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THE TESTING FIRE 
 
He drew her towards him, and she did not resist. — Page 302. 
 
FIRE 
 
 BY 
 
 ALEXANDER 
 CORKEY 
 
 AUTHOR. OF 
 <^7W VICTORS 
 of ALLAN RUTLEDGE 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 THE H.K. FLY COMPANY 
 
 PUBLISHERS 
 
Copyright, 191 1, by 
 The H. K. Fly Company 
 
TO 
 
 HENRY F. KIESER 
 
 WHOSE FRIENDSHIP I PRIZE 
 AND TO WHOSE COUNSEL I OWE SO MUCH 
 THIS BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I An Act of Mercy , n 
 
 II William Durham Has a Caller 21 
 
 III An Evening at Waynor's 32 
 
 IV Peter Legree 44 
 
 V An Automobile Ride 52 
 
 VI Harbison Institute 61 
 
 VII Drawing the Battle Lines 71 
 
 VIII Booker T. Washington Visits Dothan ... 81 
 
 IX A Negro Orator 92 
 
 X A Sunday in the Woods of Alabama ... 99 
 
 XI Legree's Revenge Begins 109 
 
 XII The Fearful Penalty 118 
 
 XIII Rev. John Durham, of Hambright .... 126 
 
 XIV In Tuscaloosa Asylum 134 
 
 XV Jefferson Lilly Leaves the Asylum .... 143 
 
 XVI The Dreaded Horror 154 
 
 XVII Startling Revelations 164 
 
 XVIII The Crisis of a Life 175 
 
 XIX Back in Dothan 187 
 
 XX Blotting Out the Color Line 198 
 
 XXI New Views on the Race Question .... 208 
 
 XXII A Long-remembered Sermon 219 
 
 XXIII A Man's Good Name 230 
 
 XXIV A Stranger in Dothan 241 
 
 XXV The Coming of the Crisis 250 
 
CONTEXTS 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 XXVI 
 
 XXVII 
 
 XXVIII 
 
 XXIX 
 
 XXX 
 
 The Fire at Harbison 259 
 
 After the Fire 269 
 
 A Speech that Made History 278 
 
 The Valley of the Shadow 288 
 
 Victory for the South 299 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 He drew her towards him, and she did not resist 
 
 Frontispiece 
 
 PACE 
 
 " Call up a doctor to come here at once "... 19 
 " Take it back," he thundered. " Take it back " . 49 
 He dashed into the crowd with uplifted cane . .Ill 
 
THE AUTHOR'S FOREWORD 
 
 In January, a few years ago, a young man took the 
 train at Chicago, 111., on a trip to Alabama, where he ex- 
 pected to start in business. As he passed through Illinois 
 that evening there was a blanket of snow, a foot deep, all 
 over its fertile prairies. When he reached Kentucky the 
 rain was falling on green fields, and the young man was 
 reminded of the land of his birth, the Emerald Isle. As 
 the train rushed onward toward the equator signs of the 
 springtime multiplied, and soon every trace of winter 
 was gone. In southern Alabama he found roses in bloom 
 and perpetual sunshine. " Here," he said to himself, " is 
 an ideal State." And well he might praise the great Cot- 
 ton State! With its rich belts of agricultural, mineral, 
 cotton and lumber lands, Alabama surpasses almost every 
 other State in its variety of natural resources, while the 
 sunshine of winter gives a climate where the fierce rigors 
 of a Northern sky are unknown. Arrived at his des- 
 tination the young man began to make himself at home 
 in his new State. At first he was charmed with every- 
 thing. He found the inhabitants of the State partly 
 white and partly black, the white race, as was natural, 
 possessing an easy mastery, keen in intellect and strong 
 with the rich inheritance of a thousand years of Christian 
 civilization. But the black race seemed needed also, 
 strong in brawn and genial in disposition, and he could 
 not but admire the dusky laborers who toiled happily 
 under the warm Southern sun. In a little over a vear 
 
THE AUTHOR'S FOREWORD 
 
 the young man from Ireland, who was no other than my 
 own brother, had become acquainted with the entire 
 State. His travels, both for business and for pleasure, 
 took him into almost every city and town in the Com- 
 monwealth, and he came to know the life of the people 
 as only a close observer could. He was without preju- 
 dice toward the Southern white man, for he was not a 
 Northerner, but an Irishman. As time went on he be- 
 gan slowly to learn, at first hand, what we call " the 
 Race Problem." From personal experience he can tes- 
 tify that it is a real " problem," which it will take many 
 years to solve, but, as he is a Christian, he believes there 
 is only one solution. What this solution is will be found 
 in my story, " The Testing Fire." Large portions of this 
 story have been suggested by the actual experiences of 
 my brother in Alabama, and, as a whole, the story is 
 founded on fact, as every Southerner will at once recog- 
 nize. In writing this story I have used much reserve. 
 It will be some time yet before any writer can tell all he 
 knows of this problem, which seems destined to test our 
 nation more than any other question which is demanding 
 a solution. 
 
THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 AN ACT OF MERCY 
 
 " Whoa ! whoa there ! What's the matter with you ? " 
 
 r A grave-looking, elderly man, driving slowly along a 
 country road near Dothan, Alabama, awoke from a pleas- 
 ant reverie and sought to quiet his horse, which had sud- 
 denly taken fright and nearly upset the buggy, turning 
 quickly to one side. 
 
 " Whoa ! whoa, I say ! he continued, looking around 
 to see the cause of the horse's fright. He soon discov- 
 ered what had almost caused him disaster. A black man 
 was lying insensible by the roadside, his clothing half torn 
 from his body and his face covered with blood. 
 
 " A black dog ! " said the occupant of the buggy, who 
 was the pastor of the Calvary Church, of Dothan, Rev. 
 William Durham, as he drove the still frightened horse 
 past the fallen negro. 
 
 " Don't be afraid, Meg," he went on, speaking gently 
 to his horse ; " that black rascal can't hurt you now. 
 Someone has given him just what he deserved, I'm sure." 
 
 And the pastor of the fashionable Calvary Church of 
 the prosperous city of Dothan drove on in a ruffled mood. 
 His pleasing reverie about the spiritual prosperity of his 
 church had been rudely interrupted by the sudden ap- 
 pearance of the unconscious African. 
 
 11 
 
12 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 " Ah ! " he exclaimed bitterly, speaking to himself 
 aloud, " that is the dark shadow that is over all Alabama. 
 It hangs like a menacing cloud over our future. The 
 former chattel has become a possible if not an actual 
 brute." 
 
 As he spoke the grave, kindly expression which was 
 habitual to him left his face. His eyes shone with a 
 steely glare. He gnashed his teeth together. William 
 Durham seemed to change into another man altogether 
 when the race problem of the South came into his mind. 
 On every other subject he was calm and considerate, but 
 he felt that it would be treason to everything good in his 
 beloved Southland if he allowed himself to think dispas- 
 sionately on the negro question. 
 
 He was only a boy when the war closed, bringing ruin 
 to Alabama as to the other Southern States. His father, 
 wounded in battle, died shortly after Lee's surrender at 
 Appomattox Courthouse, broken-hearted and despairing 
 for the future. The valuation of property in Alabama 
 fell from $792,000,000 in i860 to $202,000,000 in 1865. 
 
 Worst of all, he remembered with the vividness of all 
 early impressions the awful black government of the 
 State for six terrible years, from 1868 to 1874, when the 
 State debt rose from $8,000,000 to $25,000,000. The 
 deeds of the " carpet-baggers " were burned into his mem- 
 ory as with a red-hot branding iron. He could never for- 
 get them. These old days were now long since past. 
 The " carpet-bagger," a not unnatural result of the exi- 
 gencies of the war, had disappeared forever. The State 
 of Alabama had risen from its poverty to wealth and 
 prosperity. Its marvelous resources of agriculture, cot- 
 ton, coal and iron had been developed in a way undreamt 
 of before the war in the old days of slave labor. Pow- 
 erful cities were rising on every hand. 
 
AN ACT OF MERCY 13 
 
 But, as far as the negro was concerned, William Dur- 
 ham still lived in the '70s. He had been a member of 
 the Ku Klux Klan and had accompanied bands of them, 
 while he was only a youth, on expeditions where the 
 white man sternly proved his right to rule by the law 
 of the naked sword. This account of his early life and 
 its tragedies will easily explain why he passed by the 
 wounded and helpless African with maledictions on his 
 tongue. Outside the small circle of negroes who worked 
 around the church and parsonage as servants, whom he 
 treated with the utmost affability and even respect, the 
 black man was to him always a source of the bitterest 
 feeling. Of late years he had almost ceased to go North, 
 as had been his custom formerly, so fierce had his dis- 
 cussions become with his Northern friends, who tried to 
 show him that the negro should be considered as a possi- 
 ble man, rather than a possible and actual brute. Such 
 talk meant to him nothing but " social equality," and this 
 had been the nightmare of his life. It maddened him to 
 hear his Northern friends call him " provincial," and 
 make a jest of " social equality " as though it were out- 
 side the limits of rational discussion, for he feared its 
 blighting curse day and night as a horrible possibility, 
 and even as a coming actuality unless the line between 
 white and black was marked in every way exactly like 
 the line between man and brute. 
 
 For this reason he was especially opposed to the policy 
 of the philanthropists of the North who were insulting 
 the South and seeking to bridge nature's chasm between 
 the negro and the Anglo-Saxon by educating, and there- 
 fore spoiling, the Africans. An educational institution 
 for negroes had even been started in Dothan, to his in- 
 tense disgust. 
 
 When he reached his comfortable parsonage that after- 
 
14 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 noon and had seated himself in his luxurious study it took 
 him some time to regain his equanimity and to banish the 
 bitter thoughts which the wounded negro had suggested. 
 However, after reading a few chapters in his well-worn 
 Bible he became himself again and proceeded with the 
 preparation of his annual missionary sermon, which was 
 to be delivered the following Sabbath and in which he 
 was planning to show how the spread of the Gospel of 
 Christ over all the world was the only hope for the com- 
 ing brotherhood of man. 
 
 Half an hour, or less, after Rev. William Durham had 
 passed by the unfortunate negro, who had been lying all 
 that time half dead by the roadside, another citizen of 
 ODothan drove along — Mr. Robert Leavitt, a deacon in 
 the Calvary Church. Just as the deacon approached 
 him the black man moved slightly and groaned and Mr. 
 Leavitt brought his horse to a standstill. He was de- 
 bating what to do. A naturally tender heart urged him 
 to assist the poor black fellow, but on second thought he 
 drove on quickly, saying to himself : " Some other black 
 devil will come along soon and get him. I think that 
 was some of Peter Legree's work," he went on musingly. 
 " I remember meeting him and two other rough-looking 
 fellows this afternoon. Legree is carrying things too far 
 to suit me, but he is right on the black proposition and 
 I guess we will have to let him have his way. The white 
 vote must be kept solid at every cost, or we will have a 
 black government again," and Deacon Leavitt's eyes took 
 on the same steely glare that was observed in the eyes of 
 his pastor as he thought of this same matter. Deacon 
 Leavitt was not by any means so bitter in his memories 
 of bygone years as the minister, for he was a younger 
 man and only knew of the black government by hearsay, 
 
AN ACT OF MERCY 15j 
 
 but he was at one with him in all his general conclusions 
 in regard to the Afro-American. 
 
 The sound of Deacon Leavitt's rapidly disappearing 
 vehicle awoke to consciousness the wounded black and 
 he stared vacantly around him. He tried to rise, but 
 sank back helplessly with a deep groan and again lapsed 
 into unconsciousness. 
 
 A few moments later the sound of a trotting horse was 
 heard, and, bowling swiftly along, a young man on horse- 
 back bore down on the scene. Suddenly catching sight 
 of the unconscious man he pulled up his horse with a 
 jerk and dismounted. Going to the side of the negro he 
 stood looking at him for awhile. 
 
 " Poor devil," he said at last, looking around to see if 
 there was anyone near to assist, " he's about used up." 
 
 " By George ! " he exclaimed a moment later as he 
 knelt beside him, " he looks enough like our old Pete to 
 be the good old fellow himself. I'm no saint, I con- 
 fess, but I'll be d if I leave this poor black devil to 
 
 die like a dog in the ditch. What can I do ? " 
 
 He paused for a little while, and then, looking at the 
 pool of blood which crimsoned the roadway, he ex- 
 claimed : " He needs a doctor right away or it will be 
 too late." 
 
 He laughed a little to himself and observed, " What 
 would Florence Ashley think of me now ? " as he lifted 
 the bleeding victim bodily and placed him astride his 
 horse. 
 
 The wounded man again groaned and opened his eyes. 
 
 " What's de matter, Massa ? " he asked, gazing in as- 
 tonishment at the horse beneath him and at the young 
 man by his side. 
 
 " Hold on the best you can, old fellow, and I'll try to 
 
16 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 get you to a doctor as quickly as I can," rejoined the 
 other without making any further explanation. 
 
 The horse started on a quick walk, its master leading it 
 and at the same time holding on as best he could the 
 semi-unconscious negro. 
 
 The strange pair were met by several carriages, which 
 turned out in silence, the occupants gazing in astonish- 
 ment at the unusual sight, but none of them made any 
 offer to assist the youthful humanitarian. 
 
 The young man's name was Jefferson Lilly, a native of 
 'Alabama, but a recent arrival in Dothan. His father had 
 prospered in a mining venture in the northern part of 
 the State, and at his rather early death he left his son a 
 large property. The young man's mother had died when 
 he was a boy and he had been educated away from home, 
 finishing up his education with a year in Europe, which 
 year of travel had broadened his mind and opened his 
 eyes to many things. 
 
 He was in no regular business at the present time, but 
 was spending a few months in Dothan, largely as a di- 
 version, being drawn there by his friendship for a rising 
 young lawyer, Donald Shelby, a college chum, who was 
 introducing him to Dothan society and seeking to per- 
 suade him to settle down in that community. 
 
 "What would I do in Dothan?" Jefferson Lilly had 
 asked his friend when this was proposed. 
 
 " We'll soon find you something to do," Donald Shelby 
 had rejoined, " and meanwhile you can busy yourself cul- 
 tivating the acquaintance of Miss Ashley." 
 
 Jefferson's eyes had flashed at this retort, as the chief 
 reason for his prolonged visit to Dothan was the charm 
 of Florence Ashley's presence. She was the daughter 
 of a leading lawyer, a bewitching Southern beauty of the 
 
AN ACT OF MERCY 17 
 
 Spanish type, and Donald had introduced them to each 
 other soon after Jefferson's arrival. 
 
 " She is the idol of all the young men in Dothan," said 
 Donald in his hearty Southern way, " but I want you to 
 show these Dothan chaps how such a girl is won." 
 
 Jefferson was interested from the start. The trouble 
 with him was that his life was aimless. Since his father's 
 death he had drifted around, having no definite object 
 for which to live, and discontented everywhere. Just be- 
 fore he came to Dothan he had been thinking of returning 
 to Europe for an extended visit. But from their first 
 meeting Florence Ashley had awakened a response in 
 his soul. She fulfilled his dream of what a beautiful 
 girl would be like. He began to dream dreams. They 
 had one chord in common, a mutual love for music. Jef- 
 ferson was an artist with his violin and had studied un- 
 der European masters, while Florence was unusually 
 gifted as a piano player. Perhaps it was the influence 
 the girl was having on his life that made him so sus- 
 ceptible to the sufferings of the poor negro that after- 
 noon. He had spent part of the morning in her com- 
 pany, practicing a duet which they were to render a few 
 evenings later at an elaborate social function, and 
 thoughts of her were filling his soul with music. He 
 thought of her as he lifted the half-dead African on his 
 horse, but he well knew she shared every Southern preju- 
 dice in regard to color and he was very doubtful if she 
 would be pleased at his attempt to lift up a fallen black. 
 She had positively refused to attend any social gather- 
 ings to which the cultured Northern teachers of the 
 Harbison Freedmen's Institute were invited. This was 
 the institution which had so aroused the ire of Rev. Wil- 
 liam Durham. It was the result of Northern philan- 
 
18 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 thropy, and it was the intention of its founders to assist 
 the South in its enormous task of elevating the Afro- 
 Americans, but Dothan society, and Florence Ashley in 
 particular, made no pretense of hiding their contempt for 
 this species of unwelcome and to them wholly unneces- 
 sary benevolence. 
 
 It was only about a mile from the lonely spot where 
 Jefferson found the negro to Dothan, but it seemed a 
 long distance to the youth, and as he came nearer town 
 and heard some of the comments by passers-by on his 
 appearance he almost regretted his humanitarianism. 
 
 However, he was not the man to quit in either a love 
 suit or in a work of mercy, and his travels had given 
 him a certain confidence in himself which enabled him to 
 return a defiant look to the angry glares that some Dothan 
 citizens darted at him. 
 
 Stopping in front of the first hotel he saw he again 
 lifted the almost unconscious man in his arms and car- 
 ried him through the open doors into the hotel lobby. 
 Before he had time to say a word he heard a rough voice 
 exclaim : " Get out of here with your black dog ! " and 
 the hotel keeper came from behind his desk with an 
 angry glare and threatening gestures. 
 
 " This poor devil needs a doctor right away or he is 
 a dead man. Let me lay him on the floor till I call a 
 doctor to dress his wounds." 
 
 " Get out of here, I tell you ! " yelled the now thor- 
 oughly aroused hotel man. " Get out of here ! Let the 
 black devil die. We don't need him. No niggers can 
 enter my hotel." 
 
 There were two or three others in the hotel lobby, 
 and after they had gotten over their first astonishment 
 at Jefferson's audacity, they began jeering at him also. 
 The young man quickly dropped his burden on the floor 
 
^%x 
 
 Call III) «1 doctor to romp 1-i^r^ if r^n^a" 
 
AN ACT OF MERCY 19 
 
 and whipping a revolver out of his pocket he pointed it 
 directly at the hotel keeper, saying with stern emphasis 
 and a look of fury: 
 
 " Call up a doctor to come here at once or, by God, 
 you're a dead man." 
 
 There was a gleam almost of madness in Jefferson's 
 eyes, and the hotel man cowered like a struck dog. 
 
 " Hurry ! " commanded the youth, standing over the 
 prostrate black form and awing with his menacing looks 
 the others in the lobby. 
 
 The landlord, thoroughly frightened, with trembling 
 hands rang the telephone and summoned a doctor. 
 
 u Stand behind your desk, sir 1 " again commanded 
 Jefferson, when the hotel man tried to pass out of a side 
 door to the street. In a few moments the doctor ap- 
 peared and took in the situation at a glance. Without 
 a word he began to gently dress the gaping wounds in 
 the negro's head and body, Jefferson all the while stand- 
 ing guard with his revolver. 
 
 It took the doctor over twenty minutes to bind up the 
 wounds in a hasty manner, and all this time the self- 
 appointed guardian of the African refused to allow land- 
 lord or guest in the hotel to move. 
 
 When he had finished his merciful ministry, the phy- 
 sician said quietly : 
 
 " I know this man. I will take him to his home. He 
 is Nafti's father. Nafti works for me." 
 
 Somewhat surprised, but greatly relieved, Jefferson 
 turned over the African to the kind-hearted physician. 
 His brief term of office as a helper of the negro in Ala- 
 bama had quickly revealed what older men have known 
 for a long time, that the fate of the African in the world 
 seems to be to make white men quarrel over him. After 
 helping the patient, who had now somewhat revived, 
 
20 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 into the doctor's buggy, Jefferson returned to the hotel, 
 threw a $5 note on the desk and started out. 
 
 The hotel man had somewhat recovered himself and 
 with an oath he pushed back the bill, saying : " I don't 
 want your money, you white nigger." 
 
 Jefferson never knew himself just what happened after 
 that. The insult stung him to madness. He rushed at 
 the hotel man, threw him on the floor and seemed about 
 to crush the life out of him when the frightened by- 
 standers interfered. Jefferson became calmer. " You 
 can thank your stars you are a living man," he hissed 
 sternly to the prostrate hotel keeper. " You have a heart 
 blacker than the skin of a negro." 
 
 Without another word, and leaving the money lying 
 on the floor, he strode out of the hotel, mounted his 
 horse and galloped away. He escaped just in time, for a 
 large crowd quickly gathered, and had Jefferson been 
 there a riot must have resulted. 
 
 Great events often hang on small causes. One spark 
 of fire has destroyed a great city. A few thoughtless 
 words have ruined a most promising political career. A 
 small book, written by a woman, has been the occasion of 
 one of the bloodiest wars in history, the final results of 
 which will be as lasting as time. So this single act of 
 unpremeditated mercy which Jefferson Lilly showed to 
 a half-dead negro brought forth results which were as- 
 tounding and which gave Dothan a world-wide name. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 WILLIAM DURHAM HAS A CALLER 
 
 On the Sabbath following the incidents related in the 
 previous chapter William Durham preached his annual 
 missionary sermon. It was an eloquent and convincing 
 appeal, and the large congregation listened with intense 
 interest. William Durham was a late convert to the for- 
 eign mission cause of his church, but he had become an 
 enthusiastic advocate for world-wide missions in recent 
 years, especially after the Ecumenical Missionary Con- 
 ference held in New York City in 1900. 
 
 Benjamin Harrison, ex-President of the United States, 
 presided at this remarkable gathering, which included 
 Christian leaders from almost every church and every 
 land, and in his opening speech he made some statements 
 which clung to William Durham's mind like the flavor 
 of wine to a vessel. " With the increase of commerce 
 and wealth," exclaimed that statesman, " the stress of so- 
 cial difficulties is not relieved, but increases in all the 
 great nations. The tendency is not to one brotherhood, 
 but to many. Christ in the heart and his gospel of love 
 and ministry in all the activities of life are the only 
 cure." 
 
 Mr. Durham repeated these words in his sermon, and 
 eloquently pleaded with the congregation to support the 
 spread of Christ's Gospel everywhere. " The nineteenth 
 century has made the world one neighborhood," he cried 
 
 21 
 
22 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 out in prophetic tones. " It is the Christian duty of 
 the twentieth century to make the world one brother- 
 hood." 
 
 It was a fashionable audience that greeted the minister 
 that day. Dothan society attended Calvary Church al- 
 most exclusively. All were following the sermon with 
 attention, but soon after he began Mr. Durham noticed 
 a stranger eagerly listening to him from the Waynor pew. 
 The Waynors were the leaders in Dothan's best society 
 — wealthy, cultured and devout. Accompanying them 
 this morning was a young lady of prepossessing appear- 
 ance, with fresh, young face, bright eyes and ruby lips. 
 At a glance one could tell she was a Northerner, for her 
 beauty was altogether distinct from the Southern type. 
 
 If Mr. Durham had been a younger man the earnest 
 gaze with which she watched his every movement and 
 the eagerness with which she listened to his discourse 
 would have flattered him, but, as it was, he was per- 
 plexed. During the sermon he kept asking himself, when 
 he looked her way, " Who is she ? " 
 
 At the close of the service he pressed forward to the 
 Waynor pew, and was soon introduced to the interesting 
 stranger. 
 
 " Mr. Durham," said Mrs. Waynor, " this is my niece, 
 Miss Rose Atkinson, from Pittsburg, Pa." There was 
 a shade of embarrassment, unusual in Mrs. Waynor's 
 manner, which did not escape Mr. Durham's notice, and 
 which naturally increased his perplexity. 
 
 " You seem to be able to enjoy a missionary sermon," 
 he remarked, after Miss Atkinson had expressed her 
 pleasure at being permitted to be present on the occa- 
 sion. , 
 
 " I certainly enjoyed your sermon to-day. Your senti- 
 ments are beautiful, so beautiful. I want to thank you 
 
WILLIAM DURHAM HAS A CALLER 23 
 
 for them. I am pleased to hear such sermons in the 
 South." 
 
 Mr. Durham's perplexity was turning to pleasure. " I 
 hope your niece will make you a long visit," he said to 
 Mrs. Way nor in parting. 
 
 Mrs. Waynor blushed and replied with some confusion, 
 " We do not have much control over Rose." 
 
 " There's some mystery here," said Mr. Durham to 
 himself, as he passed on to greet the other members of his 
 church. 
 
 Among others he met Jefferson Lilly, who thanked the 
 minister warmly for his message. " I am not a church- 
 man," said the young fellow, " but your sermon has set 
 me to thinking. I will come again." 
 
 Jefferson had left Dothan on the very evening of his 
 exciting experience with the hotel keeper, making a short 
 visit to Montgomery, and had just returned early that 
 Sabbath morning. As he confessed to Mr. Durham, he 
 was not a churchman. In college he began to doubt the 
 value of religion, and being an honest fellow he had 
 dropped out of all church connections. But that morn- 
 ing he felt something within him urging him to attend 
 Calvary Church. It may only have been a desire to see 
 Florence Ashley, who sang in the choir, but at any rate 
 the service and sermon impressed him as no church serv- 
 ice had done since his boyhood days. 
 
 Like Mr. Durham and many others in the congrega- 
 tion, he had noticed the young Northern beauty in the 
 Waynor pew, and as he passed out Mrs. Waynor, who 
 had met him at a social function, greeted him cordially 
 and introduced him to Miss Atkinson. 
 
 " I am glad to see you here to-day," said Mrs. Waynor. 
 " I was told you never attended church, but I knew that 
 it must be a mistake." 
 
24 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 " I am glad to be here to-day," he responded. " That 
 sermon had a ring about it which attracts me." 
 
 " How delighted I am to hear you say so ! " said Rose 
 Atkinson with enthusiasm. 
 
 " My niece is fanatical on missionary subjects," said 
 Mrs. Waynor with the same kind of embarrassment that 
 puzzled Mr. Durham. 
 
 Jefferson noticed it also and wondered. It increased 
 his interest in Miss Atkinson. 
 
 The next day Rev. William Durham was surprised and 
 pleased to receive a call from the Northern girl. One 
 of the younger Waynor girls accompanied her, and the 
 maid ushered them up to the minister's study. 
 
 " This is an unexpected pleasure," said Mr. Durham, 
 as he bowed his visitors to their seats. 
 
 " I told aunt that I wanted to come to see you first of 
 all," began the girl abruptly. " You see I had not ex- 
 pected to join any Southern church during my stay in 
 Alabama, but your sermon showed me I will be wel- 
 comed by you at least as a fellow-member in the Calvary 
 Church." 
 
 " Do you expect to make Dothan your home for some 
 time?" asked Mr. Durham in surprise. 
 
 " That is my present intention, although auntie says 
 she hopes it is only a temporary fad of mine." 
 
 Mr. Durham of course at once concluded that Miss 
 Atkinson had come South to make her home with her 
 aunt for some time, and he was naturally desirous of 
 adding such an enthusiastic personality to the member- 
 ship of Calvary Church. 
 
 " We shall be delighted to receive you as a member of 
 our church," he exclaimed with enthusiasm. " We need 
 your help here. Most of our young ladies are too much 
 interested in social matters to give the spiritual side of 
 
WILLIAM DURHAM HAS A CALLER 25 
 
 their lives adequate attention, and on such girls as Flor- 
 ence Ashley your influence is just what is needed." 
 
 " How delightful of you to say so ! Why, auntie didn't 
 think you would want to receive me as a member at all." 
 
 " Mrs. Waynor was mistaken. You know, Miss At- 
 kinson, after all the Church of Christ is one everywhere. 
 We have the same Bible, the same Gospel and the same 
 God." 
 
 " You are not like another Rev. Durham I met some 
 time ago in Hambright, North Carolina," said the girl 
 with some surprise. 
 
 " Have you ever been in Hambright ? " responded the 
 minister quickly. " Why, that was my older brother, 
 John, whom you met there. He has been a pastor in 
 Hambright for over half a century." 
 
 " I am sorry to hear you say he is your brother," an- 
 swered the girl frankly. " He seemed to me to have a 
 poor influence over that village, judging from the spirit 
 of the people. I thought him a bitter, narrow and alto- 
 gether antiquated failure. Pardon me for saying this, 
 but I have hard work to keep from despising him. I 
 cannot imagine him to be really a brother of yours." 
 
 Mr. Durham laughed heartily, and replied, " You must 
 have mentioned the word ' negro ' to brother John or you 
 would not have formed such an awful opinion about him. 
 Apart from that subject he is a genial and lovable man, 
 but I acknowledge," added the minister, growing serious 
 in his tone, " that the very word ' negro ' of late has 
 seemed to sour all the milk of human kindness in his 
 nature." 
 
 " Of course, I talked to him about the negro," said the 
 girl with spirit. 
 
 Mr. Durham saw that he had for the moment forgot- 
 ten that Miss Atkinson was from Pittsburg, Pa., where a 
 
26 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 total ignorance of the awful menace of color made even 
 the best people unsympathetic with the fearful struggle 
 the whites in the Southland were waging for the very 
 existence of the Anglo-Saxon race. He determined to 
 turn the conversation back to its former agreeable 
 channel. 
 
 " So you expect to become a member of our church 
 while you are in Dothan ? " he said after a brief pause. 
 
 " Yes, if you will have me." 
 
 " I welcome you right here and now," said the minister, 
 reaching out his hand heartily. " We can arrange to re- 
 ceive you publicly next Sabbath. I expect you have your 
 church letter with you." 
 
 All this time the young Waynor girl, a miss of about 
 fifteen years of age, had been amusing herself looking at 
 an illustrated magazine. She had heard the conversa- 
 tion, but had taken no part in it whatever until just now, 
 when she heard Miss Atkinson say : " Auntie told me it 
 would be of no use to bring my church letter or I should 
 have brought it with me from Pittsburg, but I can write 
 for it at once. I wonder what made auntie think you 
 did not want me for a church member?" 
 
 " I think, cousin," said the Waynor miss innocently, 
 " it was because you were going to teach at the Harbison 
 Institute." 
 
 " What ! " It was Mr. Durham who almost shouted 
 out this word. The color had left his face and he was 
 pale as death. His teeth came together like a steel trap. 
 His eyes stared madly. He clenched his hands and fell 
 back in his chair, as horrified as Macbeth was at the ap- 
 parition of Banquo's ghost. 
 
 Rose Atkinson was frightened. She was sure the 
 good minister had suddenly been stricken with a par- 
 oxysm of pain or a stroke of apoplexy. 
 
WILLIAM DURHAM HAS A CALLER $& 
 
 " What is the matter, Mr. Durham ? " she asked ex- 
 citedly. 
 
 The minister began to recover himself, but he did not 
 speak for a few moments. His breathing came heavily 
 and he seemed utterly exhausted. Finally, after a tense 
 silence, he turned to Rose with a look of pathos in his 
 eyes which she never forgot, and said plaintively, " It is 
 not true, is it? " 
 
 M What is not true ? " she inquired in amazement. 
 
 " It is not true what your cousia has just said, that 
 you are going to teach in the Harbison Institute, and 
 throw your life away on those niggers." The last word 
 was hissed out contemptuously. 
 
 Now was the time for Rose Atkinson to make a 
 startling discovery. This awful change of manner, which 
 made the minister an altogether different man, had come 
 over him the moment he knew she was about to lend a 
 hand to help lift up a prostrate race. She saw it all in a 
 flash like lightning, and she was almost blinded by the 
 revelation. Very evidently Mr. Durham had been en- 
 tirely ignorant of her purpose in coming to Dothan or 
 she would have met with a very different reception from 
 him. John Durham, of Hambright, and William Dur- 
 ham, of Dothan, were brothers in spirit if not in appear- 
 ance. She was disappointed, bitterly disappointed. The 
 sermon of the previous day had thrilled her soul and 
 lifted up her hopes. She had believed that Mr. Durham 
 knew all the time she was expecting to devote her life to 
 the work of Harbison Institute, and she was delighted 
 that her aunt's pastor had received her so favorably in 
 spite of this fact. But now all her dreams of Christian 
 fellowship in his church were ended. She knew well 
 from his manner that to teach in Harbison Institute was, 
 in his eyes, a crime against the Southland and the whole 
 
528 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 Anglo-Saxon race. Mr. Durham also could see that she, 
 as well as himself, had been misled, and that now she 
 was beginning to understand his position toward her 
 work on behalf of the negro. 
 
 He watched her expression of surprise change to 
 one of dismay, as she realized her isolation and his 
 feelings toward her purpose to assist a despised race. 
 She, too, became pale, her frame shook, tears sprang to 
 her eyes, and in another moment she was sobbing con- 
 vulsively. 
 
 This was too much for Mr. Durham. He was a 
 Southern gentleman. A lady in tears melted him as 
 snow melts beneath the warm Alabama sun. 
 
 " My poor girl ! " he said, rising, and going over to 
 where she sat, " I am sorry I have been compelled to 
 grieve you." 
 
 " I had hoped from your sermon to find you so dif- 
 ferent," she sobbed. 
 
 " If you had lived as long in the South as I have you 
 would feel exactly as I do," he answered with assurance. 
 
 Rose did not reply for a few moments, but sought to 
 calm herself, and regain her self-control. She dried her 
 tears. 
 
