where, some 
 how, I can not guess now, but things will be ad 
 justed. The eternal truth must triumph, and 
 Lillian Simmons will know the truth and more 
 over, accept the love I have for her." 
 
 As he mused thus, he heard a light tread in 
 the soft grass near him. He looked up and be 
 hold the idol of his dreams, was at his side. 
 
 Charles was dumfounded. He could not 
 believe his own eyes. His heart for the mo 
 ment ceased to beat. Heavy drops of perspira 
 tion stood on his upturned brow, and his dark 
 brown velvet skin, had on it the paleness of 
 death. A messenger from the tomb could not 
 have surprised him more. Lillian, with her 
 library book in hand, also showed some em 
 barrassment, but the purpose for which she 
 came, gave her self control, so she greeted him, 
 saying, "This is Mr. Christopher, is it not?" 
 
 "It is," replied Charles with quivering lips. 
 
 "Well Mr. Christopher, I come to see you 
 on some very grave and important business. 
 You no doubt have heard of the big indignation 
 meeting held by the citizens of this town last 
 night. 
 
74 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 "I have not," stammered Charles truthfully. 
 
 "Well there was one," continued Lillian, 
 "and one of its orders was that a vigilant com 
 mittee, of which my brother is chairman, see 
 that you leave this town. The committee con 
 sists of ten determined men, with whom you 
 stand no possible chance singlehanded. And 
 you will have serious trouble if you resist them 
 or refuse to go when they command you. I 
 know that you are no coward, Mr. Christopher, 
 but the best thing for you to do is to take my 
 advice and leave the town at once." 
 
 Charles looked up into the beautiful face of 
 the young girl and said, "Miss Simmons, for I 
 think that must be your name, I have done 
 nothing to merit such treatment as this of which 
 you speak. Tis true that your brother and I 
 had an altercation day before yesterday, but he 
 was as much in fault as I." And Charles related 
 to her in his own way, the details which led up 
 to the fight. "And I was very much embarrass 
 ed, Miss Simmons," he continued, "when you 
 appeared upon the scene and separated us. I 
 wanted to apologize to you," he said, as he star 
 ed at her with his large brown eyes, "but I had 
 no chance, and feared that the chance would 
 
THE WARNING HEEDED 75 
 
 "Why you owe me no apology, Mr. Christo 
 pher, you have done nothing to me and as for 
 my brother, I am sure that he can do no more to 
 you than you can do to him," said Lillian, red 
 dening. "But my brother with nine other men 
 can do you much harm. My brother is young 
 and impetuous and is likely to do something that 
 he might regret to the longest day he lives. 
 And to save himself from a dastardly, cowardly, 
 unmanly, though thoughtless act, is why I come 
 to you as I do. And as I must not be seen talk 
 ing to you, and you can readily understand why, 
 you are sensible," she said betraying a degree 
 of confidence in her tone of voice. "I must ask you 
 for a hasty reply. Will you leave for my sake?" 
 
 Charles could no more resist the pleadings 
 of Lillian Simmons than he could dam up the 
 great Niagra. So looking at her with soft eyes 
 that seemed to melt her very soul, with eyes 
 that spoke volumes unexpressed by the lips, he 
 said, "If I go as you ask, may I hope?" 
 
 He did not finish, but she seemed to under 
 stand him, and answered in tender accents. 
 "Go do what I ask you for my sake and be a 
 good boy. We do not know what the future 
 holds for us. I must go now, good-bye." And 
 before Charles could get himself together and 
 
76 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 say the things that he most desired to say, the 
 opportunity that he could scarcely have hoped 
 for, had come and gone. He sat and watched 
 her as she swiftly and gracefully moved away. 
 He watched her even until she had disappeared 
 around the bend in the flower strewn path and 
 was hidden by a thick cluster of shrubs and 
 trees. For a time he was bewildered. He was 
 completely overcome by Lillian's beauty and 
 grace, and by her earnest, yet tender plea. 
 Her voice was like sweet music to his ears and 
 Siren like, she had lured him and won him to 
 her purpose. 
 
 Finally awakening to his senses he began 
 to think what he had done, what promise he had 
 made. Was it not cowardly for him to leave at 
 this particular time, when these Northern peo 
 ple could and should be taught a lesson? What 
 would those of his sympathizing friends say and 
 think of him? What would the reporter, the 
 manager of the hotel, and many of the guests 
 who had heard of the affair say, should he leave 
 at this time in obedience to Lillian? But did she 
 not give him cause to hope? Was not the hope 
 held out in tender and confidentially spoken 
 words worth the sacrifice? "Go do what I ask 
 you for my sake and be a good boy." Did not 
 
THE WARNING HEEDED 77 
 
 these words spoken by the beautiful Lillian mean 
 that there was at least a fighting chance for him 
 to win her love? Could he not go away now 
 and at some future time return and say the 
 things that he desired so much to say to her? 
 If he should leave the town for her sake, to 
 save the conscience of her brother in the future, 
 there would at least be common grounds for 
 friendship, and having an advantage like this, 
 could he not follow it up and seek to know her 
 better? After thinking along this line for some 
 time he finally concluded that he would run the 
 risk of being called a coward for an opportunity 
 like this. He would go to the reporter and 
 manager of the Hotel, and as many of his friends 
 as he could find and explain the reasons for his 
 departure, as best he could, and would take the 
 first train out. Then he remembered the com 
 mand of George Simmons, and his own reply, 
 "I had rather die a hundred deaths than to heed 
 or listen to your command." "But this would 
 not be obeying the command of George Sim 
 mons," he thought; rather it would be granting 
 the request of his beautiful sister whom he 
 loved, and robbing George of his opportunity 
 for what he called a sweet revenge. 
 
 The first train left the city at one thirty that 
 
78 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 afternoon and Charles Christopher left with it, 
 disregarding the pleadings and importunities of 
 his friends. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 THWARTED 
 
 Lillian hastened toward home and as she 
 trudged lightly along she began to think of what 
 she had done. This was the first time that she 
 had done anything that she must conceal from 
 her mother. The thought began to prey upon 
 her mind. Being of a sensitive nature, and 
 having been taught to never conceal anything 
 from her mother she found herself regretting 
 her action. If she could only tell her 
 about it, tell her why and all, she would feel 
 satisfied, feel that her action was entirely right 
 and proper. She felt too, that her mother 
 would approve of her action if she knew it. 
 She knew that she loved George and 
 had already cautioned him to stay out of trouble, 
 and no doubt would have tried to prevent him 
 herself, but perhaps she never would have 
 thought of the plan that she had so successfully 
 persued. But would Charles Christopher have 
 listened to her mother as he had listened to 
 79 
 
80 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 her? She believed not. She could not help 
 knowing that Charles Christopher admired her. 
 She had read that in his large soulful eyes, and 
 that was why he had obeyed her. But would a 
 plea from her mother have had the same effect 
 on him? She believed not and felt somewhat 
 flattered on the account of this fact. She had 
 saved her brother from further trouble and 
 kept a stain off his character by persuading 
 Charles Christopher to leave, and she would not 
 worry. Besides Charles Christopher was a fine 
 looking man and his frank manner, his correct 
 use of English and his deep soulful eyes, which 
 had expressed volumes to her, had impressed 
 her. She liked him, that is why she spoke so 
 tenderly to him, pleading with him to do her 
 bidding, and encouraging him in the manner in 
 which she had. She would always remember 
 him and she would be kind to him, yes very 
 kind to him if she should ever chance to meet 
 
 him again. If he would write to her 
 
 She was now ascending the steps of the 
 veranda. The large St. Bernard met her and 
 showed her his pleasure at her arrival by bark 
 ing good naturedly and capering around her. 
 She stopped, as was her custom, patted him on 
 the head and said kind words to him, failing to 
 
THWARTED 81 
 
 complete her last thought in words, the large 
 dog having interrupted. 
 
 "You back Lillian?" asked her mother, as 
 she entered the house. "I hope you were able 
 to secure your book this time." 
 
 "Yes- mother I have it. I am going to read 
 it and tell you about it after dinner," said Lillian 
 nervously. 
 
 "Hurry up and prepare the table dear, it is 
 almost noon and your father will be here short 
 ly." 
 
 Lillian said nothing, but bathing her face 
 and hands, began her duties. And it was not 
 long before the family was seated at the table. 
 Captain Simmons was very complacent, but 
 George seemed rather disturbed. 
 
 "George what is the matter with you?" 
 asked his mother at length. 
 
 "Oh, I am sore mother. Dont you know," 
 he continued, "I went to the Daily News office 
 this morning and gave them our side, or our 
 version of the fight the other day, and 
 the editor threw it in the wate basket, said it 
 was stale stuff, and they could not use it. 
 
 "So I up and told him the article they pub 
 lished was false, that it misrepresented the 
 Northern colored people, and placed them in a 
 
82 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 bad light and we wanted it straightened out." 
 "We think it fair," said I 'that the public know 
 our side of the affair, since it has gone so far. 
 We did not have the least doubt that you would 
 refuse us a hearing.' He said nothing so I ask 
 ed him if they would be willing to retract then, 
 some of the things that were published. His re 
 ply was, 'Ah that is all past now, and we have 
 no more time to fool with it. You colored peo 
 ple must try to get along together. You are al 
 ways fighting among yourselves, that's why you 
 lose out in so many things. There is strength 
 only in unity. You ought to know that George, 
 you've been to school. My advice is for you to 
 let it drop.' I was so angry I could not say an 
 other word. I just turned around and walked 
 out." 
 
 Lillian listened and noted how disgusted 
 and humiliated George seemed to be. She red 
 dened perceptiby when he referred to Charles 
 Christopher, the southern dog, as being the 
 cause of it. "That's all such people are good 
 for," he said. "Well, we will get him this after 
 noon. He will not get another chance to re 
 port lies to the paper and prejudice it against 
 its own home people. This is the first time the 
 paper has ever been unfair to us." 
 
THWARTED 83 
 
 Mrs. Simmons, after hearing him through, 
 said to him in her patient, tender, consoling ac 
 cents. "Well son, you must not take things so 
 hard. You must learn to be calm under fire. I 
 think you are a little bit too radical. You are 
 extreme in your likes and dislikes. You are 
 either on the mountain top or in the valley. 
 This morning you were highly pleased, you fair 
 ly gloated over the results of the meeting, and 
 the advantages that it gave you over your en 
 emy. Now you go to pieces because you have 
 lost one point. Your spirits seem to be grovel 
 ing in the very lowest depths of depression. 
 You will have to do better than that my son. 
 Dont allow your hopes to rise too high or sink 
 too low. Try and strike a happy medium. You 
 will be happier if you adopt this plan." 
 
 George said no more but it was plain to be 
 seen that he was very much displeased at this 
 turn of affairs. 
 
 Captain Simmons, not wishing to betray his 
 anger and his nervous excitement, after Mrs. 
 Simmons' pointed, but all too true remarks, re 
 mained silent throughout the meal. When he 
 was through eating, he arose from the table ab 
 ruptly, saying to George: "Be sure and see 
 
84 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 that that young pup leaves this town this after 
 noon," and started to his office. 
 
 "You may bet your last dollar on that fath 
 er," said George revengefully. "I am going 
 after the boys now." 
 
 That afternoon at four o'clock George and 
 his committee stood at the hotel entrance wait 
 ing for Charles Christopher to come out. When 
 told by some of the other employees that Charles 
 had left town he did not believe them, and told 
 them as much. He told them that the pup need 
 not be hiding, that he would have to come out 
 some time. At this one of the boys remarked: 
 "You don't think he is afraid of you do you? 
 Why that boy can whip all three of you fellows. 
 We would not lie to you George. He really is 
 gone. He left on the one thirty train. He says 
 that he is going further North." 
 
 "Boys dont be 'kidding'," said George. "We 
 are here for business. And we must see him. 
 Tell him to come out, that we want to talk to 
 him." 
 
 "Ask the proprietor ifyoudont believe us," 
 said one of the boys. "I saw him when he got 
 his time." 
 
 George was not satisfied with the report 
 obtained from the boys, so he went to the Hotel 
 
THWARTED 85 
 
 office and found the proprietor and told him 
 that he wished to see Charles Christopher. The 
 proprietor told him that Charles Christopher 
 had gone. He then asked George, what was 
 the matter with the colored people. "Why 
 Charles Christopher is one of the best boys that 
 I have ever had around here. And I hear that 
 you people want to get rid of him. He is a 
 whole lot better than you people who are fight 
 ing him. He is well educated, industrous, fine 
 looking, good natured and every thing else that 
 goes toward the making of a perfect gentleman. 
 I am surprised at your family opposing a fellow 
 like him. I tell you right now that you are 
 hurting yourselves in doing so." 
 
 "Pardon me, Mr. Dover," said George, at 
 tempting a defense, for he knew that such 
 words coming from Clarance Dover, the pro 
 prietor of the Hotel, meant something, and if he 
 could rid his mind of such ideas, he would be 
 doing his people a great favor. Dover was one 
 of the best friends the colored people had. He 
 carried no prejudice in his heart for them, and 
 would often accomodate them in his Hotel when 
 they had the means to pay for it. His help was 
 mixed. He considered one man as good as an 
 other. He recognized no creed, no color, no 
 
86 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 standard except that of manhood and good 
 character. And to hear him talk like that had 
 a tendency to dampen George's ardor and to 
 cool his hot head. 
 
 "You do not understand the situation as 
 we do." 
 
 "Situation or no situation," said Mr. Dover, 
 "I know a good man when I meet one, and I 
 dont believe in allowing them to be imposed up 
 on. And if that boy had remained with me and 
 you had harmed him, you and your people 
 would have had to suffer for it. I have heard 
 all about this affair. I tried to persuade him 
 not to go. But he left because he did not want to 
 cause you colored people trouble." 
 
 "Well Mr. Dover," said George, "you are 
 not in a mood to talk today, but I do hope at 
 some time to be able to explain everything to 
 you." 
 
 "I shall never be in a mood to listen to any 
 thing you have to say against Charles Christo 
 pher," replied Mr. Dover. "So you need never 
 return on a mission like that." 
 
 "Well good day Mr. Dover. I hope no harm 
 has been done." 
 
 "Good day," replied the proprietor. 
 
 George left the hotel office feeling badly. 
 
THWARTED 87 
 
 He realized that he had over stepped his bounds 
 by approaching the Hotel proprietor for such a 
 purpose as he had. A sort of sheepish 
 uneasy feeling came over him and a kind of 
 choking sensation was in his throat. He felt 
 for the first time that the young Southerner 
 had bested him, but he would never confess it 
 to anyone. He would make it appear that 
 Charles Christopher, the cowardly southern 
 pup, fearing the thrashing that he had stored 
 away in his sleeve for him, had left the city. He 
 would make this boast so strong that other 
 southern Negroes would take warning and re 
 main quiet. After all some good would come 
 of his heading the vigilant committee, which was 
 now a permanent organization. Consoling him 
 self with this last thought he boastingly inform 
 ed the other two young men who were with him 
 of Charles' escapade, dismissed them and sneak 
 ed home by an unfrequented path, unobserved. 
 The discussion and feverish excitement con 
 tinued for some time but the serious trouble 
 was averted by the timely withdrawal of Charles 
 Christopher from the city. And sweet Lillian 
 Simmons was the peace maker. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 THE Two ARGUMENTS 
 
 There is, as is well known, a wide difference 
 of opinion as to what is the best policy to pur 
 sue in solving what is called the race problem. 
 The opinions are largely sectional, and so far as 
 the colored race is concerned, are as wide apart 
 as the two sections themselves. They are op 
 posite. The colored people of the North being 
 radical, believe in fighting with gun and sword, 
 if need be, for their constitutional rights and 
 privileges, while the colored people of the South 
 believe in pursuing a more conservative course, 
 securing rights and privileges through strategy 
 or diplomacy or meritorious effort. How far 
 either section is right, it is not our purpose to 
 affirm or deny. We are forced to acknowledge 
 though, that both policies as pursued by the 
 different sections seem either to have failed or 
 are very slow in attaining the desired results. 
 