 " Mr. Durham," she began, " yesterday you urged your 
 people to spread the Gospel over the world so that hu- 
 manity might become one brotherhood. Is the negro in 
 Africa to become our brother, while the negro in America 
 is classed with the brutes ? " 
 
 " My dear Miss Atkinson," responded Mr. Durham 
 with less heat than he had ever before discussed the negro 
 question, " you do not understand. None of the North- 
 ern Christians understand our awful problem in the 
 South. What your ' schools for Freedmen,' as you call 
 them, really teach is an impossible social equality between 
 
WILLIAM DURHAM HAS A CALLER 29 
 
 us and a race which came but yesterday from the savagery 
 of the African jungles. You are trying to force on the 
 South an impossible social order that will bring blood 
 and ruin on our children." 
 
 " Listen to me, Mr. Durham," replied the girl, sitting 
 up straight and looking him full in the eye : "If Christ 
 came into your Southland to-day would he not befriend 
 the African just as he did the despised Samaritan at the 
 well of Sychar? Would he close his ears to the cry of 
 the poor blacks, so horribly wronged during two hun- 
 dred and fifty years of unrequited toil, as they ask for 
 a chance to make the most of the lives that God has given 
 them ? Would Christ turn furious because he knew that 
 I was giving up a life of luxury and ease to help educate 
 the head, heart and hand of ignorant negroes? No, sir. 
 He would say to me, in tenderest sympathy : ' Inasmuch 
 as you have done it unto one of these, the least of all 
 my brethren, you have done it unto me.' Mr. Durham," 
 and the girl spoke with terrible earnestness, "you are 
 not Christ's representative in Dothan in the spirit you 
 show to the poor, unfortunate, ignorant African at your 
 door." 
 
 " But my dear girl," protested the minister, rather 
 awed by her vehemence, " you forget the awful menace 
 of social equality and what that means to our whole 
 Anglo-Saxon race. Do you not see that you are a child 
 playing with matches in a powder factory ? " 
 
 The girl looked earnestly at the minister. His look 
 of passion had been replaced by his habitual glance of 
 thoughtful kindliness. 
 
 " I think I am beginning to understand now what is 
 the matter in your case, sir," she said slowly. " You 
 think, don't you, Mr. Durham, that to elevate the negrq 
 is to risk a mulatto citizenship in America." 
 
30 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 " Precisely," responded the other quickly. 
 
 Rose Atkinson stood up and faced the pastor of Cal- 
 vary Church. Her eyes sparkled like diamonds, her 
 cheeks were flushed, her ruby lips trembled a moment, 
 and then she began to speak with an intensity that thrilled 
 her listener. 
 
 " You are wrong, Mr. Durham, absolutely and most 
 assuredly wrong. A mulatto citizenship will come a 
 great deal sooner from your present method of holding 
 down the negro in his primitive ignorance and degrada- 
 tion, for by doing this you are lowering the white race, 
 and all history proves that white and black mix on the 
 lower not on the higher levels. Let the white man en- 
 noble himself by seeking to lift up the weaker race and 
 the two races will become, as Booker T. Washington 
 has said, ' as separate as the fingers in all matters purely 
 social, but one, as the hand, in all things essential to mu- 
 tual progress.' Unless you are converted to Christ's 
 principles on the race problem, Mr. Durham, you are a 
 positive factor, and so is your brother in Hambright, in 
 bringing the curse of mulattoism to the beautiful South- 
 land." 
 
 And she passed out, leaving Rev. William Durham 
 pondering over new, strange thoughts. 
 
 An hour later he was still sitting as she had left him, 
 his head bowed in his hands. There had come to his 
 mind a picture of a wounded, half-dead negro whom he 
 had ignored a few days before, and as he thought of it he 
 recalled an old story about a wounded man who lay 
 on the roadside between Jerusalem and Jericho. A tear 
 came to his eye. He remembered Rose Atkinson's 
 words : " You are not Christ's representative in Dothan 
 in the spirit you show to the unfortunate African at your 
 door." 
 
WILLIAM DURHAM HAS A CALLER 31 
 
 He looked up helplessly at last and heaven never heard 
 a more earnest cry from a perplexed soul than his as he 
 he said : " If I have been false to my Christ, may God 
 forgive me." 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 AN EVENING AT WAYNOR'S 
 
 On the evening of the day in which Rose Atkinson 
 had called on the pastor of the Calvary Church one of 
 the chief social events of the year took place at the Way- 
 nor mansion. This magnificent, Southern home was on 
 the outskirts of the town, surrounded by a large, wooded 
 park, which was beautified with driveways. 
 
 A famous singer from New Orleans was to be the 
 guest of honor, but Mrs. Waynor planned also to make 
 it the occasion for the debut of her niece in Dothan so- 
 ciety. 
 
 When Rose first proposed to come to Dothan with a 
 view to teaching in Harbison Institute Mrs. Waynor re- 
 fused to consider it at all, as she well knew it would 
 mean trouble in the hitherto smooth waters of her social 
 life. But a visit which she made to Pittsburg and an 
 interview with her niece convinced her that Rose was 
 a girl with an earnest ambition to be of some use in the 
 world, and she had already decided she would teach in 
 some other Freedmen institute if her aunt objected to her 
 going to Dothan. 
 
 With many misgivings Mrs. Waynor consented at last 
 to receive Rose, but she kept it secret from her friends 
 what the purpose of her niece was in coming South. 
 The professors and teachers of Harbison Institute were 
 left severely alone by the social leaders, but Mrs. Way- 
 
AN EVENING AT WAYNOWS 33 
 
 nor, with some justifiable self-confidence, was assured 
 that Rose would at least be tolerated for her sake. 
 
 The guests on this particular occasion began to assem- 
 ble early and soon a large company had gathered, promi- 
 nent among the younger guests being Jefferson Lilly, Don- 
 ald Shelby and Florence Ashley. Mrs.Waynor took pains 
 to introduce Rose to Miss Ashley as soon as possible. 
 The two young ladies were in marked contrast. The 
 fair-haired, rosy-cheeked, Northern belle was greeted 
 cordially by the dark-eyed Southern beauty. Florence 
 Ashley was radiant. Her gown was more decollete than 
 the dress of the other, and the charms of her shapely 
 shoulders and arms were but thinly veiled with the most 
 delicate lace. She was conscious of her power and bore 
 herself with the majesty of a queen. But Rose was also 
 resplendent that evening. Her aunt was exceedingly 
 anxious that she should make a good impression, and 
 at her request she was attired in her richest gown. 
 
 " Tell me, Jefferson," said Donald Shelby to Mr. Lilly 
 early in the evening, " are there many girls in those 
 Northern States as beautiful as Mrs. Waynor's niece? 
 You have traveled a good deal up there." 
 
 " She is one of a thousand, I assure you," rejoined his 
 friend. " Lay siege to her heart. I hear she is a million- 
 aire in her own right." 
 
 " Yes, but I also heard to-day, on pretty good author- 
 ity, that she has come to Dothan expecting to teach in 
 Harbison Institute. If that is so, even her connection 
 with Mrs. Waynor will not save her from social ship- 
 wreck." 
 
 " She looks like a girl who could take care of herself 
 anyhow," said Jefferson. " I'm beginning to think they 
 carry these things too far in Dothan, ostracizing every- 
 one who tries to help along a poor, black devil." 
 
3* THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 " Take care, Jefferson," his companion answered with 
 a grave shake of his head. " Don't let Miss Ashley hear 
 you make any such statement or she will cut you dead." 
 
 Florence Ashley and Rose Atkinson were engaged 
 in a lively conversation at the other end of the room. 
 Jefferson was looking in their direction, and he ex- 
 claimed : " By Jove, Donald, isn't that a pretty sight ! " 
 The two girls, so different in appearance and in ideals of 
 life, had yet much in common. Both were the consum- 
 mate flowers of our Anglo-Saxon womanhood. Both 
 were beautiful ; each a queen in her own realm of beauty. 
 Rose, who had traveled widely at home and abroad, was 
 telling her companion of some of her recent trips. 
 
 " I have never traveled outside our own dear South- 
 land," said Florence Ashley. " To me it is the world, 
 and all the world I want to know." Rose looked at her a 
 moment, and then said gently : " No, the South is only 
 part of the world, a lovely part, but you will find that 
 this is a more wonderful world than you ever dreamed 
 it to be when you have visited other lands and mingled 
 with strange peoples." 
 
 " I have no interest in travel whatever," said the other 
 with a slight shrug of her beautiful shoulders. " One 
 meets so many vulgar people on the trains and boats 
 when traveling nowadays." 
 
 " All kinds of people are interesting to me," rejoined 
 Rose with some spirit. " I feel a sympathy always for 
 the less favored ones. At heart, you know, all people 
 are very much alike." 
 
 Just then Mrs. Waynor came and led off Miss Ashley, 
 somewhat to that young lady's relief, to the piano, where 
 Jefferson Lilly joined her with his violin in his hand ; 
 and together they played an instrumental duet. The 
 music was difficult, requiring art and skill, and their 
 
AN EVENING AT WAYNOR'S 35 
 
 rendition was perfect, but Rose was disappointed, al- 
 though she could not but admire the art of the musicians. 
 " But it is like Tennyson's Maud," she said to herself, 
 1 faultily faultless.' " 
 
 When Jefferson left Donald Shelby's side to join Miss 
 Ashley at the piano Donald was approached by Peter 
 Legree, another of the guests of the evening. Legree 
 was the " boss " who had complete control of Dothan's 
 politics. His one chief qualification for this place of 
 power was his brutal contempt for " niggers," as he al- 
 ways called the Afro-Americans. By browbeating and 
 terrifying even the more intelligent negroes he had prac- 
 tically disfranchised the negro, and then, with the con- 
 stant cry of " black government," he kept the white 
 voters in line election after election. To oppose Legree 
 was to gain the opprobrium of favoring the " nigger," 
 and this was instant political death. Under his control 
 only one base and ugly word can describe conditions — 
 rotten. 
 
 He was now rapidly acquiring wealth and was seeking 
 to force his way into society ; but although he was able 
 to gain invitations to social functions, his low character 
 was too well known to make him a welcome guest. 
 Florence Ashley despised him, although he was an ardent 
 suitor for her favor, but, in common with the rest, she 
 looked on him as the bulwark of the white government, 
 and so tolerated him as an unwelcome necessity. 
 
 His constant efforts to heap insult and ignominy on 
 everything " black " was the one white spot in his char- 
 acter in her eyes. 
 
 " Shelby, who is that dude at the piano with Miss 
 Ashley ? " Legree asked abruptly as Florence and Jeffer- 
 son began to play. 
 
 " He is a friend of mine from the northern part of 
 
36 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 the State — Jefferson Lilly. He has been here for some 
 time. Haven't you met him yet ? " 
 
 " No, and I don't want to meet him. He is the guy 
 that Larkin, the hotel keeper, is after. You had better 
 tell him to clear out of Dothan. We don't want any of 
 his kind here." 
 
 " What's the matter now ? " asked Donald Shelby in 
 alarm. He well knew that Legree's dictum was omnipo- 
 tent, and that if he ordered his friend out of town it 
 meant trouble for Jefferson unless he went at once. Even 
 Caesar in Rome was not as absolute a master as Legree 
 in Dothan. 
 
 " He brought a slashed nigger into the hotel last week 
 and made Larkin call up a doctor at the point of his 
 gun. That kind of thing don't go in Dothan. If your 
 friend doesn't leave town inside of a week Larkin will 
 have him jailed. Remember, I mean it." 
 
 Donald Shelby was now thoroughly aroused. He 
 knew nothing of Jefferson's act of mercy to the wounded 
 negro, as they had not met since it had happened, until 
 that evening, but he well knew that the cunning Legree 
 must have some grounds for his charge, and he knew 
 how indifferent Jefferson sometimes was to the proprie- 
 ties if something needed to be done. 
 
 Donald despised Legree as a man, and had quietly 
 been working to oust him from power in Dothan, and 
 Legree knew it. The " boss " was secretly pleased to 
 have found a weak spot in his enemy's armor, and he 
 chuckled to see the real anxiety that was now depicted 
 on Shelby's face. Legree felt that he was going to be 
 able to kill two birds with one stone — humiliate a po- 
 litical rival and also drive out of Dothan the man who 
 was evidently gaining a place in the favor of Miss Ashley. 
 
AN EVENING AT WAYNOR'S 37 
 
 " I will bring Mr. Lilly round to see you to-morrow. 
 I am sure he has given no just cause for such treat- 
 ment," pleaded Donald. " He is a native of northern 
 Alabama and well knows how to keep the blacks in their 
 place." 
 
 " I tell you I don't want to see him. Tell him to leave 
 Dothan in a week or take the consequences," and Legree 
 moved off to greet Mrs. Waynor. Meanwhile, after 
 their musical number and the encore were finished, Jeffer- 
 son and Florence Ashley had gone out on the wide, colo- 
 nial porch. It was a beautiful night. Above them the 
 stars shone like patines of pure gold. The air was calm 
 and still. An Alabama night in springtime is a foretaste 
 of paradise. 
 
 " Let us go to the arbor," said Jefferson, leading the 
 way to a rustic seat, heavily shaded with large ever- 
 greens, out on the spacious lawn. 
 
 " I am glad to get away from the crowd for a mo- 
 ment," said the girl. " How cool and delightful it is out 
 here ! " 
 
 Jefferson was happy. Altogether ignorant of the black 
 cloud that hung over his immediate future, he sat back 
 in the shade and whispered : " This is beauty's bower. 
 I must be a favorite of the gods to be allowed to enter it 
 with you." 
 
 " No flattery to-night, Mr. Lilly," she answered, tap- 
 ping him lightly with her fan. " Have you met Mrs. 
 Waynor's niece yet?" 
 
 " Yes ; I met her last Sunday at church. She seems 
 to me to be something of a mystery, although she is a 
 Pennsylvania rose, all right." 
 
 Florence frowned slightly in the darkness. Jefferson 
 could not see it, but he noticed a little petulance in her 
 
38 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 tone as she said : " She is a conundrum to me, a sort 
 of wiseacre, I think; but I suppose the young men of 
 Dothan will go wild after her." 
 
 " Not when they know that she teaches in Harbison 
 Institute." 
 
 " Teach in Harbison Institute ! What do you mean, 
 sir?" said his companion in amazement. 
 
 " I have heard she came to Dothan for that purpose." 
 
 Florence laughed heartily. " You silly boy ; what made 
 you believe such nonsense? Mrs. Waynor would never 
 allow it. Such a thing is absurd." 
 
 Jefferson was silent. " Did you meet Mr. Legree 
 yet ? " asked the girl. " I see he is present this evening. 
 He is foolish about me, but I can't bear him." 
 
 " Who is Legree ? " asked Jefferson quietly. 
 
 " I saw him watching you with no gentle stare when 
 we were leaying the piano a moment ago. He is the 
 political leader here, a low fellow ; but we tolerate him 
 because he knows how to keep the negroes in their place." 
 
 Just then the sound of approaching footsteps was 
 heard, and they kept still while Donald Shelby and Rose 
 Atkinson, who were taking a short stroll in the open air, 
 passed the bower, walking toward the house. 
 
 " Mr. Shelby," Miss Atkinson was saying, with her 
 distinct Northern accent, " do you know that young man 
 who played the violin to-night ? " 
 
 " Yes ; he is a friend of mine, visiting in Dothan for a 
 short time. How did you like him ? " Donald answered. 
 
 The listeners held their breath to hear the answer of 
 Rose. 
 
 " I liked him better than I did his music. He seems 
 to me to be a young man of much promise. I met him 
 for a moment at the church. His music, though, lacked 
 life and spirit." 
 
AN EVENING AT WAYNOR'S 39 
 
 " What do you mean by * spirit ' in music ? " Donald 
 was saying as they passed out of hearing. 
 
 Florence Ashley laughed heartily. 
 
 " You see, you have won the heart of your ' Pennsyl- 
 vania rose' already," she remarked, but Jefferson was 
 silent. He was thinking of her criticism of his playing 
 and what she meant by it. He put out his hand to rise, 
 but as he did so it touched the soft, warm hand of his 
 companion. The effect was like the touch of a magician's 
 wand. He forgot everything else in the world, and 
 thought only of the beautiful girl by his side. Drawing 
 her hand to his lips he kissed her jeweled fingers raptur- 
 ously, saying: "I do need life and enthusiasm, and I 
 can find it in you, in you alone." 
 
 Florence was taken by surprise. She left her hand 
 in his for one glad moment, and that brief pause told her 
 companion that his suit, at least, was not repulsive. 
 Then, hastily withdrawing her hand, she arose, say- 
 ing: 
 
 " Let us go back to the house. We have stayed out 
 here too long." 
 
 The singer from New Orleans had just finished a song 
 as they stepped inside the door, and Rose Atkinson was 
 going forward to entertain the company. 
 
 " Perhaps when we hear her sing we can tell what she 
 meant by music with ' spirit ' in it," said Florence to 
 Jefferson, as they stood near the door. Soon Rose began 
 to sing. A rich, contralto voice, surpassing in its vel- 
 vety tones that of the New Orleans prima donna, floated 
 over the company. She had chosen as her song Madeline 
 Bridges' poem, " The Best You Have," set to a recent 
 adaptation of charming though difficult music. She 
 threw her whole soul into the rendition, and the audience 
 listened, spellbound, as she sang verse after verse: 
 
40 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 "There are loyal hearts, there are spirits brave, 
 There are souls that are pure and true; 
 Then give to the world the best you have, 
 And the best will come back to you. 
 
 Give love, and love to your life will flow, 
 
 A strength in your inmost need ; 
 Have faith, and a score of hearts will show 
 
 Their faith in your word and deed. 
 
 Give truth and your gift will be paid in kind, 
 
 And honor will honor meet; 
 And a smile that is sweet will surely find 
 
 A smile that is just as sweet. 
 
 For life is the mirror of king and slave, 
 
 'Tis just what we are and do; 
 Then give to the world the best you have, 
 
 And the best will come back to you." 
 
 There was silence, breathless silence, for a moment 
 after she ceased. The guests felt that they had heard 
 not only a song, but a message. Then the company burst 
 forth in such loud applause that it was evident Rose had 
 become the guest of honor. 
 
 " I know now what she meant," said Jefferson to him- 
 self. " That was a song with ' spirit ' in it. There was 
 more than art in her singing. There was life." 
 
 Mrs. Waynor was distinctly pleased at the triumph 
 her niece had gained. She felt assured now that Rose's 
 natural gifts and social accomplishments would outweigh 
 the odium of her connection with an institution designed 
 to uplift the negro race. 
 
 Among the number who came forward to congratu- 
 late Rose was Donald Shelby. " I want to thank you 
 for that song," said Donald simply. " It has shown me 
 a new power in music." 
 
AN EVENING AT WAYNOR'S 41 
 
 " It was the sentiment of the song, not my singing, 
 that pleased you, I think," she answered with a blush. 
 
 " It was both," replied Donald with enthusiasm. " I 
 was reminded of Longfellow's verse about ' lending to 
 the rhyme of the poet the beauty of thy voice.' You 
 certainly filled all our souls with music. The words 
 and your singing of them to-night made a perfect sym- 
 phony." 
 
 In his pleasure Donald had forgotten for the moment 
 all about Harbison Institute, and he shook hands warmly 
 with Rose in parting, saying : " We are so glad to wel- 
 come you to Dothan. I shall hope to hear you sing again 
 soon." 
 
 Donald and Jefferson walked home together. After 
 both had recovered somewhat from the excitement and 
 pleasure of the evening, which had been an eventful one 
 for both of them, Donald, with a troubled mind, recalled 
 Legree's threat, and asked Jefferson anxiously : " What 
 kind of a row did you have at Larkin's hotel last week? 
 Legree was telling me about it." 
 
 Jefferson told his story, adding that he had begun to 
 notice some people glaring at him on the streets, and 
 asking why Legree was interested in the episode. 
 
 " Legree is the real master of Dothan," said Donald 
 with an air of disgust. " I despise him, but he is the 
 political ' boss ' and everyone bows to him. His word is 
 law." 
 
 "What does he think about the hotel affair?" asked 
 Jefferson, seeing that his friend was acting very gravely. 
 
 " I am afraid, Jefferson, that you have gotten yourself 
 into trouble. Once let it get started here that you are 
 in favor of helping niggers and it will ruin you. A young 
 traveling man from Chicago, a fine young fellow, who 
 sold office supplies, was recently put in jail by Legree 
 
42 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 for attending a negro church and calling on the negro 
 minister, Dr. Brown. They almost lynched the poor 
 fellow before he could get away. You see, it is like this : 
 Legree holds his power on account of the menace of the 
 nigger, and every time he runs a man out of town in that 
 way the whites think he has saved the community from 
 black rule. I think you had better leave Dothan for a 
 while, at any rate." 
 
 Jefferson made no reply for a few moments. The 
 sound of their footfalls could be heard echoing along the 
 deserted streets. Suddenly the young man stopped and 
 faced Donald Shelby. 
 
 " By the eternal, I won't go. I had intended to leave 
 soon for a visit to Washington, but Legree can't drive 
 me out of Dothan. I will stay here all summer, if need 
 be, but I am going to show that brute that this is free 
 America. If Legree wants a fight with me I am ready." 
 
 " It's no use," answered Donald sadly. " You will 
 only get yourself into trouble and perhaps ruin your 
 whole future. I have seen Legree drive out some of 
 the best men in our community. I think he wants to 
 disgrace you because he is afraid you are gaining favor 
 with Miss Ashley. He is seeking to win her himself, 
 and I noticed him glare at you like a fiend several times 
 to-night when you v/ere in her company." 
 
 If Donald Shelby had wished to compel Jefferson to 
 remain in Dothan in defiance of Legree's threat he could 
 not have taken a better way than to suggest that Legree 
 wanted a free field with Florence Ashley. 
 
 " Donald, my mind is settled. Let Legree do his 
 worst ; I am in Dothan to remain. To-morrow I will see 
 him myself and tell him so." 
 
 " It is madness, Jefferson ; pure madness," protested 
 
AN EVENING AT WAYNOR'S 43 
 
 Donald. " You have no more show against Legree in 
 Dothan than a child has in meeting an African lion." 
 
 " Don't fear for me," said the other confidently. " Le- 
 gree and I are destined to fight anyway, and the sooner 
 the better. I will give no quarter and take no quarter." 
 
 But Donald Shelby went home with a heavy heart. 
 
 " Poor Jefferson ! " he kept repeating to himself. " 1 
 am afraid I have brought him down to Dothan to be torn 
 to pieces by dogs." 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 PETER LEGREE 
 
 The morning after the debut of Rose Atkinson in 
 Dothan society Jefferson Lilly was taking a stroll along 
 a side street meditating on his proposed visit to the office 
 of Peter Legree. So absorbed was he in his thoughts 
 that he failed to hear a buggy stop opposite him on the 
 street; and not until its occupant had shouted to him 
 was he aware that someone wanted him. Rather sur- 
 prised, he walked over to the side of the vehicle and rec- 
 ognized the doctor who had bandaged the negro's wounds 
 at the hotel, and who had relieved him of his troublesome 
 black burden. 
 
 " How are you, my friend ? " said the doctor heartily. 
 14 Have you time to take a little ride this morning? " 
 
 " Delighted ! " responded the other, although he was in 
 some wonder as to what it meant. 
 
 " Get in, then, and let us drive on together. I am glad 
 to see you again. I was just going to call on the poor 
 fellow whose life you saved the other day, and I thought 
 you might want to know how he is getting on." 
 
 " How is he? " asked Jefferson. 
 
 " He is recovering nicely, but I am afraid he is crippled 
 for good. You certainly called me just in time, and I 
 was glad to be there, for I know the man well. His name 
 is Mose Thomas, and his son, Nafti, works for me morn- 
 ings and evenings. The boy is attending Harbison Insti- 
 tute along with his sister." 
 
 44 
 
PETER LEGREE 45 
 
 " I'm glad the poor devil's life was saved, though that 
 experience is likely to make me some trouble yet from 
 what I hear." 
 
 The doctor did not respond to this, perhaps not know- 
 ing just what to say. 
 
 " What is your name, Doctor ? " went on Jefferson. 
 " My name is Lilly — Jefferson Lilly. I am a friend 
 of Donald Shelby, and I am visiting in Dothan for a 
 while." 
 
 " I'm Dr. Rankin," replied the physician. " One of 
 your pill venders." 
 
 " From the way you put that nigger together the other 
 day I should say you were a first-class mechanic," said 
 Jefferson with a laugh. 
 
 " It's too bad about that negro," said the doctor, getting 
 serious. 
 
 " He is one of the whitest of them all in Dothan and 
 one of the most intelligent. I can't understand Legree 
 getting after him." 
 
 " What had Legree to do with it ? " asked the other 
 with great interest. 
 
 The doctor became cautious. " Umph ! you know 
 everything, good and bad, is blamed on Legree. At least, 
 he is our ' boss ' down here." 
 
 Jefferson did not push the question, but he thought he 
 could see some reason for Legree's interest in the hotel 
 episode. 
 
 " You may call that fellow * white,' but I call him the 
 blackest negro I ever saw," Jefferson remarked with a 
 smile. 
 
 " Yes, he's coal black, a full-blooded African. They 
 are the only kind of niggers I like," answered Dr. Rankin, 
 " but in his character he can set an example to some 
 white men I know. He was born a slave, but he learned 
 
46 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 to read and write as a boy, and also learned the carpen- 
 ter's trade. He is a useful man and, say, you won't be- 
 lieve it, but it's true all the same, he is to-day keeping 
 the drunken son of his old master out of the poorhouse. 
 He lost his wife some time ago, and his son and daughter 
 are attending Harbison Institute, so he is alone mostly, 
 as the students all stay at the Institute now, since the 
 dormitories were built. Here we are at his house. Come 
 in and see him, won't you ? " 
 
 Jefferson accompanied the physician inside the two- 
 room shanty. Nafti, a boy of about sixteen, and his 
 sister, Martha, a comely black girl of eighteen or nine- 
 teen, met them at the door and they were ushered into 
 the room where the wounded man lay, still bandaged, 
 but looking very different from the half-dead negro of a 
 few days ago. 
 
 " Uncle," said the doctor pleasantly, " this is the man 
 who saved your life. He has come to see you." 
 
 Jefferson came forward, and the poor negro was much 
 affected. Tears came into his eyes as he said : " I'se 
 glad to see you, Massa. De good Lawd will sho' bless 
 you." 
 
 "That's all right, Uncle," rejoined Jefferson. "You 
 would have helped me if I had been in the ditch." 
 
 " I'se sho' would, I'se sho' would," said the poor fel- 
 low brokenly. 
 
 It was a new experience for Jefferson to enter a negro 
 home. He looked around with interest, and was sur- 
 prised to see a carpet on the floor, pictures on the wall 
 and some books in a rude bookcase. He could see a 
 volume of Paul Lawrence Dunbar's works, the gifted 
 negro poet, and also a copy of Robert Burns : 
 
 "Do you read Burns, Uncle?" said Jefferson in sur- 
 prise to the negro. 
 
PETER LEGREE 47 
 
 " Yes, Massa, I'se fond o' dat book. Fse learned some 
 o' dem pages by heart." 
 
 Jefferson Lilly was partly Scotch in his ancestry, and, 
 like all Scots, he was a devoted admirer of the " poet 
 of democracy " who has given lasting fame to the land 
 of the heather. The idea of a negro knowing anything 
 about his favorite poet was so novel that he could hardly 
 believe his ears. 
 
 " What poems of his do you know ? " he asked rather 
 incredulously. 
 
 The wounded negro answered at once : " I'se like dis 
 one best," and he began, with his rich African accent, to 
 recite several stanzas of " Man Was Made to Mourn." 
 
 Jefferson listened as in a dream. Tears came to the 
 eyes of the black man as he spoke these pathetic lines in 
 that poem : 
 
 "If I'm designed yon lordling's slave — 
 
 By Nature's law designed — 
 Why was an independent wish 
 
 E'er planted in my mind? 
 If not, why am I subject to 
 
 His cruelty or scorn? 
 Or why has man the will and pow'r 
 
 To make his fellow mourn ? " 
 
 " Didn't I tell you he was a white nigger ? " said the 
 doctor when they had seated themselves again in the 
 buggy. Before he could answer Jefferson noticed a white 
 man, who was standing near, glare at him so impu- 
 dently that he said to the doctor, " Who is that man ? " 
 
 " He is one of Legree's creatures," answered the doc- 
 tor, a shade passing over his face. " This visit of yours 
 to a negro home with me may make you trouble, I am 
 afraid. I never thought of it when I asked you to come 
 in with me." 
 
&8 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 " Don't be afraid," replied Jefferson confidently. " I 
 am an Alabama man myself, and I care nothing for 
 that brute, Legree. But say, Doctor, that negro is one in 
 a million." 
 
 " His kind are increasing in the South, I happen to 
 know, but slowly, very slowly." 
 
 When they had reached the main street Jefferson bade 
 the doctor good-by and went at once to his rooms. He 
 had made up his mind to see Legree right after dinner. 
 
 " I remember well that I saw Legree on that road the 
 day I found the nigger," said Jefferson to himself. " If 
 Legree gives me too much trouble I will make him walk 
 the plank for his impudence. He can't ride over me." 
 
 After dinner Jefferson went straight to Legree's of- 
 fice. He easily found the headquarters of Dothan's mas- 
 ter. 
 
 " I'm Jefferson Lilly," he announced, walking abruptly 
 into the room, which he noticed was occupied by Legree 
 alone, and stopping in the middle of the floor. 
 
 Legree stared at him from his chair at a desk. 
 
 " I hear I have been ordered out of Dothan, and I 
 want to have a talk with you about it, Mr. Legree." 
 
 For a moment Legree was speechless. Such audacity 
 as this was unknown before in Dothan. Men had been 
 known before to walk into a lion's den and a tiger's cage, 
 but no one had ever dared before to beard Legree like 
 this. 
 
 Legree was a short, broad, muscular fellow, about 
 thirty-five years old, or perhaps a little older, with a 
 round bullet head and a low forehead, a sort of human 
 bulldog. Jefferson, a much younger man by ten years 
 or more, towered above him in height, broad-shouldered, 
 open-faced, commanding. 
 
 Legree recovered himself, and frowned darkly as he 
 
PETER LEGREE 49 
 
 answered : " There is no need to talk. You get out of 
 Dothan this week or take the consequences." 
 
 " Who made you lord over this community," asked 
 Jefferson, looking him straight in the eye. 
 
 " It's none of your d — d business," replied Legree with 
 an oath. " We want no white niggers in this town." 
 
 Like a flash, Jefferson's gun gleamed in his hand. 
 " Take it back ! " he thundered. " Take it back ! " 
 
 Legree was dazed by the suddenness of the attack and 
 the fury of his antagonist. 
 
 " Take it back instantly or you are a dead man ! " re- 
 peated the enraged Jefferson, taking a step nearer the 
 already frightened Legree. 
 
 The iron nerves of the " boss " gave way, as he looked 
 down the shining barrel of the deadly weapon, and saw 
 the glitter of Jefferson's eye. " Pardon me, pardon me ; 
 put down your gun. I meant nothing ! " he stammered 
 in confusion. 
 
 Jefferson saw he had gained the mastery, and quietly 
 put his gun in his pocket. " Let me tell you something," 
 he said, sitting down calmly opposite Legree, who was 
 now completely cowed. " My name is Jefferson Lilly, 
 as I said. I was born near Birmingham, in Alabama, 
 and my father was one of the foremost citizens of north- 
 ern Alabama for over quarter of a century. I am a 
 white man, but I am a man. Did you leave that negro 
 to die in the ditch the other day ? " he demanded. 
 
 " We have too many ' spoiled ' niggers around here 
 now," muttered Legree. 
 
 " That's not the question. A dog ought to have a 
 square deal and so ought a nigger. Now, listen! I 
 know who cut up that nigger. I know you think it is 
 no crime to slash a decent, honest nigger, but I can put 
 you in the ' pen ' for it, remember that. Let me alone 
 
50 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 after this. I know how to treat a white man, and I know 
 how to treat a nigger. I need no lessons from you or 
 anyone else." 
 
 The crafty Legree was gathering himself together. 
 Jefferson had inspired him with the most venomous 
 hatred, and he longed to crush him, but he realized an 
 enemy like Jefferson must be defeated by treachery. He 
 pretended friendship, and with a forced smile reached 
 out his hand, saying : " Excuse me, Mr. Lilly. I 
 thought you were a fool Northerner, and that you needed 
 a lesson, but I see you are one of us. I am glad you 
 came up to see me. Count me as your friend after this." 
 
 Jefferson was deceived. He imagined he had gained 
 a complete victory. " All right, Legree. We shake 
 hands on that." The handshake was not cordial, but it 
 was sincere on Jefferson's part. All he wanted was that 
 Legree should not trouble him, and he felt assured he 
 had gained his point. He went out on the street with 
 the light of power in his eye. 
 
 Going direct to Donald Shelby's office, he told of his 
 day's experiences, both his visit to the negro home, and 
 his encounter with Legree. "Jefferson," said Donald 
 gravely, " you are acting foolishly. That visit with the 
 doctor is enough to rouse the mob here, if it gets out. 
 You must remember it is different here from northern Ala- 
 bama, and Legree has worked things up to fever heat on 
 color prejudice. I am afraid of that man Legree. He 
 is crafty as a fox and as venomous as a serpent. I 
 would advise you to leave town at once for a little while 
 at any rate. I am sorry you didn't pass by that nigger and 
 let him alone. It has brought you trouble already, and I 
 am afraid it has only begun." 
 
 " Donald, your nerves are getting weak. You were 
 not like this in college. I am afraid this Southern cli- 
 
'Take it back," he thundered. "Take it back' 
 
PETER LEGREE 51 
 
 mate in Alabama is taking the spirit out of you. You 
 .were not afraid of the devil in hell in the old days a few- 
 years ago." 
 
 " Legree is a very devil incarnate when he is opposed," 
 responded his friend. " I have lived here for several 
 years and I know him." 
 
 " If every hair on his bullet head were a devil I would 
 no more fear him than I would a rabbit," said Jefferson, 
 drawing himself up to his full height. " Cheer up, Don- 
 ald. Jefferson Lilly is able to take care of himself any- 
 where." 
 
 But Donald only shook his head sadly. 
 
 Jefferson remembered afterward his friend's fears. 
 He soon found out they were not groundless. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 an Automobile ride 
 
 Jefferson Lilly left Donald Shelby's office that after- 
 noon in high spirits. Never did a young man, confident 
 in himself and full of the joy of living, face the future 
 with brighter hopes than this stalwart son of Alabama 
 did that day. 
 
 Remembering the momentary pause before Florence 
 Ashley withdrew her fair hand after he had raised it to 
 his lips on the previous night, he determined to make it 
 a day memorable for his victory in love as well as in 
 war. With Legree crouching beneath his feet, he would 
 now endeavor to crown himself with Miss Ashley's 
 favor. 
 
 He was an expert motorist and Miss Ashley had prom- 
 ised to accompany him on an automobile ride. Going to 
 a garage, he engaged the best car available and was soon 
 rolling along the streets of Dothan in the direction of the 
 stately Ashley home. 
 
 " I will be delighted to go with you," said the girl. 
 " This is such a perfect day, and I have nothing what- 
 ever on hand. I am glad you have come for me " ; and 
 she beamed on him as she prepared for the excursion. 
 Jefferson was jubilant. 
 
 In the powerful and magnificent motor car, which he 
 controlled with perfect mastery, Jefferson Lilly and his 
 companion made a fair picture as they speeded along 
 
 59 
 
AN AUTOMOBILE RIDE 53 
 
 through the main street of the city out to the long level 
 stretches of country roads. 
 
 " Curse him, there he goes, the upstart fool ! I'll soon 
 make his cake into dough," and Peter Legree swore a 
 vile oath. He saw the happy couple go past from the 
 window of his office, and the venom of a thousand rattle- 
 snakes was in his heart. 
 
 But, all unconscious of anything in the world except 
 beauty and love, Jefferson drove his car swiftly outside 
 the bounds of the city. 
 
 " Be careful, Mr. Lilly. I am afraid you are reckless 
 with an automobile," said the girl as they darted past a 
 buggy at full speed. 
 
 u Trust me, Miss Ashley. I have had some splendid 
 rides in motor cars and I have never had an accident yet. 
 I want you to let me give you a fast ride as soon as we 
 get out a few miles." 
 
 He turned to look at his companion for a moment, and 
 it is not to be wondered at that his heart began to beat 
 almost as fast as the motor's engine. Florence Ashley 
 was a picture that day, charming and bewitching. Her 
 hat was secured with a silken scarf, which was tied in a 
 large bow beneath her dimpled chin. A few locks of her 
 raven tresses had escaped from their confinement and 
 were waving in triumph over the scarf. Her cheeks 
 were flushed with excitement, her lips slightly apart, her 
 eyes shining with pleasure. 
 
 " All right ! " she cried out gayly, answering his words 
 and not his look of admiration. * You are in charge this 
 afternoon, and I want you to show me what a real auto- 
 mobile ride is. The Dothan young men are afraid of a 
 motor." 
 
 " I wonder what it is that cuts the nerve of your young 
 men around here," said Jefferson, rather unconscious of 
 
54 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 the boldness of his speech. " Before he came to Dothan 
 my friend, Donald Shelby, was as bold as a lion, and now. 
 he is as tame as a cat." 
 
 Florence Ashley laughed good-naturedly. " Be care- 
 ful," she exclaimed ; u remember I am a loyal Dothan 
 girl, but I must confess I often wish our young men had 
 more of the lion spirit." 
 
 Jefferson instinctively saw his opportunity when she 
 made this remark. They say that love is blind, but love 
 is Argus-eyed and sees a volume in a word, a long poem 
 in a glance and a detailed statement in the slightest 
 hint. 
 
 " If I can only show her that I have a little of the lion 
 spirit," said Jefferson to himself, " she is mine." 
 
 On they sped, faster and faster, as they entered the 
 more sparsely settled country districts. The dusky labor- 
 ers of the rich, southern Alabama fields had already begun 
 to chop the growing cotton, and Florence could see them 
 gaze in astonishment as the rushing car smoked along 
 the level roads. Jefferson slowed up somewhat as he 
 came near a village, but once in the open road again he 
 threw on the high gear, opened the gasoline valve and 
 tore along mile after mile at lightning speed. 
 
 " This is glorious," said the girl with enthusiasm. " I 
 never knew what an automobile ride was before." 
 
 " I am only getting you accustomed to a little speed 
 so far," replied Jefferson. " This is a fifty-horsepower 
 motor, and, after a while, when I am sure of the roads, 
 I want to give you a few miles of real speed." 
 
 " If we go any faster we'll fly," laughed Florence, 
 catching one of her tresses, which had become too ex- 
 cited and was waving in dangerous proximity to Jeffer- 
 son's face. She soon had it stowed safely away under 
 the scarf. 
 
AN AUTOMOBILE RIDE 55 
 
 "Do you really enjoy a little fast motoring?" asked 
 Jefferson. 
 
 " I do, with you at the wheel," she confessed, and then, 
 noticing how the words sounded, she stammered in con- 
 fusion : " I mean, when I know I have a good driver." 
 
 " Thanks, thanks, either way," Jefferson answered 
 laughingly, but without daring to take his eye off the road 
 for a moment, although he would have given a good deal 
 just then to have seen the blush that he knew accom- 
 panied her confusion. 
 
 " This car is a new one : as sure as a Corliss engine 
 and as steady as an ocean liner," he went on. " I was 
 over this road with Shelby the other day, and a little 
 farther on, where the road runs alongside the railway 
 tracks, there is a stretch of four or five miles that I think 
 I can cover in less than five minutes." 
 
 Florence looked around her. Fields were flying past 
 as if on wings. Cabins and plantation houses appeared 
 for an instant and then whizzed by. She looked behind, 
 but a cloud of dust obscured all vision. 
 
 The long, level road could be seen ahead for miles, and 
 they plainly had the clear right of way. The occupants 
 of the few carriages and wagons which they met saw 
 them coming like a cannon ball in the far distance, and 
 turned out quickly to give the winged chariot free pas- 
 sage. 
 
 They were now nearing the level stretch where Jeffer- 
 son had determined to win his case with Florence Ashley 
 by an exhibition of the lion spirit, enough to convince 
 her that even Richard the Lion Heart could not be more 
 daring than he. 
 
 " Hold on now ; here we go ! " he shouted as he ad- 
 vanced the sparker and opened to its full width the gaso- 
 line valve. 
 
56 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 Just then a shrill whistle was heard close behind them, 
 and the flying Coastland Express, going at full speed, 
 pulled abreast of them on the railway tracks, which were 
 less than fifty yards distant. The road and the tracks 
 ran parallel for over five miles from that point. 
 
 " Here is the chance of my life," said Jefferson to him- 
 self as he bent over the steering wheel, the quivering car 
 rushing on at its highest speed. For a moment the ex- 
 press pulled ahead, about a train length, enabling all the 
 passengers to see the rushing motor car. The entire side 
 of the train was crowded with people, leaning out of the 
 windows and waving their hands excitedly. The engi- 
 neer of the train saw it was a race and opened the throt- 
 tle of his engine still wider. But the motor car, seeming 
 to fly on wings rather than roll on wheels, steadily gained 
 until the entire train was repassed, coach after coach. 
 As they forged at last just a little ahead of the thunder- 
 ing engine the generous engineer blew a long blast, as 
 though to herald Jefferson's triumph. 
 
 Holding on to the sides of the seat with a tense clutch, 
 Florence ventured a glance at the winner of the race. 
 She never afterward forgot Jefferson as he appeared to 
 her at that moment. His automobile cap was pulled 
 down over his high forehead ; his eyes were fixed intently 
 on the road, looking far ahead. Determination, courage, 
 daring, utter fearlessness were pictured in every line of 
 his handsome face. She gave one short, quick glance, 
 and then looked straight ahead again, but that one brief 
 glance was enough. Her prince had come and her heart 
 slipped out of her keeping. 
 
 " How splendid he is ! " was her thought. But she did 
 not yet know the meaning of the sudden change in her 
 life, which was wrought in an instant, when Jefferson 
 Lilly won his race with the flying Coastland Express. 
 
AN AUTOMOBILE RIDE 57 
 
 The five miles were quickly covered, and the train be- 
 gan to turn to the left, passengers waving from every 
 window in high excitement. Florence released her left 
 hand a moment in order to give them a parting salute. 
 Half a mile farther on the motor car began to slow up, 
 the engine smoking and the water boiling in the cooling 
 tank. A little farther on they came to a little grove 
 through which a stream wended its way. 
 
 " We must let the engine cool off before we start home. 
 Let us stop here for a little while," said Jefferson, run- 
 ning his car to the side of the road and coming to a full 
 stop. 
 
 " I need to cool off, too," laughed the girl, drawing a 
 long breath. u Wasn't that a glorious ride ! " 
 
 They walked side by side through the grove to the side 
 of the little stream, where they sat down. 
 
 " I seemed to be in another world for a moment," said 
 Florence, not understanding herself the subtle psycho- 
 logical change which had taken place in her own soul. 
 " I would not have missed that race for anything. 
 Where did you learn to drive a motor car, Mr. Lilly?" 
 
 Jefferson smiled. " It is easy to drive like that when 
 you have an object in view, as I had." 
 
 " What object had you in view ? " asked the girl with 
 wide-open eyes. 
 
 " I wanted to show you that there is still some lion 
 spirit in old Alabama." 
 
 Florence laughed gayly. " So you were showing off, 
 were you? You certainly had a good crowd to watch 
 you, for that trainload of passengers reminded me of 
 an excited mob at a baseball game with two men out 
 and the bases full. Even the Jim Crow cars went 
 wild." 
 
 " I cared nothing for the crowd. I just wanted to 
 
58 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 show you only that the spirit of the South is not all rab- 
 bitlike." 
 
 " What do you think, Mr. Lilly, ails our young men in 
 Alabama ? " asked the girl seriously. 
 
 " I think I am beginning myself to understand, Miss 
 Ashley," he responded. " They are too cautious ; too 
 much afraid of breaking a precedent. Think of a com- 
 munity like Dothan crouching beneath the heel of a Le- 
 gree. Bah ! " 
 
 Florence Ashley blushed, for the mention of Legree 
 wounded her sensibilities, and yet she well knew that if 
 she had the power she herself would keep just such a 
 man in control on account of the fear of black rule. 
 
 " The young men of to-day need to remember that 
 they are living in the twentieth century," went on Jeffer- 
 son earnestly. " Let them be free to stand for what 
 they believe to be a square deal all the way round. As 
 long as men like Peter Legree are the ' bosses ' of the 
 South the young men will resemble noble lions muzzled, 
 chained and helpless. Let them cast away their muzzles 
 and break their chains." 
 
 " But how ? " The girl was gazing at him earnestly, 
 still under the spell of the thrilling ride. 
 
 " By crushing such creatures as Legree first of all, 
 just as you would a viper; by fearing nothing except 
 cowardice, and hating nothing except meanness." 
 
 " Ah, you forget, Mr. Lilly, that we of the Southland 
 have much to fear and much to hate," said Miss Ashley 
 thoughtfully. 
 
 " Nonsense ! We have made babies of ourselves, 
 crying out against our fate. The fault, sweet lady, is 
 not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are under- 
 lings." 
 
 The girl did not answer for a moment, and then replied 
 
AN AUTOMOBILE RIDE 59 
 
 quietly : " You certainly talk differently from the young 
 men of Dothan. They think there is nothing to fear but 
 black rule and nothing to hate but the Yankee. What 
 you say may be true." 
 
 " Would you believe me if I told you something else ? " 
 
 His tone was so changed that she turned quickly and 
 saw him pulling himself a little nearer to her side. He 
 lowered his voice and continued : " I think you your- 
 self have awakened these very thoughts in my soul. 
 Before I met you I faced life with a sneer. Now I 
 want to face it with a smile and a heart and hand to do 
 and dare." 
 
 It was not what he said, but the gentle tones of his 
 voice, that made the dark-eyed daughter of Alabama 
 blush a crimson red. She hung her head and made no 
 reply. 
 
 "Can I call you Florence after this?" he pleaded. 
 
 Still she was silent. He reached out his Hand and 
 clasped hers, carrying it slowly to his lips, and she did 
 not resist. Another moment and she lay on his breast, 
 and he rapturously kissed her lips again and again. 
 
 In a little while they arose to go, but it seemed a new 
 world for them both. 
 
 " We are a good many miles away from Dothan," he 
 remarked as he cranked his motor, " but we will not be 
 in such a hurry to return." 
 
 Before the long ride home was finished he had taught 
 her shyly to call him "Jefferson," and he called her 
 " Florence," as though he had known her all his life. 
 " I am glad your name is Jefferson," she said once dur- 
 ing the ride. " It is a name the South loves." 
 
 " My full name is Jefferson Davis Lilly. I am a child 
 of the Confederacy, but I do not fight over the battles 
 that were decided a generation ago. I live in the pres- 
 
60 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 ent, and, like Henry Grady, I believe in a new South, 
 greater, grander, freer than the old." 
 
 She asked him to stay for supper and he consented 
 and spent the evening with the family. He found Mr. 
 Ashley, the father, a broad-minded man, but absorbed 
 in his legal profession and seemingly uninterested in 
 the current questions of modern politics. He was some- 
 what of a student, however, and he and Jefferson had 
 a friendly discussion over Victor Hugo's ideals in litera- 
 ture and in a comparison between Longfellow and 
 Browning. 
 
 During the evening Florence played and sang. The 
 old Southern melodies seemed to have a new meaning 
 when Jefferson heard her sing them. He could dis- 
 cover a new pathos in " Massa's in the Cold, Cold 
 Ground," and a fresh note even in " My Old Kentucky 
 Home," as she sang these familiar airs. 
 
 " It has been a great day in my life," he thought to 
 himself as he drove his automobile along the street that 
 night. " To-day I have really lived. Life is sweet. 
 God is good." 
 
 This last sentiment was a strange one to Jefferson 
 Lilly, but it seemed natural for him to think so on the 
 evening of that eventful day. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 HARBISON INSTITUTE 
 
 " Good morning, Mr. Lilly, do you not remember me? " 
 Jefferson Lilly brought himself back to earth swiftly 
 as he heard these words one morning. Physically he was 
 walking along the main street of Dothan, but mentally he 
 was whirling along in an automobile beside a fair com- 
 panion. Aroused suddenly from his pleasing day 
 dream, he responded rather absent-mindedly, " I beg 
 your pardon, Miss. I did not recognize you." 
 
 " I am afraid you are like some others in Dothan 
 just now," replied the other, who was Rose Atkinson 
 herself. She had met Mr. Lilly on the street, and in his 
 self -absorption he was walking past without noticing 
 her when she accosted him. " Perhaps you do not care 
 to recognize a teacher from Harbison Institute," she 
 continued, laughing gayly, showing plainly that any os- 
 tracism she was receiving had net weighed heavily on 
 her mind. 
 
 "Are you teaching there now, Miss Atkinson?" Jef- 
 ferson asked, as he turned and walked along by her 
 side. 
 
 " Yes. I began the first of the week. I am delighted 
 with the work the institution is doing, and I am planning 
 to get all Dothan interested in Harbison. No sensible 
 person could fail to be interested if they knew what the 
 school was accomplishing." 
 
 " I am afraid Harbison is not a popular institution with 
 
 61 
 
62 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 the white people of the community, as I expect you have 
 already found out." 
 
 " I am going to change all that," said the girl with a 
 toss of her fair head. " I expect to make the people 
 investigate the school, and this foolish prejudice against 
 making the negroes intelligent and industrious will soon 
 cease in Dothan in spite of such men as Mr. Legree." 
 
 " You have undertaken a bigger work than you im- 
 agine," responded Jefferson, " but if you can't succeed 
 certainly no one can," and he bowed gallantly to the fair 
 young Northerner. 
 
 " Thank you. I am going to begin right now to win 
 the favor of the whites in Dothan, and I want to start 
 with you." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " he asked. 
 
 " Can't you come up this afternoon and let me show 
 you around the institution? There are some exercises 
 to be given in the chapel this afternoon and you can see 
 the students all together and get some idea of what such 
 a school as Harbison is doing. Come out there at two 
 o'clock and that will give us time to look around. It will 
 astonish you, I know." 
 
 Brought up in the atmosphere of the South, Jefferson 
 Lilly had an inherent prejudice against the Northern 
 coddling of the Afro-Americans, and had never visited 
 any of their institutions designed to solve the race prob- 
 lem by lifting up the negro race out of its primitive 
 and enforced ignorance. His attitude was one of com- 
 plete indifference to such efforts on the part of Northern 
 philanthropists. But his one act of mercy to a wounded 
 black had strangely interested him in the negro. His 
 visit to the little home of Mose Thomas, and his meet- 
 ing with his son and daughter, who were students at 
 Harbison, conspired to make the prospect of a visit to 
 
HARBISON INSTITUTE 63 
 
 the Institute rather attractive, especially when he was 
 urged to come by such a fair young lady as Rose Atkin- 
 son. Accordingly, without further ado, he promised 
 to pay the school a visit that day, as she had suggested. 
 
 When he entered the grounds of the institution he 
 was conscious of a feeling of strangeness, as though he 
 were going into some forbidden place. But he was 
 charmed by the attractive grounds which surrounded the 
 school. Harbison Institute lay on the north side of 
 Dothan, occupying a beautiful site, and presenting a 
 general appearance of prosperity. The farm adjoining, 
 which covered 200 acres, was worked by the students. 
 The main group of buildings consisted of a large cen- 
 tral college hall, dormitories, the president's house, and 
 also some other smaller edifices devoted to the industrial 
 training, a branch of the curriculum on which the school 
 placed much emphasis. 
 
 Rose Atkinson met him at the door of the main build- 
 ing and took him directly to the president's office. The 
 president, Dr. Furber, was an elderly, cultured gentle- 
 man from New York State, who had been in charge of 
 the school from its beginning. Jefferson knew him by 
 appearance, but had never met him. 
 
 " I am glad to see you, sir ! " he exclaimed with great 
 cordiality, when Rose introduced the two men. " I am 
 delighted to have you visit our institution." 
 
 " Miss Atkinson invited me to come out to-day and I 
 could not refuse her," he answered, smiling at the girl. 
 
 " Ah, I see ! " said the president good-humoredly. 
 " She has told me she wanted to begin her work here by 
 cultivating a closer relationship between our school and 
 the white population of Dothan. I am glad to see she 
 is, at least, interesting the young men." 
 
 " They simply can't resist her," laughed Jefferson, 
 
64 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 rather enjoying the blush he brought to the fair cheek 
 of Rose. 
 
 " I have often wished the white citizens of Dothan 
 would investigate Harbison," said Dr. Furber seriously. 
 " They would not ignore us as they do if they knew 
 the work we are doing for the prosperity of the South." 
 
 " I think," replied Jefferson apologetically, " the 
 trouble is that so many whites in the South think that 
 an educated negro is a ' spoiled ' negro." 
 
 Dr. Furber laughed outright as he replied, " That is 
 because they think of an educated negro as a black 
 man who wears a silk hat, a white vest, imitation jew- 
 elry, patent leather shoes, and so on, but with us an 
 educated negro is an honest, intelligent man, with a 
 trained mind and a skillful hand, desiring to add by his 
 labor to the prosperity of the community." 
 
 " Yes, but you well know, Dr. Furber, that many 
 whites in the South do not think you can possibly edu- 
 cate the negro like that, and you are only spoiling him 
 in trying to do so." 
 
 " That is a question experience only can answer," re- 
 plied the president of Harbison with a deep earnestness, 
 " and experience is showing, beyond the possibility of 
 a doubt, that the negro can be properly educated and 
 trained, the same as any other race. If the South only 
 knew it," he continued, looking straight at Jefferson, 
 " such institutions as Harbison Institute are saving the 
 Southland from future wreck and ruin, and are rapidly 
 solving the race problem in the only way it can be 
 solved." 
 
 Jefferson Lilly was much impressed with Dr. Furber's 
 earnestness and sincerity, and was about to reply, when 
 Miss Atkinson interposed, saying : " I think that a walk 
 around our Institute will do more to convert Mr. Lilly 
 
HARBISON INSTITUTE 65 
 
 to our way of thinking than anything else, for he can see 
 for himself the truth of your statements. We will be 
 back at the chapel in time for the exercises," she con- 
 tinued, speaking to Dr. Furber, as she and Jefferson 
 left the president's office. 
 
 Rose first conducted the young man through the dor- 
 mitories. The rooms were neatly kept, but furnished 
 very plainly. 
 
 " The students made all this furniture themselves," 
 explained Rose. 
 
 " What ! " exclaimed Jefferson in astonishment. " Do 
 you mean to say that you teach your students to make 
 chairs and tables and bedsteads ? " 
 
 " Why, of course," she answered with a smile. " You 
 will see our carpenter shop after a while." 
 
 Jefferson asked why even such students as Nafti 
 Thomas and his sister occupied rooms at the dormitories 
 when they lived in Dothan, and Rose replied, " Those 
 two students come from a very nice negro home, but 
 we have found that with the most of our students we 
 can make little permanent influence on their lives un- 
 less we take them clear away from the little one-room 
 cabins in which they live, huddled together with often 
 eight or ten, or even more, in the family. Here we 
 can teach them the proprieties of life, and the result is 
 simply marvelous." 
 
 Jefferson was much amused when Rose told him 
 about the use of the toothbrush. " We insist," she said, 
 "on every student using a toothbrush. We find it a 
 most powerful factor in promoting self-respect." 
 
 The large dining room was next inspected, and every- 
 thing was found arranged in perfect order. " Our negro 
 girls have entire charge here," Rose told him. 
 
 " We have a negro cook and I can tell you the meals 
 
66 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 in Harbison are superb. Of course, I always eat at the 
 president's home," she added with a smile, noticing the 
 look on Jefferson's face as she spoke of the good meals 
 in the dining room for the students. 
 
 " We inspect both the boys and girls as they walk 
 out of the dining room every evening," she explained 
 further, " in order to see that their clothes and dresses 
 are clean and neat. We have trouble with some of the 
 boys occasionally, as they are so used to sticking in a 
 shingle nail if a button comes off, but we make it a mis- 
 demeanor to button with a nail, and they soon learn to 
 keep the buttons sewed on." 
 
 Jefferson was much interested in the carpenter shop, 
 the printing press and the blacksmith forges. They 
 found colored young men, in neat overalls, working 
 with steady industry under experienced teachers. It 
 was a revelation to him of what Harbison and such 
 institutions were doing for the negro. They strolled 
 along the avenue to inspect the farm, and Rose told, with 
 evident amusement, of the surprise of some students 
 when they found that farm work was a part of their 
 curriculum. " It hurts some of them very much at- 
 first," she said, " to be sent out into the field to work 
 when they come to Harbison. Some of them think that 
 after they come to school they will not have to work, 
 but we are educating them to be workers, and we have 
 no place here for lazy students, as they soon find out. 
 Our great aim is to show them that work is honorable 
 and to inspire them with a love for honest toil of any 
 sort." 
 
 " How is it that you know so much about the work- 
 ings of this institution, since you have only been teach- 
 ing here for a few days ? " Jefferson at last asked his 
 companion. 
 
HARBISON INSTITUTE 67 
 
 " Oh, I have studied about this work for several years. 
 There are a number of such institutions as this in the 
 South, and I have visited many of them. I used to live 
 for pleasure," she added, turning to Jefferson suddenly, 
 " but I heard Maud Ballington Booth speak once, and 
 ever since I have desired to help others, and I .know of 
 none in America who need help more than these neglected 
 and wronged Afro-Americans." 
 
 Jefferson looked at her with admiration. She was a 
 young, rich and beautiful girl, able to shine in any so- 
 ciety, and yet, here she was, devoting herself to a task 
 which only brought her social ostracism, and which sep- 
 arated her from much that all young women count of 
 chief importance. His soul was stirred, not as it was 
 stirred in the presence of Florence Ashley, but with a 
 different, a more spiritual emotion. 
 
 " Miss Atkinson," he said simply, " I cannot under- 
 stand your self-sacrifice in this cause, which you well 
 know is so much despised; but I honor you as a true 
 woman whose life makes it easier for a fellow like me 
 to believe in humanity and in God." 
 
 "I do it all, Mr. Lilly," she replied quietly, "for 
 Christ's sake. I find a joy in this life that I did not 
 find when I sought only to please and gratify myself." 
 
 Jefferson made no reply and they walked on in silence. 
 
 " Do you think we are * spoiling ' the negroes here ? " 
 at length she asked him. " You have now seen what 
 we are doing in this ' awful place,' as Rev. William 
 Durham calls it." 
 
 " I am beginning for the first time in my life to un- 
 derstand what these institutions are doing," he replied 
 seriously, " and it astonishes me to think I have never 
 investigated some of them before." 
 
 Rose Atkinson smiled in triumph. " I knew you 
 
68 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 would be a convert ! " she exclaimed. " I will win the 
 white people of Dothan yet, although Dr. Furber thinks 
 I am a kind of Don Quixote, full of extravagant ideas 
 about my ability to change the prejudices of a city like 
 Dothan." 
 
 " I am afraid you will find many who will not be so 
 easily reached as I was," laughed Jefferson. 
 
 " It's time for the exercises at the chapel to begin," 
 said Rose, looking at her dainty gold watch. " Let us 
 hurry back so we will not be late." 
 
 Arriving at the chapel Jefferson found about three 
 hundred students, half of them young men and half 
 young women. Following Rose Atkinson, he proceeded 
 to the platform and sat down beside Dr. Furber. 
 
 He soon found that he was an object of intense in- 
 terest to the students. Three hundred pairs of shining 
 eyes were focused on him. Looking over the sea of 
 black faces he recognized Nafti and Martha Thomas, 
 who were regarding him with special attention, recogniz- 
 ing him as the man who had saved the life of their father. 
 
 Jefferson Lilly was greatly astonished to see the neat- 
 ness in the general appearance of all the students and 
 the bright, intelligent look on almost every face. 
 
 " I am almost inclined to believe," he said to himself 
 as he looked around the chapel, " that an educated and 
 aspiring negro race would be safer and easier to live 
 beside than an ignorant and hopeless one." 
 
 The exercises began with a simple invocation by the 
 president, after which a young negress played a selec- 
 tion on the piano. Jefferson was a skilled musician and 
 he listened with amazement to her rendition of a difficult 
 classic composition. The technique was excellent and 
 the expression all that could be desired. 
 
 The students showed their appreciation by hearty ap- 
 
HARBISON INSTITUTE 69 
 
 plause. A negro quartet next sang a patriotic song, 
 " The Dear Old Flag Has Never Touched the Ground." 
 It was a stirring, popular air, and the students listened 
 with rapt attention. As they sang the chorus of the 
 last verse, the singers marched around the platform, each 
 waving the Stars and Stripes. The entire audience arose 
 and cheered in patriotic fervor. 
 
 " These negroes love America," Jefferson thought, in- 
 tensely interested himself in the scene before him. " I 
 can see that Harbison Institute teaches patriotism, at any 
 rate." 
 
 Next came an address by one of the older students 
 on " The Negro Farmer." It was delivered in a digni- 
 fied, colloquial style, and showed a practical knowledge 
 of the negro and his relation to farm life. 
 
 " Any education," he began slowly, " that educates 
 the average negro away from the farm is not to be com- 
 mended. Over eighty per cent, of our negro race live 
 by agriculture, and it is the mode of life best fitted to 
 promote the highest interests of our race at its present 
 stage of development." Here the speaker was inter- 
 rupted with hearty applause, in which Jefferson found 
 himself joining. 
 
 The speaker went on to state that such technical 
 education on farming as was given in Harbison Institute 
 and similar institutions in the South enabled the negro 
 to increase fourfold his returns from the farm. He 
 told of one graduate who had produced two hundred 
 bushels of sweet potatoes from an acre of ground in a 
 community where the average production had been only 
 fifty bushels. He also spoke of the additional interest 
 a farmer took in his farm when he had a knowledge of 
 the chemistry of the soil and used the latest improved 
 methods in agriculture. 
 
70 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 " Let us learn in Harbison," he concluded, " how to 
 do common things in an uncommon manner." 
 
 The loud applause at the close of his speech showed 
 that his sentiments were appreciated. 
 
 The quartet sang another song, a sacred number, 
 " Steal Away to Jesus," after which Jefferson saw Nafti 
 Thomas come to the platform. He was naturally inter- 
 ested in what Nafti's part was to be, and as the young 
 negro began to recite Bryant's " Ode to a Waterfowl " 
 he listened with the closest attention, the poem being 
 one of his own favorites. 
 
 At a later day Jefferson remembered vividly the ex- 
 pression of Nafti's face as he repeated the lines in which 
 the poet, after the waterfowl has disappeared in the dis- 
 tance, expresses his faith in an overruling Providence: 
 
 " He who, from zone to zone, 
 
 Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, 
 In the long way which I must tread alone, 
 Will lead my steps aright." 
 
 For an encore he repeated one of the short poems of 
 Paul Lawrence Dunbar, the negro poet. 
 
 The exercises were concluded by a few words of 
 commendation by Dr. Furber, in which he urged the stu- 
 dents to fit themselves to do their part in the world's 
 work in this wonderful modern era, when all had the 
 opportunity to succeed. 
 
 Jefferson Lilly was delighted with his visit, and, as 
 he bade Dr. Furber and Miss Atkinson good-by, he re- 
 marked : " Count me as one of the friends of Harbison 
 after this." 
 
 Dr. Furber was much pleased, and the eyes of Rose 
 beamed with delight. " We may need you some of these 
 days," she responded gayly. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 DRAWING THE BATTLE LINES 
 
 Jefferson Lilly came back from his visit to Harbi- 
 son Institute convinced that intelligence and education 
 made the negro a better citizen than ignorance and 
 repression. Meeting Donald Shelby that evening he ex- 
 claimed : " I say, Donald, I have been over to see what 
 your Pennsylvania rose is doing at Harbison! You 
 ought to go out there some day." 
 
 " Have you been out at the nigger school ? " his friend 
 asked in surprise. 
 
 " I suppose you don't want me to get too well ac- 
 quainted with the fair Rose, but do not be afraid. There 
 is only one girl in all this world for me. I want to tell 
 you, all the same, that Rose Atkinson is no ordinary girl. 
 She is a credit to womanhood." 
 
 " How was it you came to make a visit to the school ? " 
 Donald asked, still looking serious. 
 
 " The fair Rose invited me, and I could not say nay," 
 he responded lightly. 
 
 Donald looked grave. " I tell you, Jefferson," he an- 
 swered, " you must stay away from every place where 
 there are niggers for a while. I heard rumors on the) 
 street to-day about you. I believe Legree is starting 
 stories and this visit of yours to Harbison will lend them 
 color. You will get the mob after you yet." 
 
 " I have Legree backed into a corner," responded Jef- 
 ferson confidently. " Run out to Harbison yourself 
 
 71 
 
72 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 some day and you will not think Miss Atkinson is so 
 foolish after all. She says she is determined to win the 
 white people of Dothan to her side, so that they will 
 back up the work." 
 
 " If she tries that Legree will destroy the school if 
 he has to burn it," Donald replied in alarm. " He seems 
 to fear Harbison more than anything else, especially 
 since it has become so prosperous." 
 
 " If Legree and Rose get to fighting I will put my 
 bets on the Northern girl every time," Jefferson re- 
 joined. " She is game. She is already planning to 
 carry the war into the enemy's quarters by inviting 
 Booker T. Washington, of Tuskegee, to address a big 
 meeting in Dothan, when the claims of the school will 
 be laid before the Dothan whites. That girl is a fighter." 
 