 The Northern people abhor the idea of 
 separate schools, yet they are being instituted 
 88 
 
THE TWO ARGUMENTS 89 
 
 year after year. City after city is adapting the 
 system. The fighting policy of the Northern 
 colored people seems to be inadequate to pre 
 vent or avert the almost constant spread or in 
 crease of the segregation idea in its many 
 forms. The Northern colored people argue 
 that in the first place separate schools are un 
 constitutional, and are not in keeping with the 
 principles of liberty and free government. 
 They think the same regarding the "Jim Crow" 
 car, the segregation or setting of colored people 
 in certain districts of a city or town in which to 
 dwell, so that they may not come in too close 
 contact with persons of the other race. They 
 argue that any tendency to deny or disregard, 
 or to set aside the law that acknowledges the 
 equality of man to man, is unfair and unjust, 
 that freedom is mans birthright, that he should 
 preserve his God given heritage at any cost or 
 at any hazzard. 
 
 That he who would not is a coward void of 
 manhood and principle, and deserves all the 
 hardships and depression which he has heaped 
 upon him. 
 
 They claim that the race problem will never 
 be solved until the white race makes up its 
 mind to be fair with the colored race. They 
 
90 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 claim that there would be no race problem if 
 they had the sense of justice in their hearts. 
 They think that it will take force to get them in 
 the right attitude, and when the negroes North 
 and South becomes a unit on this thought, no 
 power or people on earth can impose upon them, 
 That the idea, "He who would be free must 
 fight," is divine. The North could not conquer 
 the South until it promised freedom to the 
 slaves. The slaves could not be free until they 
 made up their minds to be slaves no longer and 
 struck a blow in their own behalf. John Brown 
 could do nothing for the Negro because their 
 minds at that time were not pregnant with a 
 determination to be free. 
 
 Abraham Lincoln, that far seeing statesman, 
 that diplomat, that instrument in God's hand, 
 caught the idea in the air as it were, that "He 
 who would be free must fight," and placed 
 weapons of war in the hands of Negro men and 
 boys, bidding them to free themselves, 
 
 You Southern people, says the North, argue 
 that you have no guns, no ammunition, no pow 
 er, by which you may obtain your rights. That 
 is not it. You have no courage. You will 
 not make the attempt because you are afraid 
 that you will die. You are not willing to sacri- 
 
THE TWO ARGUMENTS 91 
 
 f ice life in the defense of that which is yours by 
 inheritance. Come and join us, colored broth 
 ers of the South, not sectionally, but take on 
 our spirit, imbibe our ideas for fair play, and 
 help us to teach the people of the other race 
 there is no other solution of the race problem 
 except fair treatment. Let us unite soul and 
 body on the determination to get justice in this 
 land at any cost and the battle is half won. God 
 in his infinite wisdom, in his own mysterious 
 way, will do the rest." 
 
 This is the doctrine that is preached by 
 nearly all native colored people throughout the 
 North. This is the idea that they would incul 
 cate in'the minds of the colored people from the 
 South who come to dwell among them. This is 
 the platform upon which the Simmons family 
 stood. And this is what George Simmons want 
 ed Charles Christopher to understand and to do. 
 
 But if Charles Christopher had had an op 
 portunity to -voice the sentiment of his people, 
 he would have answered with the same stubborn 
 facts, that all intelligent colored people from the 
 South do when confronted with the boasting 
 and fighting spirit of the North. "No doubt 
 but what you are right my brother, but does 
 this agitation, this fighting policy which you 
 
92 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 recommend, ward off or even hold in check this 
 unfair and unjust treatment, of which you so 
 passionately and indignantly prate? We have 
 segregation in all its odious forms forced upon 
 us. We are powerless, we cannot help ourselves. 
 Your fighting policy will not work down in our 
 section. You dare not come down our way and 
 advocate the doctrine which you preach. You 
 are like the dog that barks and growls only 
 when he is in his masters yard. You can not 
 carry your fighting talk beyond the 'Mason and 
 Dixon Line'. If you are brave enough and think 
 you can, come down and try it. But dont you 
 think for one moment that we are cowards be 
 cause we lift our voices protesting in an humble 
 yet sensible way and get results. For we can, 
 and do, do more of this loud boastful mandatory 
 talk than you can come down here and do. 
 They understand us, and they would not under 
 stand you. And you would not live to return 
 and tell the story of what they did to you and to 
 your Northern brethern should you come down 
 and make the attempt. Our industrous and 
 diplomatic policy has done and is doing much 
 for us. We are both struggling for the same 
 thing. Our ideas are the same, but our sections 
 of the country and the people who dwell therein, 
 
THE TWO ARGUMENTS 93 
 
 demand different methods of procedure, that is 
 all. And the things that you consider hard 
 ships, we have found them to be benefits. 
 
 "We are none the losers by having separ 
 ate schools. Thousands and thousands of dol 
 lars have found their way into our pockets 
 through the separate school system. Our 
 teaching force is becoming more and more ef 
 ficient each year, through contact and practice 
 among the youth of the race. They are learn 
 ing to do by doing. They could never have se 
 cured the advantage that they now have here 
 in your section. Besides it gives to our boys 
 and girls at least one occupation, that cannot be 
 called drudgery. Your children of the North 
 finish with honors, in the schools and colleges 
 of this section, oft times outstripping the Anglo 
 Saxon boy or girl in the attainment of scholar 
 ship. And to what purpose, when this cowork- 
 er, weaker than himself, secures the big paying 
 position, and he is forced to take to the fields 
 of drudgery? 
 
 "What inducements have your boys and 
 girls to complete a course here in the North? 
 It matters not how well trained or equipped for 
 usefulness that they are, they must leave the 
 Northern fireside and come to this, our southern 
 
94 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 clime, if they would practice what they know, 
 and receive compensation for what they do. 
 
 "Again mistreatment at the hands of those 
 who run the business in the South, the common 
 grocery clerk and dry goods dealer has caused 
 or forced us to establish business of our own. 
 Dozens of small groceries and notion stores can 
 be found in our segregated districts. Many 
 men of our race are doing things in a business 
 like way and are supported by the patronage of 
 their own people. Is this not worth while? Is 
 this not asserting manhood? Such enterprise 
 proclaims our dissatisfaction, louder and even 
 more forcibly than the harshly spoken words to 
 which you resort,and which are meaningless be 
 cause they have no power behind them? 
 
 "Growth in business and in the world of 
 trade and commerce, and in the industries, is 
 the greatest need of the Negro race. 'Jim Crow 
 Cars' forced segregation and spiteful discrimin 
 ation are indeed odious and devilish to all in 
 tents and purposes, yet they have been and are 
 now the great compelling forces, that have 
 caused the Negro of the South, to branch out 
 and try to do something in the way of business 
 for himself and posterity. We have banks and 
 businesses along nearly all lines. We are wide 
 
THE TWO ARGUMENTS 95 
 
 awake. We are progressing. We are attract 
 ing attention. We are gaining respect and rec 
 ognition. We are giving to the capable boys 
 and girls of our race employment. We are living 
 for posterity. This unjust treatment, this op 
 pression, this humiliation is hammering and 
 chizeling and shaping us into the form of a new 
 and distinct nation, which in future years 
 shall receive favors and recognition because of 
 its progress, its merits and its manhood. What 
 results can you show, my Northern brother, by 
 pursuing your revengeful fighting policy? Per 
 haps you have not gone far enough along that line 
 to attain results. Then continue a little longer 
 and when you find that you have been forced 
 to yield up your rights and privileges one by 
 one, that the other race, has forced you to let 
 loose entirely the small hold which you have 
 had upon it, then come and join us, not sec- 
 tionally, but take on our spirit in your own sec 
 tion, and at least make an attempt along busi 
 ness, commercial and professional lines. Dont 
 stand in your own light fearing to branch out 
 for yourselves, lest you should offend the people 
 of your own race by sowing seeds of prejudice 
 and by instituting voluntary segregation. Open 
 up the vast fields of business and trade which 
 
96 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 are strange and new to Northern colored people. 
 There will be failures of course but we must 
 get the drill we must have the practice. Pos 
 terity is dependent upon us, and will profit by 
 our many mistakes. And let us remember that 
 we can learn to do, only by doing." 
 
 This is substantially the argument made by 
 all Southern colored people and this is the ar 
 gument that Charles Christopher would have 
 made to George Simmons that eventful morning 
 of the fight, had George not lost his temper and 
 so ruthlessly and so grossly insulted him. 
 
 But neither the Simmons family or any of 
 the Northern born people were prepared to 
 listen to or heed such advice, coming from the 
 South. They could not and would not accept 
 it. And granting this, that the Southern people 
 were progressing along business and profession 
 al lines; what was that in a country where 
 they have to step aside when they see a white 
 man coming and let him pass; where they have 
 to be bowing and scraping and apologizing all 
 the time, lest they be characterized and consid 
 ered a saucy "nigger?" 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 REVERSES FOR THE SIMMONS FAMILY. 
 
 Three years have passed since the first 
 events recorded in our story took place. Many 
 changes have been wrought in this specific 
 northern city, as well as in the lives of our 
 characters, who are playing leading roles. 
 
 The Simmons family is not what it used to 
 be. Captain Simmons is no longer clerk in the 
 city treasurer's office. "The mills of the Gods 
 grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine." 
 Politics and prejudice have at last got in their 
 work, and two years ago Captain Simmons was 
 forced to step down and out from his lucretive 
 position. He tried to shift the blame on the 
 shoulders of the southern Negro, but the points 
 that he made were so far fetched that his friends 
 were unable to see. Hence the view that he 
 took was not accepted. He put forth many 
 strenuous efforts to regain what he had lost, 
 but to no avail. So for two years he has re 
 mained practically idle. He sees the influence 
 97 
 
98 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 that he once held in the community, and espec 
 ially among his own people, slipping away. 
 
 Money is very scarce with him and his 
 creditors are harassing him. Taxes, insurance, 
 water bills and street improvements have re 
 duced him. He is ageing rapidly, and worry is 
 beginning to tell on him. He is still hopeful, 
 however, and tries hard yet to brace up and 
 look his friends and foes squarely in the face. 
 Mrs. Simmons, whose locks are now silvering, 
 understands her husband too well. No count 
 erfeit goes around her. She knows the real 
 condition, and her husband need not try to fool 
 her or try to hide from her the financial 
 strait in which he is entangled. 
 
 Yet the good woman knows not what to do 
 to relieve the strain. She sees her husband 
 worrying, and of course she needs must worry 
 too. George is working as porter in one of the 
 down town stores, but his salary is not suffici 
 ent to meet the demands of the family, besides 
 George is a good dresser and struggles hard to 
 keep up appearances. Naturally proud and 
 ambitious, he often tries to make his young 
 women friends and associates believe that he is 
 a clerk in the store in which he works, but they 
 know better because they have seen him at 
 
REVERSES FOR THE SIMMONS FAMILY 99 
 
 work, and they think less of him on account of 
 of his attempt to deceive them. 
 
 Lillian is as sweet and beautiful as ever. 
 She has lost none of her charm and grace. A 
 little more sedate and womanly perhaps. But 
 the beautiful glow remains upon her cheek and 
 the youthful gleam is still in her eye. She 
 seems to gain in loveliness and attraction as 
 the years go by. She takes great delight in 
 being in mother's and father's company and 
 does much to console them when they are 
 troubled. 
 
 Captain Simmons loves her dearly and has 
 often been heard to say that he could not live 
 without her. 
 
 Lillian also understands the situation re 
 garding her father's financial condition, and is 
 anxious to relieve the strain. She is willing to 
 go out and work in service, but her beloved 
 parents will not under any circumstances hear 
 to it. She knows well how to do house work 
 and is anxious to put her knowledge into prac 
 tice to benefit the family. 
 
 "Well mother, what are we going to do?" 
 she said one morning at the breakfast table, af 
 ter George and her father had left. "We can't 
 sit here and see the property taken away from 
 
100 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 us." Through some chance remark they learned 
 that Captain Simmons must mortgage his home 
 to meet certain obligations. Mrs. Simmons 
 was heart broken and hot tears were rolling 
 down her cheeks. George and his father could 
 not stand a sight like this, so they had left the 
 table when Lillian confronted her mother with 
 the above question. 4 'I am just going to get 
 out and hunt some work, that's all. I cannot 
 see where the disgrace will come in." 
 
 "There is no disgrace in honest labor, my 
 dear, but you have never had to resort to any 
 thing like that, and such a step would create so 
 much gossip. I don't mind the talk of the or 
 dinary people, but I cannot bear to have those 
 of our set cast insinuations or reflections against 
 us. I can never consent to it Lillian. I had 
 rather live on bread and water than have you 
 leave home for such a purpose." 
 
 "Why mother," said Lillian, I did not know 
 that you had so much false pride. I thought 
 that this was why you gave me training in do 
 mestic science, you wanted me to be able to 
 earn something and in case of emergency to be 
 able to take care of myself. You know that 
 there is nothing else that I can do. And I feel 
 so miserable sitting around here idle, a burden 
 
REVERSES FOR THE SIMMONS FAMILY 101 
 
 on you and papa. I want to help you out." 
 Mrs. Simmons said not a word. The tears 
 began to flow faster and faster, and Lillian see 
 ing that her mother was almost ready to break 
 down, said in her most cheerful voice, "I tell 
 you mother, how would it do for me to adver 
 tise as a cateress and wait parties?" 
 
 Mrs. Simmons, not wishing to discourage 
 Lillian, looked up remarking, "I had never once 
 thought of that my dear. There is really a de 
 gree of professionalism in that and I dont know 
 but what it might be a good thing to do. I 
 might be able to help you in that. We both 
 could work along together. It is true we ought 
 to do something to help father out of this strain. 
 I will speak to him about it when he returns 
 and see what he thinks about it. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 A TEACHER W ANTED 
 
 At that moment there was a knock at the 
 door. Lillian rose to open it, and with an ex 
 clamation of delight, announced in Bishop 
 Granville of the A. M. E. church. 
 
 Mrs. Simmons who had not seen the Bishop 
 for a number of years, also expressed her sur 
 prise and delight. The three chatted away 
 cheerfully for some time. They seemed to for 
 get all their troubles and worries in the presence 
 of the distinguished divine. They chatted 
 away at length, when finally the Bishop inform 
 ed them that he must be going. "I am only 
 here," said he "for a few hours. I want to see 
 the pastor of your church on some very impor 
 tant business. By the way Miss Lillian, I must 
 call you Miss now, you have grown to be such 
 a beautiful young lady, I am on the lookout for 
 a good teacher to teach in a Southern colored 
 school. Do you know any graduates from your 
 High School here that I could recommend 
 102 
 
"I have always been averse to colored schools 
 and colored teachers." 
 
A TEACHER WANTED 105 
 
 for the place? You are a graduate are you not? 
 Suppose you let me send you down there? 
 What do you say, Madam?" said the Bishop, 
 turning to Mrs. Simmons. 
 
 "Oh mama! do let me go. It is the very 
 thing, exclaimed Lillian, clapping her hands in 
 delight and almost betraying the family troubles 
 by her anxious tone and manner. 
 
 "I dont know about that," said Mrs. Sim 
 mons, remembering her attitude toward colored 
 schools and colored teachers. "I have always 
 been averse to separate schools and colored 
 teachers, and have several times publicly lifted 
 my voice against them, and it would now seem 
 so inconsistent for me to permit my own daugh 
 ter to take up a line of work entirely opposite 
 to the principles which I have held, to the doc 
 trine which I have always preached." 
 
 "My dear Mrs. Simmons!" exclaimed the 
 Bishop in surprise. "You dont mean to tell me 
 that you oppose separate schools in the South 
 do you, or in the North either as to that matter? 
 Well my good woman you are standing in your 
 own light," said the Bishop somewhat peeved. 
 "Your daughter is missing a great opportunity 
 if you continue to adhere to the stand which 
 you have heretofore taken. Take my advice 
 
106 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 and cease to advocate doctrine that is not in 
 keeping with the growth and development of 
 the talents and skill which is dormant in your 
 own race, and in your own children." 
 