 Donald shook his head gravely. " Poor girl ! She 
 little knows the storm she will arouse. I wish some- 
 one would warn her. If she tries to get the whites in- 
 terested in the school she will raise the very devil in 
 Dothan." 
 
 " Go out to Harbison," said Jefferson, " as I did, 
 and you will soon see that the whites do not need to fear 
 an institution like that." 
 
 " Miss Atkinson has already invited me to come out," 
 confessed Donald, " but I am afraid to go, knowing that 
 Legree has his eyes on both of us just now." 
 
 " Bosh ! " was the abrupt remark of his friend. 
 
 " No," said Donald earnestly, " it's not bosh. There 
 was another lynching in the next county yesterday, and 
 it has inflamed the whites, and Legree is working them 
 up to fever heat. He is afraid that race prejudice is 
 cooling off in Dothan." 
 
 "What about the lynching?" inquired Jefferson. "II 
 did not hear of it." 
 
DRAWING THE BATTLE LINES 73 
 
 " Oh, another nigger insulted a white woman and 
 they hung him up. That makes the ninth lynching in 
 'Alabama in the past year. There is no use, Jefferson, 
 in trying to do anything for niggers." 
 
 " Listen, Donald ! Talk sense. There are about one 
 million negroes in Alabama. Nine out of this million 
 have gone wrong in the past year. Are you going to 
 blame the crimes of these nine on the whole negro race ? 
 I wonder if there were not nine white men that went 
 wrong in Alabama the past year." 
 
 Donald listened in surprise. " One would think you 
 were direct from Boston to hear you speak, Jefferson ! " 
 he exclaimed. " I tell you if Legree hears you talking 
 that way you will suffer for it." 
 
 " D Legree. What's the matter with you, Don- 
 ald ? " Jefferson was getting angry. " You used to 
 have some spirit in the old days, but you are now like 
 all the rest. The Dothan men are rabbits. Even Flor- 
 ence Ashley was compelled to admit it. I tell you, Don- 
 ald, before God, I would rather be a poor black man, 
 chopping cotton by the day, than be the Governor of 
 Alabama and have such a sneaking fear of a dog like 
 Legree as you have. Why don't you act the man, and 
 defy Legree to do his worst. Take it from me, a man 
 of your spirit need not look at Rose Atkinson. She is 
 a woman, and anyone who wins her must be a man." 
 
 The two friends stood facing each other. Jefferson's 
 words were sharp as a Damascus blade and they pierced 
 Donald to the heart. While Jefferson poured out his 
 indignation his friend stood with his head bent and his 
 eyes on the floor — a weak figure. Jefferson Lilly stood 
 erect, straight as a Sioux chief, his eyes blazing and his 
 head thrown back in defiance. There was a tense 
 silence. You could hear the ticking of the clock. Don- 
 
74 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 aid Shelby was in deep thought, his companion's words 
 had aroused him, he was making a decision in his soul. 
 
 " Jefferson," he said at last in a husky voice, " you 
 are right. I have been a coward or I could have crushed 
 Legree myself before this. I will show you and Rose 
 Atkinson that I am a man from now on ! " 
 
 He reached out his hand and Jefferson grasped it 
 warmly. " Bravo, Donald ! I knew the red blood of 
 Old Scotland was flowing in your veins. You look dif- 
 ferent already." 
 
 " I will go out to Harbison to-morrow," said Don- 
 ald, " and see what things are like. Legree may rage as 
 he wants to, but I am going to be free." 
 
 " Splendid, old fellow ! " laughed Jefferson. " You 
 have been in chains too long. If you can win the favor 
 of Rose Atkinson you need not envy the Czar of Russia 
 or the Emperor of Germany. She is worth her weight 
 in gold both literally and figuratively." 
 
 Donald looked at him curiously. " If Florence Ash- 
 ley heard you praise a Harbison teacher like that she 
 would send you about your business pretty quick." 
 
 " You are mistaken," answered Jefferson seriously. 
 " Florence is a real girl. She and Rose will become 
 warm friends some day. They are really kindred 
 spirits." 
 
 " You don't know Florence, that is all," laughed Don- 
 ald. 
 
 " I think I do," was the simple response. 
 
 The result of this encounter between the two friends 
 was that Donald Shelby, with a new look of resolution 
 on his face and a more manly bearing than he had 
 shown for many a day, approached Harbison Institute 
 the next day. " When Legree hears of this I know he 
 will begin a war on me right away," he said to himself, 
 
DRAWING THE BATTLE LINES 75 
 
 " but let him growl. There are others besides myself 
 who are mighty tired of Legree." 
 
 He was warmly greeted by Rose Atkinson, who took 
 him also to Dr. Furber's office. " Here is one of Dothan's 
 young lawyers," she said as she presented him to the 
 president. Donald and Dr. Furber had met before, but 
 Dr. Furber greeted him with a new cordiality. 
 
 " I welcome you to Harbison ! " he exclaimed. " I 
 believe Miss Atkinson's policy will be a success yet. 
 She thinks she can gain the interest of the white peo- 
 ple in Dothan, so that they will help and not hinder our 
 work here. I thought at first she was a dreamer, but 
 your visit reassures me," and he smiled at his young 
 assistant. 
 
 " I am afraid she cannot hope to win all the whites," 
 answered Donald. " It will be a long time before such 
 a man as Legree will ever favor an institution like Har- 
 bison." 
 
 " I do not expect to win men like Legree," said Rose 
 quickly, " but I do want to depose such unprincipled 
 men from leadership in Dothan. Such as he belong to 
 the riffraff of society, and it is intolerable they should 
 be masters of a community like this. It is a disgrace." 
 
 Donald Shelby was astonished. As he looked at Rose 
 he could see the dauntless spirit of the girl. She well 
 knew Legree's power, and yet she was utterly fearless 
 in her denunciations. He fell under the charm of her 
 presence, thrilled both by the energy of her soul as well 
 as the beauty of her person. " Joan of Arc was not more 
 fearless or more heroic," he said to himself afterward, 
 as he thought of this young Northern girl entering the 
 lists with Legree. 
 
 " I think we have only to get intelligent people to see 
 what Harbison is really doing," went on the girl, " and 
 
76 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 I am sure the school will become one of Dothan's proud- 
 est institutions." 
 
 " Miss Atkinson is giving a large part of her for- 
 tune, as well as herself, to the cause of negro education," 
 explained Dr. Furber, M and I am putting her in charge 
 of things here for the present," and the good Doctor 
 smiled. He had carried a heavy load, with constant 
 opposition from his white neighbors for many years, 
 and he was delighted to have the help and encourage- 
 ment of the rich and talented Rose Atkinson. He 
 agreed complacently with all her plans, although at first 
 he was assured that her expectations were altogether 
 visionary in regard to overcoming prejudice among the 
 whites. 
 
 " We are to have Booker T. Washington here in a 
 couple of weeks," said Rose with enthusiasm. " I am 
 confident that with Mr. and Mrs. Waynor's help we 
 can get many of the best people in Dothan out to hear 
 him, and he will bring some new ideas into this commu- 
 nity, I am sure." 
 
 " I am afraid," began Donald cautiously, " if you seek 
 to win the whites as you propose that Legree and his 
 kind will become active enemies and try their very best 
 to destroy your school altogether." 
 
 " I have thought of that," replied Rose. " I well 
 know that such men as he are now in power in Dothan. 
 They keep their places by inflaming race prejudice, as 
 otherwise no decent community would tolerate them as 
 leaders. The whites, more than the negroes, are being 
 steadily dragged downward into the mire under the 
 leadership of such men as Legree. But God is on our 
 side, you know," she concluded with a confident smile. 
 
 "Where will Dr. Washington speak?" asked Donald. 
 
 " In the Academy of Music. I have a promise from 
 
DRAWING THE BATTLE LINES 77 
 
 the Hon. W. H. Fleming, of Augusta, Ga., that he 
 will come and introduce the famous negro from Tuske- 
 gee. We are sure to have a great meeting. It will en- 
 courage the intelligent whites who really desire to see 
 Harbison prosper, but who are discouraged by the race 
 hatred which Legree has aroused." 
 
 After some further talk on her future plans for the 
 school Miss Atkinson conducted Donald around the in- 
 stitution, calling his attention to everything, as she had 
 done with Jefferson Lilly. 
 
 " Miss Atkinson," at last Donald ventured to say, " I 
 have lived in Dothan for some years and I know you are 
 going to have a battle. Legree and his crowd will not 
 give up their power without a bitter fight. He is crafty 
 and cunning and utterly without principle. But let me 
 say I am your friend. If you ever need my help call on 
 me. 
 
 " I thank you, Mr. Shelby," the girl responded. " I 
 feel that with the support of such men as you and Mr. 
 Lilly I am already more than a match for Legree." 
 
 Donald shook his head, but he was silent. 
 
 " Do you enjoy this work," Donald asked her later, 
 " or do you devote yourself to it as a stern duty? " 
 
 " I really enjoy it," she replied, and then, in a lower 
 tone, she added, " I have found out in my own experi- 
 ence that only by trying to help others can we find real 
 happiness." 
 
 " But this work, worthy though it may be, will sep- 
 arate you from your friends," protested Donald. 
 
 " It has not separated me from you," she replied archly. 
 " Have you not already professed friendship to me ? " 
 
 He turned to look at her and their eyes met. " Yes," 
 he replied slowly, " you can always trust me as a friend. 
 I would be more than a friend." 
 
78 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 The girl blushed slightly at his earnest words, but she 
 met his gaze frankly as she said, " I may need to prove 
 your friendship, Mr. Shelby. If I need help at any time 
 I will remember you." 
 
 They shook hands cordially in parting, and Donald 
 returned to his office with new, strange thoughts in his 
 soul. 
 
 Even when a Legree minion whispered in his ear late 
 that day, " Legree knows you were at Harbison to-day," 
 he was utterly indifferent, and answered carelessly, 
 " Tell him I was pleased with my visit." 
 
 The efforts of Rose Atkinson were not unknown to 
 the city " boss." He learned with increasing rage of 
 Donald Shelby's changed attitude toward him, and also 
 of the proposed visit of Booker T. Washington. 
 
 " That fool nigger Washington," he said to one of 
 his henchmen, " is the worst proposition in all Alabama. 
 If he comes here and the whites listen to him that 
 Yankee teacher at the nigger school will be running this 
 town and we will have a black mayor, the first thing you 
 know. Ten to one she'll marry a nigger yet," and he 
 frowned in rage. 
 
 " We must run out that dude Lilly before long," he 
 continued, and then he and his minions consulted long 
 how they could work the overthrow of the dauntless 
 Jefferson. 
 
 One evening, not long after this, as Jefferson was 
 returning from a visit at the Ashley home, where he 
 was now a frequent guest, he heard footsteps behind 
 him and noticed that three or four rough-looking whites 
 were following him. He quickly put his hand in his 
 pocket and clasped his gun instinctively. The gang came 
 nearer, talking in whispers. Jefferson strained his ears 
 to hear. " That's the guy, all right," one of the fellows 
 
DRAWING THE BATTLE LINES 79 
 
 was saying. " He has been mixing with niggers right 
 along." " We'll give him a scare to-night," chimed in 
 
 another. " D a white nigger anyway," said a third ; 
 
 " they are worse than black niggers." 
 
 Jefferson did not know what the purpose of the men 
 might be, but he was convinced they were following 
 him and he determined to become the aggressor. Sud- 
 denly wheeling around he walked into the middle of 
 them. 
 
 " Do you fellows want to see me ? " he asked boldly. 
 The men were taken aback by his sudden move, but one 
 of them, recovering himself, answered in a rough voice, 
 " We want you to leave Dothan ; we want none of your 
 kind in this white man's town." 
 
 " Walk on ! " commanded Jefferson in thunder tones. 
 " I want no yellow dogs at my heels." One of the fel- 
 lows made a lunge at him and the others began to crowd 
 in. Jefferson did not hesitate a second. He pulled his 
 gun with a quick movement and a sharp report rang 
 out. A cry of pain from the fellow who had lifted his 
 hand told that the shot had taken effect. 
 
 Terrified by this sudden evidence of Jefferson's 
 prowess the gang broke and fled, assisting the wounded 
 man, whose arm had fallen helpless. They turned down 
 a side street and Jefferson was left alone. A policeman 
 soon appeared on the scene, and, flashing a lantern in his 
 face, asked if he had fired the shot a moment before. 
 
 " I did," replied Jefferson. " A gang of white cut- 
 throats attacked me just now. They ran down that side 
 street. Hurry after them." 
 
 The policeman laughed in a sneering way and asked 
 his name. 
 
 " Jefferson Lilly." 
 
 " I have heard of you, sir," the policeman answered 
 
80 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 with an oath. " We don't want any trouble here, and a 
 lot of people want to run you out of town. You had bet- 
 ter leave early to-morrow." 
 
 Turning from him in high anger Jefferson walked on, 
 saying : " I will see the Mayor and report you, you 
 scoundrel." 
 
 The policeman laughed aloud, but said no more, evi- 
 dently somewhat cowed by Jefferson's manner. 
 
 When he reached his room that night he found a letter 
 under the door. Opening it hastily he read these words, 
 written in a scrawling hand : " We want no white nig- 
 gers in Dothan. We will give you one more day to get 
 out of town." There was no signature, but a rough skull 
 and cross-bones were sketched at the bottom. 
 
 " Things are getting interesting," said Jefferson aloud 
 as he tore the missive into fragments. " Somebody is 
 going to get hurt soon, or these rascals will quit annoying 
 Jefferson Lilly." 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON VISITS DOTHAN 
 
 The next morning Jefferson went to the Mayor's of- 
 fice and reported the circumstances of the night before, 
 giving the policeman's number and demanding an in- 
 vestigation. He was treated with scant courtesy. His 
 recital of his attack was laughed at, and he was dis- 
 armed of his gun under threat of arrest for carrying con- 
 cealed weapons. Evidently he was a man well known 
 to the city administration. He was asked a number of 
 pointed questions and dismissed, as if he were a crim- 
 inal, with a recommendation that he leave Dothan if he 
 was not satisfied with the treatment he received from the 
 citizens. 
 
 Burning with indignation Jefferson went to see his 
 friend, Donald Shelby. But Donald counseled him to be 
 as quiet as possible until after Booker T. Washington's 
 visit. 
 
 " I believe Dr. Washington will make the Legree tyr- 
 anny impossible much longer. Keep as quiet as you can 
 and await developments," advised his friend with pro- 
 verbial Scotch caution. 
 
 Accordingly Jefferson went to Montgomery on an- 
 other short business trip, and did not return until the 
 very morning of the day on which Dr. Washington ar- 
 rived. 
 
 The invitation which Harbison Institute extended to 
 Booker T. Washington at the request of Rose Atkinson 
 
 81 
 
82 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 was a master stroke of policy on that young lady's part. 
 She saw clearly that Harbison could never do its real 
 work as an educational school for negroes unless the 
 white people were interested in its success. Legree had 
 so far succeeded in keeping an impassable gulf between 
 the whites and the negro school, but the beautiful daugh- 
 ter of the Quaker State had full confidence in her ability 
 to bridge the gulf. 
 
 No one in all the Southland was better fitted to awaken 
 a new sentiment on the whole question of negro education 
 than the distinguished president of the far-famed Tuske- 
 gee Institute. Dr. Washington's rise from a slave cabin 
 in the hills of Virginia to the presidency of the richest 
 and most powerful institution in the South has fascinated 
 the world and made him a man of international renown. 
 He has dined with kings and Presidents and has been 
 honored alike in the North and South by both the white 
 and black citizens of his native land. 
 
 The announcement of his coming to Dothan made a 
 sensation. Legree and his henchmen made no conceal- 
 ment of their disgust and opposition, but the vast ma- 
 jority of the whites were eager to see and hear the gifted 
 Afro-American of Alabama, whose fame had girdled the 
 world. 
 
 Led by the Waynors, over whom Rose retained a re- 
 markable influence, Dothan's best society encouraged the 
 enterprise, and even Rev. William Durham, to the sur- 
 prise of his congregation, failed to thunder against this 
 " invasion of the integrity of the Anglo-Saxon race and 
 dastardly attempt to overwhelm our American civiliza- 
 tion in black ruin," as he had often done formerly when 
 he saw any honor being placed upon a negro. Legree 
 had called on the minister when the visit was first an- 
 nounced and began abruptly: 
 
BOOKER WASHINGTON VISITS DOTHAN 83 
 
 " Mr. Durham, did you hear that those Harbison Yan- 
 kees have invited that fool nigger Washington to come to 
 Dothan? It is an insult, sir, to every white man in 
 Dothan. That nigger is doing more to spoil the blacks 
 than any man in the South." 
 
 " I have always heard Booker T. Washington referred 
 to as a man of remarkable talents and of upright charac- 
 ter," parried the minister, to Legree's astonishment. 
 
 " But he's a nigger preacher," rejoined Legree with a 
 dark frown, " and no nigger is fit to speak to a white 
 audience." 
 
 The insolent bearing and brutal nature of Dothan's 
 " boss " repelled Mr. Durham that morning as never be- 
 fore. He could not help inwardly comparing the talented 
 scholar and cultured Christian gentleman, Booker T. 
 Washington, whom he had once heard, with this bullet- 
 headed, short-necked, uncultured and positively vulgar 
 white man. 
 
 " I see nothing that I can do in regard to the mat- 
 ter," the minister responded, rising and bowing the 
 amazed and disappointed Legree out of the parsonage. 
 " The white people of Dothan," continued Mr. Durham 
 at the door, " all seem glad that they will have an oppor- 
 tunity to see Washington and I do not think he can harm 
 us. His views are well known anyway." 
 
 Legree left the parsonage in high dudgeon. " Since that 
 accursed Lilly and that fool Yankee teacher have come to 
 town the niggers are running things," he hissed aloud. 
 " Even the preacher has let them fool him, but they can't 
 fool Legree. I'll soon make it too warm in Dothan for 
 that Lilly dude, and if that nigger school gets too impu- 
 dent I know how to put them out of business mighty 
 quick," and Dothan's master gnashed his teeth in his rage. 
 
 Booker T. Washington arrived on the afternoon train. 
 
84 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 He was met at the station by a tremendous crowd. The 
 colored people were out en masse. Every pickaninny, 
 every black boy and girl, every negro and negress in the 
 whole country, seemed to know of the coming of their 
 mighty representative. But the whites were there also 
 in large numbers, all eager to welcome the man who had 
 climbed to the top of the ladder, although he began life in 
 the miry pit of slavery and abject poverty. 
 
 When the train pulled in there was excitement in the 
 very atmosphere. The crowd stood on tiptoe. At last 
 out of the Jim Crow car came the hero of the occasion. 
 A fine looking, straight black man stepped on the plat- 
 form and looked around. A mighty cheer went up from 
 the vast crowd as they recognized the famous negro edu- 
 cator and orator. 
 
 Donald Shelby was standing near by, and he marked 
 the high forehead, heavy jaws, determined mouth and 
 noble bearing of the man. 
 
 " A born leader," he said to himself. A moment later, 
 as he saw Washington smile, showing his big, white 
 teeth and thick lips, he thought, * And yet the man is a 
 real negro." 
 
 Dr. Furber, of Harbison Institute, was at the depot 
 with a carriage to meet the distinguished visitor, and the 
 black president of Tuskegee Institute was soon seated 
 beside the white president of Harbison. The two edu- 
 cators were evidently acquainted, as they shook hands 
 warmly without any introduction. As soon as the carriage 
 started the pent-up enthusiasm of the crowd broke loose. 
 Hats were thrown in the air, handkerchiefs were waved, 
 canes were flourished and the immense throng cheered 
 itself hoarse. The whites as well as the blacks caught 
 the contagion. Donald Shelby found himself yelling like 
 an Apache Indian. When the carriage had driven away 
 
BOOKER WASHINGTON VISITS DOTHAN 85 
 
 and the crowd was scattering, all talking in animation, 
 Donald was amused to hear the comments of the excited 
 negroes. One black man near him exclaimed : " Dat's 
 de man of my race what's gwine to speak to-night. I'se 
 sho' gwine to heah him." Another big fellow was say- 
 ing : " Dat's Massa Washington ! He's powerfu' fine 
 niggah." Another shouted : " I'se sho' happy now. I'se 
 seen de biggest man in all de world." 
 
 Dr. Furber drove his guest to Harbison, where Dr. 
 Washington addressed the students in the chapel. His 
 address was a plain, practical talk on the opportunities 
 in Alabama for the industrious and intelligent negro. He 
 praised the work of Harbison and said he had some of 
 their graduates as professors in Tuskegee. " And I see 
 some more young men before me," continued the speaker, 
 looking around on the eager students, " who look to me 
 as men who would make excellent leaders of our race. 
 I am always ready to assist a worthy young man to a 
 place of trust and responsibility." He commended work 
 as the first essential. He called all work honorable. " It 
 is just as great and noble," he exclaimed in thunder 
 tones, " to plow a field aright as it is to write a poem or 
 govern a State. Be practical. The negro has been 
 worked for centuries. It is high time he should begin 
 to learn how to work himself." 
 
 Nafti Thomas sat near the front and his intense inter- 
 est during the address attracted the speaker's attention. 
 " Who is that young man in the third seat from the 
 front ? " he asked Dr. Furber when his address was over. 
 " That is Nafti Thomas," he responded. " I will call him 
 up to the platform. He is one of our brightest students 
 and I have arranged for you to stay at his father's home 
 to-night. His father is the most worthy negro in Dothan 
 and I thought you would like to stay with them, although 
 
86 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 it is an humble home." " I shall be greatly pleased to 
 meet the young man," said Dr. Washington. He greeted 
 Nafti with a hearty handshake, saying, " I noticed you 
 in the audience and I was pleased to see your interest in 
 my talk." 
 
 The boy was delighted at this notice and looked up 
 reverently at Dr. Washington as he said, " I have long 
 wanted to see and hear you, Doctor, and I cannot tell 
 you how happy I am to meet you. Father is so proud 
 you are to stay at his home to-night." 
 
 The other students came up and all were greeted most 
 cordially by the visitor. 
 
 A little later the carriage was driven around in front 
 and Booker T. Washington entered it, accompanied by 
 Nafti Thomas. They were driven to the home of Mose 
 •Thomas, who was to be the proud host of Massa Wash- 
 ington. There was not a colored family in town that 
 did not envy Mr. Thomas that day, but they all agreed 
 that Mose was worthy of the honor. As a compliment to 
 their guest, Dr. Furber and Rose Atkinson followed in 
 another carriage, driving all the way to the home of 
 Nafti. The two carriages drove through the main streets 
 of Dothan, and one unpleasant incident marred the occa- 
 sion. At a prominent street corner were a crowd of 
 rough-looking fellows, among whom Rose detected Le- 
 gree himself, and when the carriages were opposite them 
 deep groans and hisses arose from the company of 
 loafers. 
 
 Booker T. Washington only smiled at this evidence of 
 his unpopularity, showing his white teeth, but Rose ex- 
 claimed almost triumphantly to Dr. Furber : " That is 
 Legree and his men. He formerly was able to lead the 
 whole white population in his demonstrations of that 
 sort, but now you see he only has a dozen or two. Don't 
 
BOOKER WASHINGTON VISITS DOTHAN 87 
 
 fear, Dr. Furber, the white people of Dothan will be out 
 to-night to give the speaker a respectful hearing, and I am 
 convinced that to-day marks the beginning of a moral 
 revolution in this community." 
 
 Mose Thomas, his left arm still crippled from the at- 
 tack made on him the day Jefferson Lilly saved his life, 
 received his honored guest with every demonstration of 
 pleasure. The two-room cottage had been cleaned and 
 dusted. One whole room was set apart for " Massa 
 Washington," and the other room, rather large, but not 
 quite big enough for the various uses to which it was to 
 be put that night, was almost filled with a great dining 
 table. Mose had received assistance from some of his 
 neighbors and there was a large company, including two 
 or three negro ministers, to meet the hero of the occa- 
 sion. The chief guest, next to Dr. Washington, was Dr. ■ 
 Brown, the pastor of the largest colored congregation 
 in the city and a man of genuine worth in ability and 
 character. 
 
 Nafti was in his glory. He introduced the Tuskegee 
 educator to the company and no Ambassador at the Court 
 of St. James, introducing distinguished Americans to the 
 crowned head of England, was ever prouder of his posi- 
 tion than Nafti was of his that night. Dr. Washington's 
 interest in the young negro increased, and he finally said 
 to his host : " I will want that boy of yours to come to 
 Tuskegee some day as a professor." 
 
 Tears came to the old black man's eyes. " God knows, 
 Massa Washington," he replied brokenly, " I'se only a 
 poor ole ignorant man, but if Nafti can eber help you to 
 make better men and better women for de colored race 
 I'se will die happy." 
 
 " The negro race is improving every year, Mr. 
 Thomas," responded his guest, " and I feel confident that 
 
88 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 your boy will have a large part in the coming generation 
 in lifting up our people." 
 
 At a later time both Booker T. Washington and Mose 
 Thomas thought of these words. Neither yet knew, for- 
 tunately, the tragic way in which Nafti was to be of 
 service to the American negroes. 
 
 Although he had mingled with the highest dignitaries 
 of earth the president of Tuskegee was entirely at home 
 in his humble surroundings in Dothan. He entertained 
 the company at supper time with many stories of his first 
 years in Alabama. He told of the old way in those days, 
 when the whole family, baby and all, went to work in 
 the cotton field as soon as breakfast was over. " I have 
 heard that things are so different now that one of your, 
 planters near Dothan has tried to get the school on his 
 plantation closed because the whole family had begun 
 going to school, father and all. Is that so?" he asked 
 Nafti with a smile. " Yes, sir," the boy replied. " Our 
 people around here not only send the children to school 
 now whenever they have a school to send them to, but 
 they go themselves." 
 
 " We must organize night schools all over Alabama," 
 responded the great educator, " which can be kept open 
 during the dull seasons. It is too bad to keep a single 
 negro ignorant of reading and writing if he really wants 
 to learn." 
 
 Booker T. Washington is a capital story teller and he 
 kept the company in convulsions of laughter as he told 
 some such incidents as this : 
 
 " Mr. Thomas," he began, " did you ever hear of 
 Uncle Zeke's pig and the trouble it caused him ? " 
 
 " No, Massa Washington," his host replied. 
 
 " It was like this," the guest responded. " Uncle Zeke 
 had a pig for sale and along came a white man and 
 
BOOKER WASHINGTON VISITS DOTHAN 89 
 
 bought the pig for $3. On the way home the pig got out 
 of the cart and returned promptly to Uncle Zeke's house 
 and about noon a second white man came to Uncle 
 Zeke's cabin in search of a pig, and Uncle Zeke, over- 
 come by the temptation to make double money on his pig, 
 sold it again for $3. On his way home the second man 
 met the first and the first white man said to the second 
 white man, ' That is my pig. I bought it from Uncle 
 Zeke this morning at eight o'clock for $3/ And the sec- 
 ond white man said, ' No, sir, it is mine, for I bought it 
 from him to-day at twelve o'clock for $3.' So they ar- 
 gued the question and could not decide whose pig it was, 
 and they decided finally to put the question before Uncle 
 Zeke. They rode up and called him out and the first 
 white man said, ' Uncle Zeke, did you not sell me this pig 
 this morning for $3?' 'I surely did, boss.' Then the 
 second white man exclaimed, ' Uncle Zeke, did you not 
 sell me that pig to-day at twelve o'clock for $3 ? ' 'I 
 surely did, boss.' * What do you mean by treating us this 
 way ? ' cried both the white men at once. ' Before God, 
 boss, can't you white people go off and settle this thing 
 yourselves without troubling a poor niggah ? ' " 
 
 Roars of laughter greeted the story of Uncle Zeke, and 
 then the story teller quietly said that there were lots of 
 questions which troubled white men about the negroes 
 which the colored man ought to let them settle among 
 themselves. " This is why I have not given myself to 
 politics as much as some of my friends would like to see 
 me," he said. 
 
 When the supper was over it was soon time to leave 
 for the Academy of Music, where the far-famed black 
 man was to speak. 
 
 Dr. Furber, accompanied by Hon. W. H. Fleming, of 
 Augusta, Ga., called for Booker T. Washington and he 
 
90 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 was driven in the carriage with them to the place of 
 meeting. Rose Atkinson had succeeded in persuading 
 Mr. Fleming to come to Dothan to introduce Dr. Wash- 
 ington, and with his presence she was confident of a suc- 
 cessful meeting. The great building was already 
 crowded when Dr. Furber and his guests arrived. Quite 
 a few of the whites were anxious to hear the negro and 
 had sympathy with him, but the majority came from cu- 
 riosity, many of them thinking they would hear the 
 speaker make a fool of himself and hurt instead of help 
 Harbison Institute. The colored people, of course, to 
 a man were enthusiastic and expectant. When they 
 took their seats on the platform Dr. Furber, glancing 
 through the audience, saw Rev. William Durham in a 
 prominent place, with Deacon Leavitt, one of his chief 
 members, by his side. The Waynors were out in force, 
 accompanied by Dothan's best society. Donald Shelby 
 and Jefferson Lilly were seated together near the front. 
 The Ashleys were absent, but Dr. Furber had heard that 
 they were out of town. Legree was not in sight any- 
 where, although a few of his well-known henchmen were 
 scattered here and there in the audience, with no good 
 purpose in their minds, Dr. Furber felt sure. 
 
 When Booker T. Washington ascended the platform 
 the colored part of the audience gave a loud cheer, but 
 most of the whites were silent. 
 
 In a few minutes Hon. W. H. Fleming arose and walk- 
 ing to the front of the platform began with these memo- 
 rable words: 
 
 " I am pleased to preside at this meeting to-night, for 
 I am confident that it will mean much both to the whites 
 and the blacks of this community. We often hear the 
 epigrammatic dictum that there are but three solutions of 
 our race problem — deportation, assimilation and annihi- 
 
BOOKER WASHINGTON VISITS DOTHAN 91 
 
 lation. When we bring our sober senses to bear all three 
 of these so-called possibilities appear to be practical im- 
 possibilities. Not one of these three presents a working 
 hypothesis. 
 
 " Physical facts alone prevent deportation. Physical 
 facts, stressed by an ineradicable race pride, bar the way 
 against assimilation. Physical facts, backed by our re- 
 ligion, our civilization, our very selves, forbid annihila- 
 tion. We cannot imitate Herod. Over against that 
 trinity of impossibilities — deportation, assimilation, an- 
 nihilation — let us offer the simple plan of justice." 
 
 A loud cheer and applause from all over the mighty 
 audience greeted this last sentence, for the word " jus- 
 tice " is a talisman to every heart, white, black, red or 
 copper-colored though the skin may be. 
 
 When quiet was restored Mr. Fleming concluded : " I 
 take pleasure in introducing to you to-night a man who 
 has worked out the question of how to solve our race 
 problem by the principles of justice and Christianity." 
 
 Mr. Fleming sat down and all eyes turned on Booker 
 T. Washington. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 A' NEGRO ORATOR 
 
 When the Hon. W. H. Fleming had finished his in- 
 troductory speech Booker T. Washington rose to his feet, 
 stretched himself to his full height and strode to the front 
 of the platform. It was a thrilling moment. The air 
 was quivering with excitement. The few words which 
 Mr. Fleming had spoken had enthused the entire audi- 
 ence, and the personal magnetism of the great president 
 of Tuskegee held all enthralled. The colored people 
 rose to their feet as one man ; then, here and there, the 
 whites began to stand, until practically the entire audi- 
 ence was on its feet, and cheer after cheer resounded 
 through the entire building. 
 
 " We have won ! We have won 1 " said Rose Atkin- 
 son to herself. She was seated with the Waynors, and 
 all around her the cheering was exuberant and spon- 
 taneous. In spite of his color the whites were not able to 
 forbid the tribute which men always give to their fellows 
 when a noble lifework has been achieved. 
 
 As soon as he could make himself heard the negro 
 orator lifted up his voice like a trumpet and his first sen- 
 tence struck home. " One-third of the population of 
 the South is of the negro race," he shouted, and a tense 
 silence pervaded the audience. All were watching that 
 strong, commanding figure on the platform. His black 
 face beamed with intelligence. His piercing eyes sur- 
 veyed the crowded arena before him without a blink of 
 
 92 
 
A NEGRO ORATOR 93 
 
 the eyelids. His look of strength and his noble bearing 
 made their impression on all, but on none more than on 
 Rev. William Durham. Ever since the visit Rose Atkin- 
 son made to his study, following his annual missionary 
 sermon, Mr. Durham had been pondering over her words. 
 They made an abiding impression on him. He could 
 never forget her look of energy of soul as she denounced 
 him as a false representative of Christ toward the negroes 
 in Alabama. He watched the black educator intently, 
 never taking his eyes off his shining face. At last he said 
 to himself : " He is a complete man, God's image cut in 
 ebony. Other negroes may fall below the human level, 
 but Booker T. Washington is a man." 
 