 Mrs. Simmons listened to what the good 
 man said very patiently. There was a time 
 when it would be useless for anyone to call her 
 attenion to such things as the Bishop had, for she 
 would have turned a deaf ear to him. She 
 made no reply but stood looking in an 
 other direction in a thoughtful manner. 
 
 "Come Sister Simmons, what do you say?" 
 said the Bishop believing her to be giving the 
 matter favorable consideration. 
 
 "Well Bishop Granville, I will have to think 
 it over. I will talk to Mr. Simmons about it and 
 see what he says. What salary does the posi 
 tion pay?" she asked. 
 
 "Well they pay according to the length of 
 time one serves as a teacher. They begin with 
 sixty-five dollars per month and after three 
 years they continue to increase until they reach 
 the maximum, which is one hundred dollars per 
 month. This will be a fine thing for Miss 
 Lillian. I want her to see what the South is 
 doing, and this will be her opportunity. The 
 school lasts ten months." 
 
A TEACHER WANTED 107 
 
 "When will you be back this way?" asked 
 Mrs. Simmons. 
 
 "In about three weeks from now. But if 
 you decide to let her go, you had better send 
 word to my next stopping place. I will be there 
 for a week. Here is my address," writing it on 
 a card, he handed it to her. "You see," he contin 
 ued, "they want to get the matter of selecting 
 teachers out of the way as soon as possible 
 though school will not open until September. 
 That will give Miss Lillian a chance to prepare." 
 
 "I shall depend upon you child. I know 
 your parents will consent. I shall make no 
 further inquiry for a teacher. I will see that 
 you secure the position." With this he bade 
 them a hearty good-bye and departed for the 
 residence of the minister. 
 
 "Mother," said Lillian, after the Bishop had 
 gone, "surely the Lord sent his good Angel to 
 our relief. This is a certain answer to my 
 prayers. Oh how thankful I am that he came 
 with the offer. Just think sixty-five dollars per 
 month. In ten months time I will have enough 
 money to pay off all the debts. Papa can now 
 mortgage the property with safety and secure 
 the ready cash, and relieve the immediate strain 
 cant he mama?" 
 
108 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 "Dont be too elated my dear," said Mrs. 
 Simmons with a smile. "You are not gone yet. 
 Your father will have to have something to say 
 about it. Besides I have not wholly made up 
 my mind that that will be the proper thing to 
 do. You know the decided stand that we took 
 three years ago against Jim Crowism." 
 
 "Well I dont care mother, you all were 
 wrong at that time any way. This will be sim 
 ply an acknowledgement that you were wrong 
 in your opinions regarding separate schools. 
 An open confession will harm no one. Dont be 
 too proud to acknowledge when you are wrong 
 and try to make amends if possible," said 
 Lillian, thinking of Charles Christopher. "Be 
 sides," she continued, "these people have noth 
 ing to offer us and when we are down they 
 look upon us with scorn. Look how they did 
 when I attempted to get up a music class. They 
 felt as you have felt, that they must have a 
 white music teacher for their children. And I 
 know that I am better prepared to teach music 
 than the teacher that most of them have se 
 cured. 
 
 "Away with this false pride and this love 
 for the other race, and the foolish idea that 
 people of our own race have no ability. We 
 
A TEACHER WANTED 109 
 
 can do just as well as any one else and a great 
 many times better, when we have the training 
 and the chance." 
 
 "I am going South and work in the interest 
 of my people, that's what I am going to do. I 
 see plainly that I can never amount to anything 
 up here." 
 
 "Well my dear, tis true that there is noth 
 ing for you to do up here, and I am sure that 
 you are fitted for the work down there. I sup 
 pose separate schools are alright in the South 
 if they secure people who have been trained in 
 the mixed schools of the North as you have 
 been, to teach them." 
 
 "And I think mixed schools in the North 
 would be alright, too, if they would mix the 
 teaching force," said Lillian. "Why I was a 
 much better scholar than Maggie Armstrong, 
 always made better marks, and many have been 
 the times that I have worked out her algebra 
 problems for her. Now she is teaching, making 
 one hundred and ten dollars per month. And 
 here I am doing nothing. What is the use to 
 excel in school if a person gets no more out of 
 it than I am getting. One nights' honor will 
 not last me for a lifetime. I must have some 
 thing to do. And if the good Bishop will secure 
 
110 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 the position, I am going South," said Lillian 
 passionately. 
 
 "Why Lillian I never saw you so wrought 
 up before. Why I am surprised at you," said 
 her mother. "Calm yourself a little. If you 
 really wish to go South I shall not oppose you. 
 What ever your father says is alright with me. 
 Sixty-five dollars per month will be a neat little 
 salary for you. I am glad that you are prepar 
 ed to earn that much. The only thing is I dread 
 the gossip that will follow this movement." 
 
 "Mother if these gossipers were paying our 
 debts for us, it would perhaps do for us to listen 
 to them. But they would not give us a penny 
 to save us and they will laugh at us when we 
 are down. I thought you understood them 
 better than that. I did not think you would 
 heed what they would have to say." 
 
 At the dinner table Captain Simmons was 
 told of the Bishop's visit, and of his offer to 
 Lillian. Captain Simmons was highly elated 
 over the news, which was especially cheering 
 to him who knew not which way to turn to es 
 cape his debtors who were harassing him con 
 tinually. 
 
 "Yes Lillian, you may go. I am proud of 
 you. Those people down there need more of 
 
A TEACHER WANTED 111 
 
 our intelligent, educated people in their midst. 
 There is a great field of labor in the South." 
 
 Mrs. Simmons confronted him with the 
 question of inconsistency. "We in principle are 
 opposed to separate schools," said she. "How 
 are we going to harmonize this step with our 
 views?" 
 
 "Never mind that mother," answered Cap 
 tain Simmons. "Every one up here knows 
 what is the custom down there, and they know 
 that they need the very best talent possible to 
 cope with the ignorance that prevails. Why 
 many of our Northern white people have gone 
 South to teach colored people. And besides 
 we do not have to tell people what Lillian is 
 doing. If you fear criticism, we will keep her 
 whereabouts a secrect." 
 
 Lillian did not say very much, although she 
 did not like the idea of keeping the matter se 
 cret. But she was too glad to have her father 
 take the stand in her favor, to offer any objec 
 tions at this time. 
 
 George was glad to know that his sister had 
 such an offer, which meant so much in a finan 
 cial way. , He was anxious for the burden of 
 the family support which at present was resting 
 heavily on his shoulders, to be lightened some, 
 
112 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 even by his beautiful beloved sister. He had 
 the same feeling though, that he would have 
 had if she had been going away as missionary 
 to the heathen land of Africa. 
 
 George's ideas and cpiticism of the Southern 
 people must be over looked by the reader. For 
 he had never been in that section, nor had he 
 ever met any of the wealthy and highly educat 
 ed, southern colored people who sometimes 
 visit through the summer in the North. He is 
 young and inexperienced, but he is sensible and 
 can and will be taught better some day. 
 
 That night Mrs. Simmons spurred on by the 
 sensible words, as she thought, spoken by her 
 husband and anxious to relieve the financial 
 strain, eagerly sat down and wrote Bishop Gran- 
 ville a letter thanking him for his kind sugges 
 tions and the interest he had taken in her 
 daughter. That after looking into the matter 
 of which he spoke, she and her husband, Captain 
 Simmons, had decided to allow their daughter 
 Lillian to take the position as teacher in the 
 South. Fearing that there might be some slip, 
 she urged the Bishop to be sure and do all 
 that he could. Now that she had decided, she 
 did not want anything to go wrong. That if 
 anything should happen to prevent Lillian's se- 
 
A TEACHER WANTED 113 
 
 curing the position, the disappointment to the 
 family would be great. She closed her letter 
 in the customary way, sealed it and sent it away 
 that same night by special delivery. 
 
 The next day she received the reply. The 
 Bishop was very glad that she had set aside the 
 prejudice which she had always held against 
 colored schools and teachers and told her so in 
 his letter. He told her to have no fear, that 
 the place was secure for Lillian. And thanked 
 her and Mr. Simmons for reaching the right 
 conclusion and for so promptly informing him. 
 He closed invoking the richest blessings from 
 Heaven upon the whole family. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 A BUSINESS VENTURE 
 
 In the past three years Charles Christopher 
 has visited many places in the North. He has 
 had an opportunity to observe many things and 
 has not failed to make note of them. At the 
 various summer resorts where he has been em 
 ployed he has been in close contact with all 
 classes of people and has made them a study. 
 Sociology, psychology and other subjects along 
 the. lines of human interest naturally appeal to 
 him. He is also a constant visitor to the Library 
 and has devoured the contents of many books. 
 Besides he reads the daily papers and is up on 
 all the current news of the days. Broad mind 
 ed, big hearted he grows in gentility, dignity 
 and manhood as the years go by. 
 
 He often thinks of Lillian Simmons and has 
 an overwhelming desire to see her once more. 
 He has been tempted many times to write her, 
 just to send her a post card, but each time his 
 heart has failed him. He realizes full well the 
 114 
 
A BUSINESS VENTURE 115 
 
 truth of the oft repeated expression, "A faint 
 heart never won fair lady." but he has not the 
 courage to drop the many letters that he has 
 nerved himself to write to her, in the mail box. 
 He is strong and courageous in all things else, 
 seemingly, except in friendly overtures and 
 courtship to beautiful Lillian Simmons. He 
 cannot rely upon the hope which she held out 
 to him, as a reward for the sacrifice that he 
 made to please or to gratify her, the day on 
 which he left. He is afraid that he may have 
 misunderstood, that her tone and manner did 
 not bespeak what he at first had hoped. It 
 was very possible that he being excited and 
 carried away by her abrupt appearance, was 
 mistaken after all. Besides he had neglected 
 so long, that it was no use to try to gain recog 
 nition from her now. "If she is not married to 
 another she has forgotten me in this time," he 
 thought. Thus for a long time he would think 
 of her and wonder if he would ever see her 
 again. 
 
 Time rolled on and Charles continued to 
 work. It is now the month of September. 
 Charles has saved up a good sized bank account 
 and he is anxious to go into business for him 
 self. Being familiar with the grocery business 
 
116 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 he begins to think out some locality that would 
 be suitable for a business venture along this 
 line. And after running over the list of cities 
 and towns in which he had been and having 
 made notes of the possibilities for a business 
 venture among colored people in them, he de 
 cided that there would be no better place to 
 start than in the town where he had met oppo 
 sition because he was from the South. 
 
 There was at least three thousand colored 
 people in the place, the majority of whom lived 
 well and owned their own homes. He could 
 see no reason why they would not trade with 
 him. He would keep a neat clean place and 
 though his stock would be small, it should be as 
 good and as fresh as any. 
 
 He had also noticed that the white people 
 of the North were indeed very friendly and 
 were disposed to recognize the true worth of a 
 man, and he felt sure that many of them would 
 trade with him if he should carry such things 
 as they would want. 
 
 He is ready to acknowledge that there is a 
 much better spirit existing toward colored peo 
 ple as a race in the North than there is in the 
 South. The Southern white people bestow their 
 love and friendship upon individuals of the 
 
A BUSINESS VENTURE 117 
 
 race on account of family ties and past remem 
 brances of loyalty and other sentimental rea 
 sons. But they care naught for them as a race. 
 They can see nothing in them. They criticize 
 them for being rough, uncouth and shiftless, 
 without thinking of the original cause of their 
 degredation. 
 
 The Northern white people have a tendency 
 to look upon them with pity and are really glad to 
 see them prosper. And Charles Christopher, 
 ever on the alert, was sensible to this fact and 
 was always ready to thank them and to show 
 his appreciation. Although it was not pity that 
 he wanted, but a fair chance and he would do 
 the rest. 
 
 He went over his plans several times in his 
 mind and finally concluding that he was on the 
 right road, decided that he would quit the place 
 where he was now working in about ten days 
 and start for the scene of his venture. 
 
 Charles was a young man of decision and 
 when he made up his mind to do a thing, he 
 would, as a rule, go through with it. So upon 
 the day set, he departed for the city where he 
 had been the cause of so much turmoil and 
 strife. For even after he was gone from the 
 place it seemed that outbreaks and disturbances 
 
118 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 were more frequent than ever, due to the North 
 ern people tightening up reins so to speak and 
 attempting to restrain the Southern people from 
 utterances which did not harmonize with their 
 own, and the Southern peoples resistence, who 
 it seemed had become emboldened, partly by 
 the remarks of the paper and partly by old man 
 Littlejohn's speech and the stand which he took 
 in their behalf at the meeting that night. 
 They began to think and talk among themselves 
 after that. They were not long in discovering 
 that they were in the majority and they knew 
 that they were free and did not have to be 
 afraid to express their views along the lines of 
 their policy, for the solution of the race prob 
 lem. All this caused the confusion among the 
 people. 
 
 But since Captain Simmons has lost his po 
 sition, and with it the greater part of his influ 
 ence, things have been much quieter. He and 
 his son George and Frank Maxwell were the 
 chief agitators, but now it seems that they have 
 no following and it is difficult for them to get a 
 hearing. 
 
 So there is no better time for Charles 
 Christopher to begin business in that city than 
 now. He boards the train and is soon speeding 
 
A BUSINESS VENTURE 119 
 
 at a rapid rate toward the place of destiny. En 
 chanted by the beautiful scenes along the route, 
 Charles falls into day dreaming. He pulls back 
 the curtain and takes a peep into the dim future 
 He beholds himself a man of wealth and influ 
 ence, engaged in mercantile pursuits and owner 
 of large business interests. He sees a fickle 
 populace courting favors at his hands. He sees 
 himself a stalwart leader of his people, shield 
 ing them from the wiles of the demagogue and 
 the snares of the unscrupulous politicians. He 
 hears himself preaching the doctrines of love 
 and truth. He warns against the vice and the 
 shame and pretense in society. He sees him 
 self first a true friend, then a lover of Lillian 
 Simmons. He hears the chimes of the wedding 
 bells. He sees himself a trusted husband and 
 then a doting father. And then by a sudden 
 lurch of the train he awakes from his reverie 
 and finds himself the same simple, plain yet 
 sensible Charles Christopher that he has al 
 ways been. 
 
 The train having entered the city, his train 
 ed eye catches glimpses of the familiar sights 
 as it glides swiftly along. Here flows the ma 
 jestic river. There upon its banks is the same 
 rustic bench upon which he sat in reverie the 
 
120 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 morning when Lillian Simmons approached 
 fairylike and pleaded with him to leave the city. 
 There is the spot where he and George Sim 
 mons, like gladiators, fought. Over yonder is 
 the Simmons stately, but somewhat weather- 
 beaten home. It is badly in need of paint. 
 
 The train is now at the depot from which 
 he departed three years ago. He realizes more 
 fully now where he is and what is his purpose. 
 He wonders if Lillian Simmons is still in the 
 city, and will he have a chance to see her. He 
 picked up his grip and moved slowly toward 
 the door of the crowded train. And as he was 
 descending the steps, lifting his eyes, he beheld 
 gazing into his face, the heavy lashed, deeply 
 set black eyes of Lillian Simmons. Amid the 
 shouts of "Good-bye" and waving hands, 
 Lillian Simmons got on the train that Charles 
 Christopher got off. It was all like a dream to 
 both of them, so quickly did it happen. A glance, 
 a recognition and a deep thrill of the heart and 
 that was all! 
 
 Charles Christopher had come and Lillian 
 Simmons had gone and not a word was spoken. 
 So a great barrier still exists between these two 
 who would be friends. "The irony of fate," 
 thought Charles as he stood and watched the 
 
A BUSINESS VENTURE 121 
 
 train with increasing speed move away, bearing 
 Lillian Simmons thither he knew not where. 
 Then collecting himself with an effort he board 
 ed a car and rode up into the city. 
 
 The whole Simmons family and many of 
 their friends were at the station to see Lillian 
 off. They saw Charles when he alighted from 
 the train and were too surprised at first to say 
 anything. George finally whispered to his 
 mother and told her that old Charley Christo 
 pher had gotten off the train. 
 