 " To reach the highest success any enterprise of the 
 South must have the cooperation of my race," continued 
 the speaker. " Sixteen million hands cannot be ignored. 
 They will either aid the South in pulling upward or they 
 will help in pulling downward. We must either be an 
 essential factor in the business and industrial prosperity 
 of the South or we shall prove a veritable body of death, 
 stagnating and depressing, dragging all down in common 
 ruin." 
 
 The orator now had the attention of every man and 
 woman in the vast throng. Men were leaning forward to 
 hear. There was boldness, a directness and a ring of 
 truth and sincerity in the black man's speech that was 
 startling. 
 
 "The wisest among my race," he continued after he 
 had enlivened his address with a humorous story, " un- 
 derstand the agitation of questions of social equality is 
 the extremest folly." (As he uttered these words the 
 whites began to listen more eagerly than ever. ) " We 
 are all well aware that progress in the enjoyment of all 
 the privileges that come to us must be the result of severe 
 
94. THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 and constant struggle rather than of artificial forcing, 
 but the time has come for all of us to understand that in 
 negro education lies the salvation of our beloved South- 
 land." 
 
 Then he turned to the whites in the audience and made 
 a plea for toleration. " You of the white, whose ad- 
 vantages are so much higher than ours, must learn to be 
 patient with the black man. Remember the past of the 
 negro. It was a crime to teach him in former years. 
 He was born in servitude and reared in ignorance. 
 Starting something less than fifty years ago, with only a 
 few pumpkins and quilts, see how, in less than a half 
 century, we have acquired $300,000,000 worth of prop- 
 erty, on which we pay taxes every year. Does that show 
 the negro can never rise ? " he asked in stentorian tones. 
 " I revere the names of ' Stonewall ' Jackson and Robert 
 E. Lee." At the mention of these heroes of the South 
 the applause from the whites especially was tremendous. 
 " They led in the work of educating the negro," said the 
 orator. " In the midst of the war both of them were 
 interested in teaching the negroes in Sunday schools, and 
 where such men have led the South can afford to follow. 
 The problems that confront us in the South, like the 
 problems before other men in other parts of the world, 
 can have no solution whatever except as the solution is 
 based upon the teachings of the Bible and the spirit of 
 the Christ." 
 
 As Booker T. Washington said these words with an 
 earnestness that was almost terrible you could have heard 
 a pin drop in the auditorium. The words sank deep into 
 many hearts, never to be forgotten. 
 
 " I am for education for everybody," continued the 
 educator. " I want education to be as common as grass 
 and as free as the sunshine and the air. It is the com- 
 
A NEGRO ORATOR 95 
 
 mon hope of all. We have nothing to expect from ig- 
 norance and degradation but death. We have every- 
 thing to hope for from an intelligent and educated negro 
 race, who learn to contribute to the common weal their 
 full share of toil and labor. It is just as much the Chris- 
 tian duty for the influential white men and women to help 
 save the negro at their doors as it is to help redeem the 
 heathen in Africa." This was a bold thrust and it went 
 through the armor of Deacon Leavitt, sitting by the side 
 of his pastor. " It's true, it's true," he said to himself, 
 looking sidewise at his minister to see how Mr. Durham 
 was taking the negro's thrusts. Mr. Durham was listen- 
 ing, entirely absorbed in the speaker. 
 
 " I am reminded of a colored man who lives in Mont- 
 gomery," continued the orator, smiling broadly and show- 
 ing beforehand that he was going to relieve the tension 
 with a story. " This colored man had been before the 
 court several times, always on the one charge of not liv- 
 ing peaceably with his wife. When he appeared before 
 the judge for the fifth time the judge was somewhat im- 
 patient. ' Uncle Silas/ he exclaimed, ' five times you 
 have been here on that charge. You must go home and 
 live in peace with your wife ; you and your wife are one 
 and you must live peaceably ; there must be no more dis- 
 turbance. You are one.' The old fellow got up, made a 
 low bow and said, ' Yes, I understand it ; I understand 
 all about that ; I know ; that is where the trouble is, to get 
 mah wife to understand that I is the one/ " 
 
 There was an outburst of laughter, and then, in a pa- 
 thetic tone of voice, the speaker went on : " We draw 
 hard and sharp color lines, but God has delicately inter- 
 woven the interests of the two races, so that one cannot 
 prosper without the other. A few yards from the man- 
 sion of a cultured white family there lived an ignorant 
 
96 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 negro family in filth and poverty. The laundry work 
 from this white mansion was done every week in the mis- 
 erable dirty shanty. A deadly contagious disease in the 
 old negro cabin, through the medium of the laundry, was 
 conveyed into the home of this rich and cultured family 
 and a beautiful daughter lay upon her dying bed. Hear 
 me ! Oh, hear me, men and women of the South ! Death 
 and disease draw no color line." 
 
 There was one sentence which riveted the attention of 
 all. It was the sentiment which Rose Atkinson had given 
 to Mr. Durham in her interview with the minister. " In 
 all things that are purely social," he shouted, thrusting 
 out his big black hand with the fingers apart, " we can be 
 as separate as the fingers of the hand, yet " — here he 
 closed his hand — " one as the hand in all things essential 
 to mutual progress." These words sounded like a revela- 
 tion to a large part of the whites in the audience. The 
 power of Legree was crumbling. This negro orator was 
 charging the breastworks of Legreeism and winning at 
 every point. The impassioned speaker closed with a ten- 
 der plea. " The negro in the South has some claim upon 
 your sympathy. We are not foreigners nor aliens. You 
 understand us and we understand you, and you know that 
 when the time comes there are thousands of black men 
 ready to lay down their lives to protect white families 
 throughout the South. We have helped to clear the for- 
 ests, till the fields, build the railroads, tunnel the moun- 
 tains, and for years we have cooked your food and nursed 
 your children and we will do it for years to come. In 
 proportion as the negro is educated in such schools as 
 Harbison Institute he becomes a more useful negro. Go 
 through the jails and penitentiaries of the South and 
 you will not find twoscore of men with industrial school 
 diplomas. The criminal negroes have had no chance. 
 
A NEGRO ORATOR 97 
 
 They are the ignorant, degraded ones and it is our duty 
 to lift them up." 
 
 The conclusion was overpowering in its pathos. 
 
 " I was in the city of Richmond some time ago and I 
 heard a story concerning an old black man there. He 
 was living in the same house where his mistress had lived 
 during slavery, and she had planted with her own hands 
 a rosebush in the yard. A new tenant took possession 
 and the new mistress said to the colored man, ' Dig up 
 that rosebush/ The old man hesitated and with a tear in 
 his eye shook his head and went behind the house. Again 
 the lady came out and said, ' Dig up that rosebush/ and 
 he came up to her, touched his hat, made a polite bow 
 and said, ' Missus, I likes you, I want to obey you, but, 
 Missus, you don't understand — these old hands can't dig 
 up that rosebush; that rosebush was planted fifty years 
 ago by my old Missus and these hands can't dig it up ; you 
 must excuse me, Missus/ The feeling of sympathy " — 
 there was a tear in Washington's eye and his voice was 
 tender now — " the feeling of friendship between the 
 black people and the white people of the Southland was 
 planted here years ago by our forefathers. We who are 
 following in their footsteps, black men and white men, 
 must not dig up that old rosebush. Let it grow, and far' 
 above and beyond material benefits will be that higher 
 good that, let us pray God, will come in a blotting out of 
 sectional differences and racial animosities and suspicions, 
 in a determination to administer absolute justice, in a 
 willing obedience among all classes to the mandates of the 
 law. This — this, coupled with our material prosperity, 
 will bring into our beloved South a new heaven and a 
 new earth." 
 
 The orator ceased and stood a moment with his right 
 hand uplifted. Then he turned and resumed his seat. 
 
98 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 Mr. Fleming rushed across the platform to his side and 
 took him by the hands. The pent-up feelings of the audi- 
 ence broke loose. The dense throng rose as one person, 
 shouting, cheering, waving hats, canes, umbrellas, hand- 
 kerchiefs, everything. It was a victory for Harbison In- 
 stitute, but all felt it was their victory. Bondage had 
 ceased. The awful black menace was, after all, no 
 menace at all, but a call to duty, to sympathy, to service. 
 Rose Atkinson was overjoyed. " The future course of 
 Harbison will be smooth," she congratulated herself. 
 
 Donald Shelby and Jefferson Lilly were also in a 
 happy frame of mind. " Legree is done for after that," 
 remarked Jefferson to his friend. " The old regime is 
 over. Dothan will soon be a safe place for even such 
 a liberal-minded man as I am," and he smiled. Ah, lit- 
 tle did either Rose Atkinson or Jefferson Lilly realize 
 that a leopard, even if it is a dying leopard, can bite and 
 tear with savage fury. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 A SUNDAY IN THE WOODS OF ALABAMA 
 
 It was on a Friday evening that Booker T. Wash- 
 ington gave his epoch-making speech in Dothan. On the 
 following Sunday morning Jefferson Lilly was strolling 
 along the streets, expecting to attend service at Rev. Wil- 
 liam Durham's church that day. Around a corner, walk- 
 ing at a brisk pace, came a well-dressed colored youth, 
 carrying a basket. Jefferson at once recognized him as 
 Nafti Thomas and greeted him cordially. 
 
 " Where are you going, Nafti ? " he asked. " To a 
 Sunday picnic ? " 
 
 " Not exactly," replied Nafti, grinning. " We are to 
 have an all-day meeting to-day in the woods, and I am 
 going out to enjoy it." 
 
 " What kind of a meeting is it ? " asked the other, walk- 
 ing alongside the negro lad. 
 
 " It is a kind of camp meeting. We have one every 
 year about this time in the spring. We expect a Virginia 
 preacher to-day. We tried to get Booker T. Washing- 
 ton to stay over and address us, but he was compelled to 
 return to Tuskegee." 
 
 " How did the Harbison people like Washington ? " 
 asked Jefferson, eager to know what Rose Atkinson 
 thought of the Friday night meeting. 
 
 " They are all delighted with the results. Dr. Furber 
 feels that a new era has already begun in Dothan and 
 that a great future now awaits Harbison, as he thinks 
 
 99 
 
100 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 the sympathy and cooperation of the whites is now as- 
 sured." 
 
 " There is certainly a new atmosphere in the town 
 already," rejoined Jefferson, who had been an interested 
 listener to many remarks on the streets since the eventful 
 speech of the Tuskegee orator. 
 
 " Come out to our meeting in the woods to-day, sir," 
 said Nafti, after they had walked a few blocks together. 
 " You will enjoy it, I am sure, since you seem interested 
 in our race." 
 
 In his innocence the youth did not realize what such 
 an invitation meant, nor did Jefferson Lilly understand 
 what a mistake he was about to make when he accepted it 
 thoughtlessly. 
 
 " This is an ideal day for a trip to the woods ! " he ex- 
 claimed. " I will go with you." 
 
 Accordingly Nafti and Jefferson were soon walking 
 out on the country roads. They passed the spot where 
 Jefferson had picked up Nafti's unconscious father some 
 weeks before. It was but a short time ago, but to Jeffer- 
 son it seemed like an age. His whole outlook on life had 
 changed since that fateful day. Everything seemed 
 somehow to be different now. 
 
 " Here is where I found your father lying helpless," 
 said Jefferson, pausing and going to the side of the road. 
 
 " Poor father ! " rejoined the boy. " He has never 
 been really the same since that day. I don't think he will 
 ever get over it altogether, but the doctor told us that he 
 would surely have died if you had not come to his relief. 
 Martha and I often say that we owe a great deal to 
 you." 
 
 Jefferson Lilly was silent ; he was thinking of the chain 
 of events that hung already on that single act of mercy, 
 and how momentous were the issues that might still re- 
 
A SUNDAY IN THE WOODS 101 
 
 suit. Since that day, in a manner he could not himself 
 understand, he had been interested in the negro race, 
 and had begun to think of them as human beings, and 
 this had changed his entire outlook on society in Ala- 
 bama. 
 
 " We must hurry on," said Nafti, arousing his com- 
 panion out of his meditations. " We will be late if we 
 delay any longer." 
 
 They soon left the road and walked through the fields 
 and groves. Alabama is a picturesque State, and on that 
 lovely morning in the late spring Jefferson felt the charm 
 of sylvan beauty fill his soul with joy. There was an 
 abundance of wild flowers, a fragrance in the air, and a 
 quiet stillness over nature that spoke of peace and Sab- 
 bath rest. As they approached the place of the meeting 
 they could see others tramping through the woods, and 
 the nearby roads were filled with all sorts of vehicles car- 
 rying the colored population to the place of rendezvous. 
 There was a little river nearby, and in an open space in 
 the woods preparations had been made for a great open- 
 air service. 
 
 It must be confessed that when Jefferson Lilly found 
 himself the only white man in the vast throng of dusky 
 worshipers he had a strange feeling of loneliness, and he 
 wondered if he had not done a foolish thing. But Nafti 
 Thomas remained at his side, and introduced him to a few 
 of the better class negroes, so that he began rather to 
 enjoy the novel experience. He could hear many com- 
 ments on Booker T. Washington's address, and it was 
 evident that the negro orator had made a deep impression 
 on the members of his own race. Soon the singing of the 
 great congregation began. The woods were filled with 
 the sounds of sacred song. At first Jefferson was in- 
 clined to be amused at the volume of somewhat discordant 
 
102 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 sound, but, as the song service proceeded, and more fa- 
 miliar hymns were sung, he was moved deeply. The 
 sight of thousands of black men and black women, gath- 
 ered together in Nature's majestic temple, worshiping 
 their Creator in this earnest fashion, appealed to the 
 young man, who had spent several years in the darkness 
 of intellectual doubt. The religion which his mother had 
 lived, and which she had taught to him in his childhood, 
 seemed to become a reality again, as the mighty throng 
 sang from their hearts the chorus of one of the hymns : 
 
 " And when I see the blood 
 I will pass over you, 
 I will pass over you." 
 
 He felt a pity coming into his heart for these dark-skinned 
 children of Africa, whose lot in life had been rough and 
 hard enough, and yet who held on unwaveringly to their 
 faith in a good God, who was their friend. 
 
 The singing, however, was the most impressive part 
 of the service, for when the sermon began Jefferson lis- 
 tened with almost uncontrolled merriment to the exhorta- 
 tions of the old-style Virginia preacher, who had been 
 imported for the occasion. He took his text from Psalm 
 87 : 4, " And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man 
 was born in her." 
 
 Looking around, as if in triumph, the Virginia 
 Boanerges viewed with delight the thousands of eager 
 black faces, and thundered out: " Whar was ye born? 
 Whar was ye born? Dis text of mine answers the im- 
 portant question. You'se born in Zion." A chorus of 
 " Amens " showed the preacher that he was on the right 
 track, and he thundered out, louder than ever : " Whar 
 was the rest born? De text, my bredren, say, Dey was 
 born in Zion." 
 
A SUNDAY IN THE WOODS 103 
 
 Then the speaker began to grow eloquent. He took 
 his hearers on an imaginary trip over the country. ** Let 
 us all go down this mornin' to New Orleans, and, 
 hoverin' over dat great and wicked city, let us shout down 
 to dem, ' Whar's ye born ? ' and all Gord's chilren shout 
 back, ' We'se born in Zion.' Den let us go to Atlanta, 
 and, hoverin' over dat great city, let us shout down, 
 ' Whar's ye born ? ' and dey all answer, ' We'se born in 
 Zion.' " 
 
 He then went on in this way, " hovering " over the 
 principal cities of the Southern and Northern States, and 
 receiving the same answer from them all, " We'se born 
 in Zion." By this time he had worked himself up into a 
 tremendous passion, and he paced up and down in wild 
 enthusiasm. The audience was getting thoroughly 
 roused, but the orator wanted them to be brought to a 
 yet higher fervor. " Let us go to the North Pole," he 
 shouted, "and, twinin' our legs around it, let us shout 
 down to de inhabitants of dem frozen region, ' Whar's 
 ye born ? ' and the answer comes back from de frozen 
 people, ' We'se born in Zion.' " 
 
 This was too much for Jefferson, and he burst out in 
 uncontrollable laughter. Nafti sympathized with his 
 white companion, but he was fearful lest the colored peo- 
 ple would think he had brought a scoffer along to mock 
 them. This was an empty fear, however, for by this time 
 the whole congregation was under the spell of the impas- 
 sioned preacher, and shouts of " Alleluia ! " " Amen ! " 
 " Praise de Lawd ! " were now punctuating the sermon 
 at every sentence. After a long, sustained flight of more 
 of this kind of pulpit eloquence the Virginia parson 
 closed, shouting out : " We'se born in Zion, we'se born in 
 Zion; hallelujah, we'se born in Zion! " 
 
 The vast congregation had been worked up to a kind of 
 
104 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 religious frenzy. Their bodies were moving to and fro. 
 Shouts of " Praise de Lawd ! " were heard on every side. 
 Then came the prayers, which were offered by several of 
 the worshipers. This was a part of the service that also 
 deeply impressed Jefferson. These prayers were, for the 
 most part, clothed in fantastic language, but there was a 
 deep earnestness in some of them, and some of the older 
 men seemed to the lone white man in the company to 
 wrestle with God, as Jacob did by the brook Jabbok, 
 in their pleadings for " de blessin' o' God." 
 
 Jefferson was reminded of his own childhood days, and 
 of his mother's prayers. For a little while he forgot his 
 strange, almost weird, surroundings, and he found him- 
 self repeating Florence Percy's touching lines : 
 
 " Backward, turn backward, O Time, in your flight, 
 Make me a child again, just for to-night f 
 Mother, come back from the echoless shore, 
 Take me again to your heart as of yore; 
 Kiss from my forehead the furrows of care, 
 Smooth the few silver threads out of my hair; 
 Over my slumbers your loving watch keep — 
 Rock me to sleep, mother, rock me to sleep." 
 
 He was aroused at last by Nafti rising from his side 
 and advancing to the speaker's stand. Nafti had not 
 mentioned it to Jefferson, but he had been asked to speak 
 at the meeting as a representative of Harbison Institute, 
 and also to take to them the greetings of Tuskegee's 
 president. He was a young lad, and seemed almost a 
 boy, as he stood up to speak, but Jefferson could see 
 that he was already quite a person among his own race. 
 " Dat's Nafti, de son of ole Mose Thomas," he heard 
 someone say to his neighbor. Nafti began by referring 
 to Booker T. Washington's visit to Dothan and his words 
 of encouragement in regard to the progress of American 
 
A SUNDAY IN THE WOODS 105 
 
 negroes. " It is not enough to be born in Zion," con- 
 tinued the lad, in a way that would have done great credit 
 to a much older man, deftly joining his remarks to the 
 preceding sermon. " We must learn to live as the chil- 
 dren of Zion." He then went on to tell of Dr. Wash- 
 ington's visit to his father's house, and of his conversa- 
 tion there. " Booker T. Washington believes in work," 
 he explained, speaking with great earnestness, and with 
 the fervor peculiar to his race. " He has always been a 
 great worker himself. He believes in meetings like 
 these," continued Nafti, looking around with a smile on 
 his face, " and he often addressed them. He wished he 
 could have been here to-day, but it was impossible; but 
 he told me to tell you the kind of a negro he likes best 
 of all. Some time ago he met an old colored man, and 
 he said to him, 'Uncle Jake, where are you going?' 
 ' I'se gwine to camp meeting.' ' Are you able to go to 
 camp meeting and spend a week in singing and shouting? ' 
 President Washington asked him. ' Yes/ said Uncle 
 Jake, ' I ain't been to camp meeting fo' eight yeahs, and 
 I'se gwine this yeah fo' suah. Eight yeahs ago Ah went 
 to Tuskegee and Ah heard you teach de people to send 
 der chillen to Sunday school, an' build churches, an' day 
 schools, an' to save their money and have a bank ac- 
 count, and Ah been followin' yo' advice fo' eight yeahs, 
 and Ah got fifty acres o' land, and Ah done paid the 
 last dollar on dat land, and suah I'se de right to go to 
 camp meeting dis yeah. I'se done saved mah money, 
 ain't spent it fo' whisky and snuff and cheap jewelry; 
 I'se a nice house on de land, fo' rooms, painted inside 
 and outside, and Ah done paid de last dollah on de 
 house, and Ah sure got de right to go to camp meeting 
 this yeah. See dis wagon ? Dis is Jake's wagon. When 
 Ah first got free Ah bought a buggy, and Ah soon found 
 
106 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 a man got to ride in a wagon befo' he rides in a buggy, 
 and Ah done sold de buggy and bought dis wagon, and 
 Ah done pay fo' de wagon. See these two big, black 
 mules. Dese is Jake's mules, and Ah ain't got no debt, 
 and Ah's got a right to go to camp meeting.' Then 
 Uncle Jake pulled a cloth from a large basket and said, 
 * Do you see that co'n bread and meat ? I'se raised de 
 co'n and de ole woman cooked de bread, and Ah raised 
 de pig, and de ole woman cook de meat, and we is all gwine 
 to camp meeting and have a great big time and shout and 
 sing, for we got money in our pocket and we got religion 
 in our heart.' " 
 
 " President Washington wanted me to tell you all that 
 he wanted to see more black people like Uncle Jake," 
 concluded Nafti. There was not so much religious 
 fervor at the close of his talk, but Jefferson was pleased 
 to hear the large number of " Amens ! " and " Praise de 
 Lawds ! " from all parts of the audience. 
 
 When the time for the picnic lunch came Jefferson 
 was greatly embarrassed. He had not thought of this 
 dilemma, but there was no escape now. Nafti saw his 
 look of dismay, and offered to divide his basket, so that 
 Jefferson could go away off by himself to eat. After- 
 ward he regretted that he did not follow Nafti's advice, 
 but he contented himself that day by going to a lonely 
 spot in the woods, in company with the Harbison stu- 
 dent, apart from the crowd. Nafti spread a cloth on 
 the ground, and soon had it covered with chicken, meat 
 and vegetables, and all the choice food that tempts a 
 sharp appetite, such as Jefferson Lilly had that day. 
 After the lunch was over Dr. Brown, the colored minis- 
 ter in Dothan, joined them, and Jefferson tried to throw 
 off a guilty sense of having done something heinously 
 sinful in eating with Nafti. 
 
A SUNDAY IN THE WOODS 107 
 
 He was surprised to find Dr. Brown a well educated 
 and cultured man, who was able to talk in a most en- 
 lightening way on many subjects. He was, of course, 
 full of the Booker T. Washington speech, and he soon 
 showed Jefferson that he had thought deeply on the race 
 problem himself. " Our people," he said earnestly, 
 " have a contribution to make to the life of this great 
 nation. Just as Joseph was taken to Egypt in the provi- 
 dence of God, so our forefathers were brought here as 
 slaves. Men meant us evil, but God meant us good, and 
 meant good also to America." 
 
 " What kind of a contribution do you think your race 
 can make to this country ? " asked Jefferson. 
 
 " I think I can see how the black men are needed," 
 he rejoined. " The whites have the intellect, we all 
 know ; but our people have great sympathy and good 
 nature, and we can counteract the nervous tension of the 
 whites in this warm climate." 
 
 This was an entirely new idea to Jefferson, but he 
 made no reply, and Dr. Brown continued : " We negroes 
 do not want social equality with the whites. We 
 do not want assimilation. All we want is justice, just 
 as the Hon. W. H. Fleming said last Friday night." 
 In the afternoon Dr. Brown preached the sermon, which 
 was rather short, but Jefferson noticed the man's logic, 
 his Scriptural knowledge, and his plain, practical com- 
 mon sense. He sent the crowds away with the idea that 
 Christianity was a life, and laid emphasis on the mes- 
 sage of Booker T. Washington. The discourse by Dr. 
 Brown helped to make the day an epoch in Jefferson's 
 own religious life. He could feel that his soul had been 
 warmed. His inherited faith in God and in the Bible 
 began to reassert itself. 
 
 " I think if I were to attend another negro camp meet- 
 
108 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 ing," he laughed to himself that night, " I should be- 
 come as ardent a Christian as Rose Atkinson." 
 
 A short time later he was glad indeed that his faith 
 in God had been somewhat revived. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 legree's revenge begins 
 
 Harbison's triumph seemed at first to be complete. 
 The whole community was stirred to new life by the 
 visit of the brilliant head of Tuskegee, who seemed, at 
 one blow, to have destroyed Legreeism in Dothan. The 
 young men of the town seemed girt with fresh strength, 
 and the hunted look left the faces of the older people. 
 The negro specter, with which Legree had terrorized 
 the community for years, was seen to be a bogy man, 
 and under the leadership of men like Donald Shelby 
 Dothan seemed about to enter a new era of prosperity 
 and mutual confidence between whites and blacks. 
 
 But Legree had not yet played his last card. He 
 determined to wait for a little while, until the first effect 
 of the speech of that " fool nigger, Booker T.," as he 
 called the President of Tuskegee, had passed away, and 
 he was confident that he could again arouse the dying 
 spirit of the racial hate. Meanwhile, his minions were 
 instructed to let nothing escape which might lead to dis- 
 putes between the two races. 
 
 A few days after his visit to the camp meeting in 
 the woods Jefferson Lilly found out that his appearance 
 there had been reported in Dothan, and all kinds of 
 stories were being passed around. He heard that he 
 had " joined the nigger church." He had " turned the 
 heads of the niggers, telling them they were just as good 
 as the whites." Worst of all, and most damning, it was 
 
 109 
 
110 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 reported as being undeniable that " he had actually eaten 
 with a nigger." No one who is unacquainted with modern 
 conditions in Dothan can fully understand the awful na- 
 ture of the last charge. It is enough to ruin a man for 
 life. A thief may win his way back into society. A 
 woman with a question mark after her reputation may 
 live down her undesirable past; but for a man who has 
 eaten with a negro to get back into society in Dothan was 
 an impossible task. When Jefferson Lilly began to reflect 
 on his Sunday at the camp meeting he decided that if 
 Legree retained any power whatever in Dothan his own 
 fortunes were in imminent danger. Had it not been 
 for the quieting effect of Booker T. Washington's visit 
 Legree could have run him ignominiously out of town 
 the next day, but the crafty Legree, feeling sure that he 
 now had Jefferson in his power, waited quietly until he 
 could use the camp-meeting incident more effectively 
 to arouse a bitter hatred once more against Harbison 
 Institute, and the black race in general. His plans were 
 somewhat upset by an unexpected incident. 
 
 Rose Atkinson was walking downtown one day alone. 
 She had often done this before, and she had no fears 
 whatever of insult or violence. As she was approaching 
 a street corner she noticed a crowd of men standing in 
 animated conversation, but she was paying no attention 
 to them whatever until she heard one of them exclaim, 
 with an oath, " That's the Yankee teacher that is trying 
 to make this a nigger town." 
 
 The girl was shocked at the insulting remark, and, 
 with burning cheek, was hurrying past, when one fellow, 
 under the influence of liquor, stepped in front of her, 
 bawling out, " So you want a nigger husband, do you ? " 
 Quick as a flash the girl lifted her closed parasol and 
 struck him a stinging blow across the face, causing him 
 
LEGREE'S REVENGE BEGINS 111 
 
 to reel backward in sudden retreat. Some of the others 
 began to crowd forward, crying, " Nigger teacher, nigger 
 teacher ! " Rose was frightened. The rough men were 
 surrounding her, and insult, and even violence, seemed 
 imminent. 
 
 Suddenly around the corner, attracted by the noise, 
 came Jefferson Lilly. He had a heavy walking cane in 
 his hand, which he had purchased a few days before as 
 a protection that might be needed. Recognizing Rose, 
 and taking in the situation at a glance, he dashed into 
 the crowd with uplifted cane and began to belabor the 
 startled toughs in a terrific manner. " You white dogs ! " 
 were the only words that escaped his lips, as he struck 
 out so fiercely and furiously that the whole crowd scat- 
 tered like a school of minnows when a huge pike darts 
 into their midst. In a moment two of the fellows lay 
 senseless on the sidewalk and the rest were in full re- 
 treat. 
 
 With a glad cry of joy Rose ran to Jefferson's side, 
 and, taking his arm, they walked swiftly away, leaving 
 a fast increasing crowd of men and boys, who gaped at 
 them in wonder. They were soon out of reach, and 
 no one attempted to follow. For some time Rose did 
 not speak. At length she found her voice and whis- 
 pered, " Thank you very much, Mr. Lilly. That was a 
 new experience for me, and it almost overcame me. 
 Who were those dreadful, drunken fellows ? " 
 
 " They are some of Legree's followers," answered 
 Jefferson with a dark frown ; " but I confess they are 
 lower than I thought them to be. You will have to re- 
 member after this, Miss Atkinson, that it is unsafe for 
 you to walk the streets of Dothan without an escort." 
 
 By this time Rose had regained her composure, and 
 she began to realize the nature of the attack. " I suppose 
 
112 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 they are enraged," she responded, " because of Booker 
 T. Washington's successful meeting." 
 
 " Yes," said her companion. " They are wild with 
 rage because they see you are winning the whites over 
 to your side. These low dogs make a living out of race 
 hatred, and since you are beginning to interest the white 
 people in Harbison they fear that the color prejudice will 
 die out in Dothan, and that their day of power will be 
 gone. They are fighting for their lives." 
 
 " I certainly did not think such an outrage was possi- 
 ble in any American city," said Rose, her indignation 
 rising as she saw the reason for the insults offered her. 
 "If they think they can frighten me in that way they 
 are greatly mistaken. The blood of the heroes of Bunker 
 Hill runs in my veins, and I see in such vile creatures 
 worse enemies to our beloved America than foreign regi- 
 ments or warships." 
 
 By this time they had reached the entrance to Harbi- 
 son Institute, and just as they were shaking hands cor- 
 dially in parting, and Rose was expressing her warmest 
 gratitude to her protector, Florence Ashley drove past 
 in a carriage. The haughty Southern girl gazed in 
 blank astonishment at the scene. The color left her 
 face, and when Jefferson, recognizing her as the car- 
 riage came opposite them, raised his hat with a smile, 
 she bowed coldly to him, not noticing Rose in any way, 
 although that young lady also bowed and smiled. 
 
 " I am sorry that Miss Ashley was not in town last 
 Friday evening," said Rose. " I wish she could have 
 heard Dr. Washington." 
 
 Jefferson was a little dazed by the coldness of Flor- 
 ence's bow, and was wondering what had so seriously 
 offended her. He never imagined that the warmth of 
 Rose's parting was the occasion, but mused to himself, 
 
LEGREE'S REVENGE BEGINS 113 
 
 " She is angry to see me in the vicinity of Harbison In- 
 stitute. I must call to-night and explain things." 
 
 " Don't you think that Miss Ashley will turn against 
 Legree's policy when she understands the whole ques- 
 tion better," Rose continued, not comprehending the 
 cause of Jefferson's sudden silence and abstraction. 
 
 " Yes, I believe so," he answered so absent-mindedly 
 that Rose looked up at him and saw his look of anxiety 
 as his eyes followed the retreating carriage. 
 
 " I will leave her to you to make a speedy convert 
 out of her. I can see you are quite an admirer of Miss 
 Ashley," and Rose laughed gayly. She had now quite 
 recovered from the shock of the sudden onslaught a fewi 
 minutes before. 
 
 Jefferson Lilly recovered his composure and answered, 
 smilingly, " I do not think I will have much influence 
 over her in regard to Harbison. I understand that she 
 has never recognized in a social way any of the teachers 
 of the Institute, but I feel sure that your acquaintance 
 with her, Miss Atkinson, will soon win her over." 
 
 " She has treated me coldly ever since she knew I was 
 teaching here," said Rose with a little laugh. " I think 
 she would ignore me altogether were it not for Aunt 
 Waynor." 
 
 This conversation delayed the young people for several 
 minutes, and when her carriage turned a corner, three 
 blocks distant, Florence Ashley glanced back and saw 
 them still engaged in eager conversation, although they 
 were shaking hands in farewell when she had passed them. 
 
 " The bold thing ! " she said to herself. " She is the 
 cause of all this talk about Jefferson being a nigger's 
 man. I might have known that a Harbison teacher 
 would act that way. Why don't such people stay where 
 they belong? " A suspicion of a tear glistened in her eye. 
 
114 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 The more Florence Ashley thought of the scene she 
 had witnessed at the gateway of the Harbison Institute 
 the more agitated she became. When she arrived at 
 home she sought at once the seclusion of her own room 
 and sat down to consider. " I don't care ! " she ex- 
 claimed aloud, bursting into tears. " Jefferson had no 
 business to be walking out there with her, smiling on 
 her and holding her hand. It is a shame. I will teach 
 him a lesson." She dried her tears and sat up straight 
 for a few minutes. " I don't care a bit for him anyway," 
 she continued aloud. " I just hate him. Everybody is talk- 
 ing about him, and I am glad I have found him out. I 
 won't see him again," and the proud daughter of Ala- 
 bama arose haughtily and washed her face. But her 
 eyes were still red and she felt miserable. She was be- 
 ginning to learn some of the mysteries of the soul, which 
 bewilder us at first, but which we recognize later as un- 
 escapable laws of nature. 
 