 "Is that so," said Mrs. Simmons, "where is 
 he? I have never seen him." 
 
 "There he is, getting on the car," said 
 George. 
 
 "Is that he? Why I never figured his be 
 ing that sort of a looking fellow. He is not a 
 rough looking man at all. I wonder why he 
 comes back here," said Mrs. Simmons. 
 
 "I don't have the least idea," said George. 
 "I know this, though, he shall not stay here 
 long." He then turned to his father who was a 
 few steps behind and said: "Father I guess we 
 will have to call another meeting. I see that 
 Charley Christopher is back here." 
 
 "Who is Charley Christopher?" returned 
 his father. 
 
122 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 "Why surely you haven't forgotten him. 
 He is the Southern darky that I had the fight 
 with three years ago. You know the one we 
 ran away from here," said George sneeringly. 
 
 "Oh yes," said his father. "Was that him 
 who got off the train?" 
 
 "Yes," replied George. 
 
 "Well, wait," said Captain Simmons. I 
 thought I had seen that face before. I wonder 
 what he wants here now." 
 
 "I have not the least idea," said George. 
 Don't you think we had better get the boys to 
 gether and find out?" 
 
 "Well wait a day or two. Maybe he means 
 no harm. We will not molest him as long as he 
 behaves himself." 
 
 "Alright," said George, turning to go to his 
 work which was in a different direction to that 
 his parents had to go, 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Simmons were too deeply en 
 grossed in the welfare of their daughter 
 Lillian to allow the subject of Charles Christo 
 pher's return to the city to find lodgement in 
 their minds. So no more was said about it at 
 that time. 
 
 Charles Christopher wasted no time after 
 his arrival in the city. He set out at once in 
 
A BUSINESS VENTURE 123 
 
 search of a desirable locality in which to begin 
 his new venture. Of course he had no thought 
 of finding a place way down in the heart of the 
 city, for there the rent would be too high. 
 What he wanted was a place in a colored locali 
 ty, so near that they would prefer to trade with 
 him rather than go a long distance to town for 
 the small things in the grocery line which are 
 very often needed in a rush. He was not long 
 in finding the place that suited him. About ten 
 squares from the main part of the city and re 
 mote from any car line, and at the entrance of 
 a colored settlement, he located his neat little 
 grocery store. His stock, though small, was 
 complete. Tastily arranged and fresh in appear 
 ance, it was not long before the people were 
 tempted to buy. The first day after opening he 
 counted his customers. Twenty white and 
 fourteen colored persons had been in and made 
 small purchases. After the first week, he was 
 by his increasing trade, assured of great success. 
 Many words of encouragement fell from the lips 
 of the people who welcomed his enterprise. 
 They found it to their interest to have him in 
 their midst, and felt that he was accomodating 
 them by locating near them. And too, he was 
 so kind and obliging. His personality, which 
 
124 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 he had seized the opportunity to develop when 
 traveling when employed in the various hotels 
 of the North, was now asserting itself, for 
 through it he was enabled to handle his patrons 
 successfully and increase his trade. 
 
 Say what you will, it is the man with the 
 vim and with a pleasing personality who gets 
 the big business. In six months time Charles 
 was enabled to double his stock and his pros 
 pects for future business and trade had increas 
 ed a hundred per cent. Much comment was 
 made on his enterprise, and words of praise 
 could be heard for him on every hand. The 
 colored people had begun to feel proud of their 
 colored stored "Christopher's Grocery" was all 
 the talk among them. They took great pride 
 in telling strangers about it and each one felt 
 somehow that he had an interest in it. Every 
 one was pleased except Frank Maxwell and the 
 Simmons family. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 MRS. SIMMONS' REBUKE 
 
 George Simmons watched the business grow 
 and listened to the praise bestowed upon 
 Charles Christopher with disgust. He was in 
 tensely human and could not help feeling keen-* 
 ly the pangs of jealousy and envy caused by the 
 progress and popularity of his erstwhile foe. 
 And in an intensely human way he began to 
 plan an interruption, to impede, if possible, to 
 stay Charles Christopher's rapid growth, 
 
 Captain Simmons felt piqued at the way 
 the people were supporting a Negro business, 
 and could have and would have taken some 
 steps to stop it if there had not been so many 
 white people trading there also. He could not 
 argue that Negroes were separating themselves 
 from the whites, that they were sowing seeds 
 of prejudice, that they were endorsing and in 
 viting segregation. The bottom had fallen out 
 of his argument, since the whites were praising 
 Charles so highly and were encouraging him 
 125 
 
126 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 with their patronage. So he was at a loss. He 
 could think of nothing to say or do. 
 
 Lillian's having to go South to teach and 
 Charles Christopher's coming North and enter 
 ing into a successful business, set Mrs. Simmons 
 to thinking deeply regarding the race problem. 
 She often thought of the words of Bishop Gran- 
 ville the morning when he made the offer for 
 Lillian to teach in the South. "Cease to advo 
 cate doctrine that is not in keeping with the 
 growth and development of the talents and 
 skill which is dormant in your own race and in 
 your own children." His words then had the 
 ring of truth about them and she had often 
 dwelt upon them. 
 
 And now they have more meaning in them 
 when she notes the success that Charles Chris 
 topher is haying, through his business enter 
 prise. She too, in a way, envies him. Like all 
 good mothers she would be so glad were it her 
 son. She now sees clearly which boy has the 
 better chance. She realizes that the man doing 
 business for himself has a great advantage over 
 the one working for some one else. How grand 
 it would have been had she and Captain Sim 
 mons, while in a prosperous condition, had had 
 the good sense to have started some kind of 
 
MRS. SIMMONS' REBUKE 127 
 
 business for themselves. They would have 
 been independent by now, and could be able to 
 give their own children employment. "But it 
 is too late now," she thought. "I can't see how 
 George can ever be anything else other than a 
 porter in a dry goods store where he is now 
 working. He doesn't make enough money to 
 lay any of it away. If Mr. Simmons don't get 
 something to do soon, I don't know what will 
 become of us. Perhaps the Negroes of the 
 South are right after all in pursuing their poli 
 cies advocating separate business and separate 
 schools. I see plainly the advantage of both." 
 
 That evening at the supper table Charles 
 Christopher was the subject for discussion by 
 the Simmons family. 
 
 Mrs. Simmons began by asking George 
 what purpose had he in life. She could see 
 nothing for him, but she thought perhaps he 
 had some plan that he had never unfolded to 
 herself and Mr. Simmons. He was now past 
 twenty-five and she thought it time for him to 
 make up his mind what he would like to do. 
 
 Charles Christopher's success had brought 
 things to an issue. His Southern idea looked 
 good to her, and she wanted to find out what 
 George thought about it. 
 
123 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 "Do you always expect to remain a porter 
 in the dry goods store?" said she, putting the 
 question directly. 
 
 "Why no mother," said George in an in 
 jured tone. 
 
 "Well what do purpose to take up as a life 
 work?" she asked. 
 
 George sat silent. He really had no pur 
 pose. He had gotten past the place where he 
 was so ambitious. In the past year or so he 
 seemed content to draw his small weekly pit 
 tance and have it spent almost before it was 
 made. Tis true he had used most of it at home 
 while the family was in such straitened cir 
 cumstances, still he realized that he was not 
 making the headway that he should, consider 
 ing his superior education and training. But 
 he knew nothing else that he could do, so he 
 was simply drifting he knew not where. 
 
 "Tell me what you are going to do George," 
 insisted his mother. 
 
 It was plain that George had no definite aim 
 or plan in life and his mother felt sorry for him. 
 She felt that she and her husband was the 
 cause of his destitution of ideas. She began to 
 think what the other race has provided for their 
 children. They have factories, foundries, stores 
 
MRS. SIMMONS' REBUKE 129 
 
 and business of all sorts in which to place them. 
 Whether they finish school or not, they can 
 find employment for them. 
 
 But what have the colored people for their 
 children to do? Here is George who is an ac 
 complished scholar, who graduated with high 
 honors and who is as capable as any white boy 
 in the city. What has he to do? He cannot 
 teach for they do not employ colored teachers 
 in mixed schools. He has applied oftimes for 
 a position as clerk in the stores, in the shipping 
 houses and in the city hall, but each time he has 
 met with refusal. To get the position as a por 
 ter which he now holds, he had to go through 
 a lot of "red tape", and had to have a tremen 
 dous "pull." 
 
 "And this is the condition that confronts all 
 young and deserving colored men of the North," 
 thought Mrs. Simmons. 
 
 George stammered out some sort of a weak 
 reply to his mother. He said something about 
 becoming a civil engineer, or he would like to 
 take a course in pharmacy. His replies were 
 altogether unsatisfactory to his mother. 
 
 "Well," said Mrs. Simmons, "until you and 
 your father show me differently, I am a con 
 vert to the Southern idea. I have been watch- 
 
130 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 ing this fellow Christopher in business and to 
 my way of thinking he was right at the time 
 you all had the fight and from all appearances 
 he is right now. Things are as plain to me now 
 as they can be. Our family is being benefited 
 by separate schools, and I am sure it would be 
 greatly benefited now if we had such a busi 
 ness as Charles Christopher has established. 
 You had just as well have had a business of 
 your own as for Christopher to come here and 
 set up one. I understand that he is getting 
 rich. It is so strange that we have all been so 
 blind. As I say, if I am wrong I want you and 
 your father to set me right. How about it Mr. 
 Simmons?" 
 
 Captain Simmons had been sitting listening 
 quietly to what Mrs. Simmons was saying. He 
 realized that much of what she said was true. 
 But he was not frank enough to admit it. He 
 said that Mrs. Simmons could think as she 
 pleased, but as for him he never would become 
 a believer in Southern Negro ideas. And as 
 for Charles Christopher he bet he would go un 
 der in a short time. As all other Negro under 
 takings usually do. 
 
 "But you will admit," returned Mrs. Sim 
 mons, "that we would be better off if George 
 
MRS. SIMMONS' REBUKE 131 
 
 had a business like that, will you not? I have 
 never been there, but they say his place is al 
 ways full and that he has as much white trade 
 as colored. He is kept busy all the time." 
 
 "That's alright mother. He will go under 
 just the same. Then you will have a chance to 
 try your hand. If you think you have enough 
 business ability, I will see if I can't start you 
 off." 
 
 Seeing that he would be unable to carry on 
 a successful argument with his wife, this was 
 the joking way in which Captain Simmons turn 
 ed her aside. 
 
 "Well," said Mrs. Simmons, "I am serious 
 about it I do wish that George did have some 
 kind of business of his own." 
 
 George had nothing more to say. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 CHRISTOPHER'S GROCERY BURNS 
 
 At the mention of Charles Christopher the 
 pangs of envy and jealousy began to gnaw at 
 George's heart. "He is showing me up is he?" 
 was the thought that entered his mind. "I 
 guess he is here to try to prove his side of the 
 argument. He wants to make his Southern 
 ideas stick I guess. Alright. We'll see." 
 
 Supper now being over they arose and left 
 the table. George put on his hat and coat and 
 went toward town. 
 
 That night about twelve o'clock the hideous 
 sound of the city fire alarm broke the stillness 
 of the night. Shouts of fire were distinctly 
 heard in the Southeast section of the city. The 
 colored people were greatly excited. "Fi er! 
 Fi er!! was heard in all directions. 
 
 Soon the clatter of hoofs and the clanging 
 
 of bells were heard distinctly for blocks away. 
 
 And in less time than it takes to tell it, the 
 
 beautiful panting animals were reined up 
 
 132 
 
'CHAS. 
 
 CHRISTOPHER 
 
 
 Charles Christopher's Grocery Store Was in 
 Flames. 
 
CHRISTOPHER'S GROCERY BURNS 135 
 
 champing their bits in the vicinity of Charles 
 Christopher's grocery store, which was in 
 flames. No one knew how long the building 
 had been burning before the alarm was turned 
 in, but it was evident to the fire chief, that it 
 could not be saved, so he simply let it burn and 
 sent his men to the task of saving other build 
 ings which were near and were in imminent 
 danger. 
 
 When Charles Christopher came upon the 
 scene, he staggered and almost fell at the sight 
 of his hard earned savings curling heavenward 
 in a dense cloud of smoke, the accumulations of 
 several toilsome years ruthlessly snatched from 
 his hands. The object wherein lay his fondest 
 future dreams, transformed as it were, into 
 naught. None except he who has gone through 
 a similar experience can sympathize fully with 
 Charles Christopher, or understand why he sat 
 down on a near by stone, and strong man that 
 he was, wept like a child. He knew nothing 
 else to do. He felt that he was done for, for all 
 time. To struggle up the rugged hills of life 
 again to where he now was, would be too hard 
 and would take too long. He had not the cour 
 age nor strength to try. All his future hopes 
 and happiness were now smouldering in ashes. 
 
136 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 How did it happen? This question was 
 every where asked. If the reader has not al 
 ready guessed aright we know that it would in 
 terest him also to know. But as some investi 
 gations must be made, and as such should not 
 be done in haste, we will for the time turn our 
 attention to Lillian Simmons, of whom we have 
 not heard for some time, and in whom we know 
 our readers have as much interest as they have 
 in the immediate fire mystery. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 A COLORED TOWN 
 
 B is a beautiful little town of the South 
 
 with an entire colored population, situated in 
 the midst of a rich farming district that feeds 
 fat off the wheat and corn, and cattle and milk, 
 produced by the farmers and brought to mark 
 et within its limits. On Saturdays its streets 
 are thronged with sober, business like people, 
 selling their wares and making needful purchas 
 es from its well stocked stores. It is really in 
 spiring to see how these people, as if by instinct, 
 take to trade and barter and have thus become 
 a part of the commercial world. Drummers 
 representing the great wholesale houses of the 
 country, make regular visits to this enterprising 
 and fast growing little city of five thousand in 
 habitants of colored people. It has all the at 
 tributes necessary for a great and thriving 
 town. 
 
 Everything is as it should be, and the per 
 sons who have striven to build it deserve credit. 
 137 
 
133 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 Its schools and churches are of a high standard 
 and are well equipped, with men and women of 
 good character and excellent educational quali 
 fications. And if the colored people of the 
 North could visit it and note the clock-like pre 
 cision with which the wheels of industry turn, 
 note the poise, the ease, the confidence, whith 
 which the people carry on their operations, note 
 the good will and harmony which prevails 
 among them, they would then have more re 
 spect for the colored South, they would view 
 life in a different light and all doubts as to a 
 happy future for the Negro race, would be dis 
 pelled. One can be benefitted in a hundred 
 different ways by visiting this town. 
 
 It was in this Utopian city with its people 
 of varied hues, that Lillian Simmons, after four 
 days of tiresome travel, found herself. When 
 she alighted at the station she found the ticket 
 agent, the baggage master and the operator all 
 colored. She went up town and to the Post 
 Office and found the Postmaster and his five or 
 six assistants colored. She found the Mayor and 
 all the city officers colored. The four or five 
 blocks of business in the city were under the 
 control of colored people. Grocery stores, dry 
 goods store^ feed stores, shoe stores, drug 
 
A COLORED TOWN 139 
 
 stores, furniture stores, candy stores, meat 
 shops, restaurants, fruit stands and all of the 
 various lines of trade, were managed by per 
 sons of African descent. Three cotton gins, a 
 livery stable and a lumber yard, she learned, 
 were successfully run by colored men. The 
 streets were paved and the city was well light 
 ed by an electric plant owned by a wealthy 
 Negro, who had secured the services of a color 
 ed electrician. The dwellers in this unique, but 
 beautiful little city, were all colored. The pale 
 faces of the other race could not be seen here. 
 And Lillian's heart swelled with pride when she 
 alighted from the train, and looked for the first 
 time upon her new field of labor and saw the 
 make up of its citizenry. A new feeling came 
 over her. Lillian Simmons was no "put on", 
 but under these new and strange, yet happy 
 and inspiring environments, she could not help 
 assuming the air and carriage of a Queen. She 
 felt so safe, so secure, where her own people, 
 with the wisdom of the ancient romans, were 
 reigning supreme. To say that she was amazed 
 and carried away at what she saw is putting it 
 too mildly. She was astounded. In her wild 
 est dreams she had never fancied that there was 
 such a place under the sun as this for her people. 
 