 That evening, at the supper table, Mr. Ashley told of 
 the great excitement in town over Jefferson Lilly. " He 
 has become the talk of the town," he said. " It seems 
 he is an ardent defender of negro rights, and all the 
 friends of Legree are tremendously wrought up over 
 him. Some say that he eats with negroes right along, and 
 others say he has joined a negro church. I heard he was 
 talking of marrying a negress, but I hardly believe any- 
 thing like that." 
 
 Florence was an interested listener, but did not trust 
 herself to say anything. 
 
 " I am afraid," said Mrs. Ashley with a sigh, " that 
 Rose Atkinson will only make matters worse here for the 
 colored people. I hear that Booker T.'s visit has greatly 
 angered Legree and many others." 
 
 " That may be," rejoined Mr. Ashley, " but I have 
 
LEGREE'S REVENGE BEGINS 115 
 
 heard a great many say that Booker Washington had the 
 right idea about the negro, after all. It is different now 
 from the days of slavery. Then an ignorant negro was 
 a safe negro. It is not so to-day." 
 
 " Do you think we will ever endure social equality 
 with niggers ? " said Florence in disgust. 
 
 Her father laughed at the expression of horror on 
 her face and answered, " Don't be afraid, Florence. 
 Social equality is' not even dreamed of. It is one of 
 Legree's nightmares. I have heard that Washington 
 spoke expressly on the subject at his meeting here and 
 called the agitation of the whole question of social eqal- 
 ity ' the extreme of folly.' " 
 
 " I am sorry young Mr. Lilly has gotten into trouble 
 over such a vulgar matter as the rights of negroes. He 
 seemed such a nice young man," interposed Mrs. Ashley. 
 " Do you know anything about it, Florence ? " 
 
 The mother's quick eyes had detected that something 
 was amiss with her fair daughter and she surmised that 
 [Jefferson Lilly had something to do with it. 
 
 " No, I know nothing about him," Florence answered 
 shortly. " He and I are no longer friends." 
 
 " If the young man remains much longer in Dothan 
 he is sure to get some rough treatment," said Mr. Ash- 
 ley. " This race prejudice regards neither the laws of 
 God nor man, and Mr. Lilly has aroused the Legree fac- 
 tion to extreme bitterness." 
 
 The conversation changed to more congenial topics 
 and Jefferson Lilly was soon dismissed from their minds. 
 Ah, not entirely dismissed! Deep down in her heart 
 Florence thought of nothing else. She wanted to see 
 him, to warn him, to save him. But the remembrance of 
 his smile as he shook hands with Rose Atkinson at the 
 Harbison gate came back again to her mind, and she 
 
116 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 crushed back, as best she could, all sympathy for the 
 young man. 
 
 Much to her secret pleasure Jefferson called on her 
 that evening, but she refused to see him, sending down 
 a curt answer that she was engaged for that evening. 
 This cold treatment of hers was the last drop in Jeffer- 
 son's cup of bitterness. " I have become a Pariah in 
 Dothan," he said aloud, as he walked down the street. 
 " Florence knows I am a marked man here and she too 
 has spurned me as a leper." 
 
 Jefferson Lilly was getting confused. T^ie constant 
 insults to which, in one way or another, he was ex- 
 posed; his real danger from the conscienceless minions 
 of Legree, and now this sudden desertion by Florence 
 Ashley, whose smile had first aroused in him his new, 
 manhood and spirit, which were the real cause of all his 
 difficulties — all combined to overwhelm him. Had he 
 been a less dauntless soul he would have given up the 
 struggle at once and left Dothan, but there flowed in his 
 veins the blood of the old Covenanter stock of Scotland. 
 His forefathers had suffered, bled and died for princi- 
 ple, and he had inherited a full measure of their per- 
 sistency. He was not sustained, at this time, by the 
 lofty faith in God, which had upheld his forefathers in 
 their cruel martyrdoms, but he had a keen sense of jus- 
 tice, and he felt in his soul that he had committed no 
 wrong, and doggedly determined to remain in Dothan and 
 face the conflict to the bitter end. 
 
 Things were getting serious. That night at his hotel he 
 was told that his room had been changed. He demanded 
 to know the reason, but the bellboy replied that he did 
 not know, and conducted him to a back room, evidently 
 a servant's room, without key or fastening on the door, 
 and with no carpet or much furnishings. 
 
LEGREE'S REVENGE BEGINS 117 
 
 " What does this mean ? " he demanded again of the 
 bellboy, when he saw the wretched place assigned him; 
 but the lad, terrified by Jefferson's anger, quickly dis- 
 appeared down the hallway. Jefferson went downstairs 
 to the hotel office. 
 
 " Who ordered my room to be changed ? " he asked, 
 his eyes glistening like a basilisk's. 
 
 " I don't know, sir," answered the clerk in some trepi- 
 dation. " I am the night clerk." 
 
 " Give me a decent room ! " he shouted. 
 
 " I'm sorry, sir," said the clerk, becoming somewhat 
 alarmed. " We are all full. You will have to go to 
 another hotel." 
 
 It was getting late, and Jefferson began to fear that 
 the other hotels would also be barred against him. He 
 decided to wait until morning before making any new 
 move, so that he could consult with Donald Shelby. Go- 
 ing again to the back room that was assigned him he 
 looked around in disgust. Always accustomed to the 
 very best hotel accommodations, the filthy room was 
 intolerable. Two or three times he thought he would 
 leave, but it was now so late at night that he finally lay 
 down, without undressing, on the rough bed. It was a 
 warm night, and he could not sleep. His brain seemed 
 on fire. Utterly unused to facing such rough treatment, 
 he could not accustom himself to his strange and trying 
 environments. 
 
 " It is all a horrible nightmare," he thought. " I 
 shall awake and find that I have been dreaming." 
 
 But Jefferson Lilly had only begun to feel the tortures 
 that race hatred can inspire. Some may not think the 
 next experience of his credible, but that is because they 
 have never lived in a town where a Legree was master. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 THE FEARFUL PENALTY 
 
 Too excited to eat any breakfast, Jefferson Lilly, after 
 a sleepless night, hastened in the morning to find his 
 friend, Donald Shelby, that he might consult with him. 
 A new misfortune awaited him. He learned, with dis- 
 may, that Donald Shelby had been summoned to New 
 York on important legal business the evening before, 
 and that he had left on the Night Express. At an utter 
 loss what course to pursue, he was returning slowly to 
 his hotel, when a man accosted him and said quietly: 
 " Sir, I want to warn you as a friend. Leave Dothan 
 at once or you will be shot for joining a nigger church 
 and for eating with niggers." 
 
 The man passed on, leaving Jefferson's mind in a 
 wilder tumult than ever. A little later the policeman 
 who had met him the night he had wounded one of the 
 toughs who attacked him came up and, eying him ma- 
 liciously, said : " You must leave town immediately as 
 the people want none like you here, and I want no trou- 
 ble in the streets." 
 
 " I am making no trouble," replied Jefferson with 
 spirit " I will leave Dothan when I get ready and not 
 before." 
 
 " We'll see about that," said the policeman with an 
 oath, as he crossed the street. 
 
 Jefferson had walked on about half a block when sud- 
 denly a stone whizzed past his head. He turned hastily 
 
 118 
 
THE FEARFUL PENALTY 119 
 
 and saw a crowd gathering behind him, everyone looking 
 daggers at him. It would have been madness to have 
 offered resistance, and he determined to invoke the aid 
 of the authorities of the city. He started to walk rapidly 
 in the direction of the City Hall. The mob, increasing 
 every moment, was at his heels, like a pack of hungry 
 wolves. Cries of " Lynch the white nigger ! " " Shoot 
 him down ! " began to rise in hoarse shouts from the 
 many-footed monster whose bestial rage Jefferson Lilly 
 had stirred. Just then Jefferson did something which he 
 always afterward regretted, but it was not an unnatural 
 thing to do. His sleepless night, his constant agitation 
 for many hours, his defenseless condition — without gun 
 or even a cane — the increasing excitement of the mob, 
 all combined to produce a panic in his soul. He started 
 to run. The mob's shouts became louder and fiercer, and 
 they pursued him at full speed. The devil was now un- 
 chained. His life was in imminent danger. No fierce 
 tiger in African jungle ever thirsted for the blood of its 
 hunted prey as did that Dothan mob for Jefferson's neck. 
 " Hang him ! " " Hang him ! " " Get a rope ! " The 
 hoarse shouts rose as from the throat of a monster savage 
 beast. 
 
 Jefferson redoubled his speed. He tore off his coat 
 and hat and flung them in the street, delaying for an in- 
 stant the oncoming mob, as they grasped the cast-off 
 clothing of their victim in hellish glee. It is told of a 
 company of travelers, on the snowy steppes of Russia, 
 that their lives were saved, when pursued by a hungry 
 pack of wolves, by some of their robes falling from the 
 sleigh, which diverted the attention of the brutes long 
 enough for the hunted party to reach a place of safety. 
 Thus it was with Jefferson Lilly on that fateful morning. 
 He had gained now on the mob almost a block, and he 
 
120 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 saw the City Hall rise before him. Never did a storm- 
 tossed sailor, after a voyage in which all hope of seeing 
 the shore had died, enter a haven with a greater sense of 
 relief than did the hunted Jefferson enter the City Hall 
 of Dothan, believing that now he had escaped the cruel 
 teeth of lawless savagery. He rushed up the stairs, and 
 into the Mayor's office. 
 
 " I claim the protection of the law ! " he shouted to an 
 official there. Two policemen rushed from a side room, 
 and each caught one of his arms. " Where is the 
 Mayor?" cried Jefferson. "I want to see him." He 
 was highly excited, and at first they believed that he was 
 really crazy. Without hat or coat, his face perspiring 
 and his hair disheveled, his eyes staring widely, the young 
 man was in a sorry plight. Thinking that it was neces- 
 sary to quiet him, the official, who was one of the clerks, 
 said : "lam the Mayor. What can I do for you? " 
 
 Jefferson had met the Mayor, but thinking the clerk 
 was in charge that morning he gasped out : " I have un- 
 wittingly irritated some of the citizens of Dothan and 
 they have threatened to kill me. I wish protection. I 
 have just escaped a mob that was seeking my life." " Sit 
 down here ; we will protect you," said the clerk, and two 
 policemen led the excited young man to a chair. 
 
 When the mob saw their prey enter the City Hall they 
 knew they had been balked, and without attempting to 
 follow Jefferson farther they dispersed at once ; so that 
 when a policeman went down to investigate the street 
 was almost deserted. A little later they handcuffed Jef- 
 ferson, in spite of his fiery protests, and took him to a 
 room where he was kept for two hours. By this time 
 the Mayor arrived. He was a big, lazy looking man, a 
 mere tool of Legree's, who was evidently well acquainted 
 with what had happened. He was in complete sympathy 
 
THE FEARFUL PENALTY 121 
 
 with Legree's plans to arouse anew the spirit of racial 
 hate and enmity, and he well knew the meaning of the 
 mob's action that morning. A policeman was dispatched 
 to bring Jefferson into the Mayor's Court. 
 
 " What do you mean, sir, disturbing the peace of the 
 city ? " asked the Mayor menacingly, when the young 
 man was brought into his presence. " Did I not tell you 
 to leave Dothan some days ago ? " The two hours of 
 solitary confinement, with his hands in shackles, had 
 aroused Jefferson's anger to its highest pitch. Looking 
 the Mayor straight in the face he demanded, " Take off 
 these handcuffs ! I am a free American citizen ! " The 
 Mayor stared at him and sneered, " You'll go out of town 
 when we set you loose again." " Take off these hand- 
 cuffs ! " again demanded Jefferson, his excitement in- 
 creasing, as he realized his helpless condition and gross 
 injustice to which he was subjected. Just then he heard 
 a man enter the room and exclaim with an oath : " It's 
 the white nigger again ! We have got him this time ! " 
 
 Jefferson turned and saw Legree standing in the door- 
 way, a look of contempt on his face. This was too much 
 for the spirit of Jefferson Lilly to endure. He raised his 
 handcuffed fists, so that they made a kind of battering 
 ram, and before anyone suspected his object he rushed at 
 Legree, striking him a terrific blow and sending him 
 sprawling out in the hallway. Two policemen rushed on 
 the manacled prisoner and soon clubbed him into submis- 
 sion. 
 
 " Take him to jail ! " shouted the Mayor, and they led 
 the young fellow down to a room on the lower floor, 
 which was used as a police cell. This room, instead of 
 a door, had an iron grate opening into a passageway, which 
 was open to the public. There was no furniture in the 
 room of any kind. A filthy quilt lay in the corner, and 
 
122 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 was meant to answer for a bed. The floor was covered 
 with expectoration and filth, making a smell that was un- 
 bearable. No sooner was Jefferson confined in this filthy 
 cell than the open passageway was filled with the mem- 
 bers of the mob, who were idle loafers around town, both 
 men and boys. They began to jeer at the prisoner 
 through the bars of the gate. Jefferson, dazed and 
 stunned, sat upon the floor and gazed vacantly at his tor- 
 mentors. They asked him all manner of questions: 
 " Who was he ? " " What was his name ? " " Where he 
 came from ? " " Why he wanted a nigger woman for 
 a wife? " " How he would enjoy working on the streets 
 with the niggers ? " All the forenoon and all the after- 
 noon this constant torment was kept up ; when some were 
 tired out others took their places. Jefferson paid no at- 
 tention to them, answering nothing. He recalled the 
 scene in " The Pilgrim's Progress," which he had read as 
 a boy, where John Bunyan described Christian and Faith- 
 ful as prisoners in a cage at Vanity Fair in these words : 
 " They took them and beat them and besmeared them 
 with dirt, and then put them into a cage, that they might 
 be made a spectacle to all the men of the Fair. There, 
 therefore, they lay for some time, and were made objects 
 of any man's sport, or malice, or revenge." " I am 
 Dothan's spectacle to-day," said the unfortunate Jeffer- 
 son to himself bitterly. 
 
 During that awful day the only food he had to eat was 
 a coarse sandwich. Toward evening he felt his physical 
 nature begin to give way; a fever began to flush his 
 cheeks, and to give his eyes a glassy stare. That night 
 he could not sleep. The filthy surroundings, the memory 
 of his insults, his hunger and his deep remorse that he 
 had run so ignominiously from the mob, all combined to 
 set his brain on fire. In the morning he felt he was on 
 
THE FEARFUL PENALTY 123 
 
 the verge of physical collapse. He had not slept for 
 forty-eight hours. The morning wore on, and at last he 
 began to shout loudly for assistance. A policeman came, 
 handcuffed his hands behind his back and led him up 
 again to the Mayor's office. He was still coatless, his 
 face unwashed and his hair unkempt. 
 
 " Let me go free ! " he again demanded of the Mayor. 
 " I have broken no law. My arrest and detention are 
 illegal." As a matter of fact there was no warrant of any 
 kind for his arrest and no charge had been preferred ; but 
 these facts mattered little in Legree's Dothan. 
 
 The day was intensely hot, and the treatment the young 
 man had received was beginning to tell. He was given a 
 drink of water, which tasted peculiar, as he thought, and 
 after drinking it his fever kept increasing. In a little 
 while he became delirious, and he commenced struggling 
 with his handcuffs. The Mayor and two or three other 
 officials began filling out a blank form, which declared 
 that Jefferson Lilly had been arrested as a lunatic, and 
 he was to be committed to Tuscaloosa Asylum. In a 
 dazed and semi-conscious condition he was led away and 
 put in a large, common room of the jail. Here the sights 
 and smells were hideous. The low-browed and foul- 
 mouthed criminals in the jail crowded around the new 
 prisoner like mocking fiends. The delirium of the young 
 man became worse, and that evening a policeman took 
 him in charge and led him to the depot, where he was 
 taken on board of a train for Tuscaloosa. A howling, 
 angry mob was at the station, and was scarcely re- 
 strained from doing violence to the now completely help- 
 less man. He reached the institution in Tuscaloosa the 
 next day in a state of complete physical collapse. For 
 three whole days he had eaten practically nothing, and 
 for three nights he had not slept. Kindly nature came 
 
124 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 to his relief, and in the stupor of a brain fever he was 
 carried into the hospital ward at the asylum. Kind doc- 
 tors and tender-hearted nurses took him in charge, and 
 he was gently undressed and put in bed, although he was 
 completely oblivious now to all ministrations, good or 
 bad. When the deputy who had taken Jefferson to the 
 asylum returned to Dothan he reported the success of his 
 mission to Legree. 
 
 " We'll soon get Dothan back to where it was," said 
 Legree with a coarse laugh. " That white nigger, Lilly, 
 is now out of the way for good, and we'll stir things up 
 so that the niggers will be scared to death in this town 
 unless they stay where a nigger belongs." He winked 
 knowingly to his henchman, adding, " Booker T. doesn't 
 cut any ice with Legree." 
 
 On the evening that Jefferson Lilly was taken out of 
 Dothan to the Tuscaloosa Asylum Rev. John Durham, 
 of Hambright, a brother of Rev. William Durham, pas- 
 tor of Calvary Church, arrived in the Alabama town 
 from his home in North Carolina for a visit to his; 
 younger brother. 
 
 Peter Legree heard of his coming from someone who 
 saw him get off the train, and he called that evening at the 
 parsonage. Rev. William Durham was out, calling on a 
 sick parishioner, so that Legree and the North Carolina 
 minister of the Gospel had a pleasant meeting by them- 
 selves. After the first greetings were over — for the two 
 were old friends — the preacher asked the " Boss " how 
 everything was getting along in Dothan. 
 
 " Bad, very bad," answered Legree with a scowl. " I 
 am very glad you have come at this time, for we need 
 your help." 
 
 "What's wrong now? William has not written me 
 anything." 
 
THE FEARFUL PENALTY 125 
 
 " That's the worst of it," replied Legree. " Your 
 brother, I am afraid, is being carried away with this nig- 
 ger education nonsense. Booker T. has been here and 
 turned this town upside down. That nigger school, 
 Harbison, is trying to make this a regular nigger town." 
 
 " I am astonished to hear you say so," replied the 
 preacher. " I always thought that Dothan was one town 
 where the white people had some sense, although I never 
 could see why you allowed that Harbison Institution here 
 at all. I am glad you have told me. I am to preach for 
 my brother to-morrow, and I will wake up these people." 
 
 " Good ! " said Legree, rubbing his hands in glee. 
 " That is just what we need. There is a Yankee teacher 
 here. Miss Atkinson is her name, and I think she is to 
 blame for a good deal of our trouble. She brought 
 Booker T. here. She is a relative of the Waynors or I 
 would soon make it too hot for her in this place." 
 
 " Rose Atkinson ! " exclaimed the other in astonish- 
 ment. " A foolish young woman from Pittsburg. I 
 have met her. She is worse than a plague. I never met 
 a woman with less sense than she has," and the North 
 Carolina minister of Christ waxed wroth at the memory 
 of his last interview with the undaunted Rose. She had 
 quoted Scripture to him, and called him a minister of 
 Herod and a traitor to Christ, and the old man never 
 forgave her. The full result of this conference between 
 Peter Legree and Rev. John Durham, of Hambright, N. 
 C, was plainly seen on Sunday morning, when the visiting 
 preacher occupied his brother's pulpit. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 REV. JOHN DURHAM, OF HAMBRIGHT 
 
 It was on a Saturday evening that Jefferson Lilly, after 
 undergoing the torments of an inquisition, was taken 
 to Tuscaloosa Asylum. The next day was a beautiful, 
 quiet Sabbath. A cool breeze, blowing from the south, 
 made the air delightful, and a large congregation gath- 
 ered in the Calvary Church. Only a few of the mem- 
 bers knew of the presence of the pastor's brother, so that 
 the majority of the congregation was surprised to see him 
 in the pulpit. He had often visited Dothan before, and he, 
 was accustomed to preach on these occasions, and he 
 never failed, in any of his sermons, to vent his wrath 
 on " negro coddlers," as he contemptuously called all 
 friends of the black race who sought to assist them 
 through a system of education. Prominent among the 
 worshipers that morning, with a pleased look on his hard, 
 selfish countenance, sat Peter Legree. Rose Atkinson 
 was in the Waynor pew, for she continued to attend the 
 Calvary Church, and she was making many pleasant 
 friendships among its members. A troubled look came 
 to her face as she recognized the Hambright minister, 
 with whom she had a regular battle during a visit she 
 had made to the little North Carolina village, where his 
 small church was. 
 
 Florence Ashley was in the choir, her face pale as 
 •death, and a look of anxiety on her countenance, which 
 the quick eye of Rose at once detected. 
 
 126 
 
REV. JOHN DURHAM, OF HAMBR1GHT 127 
 
 " She is worrying over Jefferson Lilly," said Rose to 
 herself. " Poor fellow ! I wonder what they have done 
 to him. I wonder if he really lost his head. I am sure 
 it was a wicked conspiracy," and there came a tender- 
 ness toward the unfortunate victim of Legreeism into the: 
 heart of the fair Rose that made her eyes grow dim. She 
 had heard distorted reports of Jefferson's plight the day 
 before and knew that he had been taken out of town. She 
 suspected the real truth, but felt that at present she could 
 do nothing but pray. 
 
 The service began with the customary organ voluntary 
 and the opening exercises. These were in charge of the 
 pastor of the church, who then introduced Rev. John Dur- 
 ham of Hambright, as " an old friend of the congrega- 
 tion, who would preach to them the Gospel of Christ." 
 
 Rev. John Durham stood up and looked around. He 
 saw many familiar faces in the congregation, but he noted 
 two especially, Peter Legree and Rose Atkinson. On the 
 former he beamed with pleasure, while a dark frown 
 made his sour-looking face more bitter as he recognized 
 the teacher from Harbison. He knew, of course, from 
 Legree's conversation that she was in Dothan, but he 
 did not expect to see her at church. " If I were the pas- 
 tor here," he thought, " I would soon drive her from my 
 congregation." 
 
 John Durham was an old man, but his face had none of 
 the kindly sympathy and genial goodness which the ripe 
 Christian exhibits to the world. A perpetual scowl dark- 
 ened his countenance. The lines about his mouth turned 
 downward with a sharp curve. He looked, as Rose At- 
 kinson had once described him, a bitter, disappointed, old 
 infidel. With a sanctimonious roll of his eyes and sol- 
 emn tone of voice he began his sermon by repeating a 
 part of the sixteenth Psalm : " Preserve me, O God, for 
 
128 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 in thee do I put my trust. Their sorrows shall be multi- 
 plied that hasten after another god ; their drink-offerings 
 of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my 
 lips. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of 
 my cup. Thou maintainest my lot." Here he paused 
 and repeated again solemnly, " Thou maintainest my lot." 
 " God has preserved us so far," he exclaimed, walking 
 from behind the pulpit, while the sanctimonious look left 
 his eyes and his voice became natural. " God helps those 
 who help themselves," he almost shouted. " We cannot 
 expect God to maintain our lot while we lie supinely on 
 our backs and see a black wave rush over the fair civili- 
 zation of the Southland without making a protest. 
 Awake! arouse! my fellow-citizens." 
 
 The old man was plainly excited. Legree's face lit up 
 with pleasure, but the greater part of the congregation 
 began to move uneasily. Rose Atkinson could see that 
 Rev. William Durham was looking at his brother anx- 
 iously. 
 
 " I have heard that Booker T. Washington was in 
 Dothan recently," he shouted, louder than ever, " and 
 that some of you have been carried away with the mad 
 folly he represents. I mean negro education. It is a 
 farce, a delusion, a horrible and fatal mistake." 
 
 Rose Atkinson sat up straight in her seat, her cheeks 
 tingling and her eyes shining. The Waynors frowned. 
 Deacon Leavitt gazed appealingly in the direction of his 
 pastor, but Rev. William Durham was staring at his 
 brother m helpless astonishment. 
 
 " The negro has already cost us many billions of dol- 
 lars. He brought on us a war that cost the lives of half 
 a million white men. He has corrupted our social and 
 political life, and he threatens the future of our land with 
 bloodshed and ruin." 
 
REV. JOHN DURHAM, OF HAMBR1GHT 129 
 
 At this outburst a number of the young men in the rear 
 seats began to smile. " An old-time ranter," one of them 
 whispered. 
 
 " Booker T. may tell of lifting up the negroes by indus- 
 trial education," he continued, " but the South will yet 
 find, to its horror, that this black Booker has been a false 
 prophet. The Ethiopian cannot change his skin, nor the 
 leopard his spots. Education is useless, and worse than 
 useless. Can you make the negro's skin white by educa- 
 tion ? Can you take the kink from his hair or the bulge 
 from his lips ? I tell you the black man is not a man as 
 we are. He is the human donkey. You cannot make 
 him a horse, or treat him as a horse. This race preju- 
 dice, of which the world ignorantly accuses us, is God's 
 eternal law working itself out It is our instinct of 
 preservation. Mate a donkey and a horse and both are 
 gone. Nothing remains but a sterile mule." 
 
 A look of disgust came over the faces of the audi- 
 ence at this uncouth illustration, and the preacher noticed 
 it. 
 
 " Abraham Lincoln," he went on in a more quiet voice, 
 " said : ' There is a physical difference between the white 
 and the black races which I believe will forever forbid 
 them living together on terms of social and political equal- 
 ity.' Lincoln was right. Educate the negro and he be- 
 comes a menace. Industrial training will give him power. 
 The negro will become our competitor and not our serv- 
 ant, as God meant him to be. The white man must kill 
 him, for, as a competitor, the negro will demand equal 
 social rights, and the Anglo-Saxons must annihilate or 
 deport the black race from the South." The Hambright 
 preacher was now worked up to a high pitch of excite- 
 ment. " This whole education scheme for negroes is a 
 humbug and farce. I know you have a school in Dothan 
 
130 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 promoting this folly. It is a blot and a disgrace to the 
 community. You must wipe it out." 
 
 As he repeated this last sentence the old man, in his 
 frenzy, raised his voice to a shriek. He paced the pulpit 
 like a spotted leopard. He shook his fist in the direction 
 of Rose Atkinson, who was now regarding him more in 
 pity than in anger. 
 
 " Look this matter squarely in the face," he concluded. 
 " The ages are watching you. Negro education is a de- 
 liberate attempt to overwhelm our glorious Anglo-Saxon 
 civilization, and bury it under a black sea of African 
 savagery." 
 
 No sooner was the North Carolina preacher seated 
 than Rev. William Durham rose and offered prayer; in 
 voice, in language and in thought the prayer was as dif- 
 ferent from the sermon as a child's cry from an Indian 
 warwhoop. " We have sinned, O God, we have sinned," 
 prayed the pastor of Calvary Church. " Have mercy on 
 us. Lead us with thy truth. We are in darkness. Do 
 thou enlighten us. Anything in us that is not in accord 
 with the spirit of Christ, do thou remove from us." 
 
 Here Deacon Leavitt, to the surprise of the whole con- 
 gregation, echoed a loud "amen." This unexpected in- 
 terruption seemed to confuse the pastor, and he soon 
 brought his petitions to a close. 
 
 Before either the minister or the congregation knew 
 what was happening Rose Atkinson had risen from her 
 seat in the Waynor pew, and hurried down the aisle to 
 the front of the church. " Can I say just a word ? " she 
 asked Rev. William Durham, while the Hambright 
 brother scowled in anger. The pastor of Calvary Church 
 was taken aback, and bowed his consent in confusion, not 
 realizing exactly what the girl meant. The beautiful 
 young Northerner turned to the congregation, who rec- 
 
REV. JOHN DURHAM, OF HAMBRIGHT 131 
 
 ognized her at once, and began in a quiet but distinct tone 
 of voice : " You all know that I am a teacher at Harbi- 
 son Institute. I have dedicated my life and a large part 
 of my fortune to negro education. I just want to add a 
 word to the sermon of Rev. John Durham." 
 
 The entire congregation was attentive. Florence Ash- 
 ley leaned forward from her place in the choir to catch 
 a glimpse of her rival. Deacon Leavitt, with sympathy 
 written all over his face, also leaned forward. The 
 young men on the back seats were listening with eager 
 interest. 
 
 " I desire to say," she went on, " that I pity, from the 
 bottom of my heart, this prejudiced man who thinks such 
 a sermon is a Christian discourse. He has insulted every 
 principle of Christianity and trampled the Golden Rule 
 under his feet." 
 
 " Amen," again echoed Deacon Leavitt, while Legree 
 scowled savagely at the youthful speaker. 
 
 " The providence of God," she continued, encouraged 
 by the deacon's response and the evident interest of all, 
 " the providence of God has entrusted the negro race to 
 the South, which cannot escape the trust if it would. 
 Talk about annihilation or deportation is the wildest folly. 
 In his riper years, as President of the United States, 
 Abraham Lincoln was enthusiastic in his conviction that 
 the black race had an important contribution to our na- 
 tional life. In 1864 he declared : ' They would probably 
 help, in some trying time to come, to keep the jewel of 
 liberty within the family of freedom.' The worst enemies 
 of the South to-day," said the girl, looking directly at 
 John Durham, " are men like you, sir. You are sowing 
 broadcast the dragon teeth of racial debauchery. The 
 law of the color line is that if the white race seeks to lift 
 up the blacks the line becomes fixed and permanent, and 
 
132 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 the two races keep apart, but if the whites seek to em- 
 brute the negro they sink themselves, and the color line 
 is blotted out on the lower level. All history teaches this. 
 Our own Southland proves it. Your teachings, sir, would 
 make our whole land mulatto, black outside and inside." 
 
 Some of the members moved uneasily to their seats 
 as the girl hurled these denunciations at the head of the 
 ambassador of Christ, sitting in the pulpit, but, with 
 flushed cheeks and shining eyes, she kept on. 
 
 " What we need to solve the dark problem of our time 
 is not the spirit of Herod, but the spirit of Christ. The 
 two races must learn to work together with mutual trust 
 and effort. This will demand love and sacrifice. It will 
 call for truth and justice. It will require heroic courage 
 and martyr faith, but are not these virtues to be found 
 all over the beautiful Southland ? " 
 
 She stood erect, lovely and gracious as a queen. In 
 the Ashley pew that day sat a young man, Charles Ash- 
 ley, a brother of Florence, whose home was in Atlanta, 
 Ga., where he was a rising young business man. He had 
 been watching Rose Atkinson with admiring eyes, and 
 when she repeated these words the young man said to 
 himself : " She has the old fellow backed into a corner, 
 all right." 
 
 " I leave it with you," she concluded, " who heard 
 Booker T. Washington and who have just listened to 
 Rev. John Durham, which of these two men has shown 
 the Christian spirit in dealing with the race question? " 
 
 She sat down, but her words had changed the entire at- 
 mosphere of the service. One of the verses of the last 
 hymn was: 
 
 " If you cannot cross the ocean, 
 And the distant lands explore, 
 You can find the heathen nearer, 
 You can help them at your door." 
 
REV. JOHN DURHAM, OF HAMBR1GHT, 133 
 
 The congregation sang out the words with a spirit that 
 made Peter Legree wince and scowl darker than ever. 
 
 At the close of the service the Waynor pew was sur- 
 rounded by a large number who shook hands cordially 
 with Rose Atkinson, among them Charles Ashley. " I 
 live in Atlanta, Ga.," he said, " and Mr. Fleming told me 
 about you. I want to say your words were grand this 
 morning." Rose flushed and bowed in silence. 
 
 Only one man shook hands with Rev. John Durham, 
 and that was Peter Legree. " The cursed woman spoiled 
 his whole sermon," was the reflection of the " Boss." 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 IN TUSCALOOSA ASYLUM 
 
 The arrest of Jefferson Lilly produced, as Legree well 
 knew it would, a revival of racial bitterness and suspicion. 
 The question of social equality was again agitated, and 
 stories were started that the negroes had been roused by 
 Jefferson Lilly's actions to demand every right that the 
 white man had, including the right to choose a white wife 
 if desired. In this way the white people of the com- 
 munity were blinded to the wrongs of the unfortunate 
 Jefferson, and when it was learned that he had been de- 
 ported as a lunatic the majority of them not only consid- 
 ered his treatment as proper, but they felt anew the debt 
 of gratitude they owed to the lynx-eyed Legree, who had 
 promptly nipped in the bud a conspiracy of the blacks to 
 overwhelm Anglo-Saxon civilization. 
 
 But there was one heart that was melted when she 
 heard of the cruel fate of the unfortunate young man. 
 Florence Ashley wept in secret bitter tears of penitence 
 for her abrupt desertion of one who, just a short time 
 before, she had considered as her devoted lover. 
 
 " I wish I had warned him," she sobbed to herself, 
 in her misery forgetting all about the scene at the gate of 
 Harbison, and remembering Jefferson as he looked when 
 he won the race with the flying Coastland Express. But 
 love finds a way. Unable to help him herself, she found 
 out, through her father, the New York address of Donald 
 Shelby, and late on the evening of the day that Jefferson 
 
 134 
 
IN TUSCALOOSA ASYLUM 135 
 
 was deported this message flashed from Dothan to the 
 great metropolis on the shores of the Atlantic : " Come 
 back quick ! Jefferson Lilly in great trouble. Florence 
 Ashley." 
 