140 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 people. "If George and mama and papa 
 
 could only see this," she thought. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 THE JIM CROW CAR 
 
 On her way down South after reaching that 
 section where she was asked to take a seat in 
 the cars prepared for colored passengers, 
 Lillians heart sank within her. She had often 
 heard about it, but she had never known what 
 real humiliation was until she was asked by 
 the conductor to take her baggage and go into 
 the next car where she could see plainly in bold 
 black type, a placard in the far end of the 
 coach, "This car for Negroes". She began to 
 wish that she had not come to a country so 
 heartless, so void of justice, so full of not 
 prejudice, but pure meanness, as to force a 
 hardship like this on a decent cultured woman 
 who was traveling alone. 
 
 The coach into which she had to go was 
 really filthy. The seats were cushionless and 
 very uncomfortable, being of the old cane bottom 
 kind. At each station disrespectful loud-mouth 
 ed foolish Negroes were getting on and off. She 
 141 
 
142 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 was perfectly disgusted with the side of Negro life 
 in the South which she saw on the train and from 
 the car window. She was satisfied now that 
 her father and mother and George were right 
 in their fight against the influx of Southern Ne 
 groes into the North. She almost cried when 
 one vile uncouth idiot of a Negro who was rid 
 ing backwards so he could look her squarely in 
 the face, shouted to her, "Hello pitty yaller gal, 
 where is you goin?" 0, how she wished for 
 her big hot headed brother George. But the 
 ugly Negro said no more. He simply sat gazing 
 at her. Lillian began to wonder if the South 
 were not really justified in lynching such de- 
 prayed animals as the fellow showed himself to 
 be. He was so impudent with the brim of his 
 dusty cap pulled to one side, his shirt opened 
 at the neck, exposing an old knit undergarment, 
 black with dirt. She saw many such types be 
 fore the completion of her journey. In fact she 
 saw enough to put her out with Southern Ne 
 groes forever. She could understand why 
 "Jim Crow cars" and all other forms of segrega 
 tion in the South were necessary, but she could 
 not feel that it was fair to treat all colored peo 
 ple alike, because all were not alike. 
 
 After she had ridden in the separate coach 
 
THE JIM CROW CAR 143 
 
 for some time and had become somewhat rec 
 onciled to the condition, the conductor, who 
 was apparently waiting for this moment, ap 
 proached her in a friendly way and asked her 
 where she was going and where she was from. 
 She told him, and she could scarcely keep back 
 the tears, for she felt that he was sympathizing 
 with her. 
 
 "Yes I thought so," said he. "I am very 
 sorry indeed to place you in here, but you know 
 we have to obey the law," he said with a sor 
 rowful smile. 
 
 "I guess you are right," said Lillian. 
 
 "Well cheer up little girl. I will see that 
 no harm comes to you. Have any of these fel 
 lows been annoying yon?" 
 
 "Yes," she said "that fellow sitting with his 
 face this way, called to me insultingly when he 
 first got on the train. You can see how im 
 pudently he stares at me." 
 
 "That fellow right there?" said the conduc 
 tor. 
 
 "Yes," replied Lillian. 
 
 The conductor went to him and informed 
 him that he would be put off if he said another 
 word to the lady. He was told to'sit face front 
 anyway in the car. The Negro readily obeyed 
 
144 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 the conductor in his authorative tone and look, 
 and Lillian had no further trouble with him. 
 
 She began after that to think of the sacri 
 fice of pleasure and privelege that she was mak 
 ing in the interest of the family. This thought 
 alone consoled her. She was glad to do so. 
 She would not murmur; she would put up with 
 what ever should come to her. "Maybe all the 
 people of the South are not like those 
 that I have seen. There may be some more 
 like Charles Christopher," she thought. "But 
 not just like him," she changed, remembering 
 her affection for him. "I wonder what he is 
 going to do. I am satisfied that he knew me 
 when he got off the train. Oh, I am so sorry 
 that I was leaving just as he arrived. I did not 
 even get to speak to him. I believe I will write 
 to him," she said to herself. 
 
 She was now nearing her destination. And 
 lo and behold when she alighted from the train 
 and saw the sights as told above, the bad im 
 pression of the South that she had received 
 through the restless, unsettled, thoughtless, de 
 praved actions of a certain floating element 
 passed swiftly from her mind, to be remember 
 ed against it no more. And she wished that 
 mama and papa and George could she what she 
 
THE JIM CROW CAR 145 
 
 now so gloriously beheld. "I know that I shall 
 be happy if this is to be my environment," she 
 thought. 
 
 She was soon settled in her new home 
 which was with the Principal of the school and 
 his charming wife. The Bishop had secured a 
 good boarding place for her as well as the po 
 sition as teacher. 
 
 Lillian was a successful teacher and it is 
 needless for us to go through the details of re 
 lating her experiences as such. Suffice it to say 
 that she won the love and friendship of pupils 
 and parent, which is the first and last requisite 
 of success in a colored school. She was always 
 busy in some needful way. Besides being an 
 indispensable worker in the school room, she 
 was a leader in the Literary Society, the church 
 and the Sunday School. Bright, witty, jovial 
 and intelligent, she made many friends. No so 
 cial function was a success without her presence. 
 It seemed that she had found her niche, and 
 she was now filling it to perfection. 
 
 She would often receive letters from home, 
 and she was so pleased to know of the colored 
 grocery store that had been established by 
 Charles Christopher. And she would often pic 
 ture herself at home keeping company with the 
 
146 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 young proprietor of the new grocery store. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 LOVE LETTERS 
 
 Once she received a letter from her mother 
 stating that Mabel Lester was making eyes at 
 Charles Christopher, which made poor Lillian 
 very unhappy at the time. 
 
 "I am not going to stand for it, "she pouted. 
 "He is mine and now I don't care how it looks I 
 am going to write him." And she did. She 
 went up town and picked out a modest, yet ap 
 propriate post card and, sent it to him. But 
 had it been possible, after it was in the mail 
 box, for her to have taken it out, she would 
 have done so. But it was too late now. It 
 went direct and Charles Chrisiopher received it 
 the very next morning after the disastrous fire 
 Had he not received this card from the beauti 
 ful Lillian Simmons, whom he loved so well, 
 dark indeed would have been the days immedi 
 ately following the unfortunate fire. This card 
 alone gave him strength and courage to bear 
 147 
 
148 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 up. He was willing to try to pull up the rugged 
 hill again for her dear sake. 
 
 In return Charles immediately sat dowm 
 and wrote Lillian the most beautifully worded 
 letter she had ever received in her life. He 
 told her of his great grief and misfortune and 
 of the hard struggle that he had in reaching the 
 place from which he had so recently been cast 
 down. "But your dear post card came just 
 at the time when I was at my weakest and 
 needed something to strengthen me. You have 
 saved me, my dear friend, from a horrible fate. 
 I was in great despair and was at the point 
 where I was about to do something desperate," 
 said he in his letter. "But your sweet missive 
 has brought sunshine to me again, and today I 
 feel that after all life is worth living. I shall 
 not hesitate to try to climb back and even past 
 the height from which I was so suddenly hurled 
 a night ago. Your token of respect and es 
 teem has given me courage and renewed vigor. 
 I thank you from the depths of my heart. Let 
 me hear from you again soon. 
 
 "Yours sincerely, Charles Christopher." 
 
 Two days later, when Lillian went to the 
 Post Office and received a letter from her home, 
 written in a strange hand, her heart beat faster 
 
LOVE LETTERS 149 
 
 and her countenance lit up with expectancy. 
 She could hardly take time to open it. Yes, it 
 was from Charles Christopher. "Let's see what 
 he says," she said in an undertone. She began 
 reading and was struck dumb when she heard 
 of the great disaster, the hopes of Charles 
 Christopher being crumbled into ashes. She 
 read the par t over again and continuing to the 
 end, she found this one of the saddest, at the 
 same time one of the sweetest letters, that she 
 had ever received. She now felt glad that she 
 had sent the card, that herself and not Mabel Les 
 ter, had the power to cheer him and help him 
 to bear up under his great misfortune. She 
 then gave herself over to thoughts of true love 
 and sympathy for him and even wished that he 
 was near that she might lay a tender hand up 
 on his brow and whisper sweet consoling words 
 to him. 
 
 "What caused the fire," she wondered. 
 Could any one have been so mean, so low, so 
 void of principle, as to have applied the torch 
 to his business because it was prosperous? 'Tis 
 true that Charles Christopher had some bitter 
 enemies. Could some of them have been mean 
 enough to commit this dastardly act. No, her 
 brother would not do a thing like that. She 
 
150 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 could not for a moment entertain the thought 
 that George would stoop so low. 
 
 She read the letter over several times that 
 night and she could not bear the idea of retiring 
 before answering it. It was so sad and sweet 
 she felt that she could not do it justice, but at 
 any rate she was going to try. 
 
 When she had finished writing it was more 
 than an hour after her regular time for retiring. 
 But she was satisfied. She had told him many 
 things that she wished him to know and had all 
 but confessed her love for him. She even made 
 mention of Miss Mabel Lester in a way that in 
 dicated that she was greatly concerned and 
 told him not to get too deeply entangled; that 
 she would be home soon. 
 
 She concluded her letter with her very 
 best wishes and a hope that the culprit, if such 
 there was, who applied the torch and caused 
 him so much grief and so much loss, would 
 soon be run to ground. With a "Sincerely 
 yours, Lillian Simmons," she closed her letter, 
 sealed it and laid it away to be mailed the next 
 morning. 
 
 She retired, but could not rest. "That is a 
 little too bold of me," she thought. "I shall not 
 send it. The idea of my twitting him about 
 
LOVE LETTERS 151 
 
 Mae Lester. Why he will think lam silly. Be 
 sides he has no time for foolishness like that 
 now. Why the man is too grieved and worried 
 to think about girls. No indeed, I shall not send 
 that letter, I will tear it up in the morning and 
 write one with more sense and dignity." Thus 
 musing she soon fell asleep. 
 
 Being tired and worried from the late hours 
 spent in writing the night previous, Lillian 
 slept later than usual the next morning. 
 
 She finally arose, dressed and went into 
 breakfast. Principal McVain, who had finished 
 his breakfast, was just leaving the dining room. 
 He went out into the hall to get his hat and 
 glancing into Lillian's room, saw the letter there 
 ready to be mailed, and as was his custom, he 
 went into the room and picked it up and left 
 the house. He proceeded to the school build 
 ing, and upon arriving he called one of the boys 
 to him, and along with some other mail which 
 he had, sent Lillian's letter to the Post Office. 
 And when Lillian realized what had been done, 
 the unsatisfactory letter, the bold, silly letter 
 was away beyond recall. Lillian cried but it 
 was no use, the letter was gone. 
 
 Charles Christopher received it in 
 due time and would have been infinitely happy 
 
152 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 had not the culprit who applied the torch to his 
 prosperous business been discovered and prov 
 ed to be the brother cf the beautiful sympa 
 thetic girl, who had written this love-inspired 
 epistle. She had hoped that the culprit would 
 soon be run to earth, but little did she think 
 that her beloved brother George would be the 
 guilty one. But facts are facts, and as objec 
 tionable as they may seem, we are now con 
 fronted with them and must deal with them 
 fairly and impartially. George Simmons, upon 
 investigation, was found to have been the one 
 who committed the deed. 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 GEORGE SIMMONS' ARREST 
 
 Charles Christopher's Grocery Store was 
 situated on a corner and faced but one way. 
 It was a two story building which was twenty- 
 five feet wide and extended back about forty 
 feet on a lot which was a hundred feet deep. 
 On the other end of the lot was a dwelling 
 house which was occupied by a white family. 
 This house was removed from the store build 
 ing not more than twenty-five or thirty feet. 
 Beneath the store was a cellar, the entrance of 
 which was but a few feet to the left of the 
 back door of the store. The lady who occu 
 pied the cottage back of the store testified that 
 she was at her window at eleven thirty o'clock, 
 and saw a man go into the cellar. She paid no 
 special attention to him, because she thought it 
 was Christopher himself going in there for 
 some purpose or other. She had often seen 
 him go in the cellar, but never so late as that. 
 She stated that she was watching for her hus- 
 153 
 
1 54 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 band who usually arrived from work about that 
 time. She finally saw the man come out and 
 instead of going into the store, he hastened 
 around to the back of her house. She was not 
 sure whether he went up the alley or not. At 
 any rate, in about a half hour it seemed to her 
 the store was in flames. 
 
 The woman's husband testified that he 
 passed the front door of Christopher's store at 
 eleven o'clock and everything was alright. He 
 was on his way home from work, but just as he 
 was entering the door of his home he saw a 
 man coming out of the cellar of the store. Up 
 on seeing him, the man went back of the house 
 and began running up the alley. Not wishing 
 to create an excitement at that hour of the 
 night, he simply stood at the mouth of the alley 
 and watched the man until he emerged into the 
 street at the other end. 
 
 Patrolman McGinty testified that about 
 eleven fifteen o'clock, he was passing along 
 and a man ran out of the alley almost into his 
 arms. He stopped him and asked him where 
 he had been, at that moment he recognized him 
 as George Simmons. "Why, hello! George it's 
 you is it," said I. "Where have you been, you 
 are off your beat ar'nt you?" He said some- 
 
GEORGE SIMMONS' ARREST 155 
 
 thing about having been to see a friend and 
 was out a little later than usual. I said no more 
 and he walked hurriedly away. 
 
 "Are you sure that it was George Simmons?" 
 asked the chief. 
 
 "Yes," replied McGhinty. 
 
 <l Well you had better go and get him and 
 bring him here," said the chief. "He will have 
 to give an account of himself." 
 
 George was sitting at the breakfast table dis 
 cussing the fire with his mother, when a knock 
 was heard at the door. It was about nine o'clock 
 in the morning. It was at this hour that George 
 always got off from work to eat breakfast. Cap 
 tain Simmons was out at the time. So Mrs. Sim 
 mons opened the door. Two policemen pushed 
 themselves past Mrs. Simmons into the room, 
 one of them asking gruffly "Is George Simmons 
 here?" 
 
 ''He is," answered Mrs. Simmons. 
 
 "Where is he?" We have a writ for him." 
 
 "A writ for what?" cried Mrs. Simmons 
 "What has he done?" 
 
 "Well he is charged with incendiarism. It is 
 alleged that he set fire to Christopher's grocery 
 store last night, and we have come to arrest 
 him." said one of the officers. 
 
156 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 Mrs. Simmons swooned but George was at 
 her side and caught her in his arms, preventing 
 her from falling to the floor. "Dash a cup of 
 water in her face," said one of the policemen. 
 "That will bring her around alright." 
 
 George lay his mother on the couch and go 
 ing to the hydrant quickly drew a cup of water 
 and dipping his fingers in it, sprinkled some in 
 her face and also bathed her temples. She soon 
 revived, but was too weak or frightened to sit 
 up or to speak. It was really pitiful to see the 
 poor woman so overcome with grief. 
 
 At this moment Captain Simmons, who at a 
 distance saw the policemen coming to his house, 
 entered, inquiring what the trouble was. 
 
 The officers, knowing Captain Simmons well, 
 having for a number of years associated with 
 him in the city service, called him to one side 
 and explained to him in an undertone the pur 
 pose of their visit. 
 
 Captain Simmons did not believe that George 
 committed the crime, and begged the men not 
 to arrest him. But his pleadings were of no 
 avail. They told Captain Simmons that they 
 were compelled to do their duty. 
 
 They took George before a justice for a pre 
 liminary hearing after which he was released 
 
GEORGE SIMMONS' ARREST 157 
 
 on bond, his employers going his security 
 The news that George Simmons had sat fire 
 to Charles Christopher's store soon spread 
 throughout the city. The papers spoke of it in 
 the most drastic terms and suggested that the 
 culprit suffer the severist punishment at the 
 hands of the law. 
 
 Frank Maxwell went to Captain Simmons and 
 told him that the case looked bad for George 
 and thought that the best thing he could do 
 would be to plead guilty and trust himself to 
 the mercy of the court. Captain Simmons 
 would not hear to this. He did not believe his 
 son was guilty, and he would spend every dol 
 lar he was worth in the effort to free him. 
 
 It is well known to the reader that Captain 
 Simmons is already deeply in debt and this re 
 cent trouble only makes matters a whole lot 
 worse than they were. He not having ready 
 cash, places his home under a second heavy 
 mortgage. Mrs. Simmons believing that some 
 hateful conspiracy is being practiced against 
 her son agrees to the transaction of her hus 
 band. She had rather be a beggar in the street 
 than have her son behind prison bars when he 
 is innocent. She does not wish to tell Lillian 
 for she knows that it will break her heart. But 
 
158 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 after considering the wisdom of such a step 
 she decides to do so. 
 
 So that very night she sat down to break the 
 news to her daughter. She wrote quite a lengthy 
 letter, telling her about the fire, and how cer 
 tain enemies had plotted to lay the charge at 
 her brother George's door. "The trial is set a 
 month off so I guess you will be home by that 
 time," she added. "I would not worry your mind 
 with it at all dear, but you no doubt will hear 
 it any way and it is best that it come to you 
 straight and from the pen of your own mother. 
 We need have no fear from him for his em 
 ployers are backing him. They went his bond 
 which was fixed at two thousand dollars. 
 
 "Father has secured some more money on the 
 place and has employed one of the best lawyers 
 in the city who will fight to the last ditch for us. 
 Frank Maxwell advises George to plead guilty, 
 and perhaps on his record as a good citizen, 
 he will get off with a light jail sentence. But we 
 will not hear to that. 'Tis true that Maxwell is 
 our friend and a lawyer, but he does not know 
 everything." 
 
 Mrs. Simmons did not tell Lillian of the dam 
 aging evidence against George. She placed as 
 hopeful a construction on the unfortunate situa- 
 
GEORGE SIMMONS' ARREST 159 
 
 tion as possible. She then concluded her let 
 ter, sealed it up and spent the rest of the night 
 in grief and tears. Captain Simmons' words 
 of consolation did not do much toward allaying 
 her suffering. 
 
 George, after such a trying ordeal as he 
 had gone through, could not look his mother 
 and father in the face. His guilty conscience 
 was playing havoc with his heretofore bold 
 front and independent air. His countenance 
 was downcast. Twas plain that he felt keenly 
 the disgrace that he had brought to the family. 
 
 Charles Christopher regretted very much 
 to learn that it was George Simmons who had 
 destroyed his business. He knew that George 
 was his enemy, but he had really placed him 
 away above such an unprincipled act. He 
 thought that he was a man. Though they had 
 differed in opinions, Charles respected him and 
 admired him on account of his fight for a prin 
 ciple. He hated to see him fall and grovel, as 
 he now was in the dust with the lowest of crim 
 inals, a common offender of the law. 
 
 Then too he loved his beautiful sister and 
 had just began to make headway along the 
 lives of friendship. He knew how keenly Lil 
 lian would feel the disgrace, and feared that 
 
160 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 her shame and chagrin might be so great that 
 she would never write him or look him in the 
 face again. What could he do to lessen the 
 great embarrassment that he knew she must 
 feel. This was one of the uppermost questions 
 in his mind. As to the re-establishment of him 
 self in business, this was practically settled. He 
 had sufficient backing for that. Dover the ho 
 tel man, Willard the News reporter and a num 
 ber of other influential men in consultation had 
 agreed to assist him and put him on his feet 
 again. He was very much elated over his fu 
 ture business prospects, but to retain the place 
 that he now holds or that he once held in Lil 
 lians affections is the thing that bothers him 
 most. 
 
 He resolves however to answer her sweet 
 letter avoiding the mention of the culprit. "But 
 she is certain to know about it any way," 
 thought he. "Why not just tell her the plain 
 truth? If she is the sensible girl that I take her 
 to be she will think more of me. She will ad 
 mire me for being frank and fair. Then too I 
 will be in a better position to sympathize with 
 her and perhaps lend some assistance. She 
 will feel like taking me into confidence. I think 
 I can do a great deal toward getting George out 
 
GEORGE SIMMONS' ARREST 161 
 
 of this and I am going to write to her and tell 
 her so." 
 
 So Charles sat down to the task of answer 
 ing Lillian's letter which brought so much 
 cheer and happiness, at the same time embar 
 rassment to him the early part of the morning. 
 Among other things he wrote: 
 
 ''I know George to be my enemy and after 
 looking into the matter I can understand why 
 he resorted to such an awful revenge. At heart 
 I think your brother a good fellow, but he 
 yielded to a thirst for revenge which seems to 
 be a weakness with him, it is in his nature; but 
 in this case were it to do over, I am sure he 
 would not attempt it. 
 
 "I am willing to use my influence with my 
 friends to help him out of trouble. And I have 
 a two fold reason for doing so. First I hate to 
 see the best people of our race fall on account 
 of some overt act or thoughtless deed. Your 
 brother did not think of the enormity of the 
 crime until it was committed. 
 
 "And I am quite sure that he has repented 
 by now. 
 
 "For this reason I shall not appear against 
 him, nor would I under similar conditions ap 
 pear against any member of my race. I want 
 
162 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 at all times to be broad and considerate in the 
 treatment of others and especially those of my 
 own people. 
 
 "And another reason and perhaps my strong 
 est one, is that I love and respect you my dear 
 one. I would do anything in my power for 
 your happiness. When my heart was heavy 
 and my mind was in the deepest distress, you 
 were so kind and sympathetic to me. So now 
 in this trouble I want your full confidence. I 
 want to befriend you. Ask what you will of me, 
 and if it is in my power to grant it, it shall be 
 done." 
 
 He closed his letter by thanking her for the 
 kind words of consolation that she had written 
 him and promised that he would not be en 
 tangled with Mae Lester to any great extent 
 when she returned. He simply thought well of 
 Mabel as a friend and nothing more. That he 
 would be only too glad to be her constant com 
 pany and escort on all occasions when she re 
 turned if she would permit. 
 
 With sincere love and respect he closed the 
 letter and mailed it to Lillian Simmons. 
 
 The next day he set about the task of rees 
 tablishing his grocery business. He looked up 
 a suitable building, not far from the place 
 
GEORGE SIMMONS' ARREST 163 
 
 where the old one had stood. His white friend^ 
 stood good for him with the wholesale dealers 
 and thus he was enabled to secure a stock that 
 was even larger, and superior to the one which 
 had been lost in the fire. He also found his 
 trade increasing. The fire had been a great 
 advertisement for him and his business. His 
 old friends all came back to him and brought 
 others with them. Words of sympathy and good 
 cheer were every where expressed to him. He 
 learned this lesson that life is a succession of 
 victories and defeats, that grief and despair are 
 transitory as are also pleasures and happiness. 
 They all come and go. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 MRS. SIMMONS VISITS CHARLES 
 
 He thought of his weakness the night of the 
 fire and felt ashamed of himself for his tears. 
 
 Many of his friends would come in and refer 
 to George Simmons in a way not at all com 
 plimentary, but Charles would never discuss 
 that side of the question, and the people could 
 not guess the reason why. 
 
 "He will go to the penitentiary sure!" 
 some would say to him. 
 
 "0 I guess not" or "I hope not," would be 
 his only comment. 
 
 Poor Mrs. Simmons was so distressed that 
 she came to see him one day, regarding the 
 coming trial. 
 
 She had been reading the papers which 
 seemed to be so bitterly against George, and 
 this together with the view that Frank Maxwell 
 took of the case assuming that her son was 
 guilty really upset her. She did not know which 
 way to turn. And past experiences taught her 
 164 
 
MRS. SIMMONS VISITS CHARLES 165 
 
 not to rely too much upon the confidence and 
 security of which Captain Simmons was often 
 given to boast. So not wishing to leave any 
 stone unturned in the effort to free her son, 
 she hit upon the plan to go and talk to Charles 
 Christopher. She did not know what good 
 might come of it. 
 
 One afternoon when there was a lull in his 
 business, Charles Christopher was greatly sur 
 prised to see Mrs. Simmons entering his place. 
 
 She spoke pleasantly to him and introduced 
 herself as Mrs. Simmons, the mother of George 
 Simmons whom she was quite sure that he 
 knew. 
 
 ''I wish to talk to you on some business," 
 she said, after the usual preliminaries about the 
 weather, the times and things in general, 
 
 "You have no private apartments have you 
 Mr. Christopher?" she asked. 
 
 "No," returned Charles. "Just have a seat 
 back here at my writing desk," said he. 
 
 Charles Christopher readily guessed from 
 her last question that she did not wish to be 
 observed in a conversation with him. So in 
 this way with her face behind the high desk 
 she was entirely hid from the passersby or 
 those who might enter for the purpose of trading. 
 
166 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 She thanked him for his consideration and 
 made a mental note of his gentility. 
 
 Then she began to disclose her reason for 
 coming to him* 
 
 She began, "Mr. Christopher, my boy is in 
 nocent of the crime with which he is charged." 
 This being her opening attact, she looked 
 Charles squarely in the eye to see how her 
 words would affect him. "And he is being 
 wrongfully held," she proceeded. "Tis true 
 that he is not in a physical prison, but he is in 
 a mental one, and will continue to be until his 
 innocence is proven. Circumstantial evidence 
 is against him, and public sentiment seems to 
 be against him, but with all that Mr. Christo 
 pher, my boy is innocent. He would not stoop 
 to such a low trick as that. Do you think he 
 would?" Putting the question direct she 
 watched Charles narrowly and waited for him 
 to reply. Charles not wishing to hurt her feel 
 ings or to shake the confidence which she had 
 in her son, attempted an evasive answer, but 
 with little success. Not being given to lies and 
 deceit, he said: "Well Mrs. Simmons, guilty or 
 not guilty, I have nothing to do with it. The 
 matter is beyond my control. And you cannot 
 blame me for any thing that might happen to 
 
MRS. SIMMONS VISITS CHARLES 167 
 
 George." I have never accused him. Tis true 
 that we have had our differences, but at the 
 same time, I have always respected him and 
 thought well of him. I am very sorry that this 
 thing happened, and unfortunately for him and 
 the rest of your family he has been charged." 
 
 ''But you have not answered my question 
 Mr. Christopher. Do you think he committed 
 the deed?" she asked again. 
 
 "Well," returned Charles, attempting to 
 console and at the same time to be frank and 
 truthful, "I think he may expect justice at the 
 hands of the court. It really is not for me to 
 say whether he is innocent or guilty." 
 
 "But you can say whether you think him 
 guilty or not," said Mrs. Simmons insistingly. 
 
 "Well Mrs. Simmons to be frank with you, 
 I am afraid that George is guilty. I think he is 
 a fine fellow, but he is a person who does not 
 want to be overcome. He is always seeking 
 revenge, and this revengeful spirit which is the 
 weakest link in the chain, has been his undoing. 
 I really think that he yielded to a thirst for re 
 venge, and thinking that the deed could be 
 concealed set fire to the building in which my 
 goods and future prospects lay. I, his enemy 
 as he thought, was prospering and he could 
 
168 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 not bear the idea of my outstripping him in the 
 race of life. So to impede my progress he hits 
 upon this unbecoming method of doing so. But 
 I am quite sure that he has repented and were 
 it to do over again he would not attempt it. 
 But as I say it is beyond my control. But if 
 there is anything that I can do to help him or 
 you or any member of your family Mrs. Sim 
 mons all you have to do is, ask it, and you may 
 rest assured that if it is possible for me to do it 
 I will." 
 
 Mrs. Simmons looked at him curiously and 
 finally remarked, "Well every one seems to be 
 against my boy. I am sorry indeed that you 
 think him guilty. If you really think him so, 
 then there is nothing that I can ask of you. The 
 trial will come up soon now and I am afraid 
 they may fasten the crime on him. If they do, 
 it will kill me. I can not bear the thoughts of 
 my son going to prison." 
 
 "Cheer up Mrs. Simmons. George has al 
 ways carried himself properly. He has a good 
 record and I am quite sure that the court will 
 deal with him fairly and leniently if found 
 guilty. This one overt act is pardonable. He 
 is only human. No doubt he was provoked to 
 such a deed. No one knows the intensity of his 
 
MRS. SIMMONS VISITS CHARLES 169 
 
 feeling at that time. Under passion we so often 
 do and say things that we afterward regret. 
 And if George is guilty, I know that he has re 
 pented a hundred times. So be big, broad and 
 brave Mrs. Simmons and remember that 
 George is young and without experience, that 
 much older and matured persons have done 
 rash, reckless and even malicious deeds and 
 have been excused for them. I hold nothing 
 against George. I have made excuses for him, 
 and can overlook the injury that he has done 
 me. I only wish it were in my power to have 
 the charge withdrawn." 
 
 "You are right Mr. Christopher. While I 
 believe my boy innocent, I myself have twitted 
 him about your success in business and the 
 humble position which he holds as a porter. 
 I did it for the purpose of spurring him on to 
 better things. I should so much like to see him 
 in business for himself as you are. His educa 
 tion is of no benefit to him where he is and 
 he seems to have lost his ambition and is will 
 ing to drudge the rest of his days. So I have 
 been after him about being so unconcerned 
 about the future and I referred to you as an ex 
 ample. He did not like it very much. But I 
 wanted to arouse him and make him ashamed 
 
170 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 of himself. So perhaps he has had enough to 
 provoke him; perhaps my talk did wound his 
 pride, but I am sure he did not resort to such a 
 foul method of revenge. You could not help it. 
 And George being a sensible boy would not 
 blame you, to such an extreme extent at least. 
 I want to free him because I believe him inno 
 cent, but I scarcely know what steps to take. 
 I thank you very much for your sensible, at the 
 same time, consoling words. I do believe that 
 you are willing to lend your aid, but at present 
 know of nothing that I could ask of you. 
 
 "Well I must be going now. I thought I 
 would come in and see you and get your opin 
 ion. I thank you very much for your offer of 
 assistance. I like you now, since I have x met 
 you and know you better. I may come to see 
 you again ere long. Good-day." 
 
 "Good-day Mrs. Simmons," said Charles, "I 
 shall be glad to see you at any time." 
 
 Mrs. Simmons departed with a peculiar, 
 but not unpleasant feeling. She thought of the 
 wisdom with which Charles Christopher spoke 
 and of his true delineation of character and of 
 his interpretation of certain unseemly acts. He 
 seemed to be an adebt at reading human na 
 ture. And when she began to think about it, 
 
MRS. SIMMONS VISITS CHARLES 171 
 
 perhaps he was right in regard to George's 
 motive for burning his store. 
 
 Then the thought began to rise within her, 
 that perhaps George was guilty of the crime, 
 but she quickly dismissed it from her mind. 
 She would not or could not realize the possi 
 bility of such a thing. Her son was too well 
 bred for such as that. "Low ideas and low 
 minds do not run in the Simmons blood," she 
 said consolingly to herself. "No, no, no, she 
 thought, George is innocent and we must free 
 him, we must not allow the poor boy to suffer 
 untold agony on account of falsehoods and on 
 account of conspiring unscrupulous enemies. 
 
 "But I do have more faith in Charles 
 Christopher now. I do not believe that he has 
 anything to do with the plot to ruin George. 
 Naturally though he would believe George 
 guilty because George has shown himself to be 
 such an enemy. I always told George to con 
 trol himself. One never knows from what 
 source he may want and need assistance. I un 
 derstand that this fellow Christopher has 
 strong influential friends among the people of 
 the other race. He is really in a position to 
 befriend us or to do us great harm. I scarcely 
 think though that he would do us an injury. I 
 
172 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 believe he means to help us if he can. I think 
 I shall cultivate his friendship." 
 