 " I knew it ! I knew it ! " said Donald to himself as he 
 read the message, and, folding it up carefully, put the 
 telegram in his pocket. He caught the first train for the 
 South out of New York, and hurried back to Alabama, 
 leaving some very important legal business unattended 
 to. " I wonder what ' the great trouble ' is," Donald 
 asked himself again and again. " I know it is the result 
 of his fight with Legree. That serpent was eager to 
 strike him. I hope I will not be too late." 
 
 The fast train roared on its Southern journey at ex- 
 press speed, but to Donald it seemed to creep along. He 
 tried to beguile the hours by reading, but he could not 
 concentrate his mind on his book. He finally got into 
 conversation with a young traveler from Pittsburg, and 
 soon his new-found friend and he had advanced beyond 
 the discussion of the weather to matters of interest to 
 both. 
 
 " You say that you live in Alabama," said the Pitts- 
 burger, whose name was Horace Speedwell. " I know a 
 girl who lives in a place called Dothan, in that State." 
 
 " Dothan ! " exclaimed Donald. " That is my town." 
 
 " I am glad to meet you ! " exclaimed the other. " I 
 have been greatly interested in Dothan since Rose Atkin- 
 son went there to teach in a freedman's institute, or some- 
 thing like that." 
 
 " Rose Atkinson ! " again echoed Donald. " I know 
 her well. She is a relative of one of our prominent fam- 
 ilies, the Waynors, and she teaches in the Harbison Insti- 
 tute, an industrial school for negroes. I remember she 
 told me once that her home was in Pittsburg." 
 
136 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 " Yes," replied the other, " she lived close to my 
 father's home, and I have known her since she was a lit- 
 tle girl. We grew up together." 
 
 " She is a noble young woman, and she has already 
 made many friends in Dothan," said Donald enthusi- 
 astically. 
 
 " I am so glad to hear from her. We all knew, of 
 course, how the South, as a rule, looks on the Northern- 
 ers who go down there to do anything for the black folks, 
 and we all told her she was throwing her life away; but 
 she had made up her mind to do that kind of work and no 
 one could stop her. I tried hard myself," he added with a 
 little sigh, " to get her to make up her mind to live in 
 Pittsburg, but I failed. I was hoping you white folks 
 of Alabama would drive her back soon," he concluded 
 with a smile. 
 
 " Some of Dothan's citizens would like to do that, per- 
 haps," Donald replied, " but she has been working won- 
 ders in our town. Through her efforts Booker T. Wash- 
 ington gave an address there lately, and she is trying to 
 change the prejudice of the whites, which has been rather 
 strong against the school. Her success has aroused our 
 city ' Boss,' a fellow called Legree, and he does not like 
 her at all." 
 
 " He had better not harm Rose Atkinson ! " said the 
 Pittsburger with a glitter in his eye. " I have vowed that 
 if any negro hater touched a hair of her head Horace 
 Speedwell's whole life will be devoted wreaking ven- 
 geance on the villain." 
 
 Donald Shelby laughed uproariously and replied, " She 
 has already many friends in Dothan, and you know her 
 relatives, the Waynors, are the leading people in the com- 
 munity, so she is well protected. Besides," he continued, 
 
IN TUSCALOOSA ASYLUM 137 
 
 looking at his new friend, " I am glad to confess that I 
 am an admirer of the young lady myself, and she has as- 
 sured me that if she needed any assistance at any time she 
 would call on me." 
 
 Horace Speedwell was silent. He evidently did not 
 care to pursue the subject further, but a little later he 
 asked, u Why are you people in the South so dead set 
 against educating the colored people ? " 
 
 " We are not," replied Donald as the train was thun- 
 dering through Virginia. " Booker T. Washington, who 
 was born in this grand old State of Virginia, is honored 
 throughout the South by our best people, and his great 
 Tuskegee Institute is, in part, supported by the State of 
 Alabama. We spend millions every year in the South 
 educating negroes." 
 
 " But some Southern books that I have been reading 
 lately," protested Mr. Speedwell, " seem to look on negro 
 education as a farce and a wicked waste of time and 
 money, and I know that Rose Atkinson has often spoken 
 of the opposition she expected to meet." 
 
 " Well," Donald replied slowly, thinking of Legree, 
 " there are some unthinking and selfish white people who 
 would like to see the negroes kept as near the brute as 
 possible in every way, just as was attempted in slavery 
 times by some slave owners; but sentiment is changing 
 all over the South, and we are beginning to see, as E. G. 
 Murphy, of our State of Alabama puts it, that the trouble- 
 some negro is not the educated but the ignorant negro. 
 I confess," he continued, " that since Miss Atkinson has 
 come to Dothan, and since I have heard Dr. Washington 
 speak, I have clearer views on that subject than I ever 
 had before." 
 
 " Do you think the girl is happy in her work in 
 
138 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 Dothan ? " asked Speedwell, unable to keep back the ques- 
 tion and glancing at Donald with a pathetic look in his 
 eyes. 
 
 " She seems perfectly happy, and her success seems 
 assured, in spite of some opposition," answered the other. 
 
 The young Pittsburger sighed. " I can't understand," 
 he said slowly. " How a girl like her can devote herself 
 to such a life, when she has the whole world before her, 
 is beyond comprehension. Did you know, sir, that she is 
 a millionaire in her own right? Her father is dead, but 
 her mother and her brother are living in Pittsburg." 
 
 " So I have understood," said Donald. 
 
 The conversation changed to other subjects, and when 
 they reached Richmond Horace Speedwell rose to leave 
 the train. 
 
 " I am very glad to have met you," said Donald, shaking 
 his hand heartily. " Come down to Dothan and see me. 
 I will tell Miss Atkinson I saw you." 
 
 " Thank you ! " the Pittsburger replied cordially. 
 " Tell her I am expecting to take a trip to Dothan before 
 long. I would like to see her again." 
 
 The rest of the journey was exceedingly tedious, and 
 Donald was greatly relieved when the train at last rushed 
 into the station at Dothan. Jumping into a carriage he 
 drove rapidly to Mr. Ashley's home. " I will see Flor- 
 ence first," he concluded. 
 
 It was late on Monday afternoon when he rang the 
 bell, and Florence Ashley herself, looking pale and hag- 
 gard, came to the door. 
 
 " I have been waiting for you all the afternoon," she 
 began at once. " I thought you would come here on your 
 arrival. I am so glad you have come back. They have 
 almost killed Jefferson Lilly." And her pent-up feelings 
 gave way in an outburst of tears. 
 
IN TUSCALOOSA ASYLUM 139 
 
 Donald was alarmed. " Where is he ? " he asked 
 eagerly. 
 
 The girl controlled herself with an effort, and, amid 
 her tears, told the story of Jefferson's wrongs, as she had 
 learned them from her father. " I wanted father to go 
 to his assistance," she said, " but he was afraid the com- 
 munity would misunderstand it and he knew it would 
 anger Legree." 
 
 Donald Shelby was beside himself with indignation. 
 " Did they really send him to Tuscaloosa ? " he asked in 
 amazement. 
 
 " He was taken there on Saturday evening," Florence 
 Ashley replied, " and some who saw him say that he was 
 acting very queerly. I am afraid they have killed him." 
 And the girl broke down again. 
 
 " I will soon find out how he is ! " exclaimed Donald, 
 a look of stern determination coming into his face. 
 
 " Promise me," said Florence as they parted, " that you 
 will not tell him that I had anything to do with your re- 
 turn from New York." 
 
 " All right," he replied, hastily jumping into the waiting 
 carriage, and asking the driver to take him at once to 
 Legree's office. Arriving there he opened the door and 
 rushed into the presence of the city " Boss," who hap- 
 pened to be holding an earnest conference about some 
 matter with the Rev. John Durham, of Hambright. Pay- 
 ing no attention whatever to the North Carolina preacher 
 he broke forth, " What have you done with Jefferson 
 Lilly?" 
 
 Legree quickly recovered from his surprise at the sud- 
 den interruption of the excited young lawyer and an- 
 swered with a sneer, " We sent that lunatic to Tusca- 
 loosa, and we may send a few more there before long." 
 
 Walking in front of the master of Dothan, Donald 
 
140 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 Shelby shook his fist in his face, and said between his 
 teeth, " You black scoundrel, you are the blackest rascal 
 in Alabama. I will see that you are driven out of this 
 town yet or my name is not Donald Shelby." 
 
 Legree grew visibly pale at the threat and made no 
 reply, while Donald, his eyes flashing fire, his jaws locked 
 and his hands quivering, without another word left the 
 room. 
 
 He rushed to the depot and found a train about to 
 leave for Tuscaloosa in a short time and got on board. 
 Early the next morning he arrived in that city. Going 
 directly to the asylum, he felt the thrill of horror that 
 most people feel as they approach such institutions. He 
 was soon admitted and sat down in a large waiting room, 
 while an attendant sought the head physician, for whom 
 Donald had inquired. In this waiting room were many 
 of the inmates of the asylum, who wandered harmlessly 
 around, muttering to themselves, and looking vacantly at 
 Donald out of eyes in which the light of reason had died. 
 He was deeply depressed as he watched these poor vic- 
 tims of mental disease, and tried to realize the buried 
 hopes and broken lives of these human wrecks who had 
 found refuge inside these fatal walls. He looked eagerly 
 among them for his friend, but the familiar figure of 
 Jefferson Lilly was nowhere to be seen. After a long 
 wait the head official came, and Donald inquired eagerly 
 if there was an inmate there who had been sent from 
 Dothan — Jefferson Lilly by name. 
 
 " Yes," replied the other. " He arrived here very sick, 
 and has been consigned to the hospital. I will call a doc- 
 tor and have him take you to his room." 
 
 A kindly looking, middle-aged doctor came, and Don- 
 ald accompanied him to the hospital of the asylum. In 
 a few moments he stood beside the cot on which the 
 
IN TUSCALOOSA ASYLUM 141 
 
 cruelly wronged Jefferson lay. His eyes were closed, his 
 cheeks were flushed with fever and he was breathing 
 heavily. 
 
 "Is he very sick?" whispered Donald. 
 
 " We cannot quite make out his case," answered the 
 doctor quietly. " He was sent here as a dangerous luna- 
 tic who should be carefully guarded, but we think the 
 man is simply ill with an attack of brain fever, and some 
 of us surmise that he may have been drugged. Do you 
 know him ? " 
 
 " He is my friend — a noble fellow," answered Donald 
 with tears in his eyes. " He is no more a lunatic than 
 I am, but some white devils in Dothan got after him and 
 have tried to wreck his life." 
 
 The doctor made no reply, but nodded his head know- 
 ingly. " All he needs now is absolute rest and quiet," said 
 the doctor. " His whole system has evidently had a very 
 severe shock, but he will be all right again soon. He has 
 a strong constitution." 
 
 " I will sit beside him," said Donald. " I want to be 
 here when he wakes up." 
 
 The doctor at first made some objection, but Donald 
 begged so hard that at last he gave him permission to 
 remain that day by Jefferson's side. It was late in the 
 afternoon when the unconscious man moaned, turned over 
 on his side and slowly opened his eyes. 
 
 " Donald ! " he said feebly, looking at his friend in won- 
 der. "What is it, Donald? Where am I?" 
 
 " Keep quiet, Jefferson. You are all right," said Don- 
 ald reassuringly. " You have been sick." 
 
 " I remember," he went on slowly, looking at Donald in 
 a pitiful way. " There was a mob. I ran, Donald, I ran. 
 I was a coward. I ran away." Tears flowed from his 
 eyes and his whole body shook. 
 
142 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 Donald began to understand. The memory of his ig- 
 nominious flight before the mob was torturing him con- 
 stantly. It was this that had hastened his physical col- 
 lapse. 
 
 " Courage, Jefferson ! " his friend answered gently. 
 " Keep quiet or the doctor will not let me stay here. It 
 was no disgrace to run from that savage mob. An un- 
 armed man has the right to run from a bloodthirsty and 
 maddened beast." 
 
 " But I should have faced them, Donald, and defied 
 them. I felt my whole soul collapse the moment I began 
 to run. I never ran before from either man or devil." 
 
 " A wild mob is more savage than a lion from the 
 jungles of Africa," said Donald, trying to comfort his 
 mind. " It would have been madness to have faced that 
 crowd of crazy brutes single-handed and alone. You 
 did just what was right — to run for your life." 
 
 " Do you think so ? " said Jefferson. " Give me your 
 hand, Donald." 
 
 Donald tenderly reached him his hand. The sick man 
 grasped it and, bowing his head, he wet it with his tears 
 and said, " Since you forgive me, Donald, I will try to 
 forget it. But I have learned a lesson. I am not as 
 strong as I thought I was. I used to think I could hold 
 my own anywhere, but I have come to feel my need of 
 a higher strength than my own. Won't you pray for me, 
 Donald? I know you are a Christian." 
 
 And Donald knelt by the side of his prostrate friend 
 and prayed. 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 JEFFERSON LILLY LEAVES THE ASYLUM 
 
 " Who telegraphed you to come to my help ? " asked 
 Jefferson, when he began to feel stronger, a week or so 
 after Donald's arrival at the asylum. His friend, in a 
 conversation, had inadvertently referred to the telegram 
 he had received in New York. 
 
 Donald looked guilty and stammered, " I promised not 
 to tell." 
 
 " Was it Florence Ashley ? " Jefferson asked eagerly. 
 
 Donald wished he had been free to tell all about it and 
 his conversation with the agitated Florence, but he re- 
 membered his promise to the girl, and he replied, " It 
 was a good friend of yours. You will find out all about 
 it some day. You know you have several warm friends 
 in Dothan." 
 
 " I wish it had been Florence Ashley," said Jefferson 
 plaintively. " She spurned me, and that drove me wild. 
 I wonder if I shall ever see her. I don't want to visit 
 Dothan again." 
 
 " Yes, you will come back to Dothan," replied his 
 friend cheerfully, " and Florence will be delighted to 
 see you. You are greatly mistaken in thinking she has 
 spurned you. It is Legree she has spurned. She will 
 be expecting a letter from you." 
 
 " Do you really think so ? " asked the desponding Jef- 
 ferson. " If I could only know that she cared for me 
 
 143 
 
144- THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 I believe all my other bitter memories of Dothan would 
 be sweetened, but I began to think that she, too, looked 
 on me as a social leper." 
 
 " Nonsense, Jefferson. Write her at once. I know 
 she will be expecting a letter." 
 
 Accordingly, a day or two later a letter, on the Tusca- 
 loosa Asylum stationery, came to the Ashley home in 
 Dothan. It was addressed in a masculine hand to " Miss 
 Florence Ashley." Florence happened to be away from 
 home when the letter came, and her mother, suspecting 
 who the writer of the letter was, and eager to know what 
 it contained, opened it and read as follows : 
 
 " Hospital of Tuscaloosa Asylum, Ala., June 14, 190 — 
 
 " My Dear Florence : I am getting better, but the 
 doctor says that I have been very sick, and I cannot 
 write a long letter. I wonder if you have forsaken me. 
 If you have, this lovely State of my fathers has lost all 
 its charms. I am afraid, in some way, I have offended 
 you, but my heart is yours — yours alone and yours al- 
 ways. Write me just a word. Tell me if I can still call 
 you Florence. A word from you will be like new life. 
 Write me in care of Barrett and Williamson, lawyers, 
 Montgomery, as I am hoping to be able to leave here 
 very soon. 
 
 " Yours affectionately, 
 
 " Jefferson." 
 
 " The idea ! " exclaimed Mrs. Ashley to herself aloud, 
 after she had read, with great surprise, Jefferson's let- 
 ter. " The poor fellow's head is surely turned or he 
 would not write such a letter to Florence. She is hardly 
 acquainted with him. I will not trouble her with this 
 foolish letter of a lunatic. Even if he recovers, he is 
 
JEFFERSON LEAVES THE ASYLUM 145 
 
 now socially impossible, and I wish Florence to have no 
 more to do with him." 
 
 This explains why Jefferson's letter was not answered, 
 and why that young man finally despaired of ever hear- 
 ing from her again. 
 
 After two weeks Donald bade his friend good-by, say- 
 ing : " You will be all right again in a few days, and I 
 must return to New York at once. Spend the summer 
 in northern Alabama recuperating, and by fall I will 
 have Dothan cleaned out, so that you can visit me again 
 and complete the conquest of the fair Florence, which 
 has been so rudely interrupted." 
 
 " I am afraid Florence has gone out of my life," re- 
 plied Jefferson with a look of despair. " I do not think 
 she will answer my letter. What will I do about this 
 outrage of Legree, breaking down my health and sending 
 me to an insane asylum ? " 
 
 As Jefferson recovered his health and began to reflect 
 on all the injustice which he had suffered his blood boiled, 
 and he longed to be able to vindicate himself. 
 
 " I would not advise you to try to bring Legree to 
 justice. He controls everything in Dothan, and you 
 simply cannot get justice until he is driven from power." 
 
 " Do you mean to tell me, Donald, that an American 
 citizen, innocent of any charge, can be put in a filthy 
 prison and starved, and then sent to a madhouse, and 
 there is no way of getting justice? Is that the kind of 
 government we have in Alabama ? " 
 
 " Law is only a name," rejoined his friend seriously, 
 " wherever Legreeism exists in our State." 
 
 " Then I have lost my love for Alabama, even if it is 
 the State of my fathers and the most beautiful in the 
 Union." 
 
 " Don't be foolish," said Donald earnestly. " You re- 
 
146 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 member how you asked me not to judge the million 
 blacks in Alabama by the nine wretches who were 
 lynched the past year. Don't judge Alabama by its Le- 
 greeism. Unite with our best citizens in driving this 
 accursed spirit of lawless arrogance out of our fair 
 State." 
 
 Jefferson looked at his friend a moment and then ex- 
 claimed, with a tear in his eye : " Donald, I once thought 
 I was a bolder and braver man than you, but I see I was 
 mistaken. You are right. My place is in Alabama on 
 the firing line. I may get back to Dothan yet to finish 
 my fight there." 
 
 " Do not return until you are perfectly strong again," 
 answered his friend with a little anxiety in his face. 
 Knowing the dauntless spirit of Jefferson, he was afraid 
 he would again put himself in Legree's power before he 
 had fully recovered his health. 
 
 " Don't be afraid," he replied. " I put myself in that 
 serpent's power too easily the last time. I am beginning 
 to learn what a horrible monster Legreeism has grown 
 to be. I shall be wiser next time." 
 
 " Good-by, then, and do not fear that Florence has 
 forgotten you. Faint heart ne'er won fair lady, you 
 know." 
 
 The two friends shook hands most cordially and 
 parted. 
 
 A few days later Jefferson Lilly, looking pale and 
 thin, left the hospital of the asylum and went to Mont- 
 gomery. He had hoped to find a letter from Florence 
 Ashley awaiting him, but he was disappointed. His re- 
 cital of his wrongs in Dothan to some of his friends in 
 Montgomery made his friends there furious, but they 
 well knew that any legal redress was impossible. Feel- 
 ing the intensity of the summer heat, Jefferson decided 
 
JEFFERSON LEAVES THE ASYLUM 147 
 
 to take Donald Shelby's advice and spend a few months 
 in the northern part of the State in order to recuperate 
 his health. He had no decided plans for his future, but 
 Dothan still attracted him. He heard not a word from 
 Florence Ashley, but he could not forget her. He 
 thought it would be useless to address her a second let- 
 ter after his repeated rebuffs, but he still hoped against 
 hope she would write. Sometimes the fair Northerner 
 came to his mind, and he longed to be back on the battle- 
 field helping Rose Atkinson in her noble struggle for a 
 weak and helpless race. 
 
 In his leisure hours that summer Jefferson studied the 
 whole race question with a new interest. He made him- 
 self familiar with the history of the enforced transfer- 
 ence of the Africans to America from the landing of the 
 first twenty slaves from Guinea at Jamestown, in 1619, 
 up to the time, just before the war, when the slave ship 
 'Clotilde dumped its cargo of human chattels among the 
 canebrakes of Mobile Bay. Although he had been born 
 and brought up in the South, where the negro lived, he 
 soon found he had been in ignorance of many important 
 facts in regard to the black man and his pathetic history. 
 He studied the laws of the old days of slavery and was 
 surprised to see that the black man, as a slave, had abso- 
 lutely no opportunity for any real progress. The law 
 recognized no marriage of slaves as legal. The slave 
 was unable to possess property, and had no more legal 
 authority over his child than the cow has over her calf. 
 The education of slaves was forbidden under severe pen- 
 alties. Any instruction, even in regard to religion, was 
 only tolerated when it was oral instruction. Jefferson 
 could easily see the philosophy of these laws, which are 
 founded on the self-evident fact that family life and 
 education among slaves are incompatible with the insti- 
 
148 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 tution of slavery. Jefferson also restudied carefully the 
 story of the days of the reconstruction period — that 
 dark era when the postbellum politician, the carpetbag- 
 gers and the scalawags made the unfortunate negro their 
 stalking-horse, by means of whom they captured the pub- 
 lic treasuries in order that they might loot them to their 
 own enrichment. His study of this whole black page of 
 history gave him a new sympathy with his fellow-South- 
 erners, black and white alike. 
 
 " Thomas Nelson Page is right ! " he exclaimed aloud 
 to himself one day as he finished reading this paragraph 
 in one of Mr. Page's books : " The injury to the whites 
 was not the only injury caused by the reconstruction 
 system. To the negro, the objects of its bounty, it was 
 no less a calamity. He was taught that the Southern 
 white man was his enemy, when he should have been 
 taught to cultivate his friendship. He was told he was 
 the equal of the white man when he was not; that he 
 was the ward of the nation when he should have been 
 trained to self-reliance ; that the government would sus- 
 tain him when he could not be sustained. In legislation 
 he was taught thieving; in politics to slavishly follow 
 his leaders; in private life he was taught insolence. To 
 these teachings may be traced most of the misfortunes 
 of the negro race, and indeed of the whole South, since 
 the war." 
 
 This study aroused his indignation more intensely 
 against Legree and Legreeism. 
 
 " That vile vulture, who rules like an emperor in 
 Dothan," he said to himself, " is the modern successor 
 to the carpetbaggers and scalawags. Such white men as 
 he, who thrive on racial hate, are the present-day curse 
 of our Southland." 
 
 At cotton-picking time Jefferson was visiting a friend 
 
JEFFERSON LEAVES THE ASYLUM 149 
 
 of his father's, Harold Stacey, who owned a large plan- 
 tation. Mr. Stacey had inherited this estate from his 
 father, and most of the colored folks on the plantation 
 had been born on it, many of them as slaves. Jefferson, 
 to his delight, found Mr. Stacey a man who was also 
 interested in the negro question, and who had himself 
 solved some of the difficulties which meet the white man 
 in dealing with the blacks in our day. His negroes had 
 neat and comfortable-looking cabins, surrounded by lit- 
 tle gardens. His entire plantation presented an appear- 
 ance of prosperity that contrasted greatly with some 
 others which Jefferson had visited. His cotton crop was 
 a rich yield that year, and it was a picturesque sight to 
 watch the dusky pickers of all ages go through the field, 
 which was white with bolls of cotton, and gather the 
 fluffy bolls of white into the little sacks which each 
 picker carried. At the end of the rows were great 
 hampers, into which the cotton was packed. As the 
 hampers were filled a black Jehu, with a team of mules, 
 hauled them to the gins, where the seed was extracted 
 by the ingenious cotton gin, which Eli Whitney gave to 
 the South in 1792, thereby vastly increasing the acreage 
 of cotton in the Southern States, and fastening more 
 firmly than ever the chains on a million slaves. 
 
 As Jefferson and Mr. Stacey walked around the cot- 
 ton field the young man noticed that every cotton plant 
 had from ten to fourteen bolls of cotton, and he re- 
 marked to his host : " You must use the best methods 
 of agriculture on your plantation, for I can see you have 
 a wonderful crop of cotton." 
 
 " Yes," replied Mr. Stacey. " I have in recent years 
 employed two Tuskegee graduates, who have charge of 
 the plantation. They are scientific farmers and they 
 use the most modern methods. The first year they were 
 
150 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 in charge they increased the yield of cotton about fifty 
 pounds an acre." 
 
 " Watch those pickers," he continued, pointing to the 
 active blacks, who were picking the cotton with deft 
 fingers, gathering every ripe boll in the rows. " I get 
 a third more labor," he went on, " out of my free negroes 
 than my father got out of his slaves." 
 
 Jefferson noticed the quick attention given by all to 
 Mr. Stacey's slightest commands, and at last he inquired, 
 " Mr. Stacey, tell me the secret of your influence over 
 these colored workers of yours. You do not drive them 
 like cattle, or hound them like dogs, and yet they are the 
 most obedient negroes I have seen in the South." 
 
 Mr. Stacey sat down on top of a large hamper and re- 
 plied, " I long ago found out the best way for a white 
 man to treat a negro. He should treat the average negro 
 like a child is treated, with justice and kindness, but 
 with great firmness. When negroes are treated in this 
 way they become the most loyal servants of the world 
 and absolutely trustworthy where they are put in charge 
 of any work." 
 
 At this reply Jefferson at once said, " I think I re- 
 member my father once saying something just like that." 
 
 " I am sure you do," answered his host. " Your 
 father and I often discussed this matter, and we were 
 both of the same opinion, and we both proved we were 
 right by our experience with our black hands." 
 
 " The trouble with so many white men," went on Mr. 
 Stacey, " is that they treat the negroes as brutes or devils, 
 instead of treating them as children. The negroes are a 
 child race, but they are human, like the rest of us. Treat 
 them as brutes and they become brutal ; treat them as 
 devils and you make them devilish. The brutal and 
 devilish negroes that have brought such a dread over the 
 
JEFFERSON LEAVES THE ASYLUM 151 
 
 South are the product of the white man's ignorance of 
 how to properly handle these blacks. I have always 
 treated my negroes as human beings and no devilish 
 crime has ever been charged against one of my negroes." 
 
 " You have given me a new idea about the solution 
 of the dark problem of Alabama," responded Jefferson 
 slowly. " I understand what you mean exactly. One 
 day I was sitting on the porch of a lawyer's house in 
 Montgomery, and a bright little black girl wandered out 
 on the front lawn. My friend shouted, in a loud, angry 
 tone, to the frightened little pickaninny : ' Get back of 
 the house, you little black devil ! ' I thought at the time 
 that it was too bad to treat a little child in such a rough 
 way, but I thought that was the only way to handle 
 darkies; but I believe you are right. Such language 
 and treatment awakes the brute and devil nature in this 
 child race and makes the negro unsafe. Your kind, 
 just, firm treatment is wiser in every way." 
 
 " That is just my point," said Mr. Stacey with em- 
 phasis. " There are two phrases on the lips of the whites 
 in the South that are doing more to spoil the negroes 
 and make them a problem than anything else in our 
 day." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " asked Jefferson with great in- 
 terest. 
 
 " I mean that the constant reference to negroes as 
 ' black devils ' and ' damned niggers ' has had a tre- 
 mendous influence in bedeviling the blacks. Only a 
 brutal or an ignorant white man can use these vulgar 
 and unwise terms." 
 
 Jefferson was astonished to notice the earnestness with" 
 which Mr. Stacey spoke these words. 
 
 "What do you think of negro education?" Jefferson 
 asked a little later. 
 
152 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 " I am in favor of it, just as I am in favor of the edu- 
 cation of all children. I hold the negro to be a child 
 race. Like children, they need, first of all, a wise and 
 sound education." 
 
 " But will not the progress of the negro complicate 
 matters, as so many think, by making amalgamation a 
 horrible possibility ? " asked Jefferson. 
 
 " Not at all," replied Mr. Stacey at once. " I am an 
 old man and I have lived among the blacks all my life, 
 and I am convinced that it is only when both the whites 
 and the blacks are ignorant and degraded that they 
 amalgamate. Educate the black man and you decrease 
 the danger of mulattoism. Compare my plantation with 
 those of some white men who believe in keeping the 
 negro as near the brute as possible, and you can see for 
 yourself. My negroes are black negroes, and lynching 
 is unknown among them, for the crime for which we 
 lynch negroes is unknown. You well know that many 
 other plantations tell a different story, and if you in- 
 vestigate you will find that my reasoning is correct. I 
 am an ardent admirer of Booker T. Washington, and I 
 have given a large sum to his Tuskegee Institute." 
 
 " I heard President Washington lately at Dothan," 
 said Jefferson. 
 
 " He is the Moses of his race ! " exclaimed Mr. Stacey 
 with great enthusiasm. 
 
 " He is having a tremendous influence all over the 
 South in uplifting the negro, and he will yet lead the en- 
 tire black race out of its bondage of ignorance and make 
 the negro a hundredfold more valuable in every way than 
 he is to-day." 
 
 " You do not think, then, that the time will ever come 
 when the South will seek to deport the black race ? " 
 
 Mr. Stacey laughed loudly. " That is surely a joke," 
 
JEFFERSON LEAVES THE ASYLUM 153 
 
 he replied at length. " Who would do the work of the 
 South if our blacks left us? This hot climate is too 
 much for the white man. It takes a negro to stand the 
 heat in the summer time and do the hard manual labor 
 that must be done. Get out in that hot sun yourself and 
 pick cotton for a few hours and you will be exhausted, 
 but those black folks just enjoy it." 
 
 That evening Jefferson related to Mr. Stacey his own 
 experience in Dothan. 
 
 Mr. Stacey was greatly interested. " My poor boy ! " 
 he exclaimed, " you have learned by your own experience 
 how racial hate is demoralizing the white man and mak- 
 ing him an anarchist and a lawless tyrant. However, I 
 think you were a little unwise in giving Legree such ad- 
 vantage over you." 
 
 " I know it," replied Jefferson frankly, " but I have 
 learned a lesson from my misfortunes, and I expect to 
 renew my fight against these modern carpetbaggers and 
 scalawags like him and drive them from our State." 
 
 " Be careful," was his old friend's advice. " Men like 
 Legree are devils incarnate." 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 THE DREADED HORROR 
 
 " Help, help, murder, police." 
 
 A woman's voice rose in a shriek of despair as she 
 shouted these words from a little grove not far from 
 a side entrance to the grounds of Harbison Institute. 
 Nafti Thomas and a fellow-student, Walter Wilkins, 
 were just leaving the grounds of the school, and, at the 
 first call for assistance, they rushed into the grove. 
 
 In a little valley, hidden among the trees, a terrible 
 sight met their eyes. A white woman was shrieking and 
 crying beside the still form of a little white girl, whose 
 bleeding face and torn dress revealed at once her tragic 
 fate. At the sight of the two colored young men the 
 mother shrieked for help louder than ever, and people 
 began to rush towards the grove from every side. 
 
 " Go for a doctor quick, Walter. Hurry," shouted 
 Nafti. The black youth, with a frightened look on his 
 face, rushed towards town. Meanwhile, Nafti knelt by 
 the side of the stricken woman, whom he recognized as 
 Mrs. "Wiley, the mother of the little girl, Flossie Wiley, 
 who lived in a cottage on the other side of the grove. 
 He noticed a cord around the child's neck and cut it at 
 once. His own heart bled for the widowed mother in 
 the hour of her agony worse than the throes of death. 
 A great fear clutched him that a dread horror had been 
 committed by some bedeviled member of his own race, 
 which would brand anew with infamy every black man 
 
 154 
 
THE DREADED HORROR 155 
 
 in Dothan, and bring the vilest reproach on Harbison also. 
 
 A crowd quickly gathered. They pushed Nafti 
 Thomas aside in contempt, some of them recognizing 
 him, while kind hands lifted the helpless girl and carried 
 her to her home, the screaming mother following behind. 
 A doctor soon arrived and began an examination. 
 
 " There is a slight possibility that the child may live," 
 he told the two or three neighbors who were permitted 
 to remain in the cottage. " She has evidently been al- 
 most choked to death," he continued, pointing to the 
 cruel marks of the cord on the slender neck. 
 
 An opiate deadened for a little while the mother's 
 agony, and enabled the doctor to minister tenderly to 
 the injured child without the wild shrieks and constant 
 interference of the utterly unnerved woman. 
 
 Meanwhile, another tragedy was happening in the lit- 
 tle grove. Some of those rushing to the assistance of 
 the woman at the sound of her first cries for help, saw 
 the black youth, Walter Wilkins, rush from the grove 
 without a hat and a startled look on his face. 
 
 " Catch him, catch him," someone shouted, and a num- 
 ber of the men set off in pursuit. 
 
 Seeing that he was being pursued the youth, who had 
 only come from the country a short time before to enter, 
 Harbison Institute, lost his presence of mind, and dashed 
 madly down a side street. The mob at his heels gained 
 on him and, at last, as he was trying to get through a 
 fence, they came up and seized him roughly. 
 
 " You black devil, come back with us," cried one of 
 the mob. They began to lead the now thoroughly fright- 
 ened negro youth back to the grove. 
 