 These and other thoughts passed through 
 the mind of Mrs. Simmons rapidly as she 
 trudged homeward. 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 A GRAVE SITUATION 
 
 The day of the trial was fast approaching 
 and every one was looking forward to it. Many 
 were the opinions expressed regarding the 
 chances that George would have to escape 
 punishment. Frank Maxwell still insisted that 
 the best thing to do was for George to plead 
 guilty and ask clemency. He had felt the pulse 
 of those in authority and had learned that it wa s 
 their intention to inflict the extreme penalty of 
 the law for the offense which George had com 
 mitted. 
 
 He told Captain Simmons that he knew 
 something about the law regarding such of 
 fenses, and being a friend of the family he was 
 giving to him free of charge the benefit of his 
 best advice based upon experience and prac 
 tice in former courts. That if they went to 
 trial with the case they were certain to get the 
 worst of it. That George would be sure to go 
 to prison for not less than five years. 
 173 
 
174 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 This assertion made by Maxwell made Cap 
 tain Simmons very uneasy and as the time 
 drew nearer and nearer his nervousness be 
 came more and more preceptible. He was 
 rather obstinate though and would not back 
 down from his determination to fight it out to 
 the end. 
 
 That night at the supper table when all 
 three of the family were seated, Captain Sim 
 mons said to George. "Tell me the truth son r 
 you did not set fire to Christopher's store did 
 you?" 
 
 "No father I did not'" said George. 
 
 "Well son I am afraid it's going pretty hard 
 with you. Frank Maxwell says that he has 
 talked with the authorities and that if they 
 find you guilty, they will send you to the prison 
 for not less than five years. He thinks that the 
 best thing you can do is to plead guilty, and 
 beg for mercy at the hands of the court. 
 
 "If you were guilty I guess that would be 
 the proper thing to do, but since you are not 
 guilty, we will fight to the bitter end. It may 
 break us up, but I will gladly give up every 
 thing I have to save you from prison if you are 
 innocent." 
 
 George did not say very much. He sat 
 
A GRAVE SITUATION 175 
 
 trembling. He was afraid to attempt a reply 
 less his speech should betray him. 
 
 His mother watched him closely and tried 
 to note a change in his countenance or the 
 least sign of guilt in his manner. 
 
 But George managed through great effort 
 to control himself. 
 
 The thought of his father sacrificing the 
 home and every thing for him and he guilty, 
 was killing him. 
 
 He would give anything to get out of the 
 scrutinizing gaze of his parents at that moment. 
 
 His mother, continuing to watch him, fi 
 nally said. "George I can not believe that you 
 are guilty of the crime. It would break my 
 heart to know that you were. I doubt if I 
 could survive the shock. But if you are, as 
 Frank Maxwell says, it will be a whole lot bet 
 ter for you to acknowledge it. Your good 
 record as a cttizen and your father's influence 
 will be in your favor. The court will be in 
 clined to be lenient with you. If sentenced you 
 will have a chance to have it stayed or revoked. 
 
 "Besides if you are guilty my son, your 
 father and mother are the ones to know it. So 
 if through weakness or through a thirst for 
 revenge, a desire to play even you thoughtless- 
 
176 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 ly did the deed tell us now, George so we can 
 do the best we for you." 
 
 "I did not do it mother. I am sorry that 
 you doubt me. The strain is killing me, I do 
 wish it were all over," said George sorrowfully 
 
 "Well, right or wrong George, I am going 
 to stand by you," said his father. So if you are 
 wrong you need not fear to tell me." 
 
 'Well I never did it," was George's last 
 reply. 
 
 After supper was over and George had 
 gone, Mr. and Mrs. Simmons discussed the 
 gravity of the situation. They concluded that 
 since George stood out so stoutly that he was 
 innocent, that they would stay with him to the 
 end, even if it should take the clothes from off 
 their backs. 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 LILLIAN'S DISTRESS 
 
 Lillian received the letter from her moth 
 er and Charles Christopher the same day. 
 
 She had a real hard day in connection 
 with her school work. The closing season was 
 on and she had been quite busy training the 
 pupils under her supervision. She was real 
 tired that afternoon when she reached home 
 and found the two letters awaiting her. 
 
 She was always anxious to get mail from 
 home, so now she was eager to read what they 
 contained. 
 
 She hastily tore open the one from her 
 mother and read it first. She was shocked at 
 the news of George's arrest and accusation. 
 
 What could it mean? Someone trying to 
 disgrace her brother! She became very indig 
 nant, and felt like quitting her work and taking 
 a trip home to see about it at once. After 
 reading it she laid it aside and took the one 
 from Charles Christopher and began reading it 
 177 
 
178 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 When she came to the part assuming 
 George's guilt, her heart, it seemed, leaped in 
 to her mouth and a choking sensation seized 
 her and overwhelmed her. She was dazed. 
 She staggered from the piano against which 
 she was leaning and fell across her bed and for 
 a long time she lay in a sort of silly hysterical 
 stupor. Try as she may she could not collect 
 herself. Everything was so foolishly blank to 
 her. 
 
 She was finally called to supper but she an 
 swered that she did not care for anything to 
 eat. 
 
 It not being her custom to remain in her 
 room long after returning from school, Mrs. 
 Me Vain became alarmed about her and went to 
 the room to see if she were ill. 
 
 "No I am not ill," said Lillian in answer to 
 her question, "I just don't care for supper/, 
 
 "Did you get your letters?" asked Mrs. 
 Mc.Vain. "Two came for you." 
 
 "Yes I received them," answered Lillian. 
 "They contained news that was not very pleas 
 ant. That is what's the matter with me Mrs. 
 Me Vain. I may tell you about it later. I am 
 trying to collect myself now." 
 
 Lillian lay thus till late at night when she 
 
LILLIAN'S DISTRESS 179 
 
 fell into a deep sleep. The rest and the slumber 
 had its effect. It aroused her to complete con 
 sciousness. 
 
 She began to think of the letters and the 
 unpleasant, as well as the unfortunate news 
 that they contained. It looked reasonable to 
 her that George might have committed the 
 deed. Charles Christopher's letter was so ex 
 plicit, so frank that she scarcely had room to 
 doubt the truth of its contents. 
 
 She realized that the love of her mother 
 would cause her to make things as bright as 
 possible for George. 
 
 Naturally her letter contained just what it 
 did, an injured tone, a suspicion that someone 
 was trying to do the family an injury, on ac 
 count of envy and jealously. 
 
 In other words her mother's letter was 
 true to human nature, and to a mother or near 
 relative or friend. 
 
 She also analized Charles Christopher's 
 letter. She noted its friendly attitude. Although 
 it accused her brother, it also contained a tone 
 of sympathy and good will. 
 
 She would have appreciated the way in 
 which he referred to Mae Lester under any 
 other conditions but at this time she was too 
 
180 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 grieved or too interested in the business of her 
 brother's trial to fully appreciate the tenderness 
 of the letter or of the tendency toward love. 
 The part that suited her most was where he of 
 fered to aid her in trouble. This part of the 
 letter greatly impressed her, though she decid 
 ed not to reply. One reason was that her 
 school work would soon be over and she 
 would return home and if she saw fit she could 
 then have a heart to heart talk with him and 
 make explanations. 
 
 Besides she was not quite sure whether 
 she wanted to cultivate Charles Christopher's 
 friendship further, since her family had been 
 disgraced by the low act of her brother. For 
 she was almost convinced that he committed 
 the deed, but before making up her mind to 
 that effect she would have to see him face to 
 face and hear his side of the story. She would 
 suspend judgement until then. If George were 
 innocent she might continue with Charles 
 Christopher, but if guilty she did not know 
 about it. She felt that the embarrassment 
 would be more than she could stand. 
 
 The next morning Lillian arose, ate break 
 fast and made preparations for school. She 
 hastily wrote a letter home to her mother. She 
 
LILLIAN'S DISTRESS 181 
 
 did not tell how shocked she was to receive 
 the missive containing the ill news, but instead 
 she tried to cheer her mother. 
 
 "My school will soon close mother, then I 
 will be home and help to secure brother's re 
 lease," she said. "We can take the money with 
 which we intended to pay off the mortgage and 
 fight the case. I am very anxious to see you 
 all. And I have much to tell you of this beau 
 tiful Southland. Look for me next week. 
 
 "Your affectionate daughter, 
 
 "Lillian. 1 ' 
 
 Thus she concluded her letter and handed 
 it to an urchin to mail. She then went with a 
 mind that was comparatively calm, to her work. 
 She was resigned and willing to accept what 
 ever might come. Her greatest desire was to 
 finish her term work and get home as quickly 
 as possible. She knew that her father and 
 mother must be greatly distressed and she was 
 anxious to share with them in their troubles. 
 
 The few days remaining for her work 
 quickly passed and Lillian found herself at the 
 station among many admiring friends and 
 school children, waiting for the arrival of the 
 train which was to bear her away toward her 
 northern home. 
 
182 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 When the train arrived she bade them all 
 adieu, and with a promise to return again 
 another year, she boarded it, found a comfort 
 able seat, and with a sigh of relief sat down. 
 
 She was the only passenger at that time in 
 the separate coach, and it was such a relief for 
 her to be alone. Resting her head on the back 
 of her seat she sat for a long time and felt 
 comfortable. 
 
 On her journey she encountered or wit 
 nessed only one case of real roughness. 
 
 At a certain stop, Lillian did not notice the 
 name of the place, two or three drunken roughs 
 got on the train. They did not say anything 
 to Lillian but they were loud and boisterous, 
 and seemed to be trying to show themselves. 
 
 One of them dropped a bottle of whiskey 
 on the floor which broke, spilling its contents, 
 which ran in all directions. 
 
 They laughed and yelled to the top of their 
 voices. 
 
 Poor Lillian was frightened out of her 
 wits. 
 
 One of them gave a yell sharp and piercing 
 as a Commanche Indian. He followed it up 
 with the expression "come and git me white 
 folks, I'm drunk and cutting up." 
 
LILLIAN'S DISTRESS 183 
 
 He staggered and fell about in the car un 
 til the conductor came in and threatened to put 
 him off. The threat had its effect, for all three 
 were quieter. They got off soon and left Lil 
 lian to herself once more. After midnight the 
 porter came to her and informed her that she 
 could go in the chair car now if she liked, that 
 they had crossed the line and the "Jim Crow'* 
 car law no longer obtained. 
 
 She thanked him and he took her baggage 
 and led the way to the beautiful chair car in 
 which were a number of white passengers. 
 
 She noted the contrast and thanked Heav 
 en that she lived in a country where such was 
 not the case and where such was not necessary. 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 
 LILLIAN AT HOME 
 
 Lillian was soon seated and remained com 
 fortable to the end of her journey. 
 
 Her mother and father were waiting at the 
 station when she alighted from the train. Plac 
 ing her in the family carriage, she was soon at 
 home once more ascending the steps to the 
 broad veranda. 
 
 It is useless to speak of the happiness and 
 sunshine that she brought with her. We all 
 know her and love her especially for her cheer 
 ful disposition, her readiness to speak words 
 of consolation to her troubled parents, and her 
 philosophical way of looking at things. 
 
 She would not discuss that part of the 
 trouble that pertained to George's innocence or 
 guilt. Though like her father she was willing 
 to stick by him to the end. Yes she would 
 gladly give up every dollar that she had earned 
 and saved from her work in the South, in his 
 behalf. With tears in her eyes she told him so. 
 184 
 
LILLIAN AT HOME 185 
 
 George listened to her and seemed so hurt. 
 He was as humble as a child. She could not 
 turn for him. He was so uneasy and seemed 
 to find consolation only in her presence. When 
 he was not at work he was at home following 
 her from room to room. He would plead with 
 her not to worry herself about him. 'Til come 
 out alright'" he would say. 
 
 But Lillian was not so confident. She could 
 not help worrying, though she had the good 
 sense and enough control to hide her nervous 
 feelings. 
 
 She talked mostly of the Southland and 
 told of the great possibilities that it held for the 
 colored race. 
 
 Her mother was greatly surprised at some 
 of the things that Lillian told her. A town con 
 trolled by colored people was far beyond her 
 ken, and when Lillian Simmons gave such a 
 glowing account of the growth, the prosperity, 
 and the magnificence of the place whence she 
 had so recently returned, her mother thought 
 that she was exaggerating. She could not com 
 prehend the truth of her statements. 
 
 Captain Simmons was too busy thinking 
 about and planning for the coming trial, to lis- 
 
186 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 ten to her never-ending chatter about the sun 
 ny Southland. 
 
 "Wait daughter," he would say, 4 'until 
 this trouble is over, and then we will discuss 
 the people of the South. 
 
 "The trial comes up Thursday I am told, 
 and until then we will be very busy. 
 
 "We hope George will come out alright, 
 but you can never be too sure. 
 
 "These lawyers are mighty sharp these 
 days. 
 
 "I need about two hundred dollars more 
 money, have you that much to spare my dear?'* 
 
 He asked the question in despondent tones 
 which bespoke mv.eh doubt. 
 
 "Yes papa," replied Lillian, "I have four 
 hundred dollars. And you may have it all if 
 you need it." 
 
 "Well daughter I don't want to break you. 
 Let me have three hundred dollars and when 
 we get kind a straight, I will pay you back or 
 see that George does. " 
 
 "Papa that will be alright if you never pay 
 it back. I owe you that and a whole lot more 
 that I can never be able to pay. You have 
 done so much for me and it makes me so hap 
 py to know that I can do this much for you. 
 
LILLIAN AT HOME 187 
 
 Papa you seem to be so worried, cheer up. I 
 don't have the least doubt but what George 
 will get out of this trouble. You will worry 
 yourself sick at this rate. 
 
 "Come, brace up for my sake. Wait a 
 moment and I will get the money for you." 
 
 Lillian soon returned with the money for 
 her father for which he thanked her and pro 
 ceeded on his way to the city. 
 
 He paid his lawyers what he had to spare, 
 and then went to see some of his friends re 
 gard ing the trial which was to come up in a 
 day or two. 
 
 They did not give him much satisfaction, 
 but they told him that they would do the best 
 they could for him. 
 
 "You see Simmons," one of them said, "the 
 charge is a grave one and the evidence is so 
 overwhelmingly against him, that it is going to 
 be difficult to clear him. But you have a good 
 lawyer and I feel quite sure that if anything 
 can be done he will do it." 
 
CHAPTER XXII 
 
 THE TRIAL 
 
 The day of the trial had at last come. It 
 was set for nine o'clock. Everything was astir 
 in the Simmons home. The atmosphere was 
 not one of sorrow or grief, but was business 
 like and comparatively cheerful. 
 
 At the breakfast table they chatted pleas 
 antly about the weather and other things of a 
 local nature, never alluding to the trial. 
 
 George himself seemed in good spirits and 
 joked his sister about Charles Christopher. For 
 by some indiscreet utterance on her part she to 
 a certain extent had betrayed her admiration 
 for him. 
 
 At his sally she made no denial, but blush 
 ing, laughed good-naturedly. Girl like she did 
 not mind being teased about the one that she 
 admired. 
 
 Her mother never told her of the visit to 
 Charles Christopher's store or the conversation 
 that she had with him, but she did tell her that 
 188 
 
THE TRIAL 189 
 
 she had seen him and had spoken to him and 
 liked his manner and appearance very much. 
 
 She said she did not much blame Mae Les 
 ter for trying to attract his attention; that she 
 thought the two would make a splendid match. 
 
 Lillian listened to her mother very closely 
 and was not at all pleased with her view of 
 what she called a splendid match. 
 
 "Just wait until this trial is over" she 
 thought. "I'll show Mabel Lester and mother 
 too, what is really a fine match. They do not 
 know that I have some "say so" about it. 
 
 After finishing breakfast, George and his 
 father departed for the scene of the trial. And 
 Lillian and her mother followed later. When 
 they arrived the court house was packed to its 
 utmost capacity. The janitor or usher had to 
 go out and find chairs for them so that they 
 might be seated. 
 
 The lawyers, principals and witnesses were 
 in their appointed places. 
 
 On account of the heinousness of the crime; 
 the airing that the papers had given it, and the 
 popularity of the perpetrator, the trial attracted 
 more than ordinary attention. 
 
 Hence white and colored alike were inter 
 ested in the outcome. And Lillian and he 
 
190 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 mother had to wend their way through a vast 
 gaping, vulgar crowd, which was scenting 
 scandal and gossip. 
 
 The hour of nine arrived and the Judge 
 called the court to order. 
 
 A jury was empaneled, the charges against 
 George Simmons were read by the clerk, and 
 other things necessary to procedure were over. 
 
 Silence reigned for a moment, all were ex 
 pectant; when the attorney for the state arose 
 and began the examination of witnesses. 
 
 "Judge your honor may I say a word/' 
 
 All looked in the direction of the speaker. 
 
 It was George Simmons who had thus ad 
 dressed the court. 
 
 "What is it that you wish to say?" inquired 
 the Judge. 
 
 "I am not familiar with the methods of pro 
 cedure in court and I beg pardon if I am vio 
 lating rules or in any way interrupting the 
 business in hand, but I desire to make a state 
 ment." 
 
 "You may proceed sir," said the Judge. 
 
 Captain Simmons moved uneasily and Mrs. 
 Simmons looked aghast. While Lillian leaned 
 forward with increased interest. 
 
 George's voice rang out clearly and dis- 
 
THE TRIAL 191 
 
 tinctly. It was accompanied however by a 
 slight tremor or quaver, caused mostly by his 
 earnestness of purpose and partly by his being 
 unaccustomed to speak in public. 
 
 He began, "Judge your honor I deem it 
 unfair and unnecessary to put this court to 
 further trouble or to further expense. I am 
 guilty of the crime for which I am charged." 
 
 This sudden confession took the Judge, 
 the jury, and all participants off their feet. The 
 whole house was greatly surprised and strained 
 every nerve to catch what was being said. 
 
 George had a natural gift for oratory and 
 his first utterance seemed to electrify him. His 
 keen eyes flashed fire, and his countenance lit 
 up and fairly beamed with emotion. The spir 
 itual man was plainly in the ascendency. 
 
 And George Simmons for a few moments 
 held Judge, jury and audience as it were in a 
 spell. 
 
 "I am indeed sorry that I have for so long 
 kept my father, mother, sister and friends de 
 ceived. Here they are sitting at my back ready 
 to sacrifice every thing in my behalf because 
 they believe in me, because they think me in 
 nocent. 
 
 "But my conscience will not allow me to 
 
192 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 deceive them longer. I committed the atro 
 cious deed, because I hated Charles Christopher 
 and did not want to see him prosper. In an 
 hour of weakness, provoked by the chiding 
 which my mother had given me on account of 
 my lack of enterprise, my neglect of opportuni 
 ty, my seeming indifference to the real pur 
 pose of life, I set fire to his store. 
 
 "I hated him first because he was a South 
 erner and because he once came near beating 
 me in a fight. And when my mother twitted 
 me about him and held him up as a shining ex 
 ample for me to follow, I despised him, and 
 thought to ruin him by applying the torch to 
 his prosperous business. 
 
 "But, Judge, your honor,! have been sorry 
 a thousand times for the deed. My soul has 
 oft revolted at its atrocity and I have suffered 
 untold agony. 
 
 "But a few days ago I carried the matter to 
 a court far superior to this one Judge, your 
 honor. My case has been tried and settled in 
 the Court of Courts, and I do not rise asking 
 clemency or mercy at your hands, but I arise 
 to satisfy my conscience and to disillution those 
 of my relatives and friends who have stood so 
 loyally by me. 
 
"My case has been tried and settled in the 
 Court of Courts." 
 
THE TRIAL 195 
 
 "A term in prison can not be worse than 
 what I have already suffered. 
 
 "So fix the penalty as you will. You and 
 your court are human. You do not understand 
 the workings of the heart like the Judge who 
 has already passed on my case. You could not 
 forgive the offense, and I would not have you 
 change or in any way evade the law in my be 
 half. I am willing and able to take the conse 
 quences as the law provides. 
 
 "I am an awful sinner before you men, but 
 before God I am cleansed and a changed man. 
 I am consoled in this thought. 
 
 "I thank you Judge, your honor, for ex 
 tending to me this privilege, for I find that an 
 open confession is indeed good for the soul, 
 and I feel much better now that I have made 
 it." 
 
 George took his seat and the deathly si 
 lence that reigned for a few moments after 
 wards, the appearance of the white handker 
 chief here and there in audience, and the occa 
 sional inelegant blowing of a nose, told that his 
 speech had had its effect. 
 
 The Judge sat motionless for a few mo 
 ments, not knowing what to say or do. He 
 gazed steadfastly at George the while, his fine 
 
196 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 large head conspicuous for its high brow, and 
 smoothly shaven face with its classical features, 
 wore a puzzled look. 
 
 At length he said, "George Simmons, your 
 crime is a low down, unprincipled heinous one, 
 and the penalty for such, is not less than five, 
 or more than twenty years at hard labor in the 
 penitentiary, and had you not at this late hour 
 made the plea of guilty, I suspect you would 
 have been given the limit, for such would have 
 surely been my instructions to the jury. 
 
 "But your plea has helped you, though ir 
 regular and out of order, it is frank, earnest, 
 and, I might say noble. And in my judgement 
 I do not think it studied or made for effect. 
 
 "And I am going to take it upon myself to 
 dismiss the case against you. I think this act 
 of mercy, or clemency, or kindness if you 
 please, on my part will make you a much bet 
 ter man than the penitentiary possibly can. Pay 
 the cost of the court and you are free!" 
 
 The Judge spoke slowly and deliberately, 
 and it was quite a relief to the strain on the 
 nerves of the Simmons family, when finally he 
 reached the place where he said that he was 
 going to dismiss the case against George. 
 
 George thanked the Judge for his kindness 
 
Come and meet my folks," said George. "I 
 want them to know you." 
 
THE TRIAL 199 
 
 and told him that henceforth a straightforward 
 Christian life was the life for him. 
 
 He then went over to Charles Christopher 
 and extended his hand. Charles seized it firm 
 ly, and fervently congratulated him on his 
 speech and told him how glad he was to have 
 things turn out as they had. 
 
 "Come and meet my folks," said George. 
 "I want them to know you." 
 
 Court having been dismissed, Charles fol 
 lowed George to where his mother and sister 
 stood, somewhat embarrassed at George's plea, 
 yet pleased because he had obtaided his liberty. 
 
 "Mother this is Mr. Christopher of whom 
 you have heard so much," said George. 
 
 "I am pleased to meet you Mr. Christopher," 
 returned Mrs. Simmons. 
 
 "This is my sister Lillian, Mr. Christopher," 
 said George presenting Lillian to Charles. 
 
 "I am delighted to meet you Miss Sim 
 mons," said Charles in tender accents noticable 
 only to Lillian as he grasped her extended 
 hand. The handshake was gentle, but to save 
 her Lillian could not help giving Charles hand 
 a little squeeze. She was ashamed afterwards ? 
 when she felt the same returned in her own 
 hand. 
 
200 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 The two never pretended that they had 
 met before or that they were in any way ac 
 quainted. 
 
 Mrs. Simmons also accepted the introduc 
 tion, without saying, "We have met before." 
 
 After saying a few words about the weath 
 er and the time of day, Mrs. Simmons announc 
 ed that they must be going. 
 
 "Will you walk with us, Mr. Christopher?" 
 she asked. 
 
 Without answering Charles started off 
 with them. 
 
 When they reached the door of the court 
 room Mrs. Simmons and George walked ahead 
 which proceeding threw Lillian and Charles to 
 gether. 
 
 Captain Simmons was left behind because 
 he was so busy receiving congratulations, and 
 discussing the merits of George's speech. He 
 was proud of him notwithstanding his guilt. 
 Captain Simmons was always glad to show off 
 in public, and the speech that George made, 
 freeing himself from the clutches of the law 
 more than delighted the old man. 
 
 He liked to hear them say "He's a chip off 
 the old block." So he lingered about town all 
 day nearly waiting and listening for such com- 
 
THE TRIAL 201 
 
 pliments. The party soon reached their gate and 
 Charles Christopher was invited into the Sim 
 mons home. He and Lillian entered the parlor. 
 
 "Have a seat Mr. Christopher," said Lil 
 lian, pointing to a near-by chair. 
 
 Alone, the two seemed to be very much 
 embarrassed, and for a long time they were at 
 a loss to know what to say. 
 
 It seemed to Charles that the whole ma 
 chinery of his brain was ou t of commission. Try 
 as he may, it would produce no intelligent 
 thought, no befitting words to say to this 
 beautiful youn g woman whom he loved and in 
 whose presence he now found himself. 
 
 At length, after what seemed to be an age 
 of silence, Lillian was the first to speak. 
 
 "Well I am glad that the ordeal is over," 
 she said, as she rocked to and fro in the large 
 chair. 
 
 "We have all been so worried, and poor 
 George seemed to suffer so much mental an 
 guish, that I was really afraid fhat he might 
 lose his mind." 
 
 "I am glad too Miss Lillian that the great 
 ordeal is over ' said Charles pulling his chair 
 up close to Lillian's side. 
 
202 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 Once the awful silence was broken the 
 young man grew bolder. 
 
 Lillian never attempted to draw away from 
 him, neither did she show the least sign of dis 
 pleasure at his act. She smiled faintly, however, 
 and continued to discuss the trial and its out 
 come. 
 
 *'I am truly glad that your brother is free " 
 said Charles, ''and I am glad to see you and 
 your family restored to happiness again. Would 
 that that happiness could last forever. But 
 happiness is fleeting," he added, as he thought 
 of his own struggles and triumps. 
 
 "Yes I have always found it so," returned 
 Lillian. 
 
 After another brief spell of silence, Charles 
 boldly taking Lillian's hand, said. "I have rea 
 sons to believe that you care for me Miss Sim 
 mons/' 
 
 "I do indeed ," she returned. "You are so 
 kind and manly, one could scarcely keep from 
 caring for you," 
 
 "Do you really mean it?" he asked. 
 
 "Why I have always had this opinion of 
 you Mr. Christopher, do you doubt me?" she 
 asked in an injured tone. 
 
 "Well my dear," he said, putting his arms 
 
THE TRIAL 203 
 
 around her, and drawing her close to him, "you 
 mean it, then this is the brightest day of my 
 life. I am truly the happiest man on earth." 
 
 Lillian did not resist him, but lay quite 
 still with her head resting, sweetly and trust 
 ingly on his heaving breast, murmuring partly 
 to herself and partly to him who now held her 
 so tenderly in his strong arms, "I love you, I 
 love you. I can not hide it, I can not deny it 
 nor do I care to do so." 
 
 And thus these two, whom fate had for so 
 long held apart, sat in silent and unspeakable 
 bliss. 
 
 Then planting kiss after kiss upon the lips 
 of the beautiful girl. Charles asked, "Lillian my 
 love will you be mine?" 
 
 The answer came in accents, sweet and 
 tender. "Yes Charles I will. O I am so happy 
 she cried." 
 
 Then the girl, filled with rapture and emo 
 tion, gave way to tears. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 THE CONCLUSION 
 
 The title of our story is "Lillian Simmons," 
 or "The Conflict of Sections," and if we make 
 too much of the courtship, love and marriage 
 of Charles Christopher and Lillian Simmons, 
 we will be drifting too far from our main pur 
 pose, which chiefly is to call attention to cer 
 tain social evils and practices nutured, as it 
 were by false notions of life and false standards 
 of character or individual worth, and which 
 have a tendency more than anything else to 
 hold us down and impede our progress as a 
 race. 
 
 Do you remember old man Littlejohn's 
 speech in the early chapters of this book? 
 
 If you have forgotten it turn to it again 
 and read it over carefully and you will get a 
 clear idea of what we mean by certain social 
 eivls and practices and false notions of life. 
 
 While we deal with a few of the detriments 
 to the growth and progress of the race, old 
 204 
 
THE CONCLUSION 205 
 
 man Littlejohn in his unpolished speech, points 
 out several, which are based upon prejudice, 
 and a very narrow conception of the true 
 standards of society. 
 
 It is at these things that we are striking. 
 We are trying to unite the North and the South. 
 We are trying to get them to think along the 
 same lines. We would have the North enter 
 more into the spirit of trade and commerce for 
 themselves, and we would have the South de- 
 velope a higher spirit of manhood 
 and courage to protect its self when outraged. 
 And we would recommend more of the spirit of 
 unity in both sections. The race is woefully 
 lacking in unity in itself both North and South. 
 
 Charles Christopher's success in the gro 
 cery business, in this Northern city, opened up 
 the eyes of others who had business inclina 
 tions, but not the initiative or the confidence in 
 themselves to start. Since his advent several 
 good Negro businesses have been established. 
 Two more grocery stores, one drug store, a 
 cleaning and dying and tailor shop, a good 
 restaurant, which caters to both races, a con 
 fectionary, and a ladies clothing and notion 
 store with Mrs. Simmons as proprietress. 
 
206 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 Charles Christopher has taken on a part 
 ner. The sign now reads in large letters, 
 "Christopher and Simmons Grocery Store." 
 
 Yes Charles Christopher and George Sim 
 mons have not only become great friends, but 
 they have also become brothers-in-law and 
 partners in a very prosperous commercial ven 
 ture. 
 
 A Business League has been organized 
 with Charles Christopher as its president. And 
 such harmony and progress was never before 
 known in this city among the colored people. 
 
 Northerners and Southerners view life 
 through the same glass in this city. They are 
 united by the ties of friendship, by ties of busi 
 ness and by the ties of matrimony. It is diffi 
 cult to break such a combination. 
 
 Think of the Simmons family's earlier 
 stand against Southern colored people, and 
 think of their stand now. 
 
 They are converted to the idea of Negro 
 enterprise even if it does invite segregation. 
 They have become convinced that separate 
 schools are not harmful, but are a positive ben 
 efit to the race. They furnish employment for 
 the worthy boys and girls of the race and are 
 inducements for them to pursue the higher 
 
United by the ties of business and by the ties 
 of love. 
 
THE CONCLUSION 209 
 
 courses of learning and to strive to excel in 
 them. 
 
 Captain Simmons now believes in them 
 and Frank Maxwell offers no serious objections 
 to them. 
 
 Hence they have a colored school that can 
 not be excelled in efficiency of teaching force, 
 and in equipment anywhere in the country. 
 
 Lillian Simmons recommended one of her 
 Southern associates for a position in the school. 
 She is a beautiful Southern girl, from a South 
 ern university. Mrs. Simmons, who used to 
 look upon a Southern College as a joke, and 
 its graduates as ignoramuses, loves her, and 
 admires her for her intelligence and scholar 
 ship. The young woman makes her home with 
 Lillian, and George Simmons is a constant call 
 er. It is rumored that there is soon to be 
 another wedding in the Simmons family. 
 
 Three years have passed since the day of 
 the trial and George has proven himself worthy 
 of the companionship of any young woman. 
 
 The city boasts of one colored dentist and 
 one physician. 
 
 Frank Maxwell is no longer custodian of a 
 down town bank building, but has again taken 
 up his profession and practice as a lawyer, and 
 
210 LILLIAN SIMMONS 
 
 his people are patronizing him. He often lec 
 tures to them, and is now advocating the doc 
 trine of unity, and patronage of ones own en 
 terprises. 
 
 Six years have passed since that great 
 mass meeting in which so much prejudice and 
 hatred was poured forth in eloquent outbursts, 
 in which so many false notions and ideas were 
 advanced. One could scarcely believe such a 
 radical change could take place in so short a 
 time. They are all a happier and a wiser lot 
 now, and Charles Christopher sees in reality 
 what he pictured the day he entered the city, 
 in quest of a suitable place to begin business. 
 The subconscious feeling, the day dream, and 
 the castle built in the air, an hour just before 
 entering in the city that day, have become as 
 truly real for him as such things often do. 
 Charles Christopher is a worthy leader of his 
 people, a prosperous business man and the 
 husband of the beautifu Lillian Simmons. He 
 has not only enabled the family to pay off their 
 harrassing debts, but he owns his home which 
 was built and fashioned to Lillian's own taste. 
 
 Lillian and Charles think as much of their 
 baby girl as the "Newly Weds" do of "Snook- 
 
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 L5 
 
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