 " I didn't do it, I didn't do it," cried the black pris- 
 oner, as they hurried him along, some striking him over 
 the face and head. They soon reached the grove. By 
 
156 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 this time the injured child and her mother had been re- 
 moved and a crowd was standing, as in a stupor, look- 
 ing at the place where the dark crime was enacted. 
 
 " We have him. We caught the black brute," yelled 
 the captors of Walter Wilkins, hurrying forward with 
 their prisoner. 
 
 With a hoarse shout the crowd in the grove awoke 
 to life and vengeance. " Lynch him. Shoot him. 
 Burn him," they yelled in fierce, guttural tones. Nafti 
 Thomas, who had remained behind when they took the 
 child and her mother away, was the only black man 
 amongst them. At the knowledge of the nature of the 
 crime every negro sought refuge instinctively, and the 
 Harbison students, who were rushing out of the grounds, 
 returned with quick, silent tread. Nafti had also decided 
 to make his way at once back to the school when, to his 
 horror, he saw Walter Wilkins in the clutch of the mob. 
 The unfortunate negro student was already a pitiful 
 sight. His face was covered with blood from the blows 
 he had received; his eyes were staring wildly; his teeth 
 were chattering, and he was helpless from fright. At 
 the sight of Nafti Thomas he gave a cry of despair. 
 " Save me, Nafti. Save me," he cried, stretching out 
 his hands to his fellow-student. With one bound Nafti 
 Thomas was at his side. " He is innocent," he shouted 
 aloud. " Let him go. He is one of the students at 
 Harbison." 
 
 " Lynch both the niggers," was the fierce answer of 
 the now insane mob, which was thirsting for negro blood. 
 Only an accident saved Nafti from an awful fate. 
 Someone, reaching for him, knocked off his large straw 
 hat, which had almost hidden his face, and a big, burly 
 member of the mob recognized him and shouted out, 
 " That's Mose Thomas's boy. Let him go." 
 
THE DREADED HORROR 157 
 
 " Lynch him, lynch him ; shoot every black devil in 
 sight," yelled a brutal-looking fellow, making a dash at 
 Nafti. The big, burly fellow, who had recognized 
 Nafti, rushed forward and, with one blow, knocked the! 
 man down, saying to Nafti, " Run for your life." Nafti 
 continued to plead for his fellow-student, but his friend 
 caught him and dragged him to the outskirts of the 
 crowd. Seeing his own efforts vain, Nafti rushed to 
 Harbison to get assistance. 
 
 Meanwhile, the mad mob proceeded quickly with its 
 terrible work. They dragged the now half -conscious 
 Wilkins to the foot of a tree. Someone climbed up and, 
 from the first limb, caught the end of a rope which had 
 already been fastened around the black's neck. They 
 held the struggling victim about two feet from the 
 ground while the rope was being tied to the tree. He 
 was then turned loose and hung dangling, his feet only 
 a short distance above the grass below. The mob 
 stepped back a few paces and a number opened fire, and 
 the dead body of Walter Wilkins, pierced with a dozen 
 bullets, hung swinging on the rope. 
 
 Its lust for blood satisfied, the mob at once dispersed, 
 leaving the mute evidence of its savagery in the grove. 
 
 A few minutes later Dr. Furber, Rose Atkinson, and 
 Nafti rushed from the Harbison gate. Seeing the mob 
 melting away in silence, Nafti guessed the worst. 
 
 " We're too late," he exclaimed, bursting into tears. 
 " They have killed him." 
 
 Without a word, Dr. Furber and Rose hurried into 
 the grove. The few members of the mob who passed 
 them hurled insults at the old, gray-haired man, and the 
 beautiful young Northerner, but they paid no heed. 
 
 Arriving at the scene of the double outrage, they 
 found the bleeding body of the hapless student, dangling 
 
158 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 from the tree. At the awful sight, Rose Atkinson gave 
 a cry of horror, and sank helpless to the ground. With 
 tears flowing from their eyes, Dr. Furber and Nafti has- 
 tened to cut down the body. With a deep groan, Nafti 
 shouldered the bloody corpse of his young companion 
 and strode back to the Institute. Dr. Furber assisted 
 Rose Atkinson to rise and with trembling steps they fol- 
 lowed. 
 
 In awe-struck silence the students gathered in little 
 groups near the buildings. Two or three came hurry- 
 ing forward to assist Nafti with his bloody burden, but 
 he shook his head and passed on. The students fell in 
 behind, and the mournful procession filed up to the boys' 
 dormitory. 
 
 The news of the crime and the subsequent lynching 
 spread over the town like an explosion. It was the one 
 topic of conversation. White mothers folded their 
 daughters in their arms, looked into their faces, and 
 wept. Only those who live at a distance and have never 
 experienced the daily and hourly terror of the dread 
 horror can think of such scenes dispassionately. 
 
 On the other hand, the colored mothers brought their 
 little sons inside their cabins, put their arms around 
 them and began to pray. 
 
 But there was one man in Dothan who could hardly 
 restrain his joy that day. Peter Legree heard of the 
 crime in the grove near Harbison, and the lynching of 
 the Harbison student, with emotions of delight. 
 
 " I'll soon drive that meddling Yankee teacher out of 
 Dothan now," he hissed. " That's the best streak of luck 
 Legree has had in many a day. I guess that will stir up 
 the whites to see that this nigger school will have to go." 
 
 With these pleasing reflections regarding the influence 
 of the dread horror on his own personal fortunes as 
 
THE DREADED HORROR 159 
 
 leader of the whites in Dothan, the " boss " dismissed the 
 matter from his mind, never thinking of such a thing as 
 investigating the two horrible crimes committed against 
 the law of the land. 
 
 But at Harbison Institute there was an incarnation 
 of the old-time ideas of justice. Rose Atkinson soon re- 
 covered from the shock of seeing the swinging body of 
 the murdered student, and she determined to see that 
 the double crime was avenged, and the guilty brought 
 to justice. She telephoned for Donald Shelby, who had 
 just returned from his second trip to New York, and 
 the young lawyer hurried out to Dothan. 
 
 "I am willing to spend $10,000," said Rose, " to find 
 the guilty monster who attacked the girl, and a like 
 amount to bring to justice the leaders of the mob which 
 murdered Walter Wilkins." 
 
 " I will hire detectives at once," answered Donald, 
 " and announce a five thousand dollar reward in the case 
 of the assailant of the injured child, but I dare not pro- 
 ceed against the lynchers." 
 
 " Why not ? " asked Rose, with open eyes. 
 
 " There were some of our best citizens in the mob. 
 It was a mistake. I have already heard some say that 
 they regretted it, but they were sure the negro was the 
 guilty man when they lynched him. A mob, you know, 
 does not act with much judgment." 
 
 " Then why allow mob rule to prevail and to hang 
 and shoot innocent colored youths like Walter ? " asked 
 Rose, with tear-filled eyes. " I expect that many of the 
 lynchings in the South are just such wanton murders 
 as this has been." 
 
 Donald made no reply. He knew that, as a North- 
 erner, Rose Atkinson could not understand the psychol- 
 ogy of negro lynching in the Southland. 
 
160 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 "Is there no such thing as justice then?" she asked 
 again ; " one of our students has been foully murdered 
 and the law ought to demand a vindication." 
 
 " Such a thing is impossible," replied Donald, seri- 
 ously. " Whether the members of that mob were really 
 murderers or not will have to be decided at God's judg- 
 ment." 
 
 " In that case," answered the girl, " I tremble for my 
 country, for God's judgments begin on earth, as we 
 already know so well by the experience of the last fifty 
 years of our own history. If the lynchers are above all 
 law in Dothan, begin at once every possible effort to bring 
 the inhuman assailant of the child to the bar of justice. 
 Such crimes must be avenged by law." 
 
 After concluding this consultation with the young 
 lawyer, Rose Atkinson hastened to the cottage where 
 the broken-hearted mother, and the injured child were. 
 A youth of about eighteen years of age, a brother of 
 the little girl, met her at the door and ushered her in- 
 side. She found both of the sufferers still unconscious. 
 A few neighbors, of the poorest sort, were consulting 
 together in hushed whispers when Rose joined them. 
 
 " Is there anyone in charge here ? " she inquired. 
 
 " No," replied one of the women, a little older than 
 the rest. " We were just saying that poor Mrs. Wiley 
 ought to have some help for a few days. She needs a 
 nurse, but it is so expensive." 
 
 " I will telegraph at once to Montgomery for a trained 
 nurse," responded Rose. " She will be able to take full 
 charge. I fear the mother will be helpless for some 
 time." 
 
 " The doctor said the shock had almost killed her," 
 replied another of the women, and then she added, sadly, 
 " Poor Flossie. She was such a nice girl." Just then 
 
THE DREADED HORROR 161 
 
 the little girl began to move in her bed. She threw off 
 the cover and seemed to be fighting someone. At last, 
 she broke out in a wild cry, " Mamma, mamma, he's kill- 
 ing me, mamma." 
 
 Rose sat down by the side of the bed, and sought to 
 soothe away the child's delirium. In a little while she 
 sank back again into slumber. 
 
 During Flossie's struggles, the mother moaned on her 
 bed, and opened her eyes wearily. " Did Flossie cry ? " 
 she whispered, and then closed her eyes again, the 
 effect of the doctor's opiate overcoming her. 
 
 " I will stay here until the nurse arrives," said Rose, 
 finally, arising and taking off her hat. Getting some 
 paper she wrote a telegram to Montgomery, asking for 
 a nurse to be sent on the first train, and dispatched the 
 boy to the telegraph office. 
 
 Rose Atkinson spent the night in the little cottage, 
 although some of the neighbor women offered to re- 
 lieve her, but she well knew they had their own families 
 to look after, and so she sent them home. 
 
 When the doctor arrived the next morning he found 
 the mother rapidly recovering from the shock, but the 
 little girl had suffered delirium after delirium during 
 the night, and her pulse was very weak. He shook his 
 head sadly and remarked to Rose, " I do not think she 
 can possibly recover." 
 
 The nurse reached Dothan that day, and at once took 
 charge, keeping the mother in bed as long as she could. 
 
 With a weary heart Rose returned to Harbison. She 
 found that Dr. Furber had completed arrangements for 
 Walter Wilkins's funeral, which was to be held in the 
 Chapel that afternoon. His parents were expected early 
 in the afternoon, and they were to take the body home 
 with them for burial in the country. 
 
162 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 " I dread to meet those parents," said Dr. Furber to 
 Rose, with shaking voice. " I was going to send after 
 you if you had not come back. I told Mrs. Furber that 
 this sad catastrophe has almost unmanned me. I am 
 so thankful I have your help," and the good man sat 
 down and, bowing his head in his hands, relieved his 
 over-burdened soul by weeping aloud. 
 
 " Do not despair, Dr. Furber," replied the girl, bravely. 
 " God who watches the sparrow will see that no per- 
 manent harm comes to either little Flossie or Walter 
 from man's devilish cruelty. Remember what Jesus 
 said, ' Fear not them which kill the body, but are not 
 able to kill the soul : but rather fear him who is able to 
 destroy both soul and body in hell.' I have known girls 
 in Pittsburg," she went on, slowly, as if speaking to 
 herself, " who have met a more cruel fate than Flossie's, 
 the poor slaves of lust, defiled in both soul and body." 
 
 Then she turned to Dr. Furber and exclaimed, " Let 
 us be glad that Walter died an innocent Christian, for 
 we know it is well with his soul." 
 
 Her brave words helped to cheer the disconsolate 
 heart of the President of Harbison, but his sad face told 
 Rose that the dreadful occurrences of the previous day 
 had made a tragic wound in his soul. 
 
 When the parents of Walter Wilkins arrived to claim 
 the bullet-mangled body of their son, even Rose Atkin- 
 son entirely lost her composure and broke down. Only 
 a short time before, full of hope for his future, Walter 
 had left them to go to school, which means so much 
 to a negro. What a pitiful outcome to all their proud 
 hopes. The agony of the colored mother, and the tears 
 and cries of the black father were terrible to witness 
 when they first saw the body of their boy. One of the 
 bullets of the lynchers had struck the face of the poor 
 
THE DREADED HORROR 163 
 
 victim, and was a mute evidence of the frightful death 
 which the innocent student had suffered. At the funeral 
 Dr. Furber gave a short, broken address, and Rose 
 'Atkinson sang a solo. She chose the familiar hymn, 
 " Asleep in Jesus," and a heavenly calm settled over the 
 agitated audience when she began, 
 
 "Asleep in Jesus, blessed sleep, 
 From which none ever wakes to weep; 
 A calm and undisturbed repose, 
 Unbroken by the last of foes." 
 
 When she had finished Nafti Thomas spoke, at Dr. 
 Furber's request. In simple language and with break- 
 ing voice he related the incidents of the dread tragedy. 
 " My comfort to-day," he exclaimed, as he closed, " is 
 that Walter Wilkins was innocent of the crime for which 
 he was murdered. He was in Harbison for only a short 
 time, but we all recognize that he was a Christian boy. 
 He has fallen asleep in Jesus. He is now in heaven 
 where God draws no color line, and where he need fear 
 wrongs no more." 
 
 When the funeral service was over, six students acted 
 as pall-bearers and the entire school followed them in 
 a long procession to the gate where the wagon of the 
 parents, drawn by two mules, was in waiting. Weeping 
 aloud, with tears coursing down their cheeks, the heart- 
 broken parents drove away. 
 
 " My God," cried Dr. Furber, as he watched the 
 wretched father wave his hands in agony towards the 
 fatal grove, " how long, O Lord, how long? " 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 STARTLING REVELATIONS 
 
 Flossie Wiley lingered between life and death for 
 two or three days. Towards the end she became con- 
 scious, but the doctor told them there was no hope for, 
 recovery. On the third day, as the doctor, the nurse, 
 Rose Atkinson, and her mother stood around her bed- 
 side, she opened her eyes suddenly and said to her 
 mother, " Mamma, the men who hurt me were not black 
 men." The mother, not knowing what was in the child's 
 mind, looked anxiously at her, thinking she was becom- 
 ing delirious again, but Rose looked into the quiet eyes 
 of the dying girl, and inquired eagerly, " What were the 
 men like ? " 
 
 " One wore ragged overalls, and the other had on a 
 blue shirt," answered the girl, looking up at Rose. " I 
 had seen them before out near here. They followed 
 me. 
 
 Here the doctor asked with interest, " Was one of 
 them a tall fellow?" 
 
 " Yes," said Flossie, feebly. " It was the tall one 
 who put the cord around my neck." 
 
 " I know those men," said the doctor, answering 
 Rose's look. 
 
 Rose hastened to summon Donald Shelby, and he took 
 down a deposition from the dying Flossie, in which she! 
 described her white assailants. 
 
 164 
 
STARTLING REVELATIONS 165 
 
 " We were already suspicious of those two men," said 
 Donald to Rose, after he had taken the deposition, which 
 plainly described two well-known characters of the 
 town. " Our detectives had traced them out to this 
 part of the town on that very afternoon, but the fact 
 that they were white men, and not black, made me hesi- 
 tate to follow up the clue, as we always fasten such 
 crimes on the negroes." 
 
 The detectives soon arrested the two men, who as- 
 swered to Flossie's description, and who had been ob- 
 served in that part of the town on the day of the crime. 
 They found the men in one of Dothan's low dives in 
 which whites and blacks of the lowest character were 
 mingling, irrespective of any color line. The men 
 proved to be drunken loafers, henchmen of Legree, one 
 of them the very same scoundrel whom Jefferson Lilly 
 had wounded with his revolver. 
 
 They were confined in jail, and Donald Shelby was 
 preparing the evidence which showed a complete case 
 against them when, on the first night of their imprison- 
 ment, they made their escape. 
 
 Donald rightly guessed that Legree had a hand in 
 their sudden disappearance, but he was helpless and un- 
 able to continue his efforts to bring the brutal whites to 
 justice. Stories were started that Harbison Institute 
 was trying to fasten the crime on white men to protect 
 the school from the just wrath of the whites, and a 
 cloud of suspicion continued to hang over the good name 
 of Walter Wilkins. 
 
 Flossie lingered almost a week, and then one evening, 
 in her mother's arms, with Rose and the nurse sitting 
 by, the little head dropped over and her pure spirit had 
 gone out into the unseen world. The grief of the poor 
 mother was very pitiful, but Rose told her of the assur- 
 
166 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 ance there was that her little daughter was safe in her 
 Saviour's arms. 
 
 Some time later when she became calmer, the mother 
 thought of the unfortunate colored student who had 
 been lynched on that awful day of her own tragedy, and 
 her heart went out to the bereaved negroes whose boy 
 had died in such a shameful way. Of her own accord 
 she had a statement prepared by Donald Shelby, giving 
 Flossie's deposition, exonerating the Harbison student 
 from all guilt, and charging the crime on the two white 
 men who had been arrested, and who had broken jail. 
 
 This statement was published in the Dothan Wasp, 
 and when Legree read it he was furious. He went at 
 once to the Wasp office and asked to see the editor. 
 
 " What do you mean, sir," he exclaimed, in anger, 
 " accusing white men of a nigger crime ? " 
 
 " That statement is true beyond a doubt," answered 
 the editor in surprise. 
 
 "What do I care for the truth," responded the 
 " boss." " We want no such articles as that printed in 
 this town, remember," and the master of Dothan stalked 
 out of the office in a towering rage. 
 
 But the fury of Legree knew no bounds when Donald 
 Shelby, on behalf of the parents of Walter Wilkins, put 
 in a claim against the city for five thousand dollars as 
 damages for the lynching of the youth. 
 
 This suit was instituted at the suggestion of Rose 
 Atkinson, and she had to plead with Donald for some 
 time before he dared become so bold as to defy all cus- 
 tom in this way. Such a suit was unheard of before 
 in Dothan. Rose did not imagine that Donald could 
 win the suit, but she wished the case brought into court 
 in some way in order that the evidence which the de- 
 tectives had gathered might be produced, and full jus- 
 
STARTLING REVELATIONS 167 
 
 tice done openly to the memory of the murdered stu- 
 dent. 
 
 By filing the papers in the suit at Montgomery Donald 
 compelled a legal process, as the case would at once 
 have been thrown out of court in Dothan. The evi- 
 dence clearly proved that two henchmen of Legree were 
 guilty of the heinous crime for which Walter Wilkins 
 had been lynched. The escape of the prisoners from 
 jail was denounced unscathingly by Donald, as show- 
 ing the attitude of the city administration in the case. 
 The result of the suit was that Legree's power was seri- 
 ously shaken, as many respectable whites were disgusted 
 with the revelations. To the surprise of all, the Court 
 even allowed five hundred dollars damages to the be- 
 reaved parents. 
 
 After little Flossie's death Rose Atkinson continued 
 to visit at the cottage of Mrs. Wiley, and sought to 
 comfort her in her bitter hour of suffering. A friend- 
 ship grew up between the rich young teacher and the 
 poor woman, and Rose found that Mrs. Wiley was a 
 woman of good education and Christian character, but 
 she had been unfortunate in her marriage and after 
 the sudden death of her dissolute husband, she had been 
 left in precarious circumstances. Through the gener- 
 osity of Rose, her young son was sent to an Industrial 
 Institute for white boys in the Northern part of the 
 State, and Mrs. Wiley came to Harbison to assist Rose 
 as Matron of the Girls' Dormitory. 
 
 The sad tragedy of Mrs. Wiley's life, which was 
 known to all the negro girls in Harbison, gave her a 
 peculiar influence over them, and then soon made her 
 their confidante. One day two of the girls referred to 
 the tragedy which had robbed her of Flossie, and con- 
 fided the startling news that the men who had attacked 
 
168 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 her daughter had been the terror of the girls at the In- 
 stitute for some time. 
 
 " They often followed us, and we became afraid to go 
 out alone," they said. 
 
 Mrs. Wiley spoke of this matter to Rose and an in- 
 vestigation followed, which disclosed an alarming state 
 of affairs. Rose laid the matter before Dr. Furber, and 
 after deliberation, the President had a consultation with 
 Donald Shelby. Dr. Furber presented evidence which 
 seemed to indicate that a regular conspiracy existed, 
 evidently amongst the Legree minions, to lead the young 
 negro girls astray, not only by enticement, but by force, 
 if necessary. 
 
 " This horrible thing must be stopped," said Dr. Fur- 
 ber, in great indignation. " These men who are at the 
 bottom of this nefarious business are the very creatures 
 who are crying out loudest in public against a mulatto 
 American, and claiming that Harbison threatens such 
 a future for the Southland, while all the time their own 
 devilish purpose is to compel every young negress to 
 become the mother of a mulatto child. Something must 
 be done. White and black together are being demoral- 
 ized." 
 
 Donald Shelby looked very serious. " I can see more 
 clearly every day," he responded slowly, " that Legree- 
 ism is increasingly tending to political and moral rotten- 
 ness in Dothan, but we must arouse the people to the 
 danger cautiously, for Legree, as I have found, is as 
 cunning as a serpent He can deceive the very elect." 
 
 " I have also learned recently," continued Dr. Furber, 
 with increasing anger, " that frightful conditions exist 
 in some of our large cities." 
 
 " It is too true," replied Donald, with sadness. " We, 
 
STARTLING REVELATIONS 169 
 
 who believe in morality and the principles of Christian- 
 ity, have allowed the spirit of Legree to go unchecked 
 too long. In Montgomery alone there are four hun- 
 dred colored women supported by white men, many of 
 them prominent business men. Rev. J. A. Rice, of the 
 Court Street M. E. Church of Montgomery, has made 
 that assertion in public, and no one has ever contra- 
 dicted him. The worst thing is that these women, living 
 in this concubinage are often received in the negro 
 churches and among the negroes generally with honor. 
 The moral result on the black race is indescribable." 
 
 " How long are the Christian people of Alabama go- 
 ing to submit to this kind of thing," exclaimed Dr. Fur- 
 ber, with a look of despair. 
 
 " The whole State is already aroused," said Donald, 
 encouragingly. " The better classes, not only in Ala- 
 bama, but all over the South, have begun to organize to 
 fight this concubinage system. It is the direct product 
 of Legreeism." 
 
 " I am only beginning," responded Dr. Furber, " to 
 see the iniquity of the Legree spirit. I have always 
 known it was a bad influence, but I never suspected its 
 hidden depths of iniquity. Such men as Legree seem 
 to honor any white man who will degrade and debauch 
 the negro race, but they revile and persecute with savage 
 fury any white man who seeks to lift up and educate 
 this backward people." 
 
 " It is exactly so," said Donald, " but I wish to assure 
 you that the Legree faction is really a small, tyrannical 
 minority, who have used race hatred as a means of po- 
 litical and financial aggrandizement. They are the mod- 
 ern carpetbaggers, willing to sink the whole South in 
 a hell of debauchery in order to gain for themselves 
 
170 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 power and ill-gotten wealth. But the day of Legree's 
 doom is at hand," concluded Donald, with great earnest- 
 ness, striking his desk a resounding blow with his 
 clenched fist. 
 
 " I surely hope so," responded the President of Har- 
 bison. 
 
 " We are planning to elect a complete new set of 
 officers at our next city election," the young lawyer con- 
 tinued. " There is going to be a shaking up in Dothan. 
 Our day is about to dawn as a community." 
 
 " Harbison's day will dawn at the same time," re- 
 joined Dr. Furber. " I have been discouraged some- 
 what about our work in spite of Miss Atkinson's opti- 
 mism," he continued, laying his head wearily on his hand. 
 " I have almost felt recently like Mr. J. Ormond Wil- 
 son, of Washington. Someone asked him if he had 
 read Dr. Shufeldt's late book on ' The American 
 Negro,' and he replied, in despair, ' I don't read any- 
 body's books on the negro question any more. It seems 
 to be a hopeless case.' However, your words, Mr. 
 Shelby, have encouraged me. When I can see some 
 evidence that the white men of the South are getting 
 ready to throw off the yoke of Legree and men like him 
 I am encouraged to hope for the future." 
 
 When their consultation was over, it was near supper 
 time, and Dr. Furber prevailed on his friend to stay for 
 supper at Harbison. Mrs. Furber, a genial, kindly lady, 
 and Rose Atkinson, were the only other members of the 
 family present. They had a most enjoyable time, and 
 as the evening progressed even Dr. Furber became more 
 cheerful, and seemed for a time to forget the heavy bur- 
 dens he was carrying on behalf of others. 
 
 After a while Rose and Donald were left alone in the 
 parlor of the President's house, and he told Rose the 
 
 
STARTLING REVELATIONS 171 
 
 whole story of Jefferson Lilly's plight, including the in- 
 cident of the telegram from Florence Ashley to New 
 York. 
 
 " Where is Mr. Lilly now ? " asked Rose at last, with 
 an eagerness that made Donald wince a little. 
 
 " He has been visiting friends in the Northern part 
 of Alabama, but he has told me that he expects to take 
 a trip to the North soon. When he comes back he hopes 
 to revisit Dothan." 
 
 " I am going North myself next week," said Rose, un- 
 expectedly. Donald looked surprised. 
 
 " Yes," she went on, answering his questioning look. 
 " I have felt that I must get a breath of the Pittsburg 
 air. They say it is smoky, but it is pure as the air of 
 paradise compared with the present Legree-cursed at- 
 mosphere of Dothan." 
 
 " Don't be too severe on us," answered the young 
 man. " With the exception of a very few, you know 
 we have given you a very good reception in our town. 
 By the way, I forgot to tell you that I met a young man 
 on the train some time ago who knew you. His name 
 was Horace Speedwell. He wanted to be remembered 
 to you, and said he was going to look you up in Dothan 
 some day." 
 
 " Horace Speedwell," exclaimed Rose, in astonish- 
 ment. "What did he say?" 
 
 " He wanted to know how we were treating you in 
 Alabama, and he vowed vengeance if any negro-hater 
 insulted you, but I think, at heart, he was wishing we 
 would drive you back to Pittsburg." 
 
 Rose blushed. " I have known him all my life," she 
 explained. " We were children together, and grew up 
 as firm friends." 
 
 " So he told me," said Donald. " He seemed to think 
 
172 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 you were throwing your life away in your project to 
 help the blacks." 
 
 " Horace cannot understand," responded the girl, with 
 a far-away look in her eyes. " So few of my friends 
 can understand my motives, and yet, in the light of 
 the teachings of the New Testament, there is nothing 
 wonderful at all about my plans for a life work." 
 
 " I don't think many people take those teachings as 
 altogether practical in our day," responded Donald, in 
 an apologetic manner. 
 
 " That's just the trouble," she replied, quickly. " Men 
 will call Christianity a failure individually and collect- 
 ively, when the truth of the matter is Christianity is 
 never given a chance, except in occasional cases, to show 
 what it can do to brighten the life, and uplift mankind." 
 
 " You're a regular preacher," said Donald, laughing. 
 " I don't think I ever heard Mr. Durham utter finer 
 sentiments than those." 
 
 " Did anyone ever speak to you about Rev. John Dur- 
 ham's visit here while you were away, and how I an- 
 swered him right in the church?" Rose smiled broadly 
 as she asked Donald this question. 
 
 Donald roared with laughter. " I should say I did 
 hear about that. I heard that you just wiped the earth 
 with the old Hambright parson. That was a great joke." 
 
 " It would have been ridiculous, if it had not been so 
 deplorable," answered Rose, growing more serious. " I 
 hardly knew whether to laugh or cry during his ha- 
 rangue, but I could not help saying a word in reply." 
 
 " I hear that Legree was angry enough at you to eat 
 you up alive," said Donald, still laughing. " He swore 
 terribly down town the next day, I am told, when some- 
 one asked him what he thought of your talk. He 
 
STARTLING REVELATIONS 17S 
 
 blames Mr. Durham for permitting it, and says the 
 Bible plainly says that women are not to speak in 
 churches." 
 
 " Ha, ha," laughed Rose. " So I aroused Legree to 
 such an extent that he quoted Scripture, but we are told 
 the devil has been known to do that before." 
 
 " I also heard," went on Donald, " that the Hambright 
 brother was so incensed at our pastor that he left for 
 North Carolina the very next evening. I saw him in 
 Legree's office that afternoon. I expect he was bidding 
 him a fond farewell." 
 
 " Legree and John Durham of Hambright are kindred 
 spirits," said Rose, with a sparkle of indignation in her 
 eyes. " The idea of such men pretending to exhibit 
 Christianity in any way. If they are Christians, we 
 do wrong in failing to honor Herod in the Christian 
 Church." 
 
 The conversation then changed to Donald's New York 
 experiences, and the young couple did not notice the 
 time fly until it was after ten o'clock. " I must be 
 going," said Donald, rising. 
 
 Rose accompanied him as far as the gate at the end 
 of the main avenue. " If I do not see you again before 
 I leave for the North, I will bid you good-by, Mr. 
 Shelby," said the girl, as they were parting. " I want 
 to thank you for the friendship you have shown to 
 Harbison." 
 
 " Don't mention it," he replied. " I see that I have 
 not done my duty by this institution in the past, but you 
 have aroused many of us in Dothan to a new under- 
 standing of the importance of this school." 
 
 " My hopes have not all been realized," answered the 
 girl, with a sigh, " but I believe a start has been made. 
 
174 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 After a good rest at home I am coming back again, and 
 we will endeavor to work out to completion my policy for 
 Harbison's success." 
 
 " You can always count on me," said Donald, ear- 
 nestly. 
 
 " I have tested your friendship and have not found 
 it wanting," responded the girl, simply. 
 
 " Test my love now and you will find it just as true 
 as my friendship." Donald Shelby looked into the face 
 of the beautiful teacher of Harbison as he spoke these 
 words. Overhead the moon was shining with a soft 
 radiance. A quiet stillness brooded over nature, save 
 that a gentle zepher kissed the leaves in a soft caress. 
 
 " I mean it every word," protested the young lawyer, 
 as Rose looked at him in surprise. 
 
 " I am not yet ready for such a test," she replied, at 
 length, reaching out her hand, " but — " 
 
 " Some day you may be," finished Donald eagerly, as 
 she hesitated. 
 
 " Perhaps," she answered, softly, and she was gone. 
 
 " Jefferson Lilly was right in his estimation of Rose 
 Atkinson," said Donald to himself, as he walked home 
 slowly in the moonlight. " She is a woman. Hers is a 
 beautiful soul in a beautiful form." 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 THE CRISIS OF A LIFE 
 
 " Miss Atkinson, how delighted I am to see you." 
 
 "Why, Mr. Lilly, where did you come from?" 
 
 " I arrived here yesterday, and I thought I would 
 spend this afternoon in visiting the magnificent depart- 
 ment stores of this wonderful city." 
 
 This conversation took place one afternoon in the 
 book department of one of the immense retail stores, 
 which are the pride of Pittsburg. 
 
 Jefferson Lilly, taking a trip leisurely through the 
 Northern cities, had stopped off for a few days in the 
 Iron City, and thus unexpectedly met Rose Atkinson, 
 who was now enjoying a few weeks' vacation at her 
 Pittsburg home. 
 
 11 1 would like to have you come home with me to 
 supper to-night," said the girl, after the first greetings 
 were over. " We are to have a company of prominent 
 people who are much interested in the great problem 
 of the South. It will be delightful to have you with 
 us. Mr. Andrew Carnegie is coming over from New 
 York to be with us." 
 
 Jefferson accepted the invitation with pleasure, and 
 assured Rose that he had no engagements of any kind. 
 
 " Come right along with me now," urged the girl. 
 " We can have an automobile ride around the city, and 
 I can tell you some of the happenings in Dothan since 
 you left it." 
 
 175 
 
176 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 " I didn't leave Dothan," answered the other, with a 
 broad grin on his face. " I was dragged out of the 
 town as though I had been a dangerous criminal." 
 
 " Mr. Shelby told me all about your cruel experiences, 
 Mr. Lilly," she responded, sympathetically. " It was 
 awful, but I see you are not much the worse for it." 
 
 " I have been recuperating for some time, and this 
 bracing air of the North soon puts color in the cheeks." 
 
 Driven by an expert chauffeur, they were whirled 
 around the " Smoky City," as Pittsburg has been 
 called. They passed along the banks of the Mononga- 
 hela River, which at this point joins with the Allegheny 
 to form the noble Ohio. Rose pointed out the mag- 
 nificent Carnegie Institute and the other notable build- 
 ings. 
 
 " Pittsburg is a splendid city," exclaimed Rose, with 
 sparkling eyes. " I feel at home here. It is a pleasure 
 for me to see it again. I enjoy even its smoke." 
 
 " How could you leave a city like this, with all its 
 attractions, for a little Alabama town like Dothan with 
 its ugly problems ? " 
 
 " Pittsburg does not need me and Dothan does," 
 she answered, quietly. She then told Jefferson the news 
 about the lynching of Walter Wilkins and the good work 
 of Donald Shelby on behalf of the Institute. 
 
 " Donald is like his old self again," said Jefferson, 
 enthusiatically. " In college he was fearless as a Spar- 
 tan soldier, but when I saw him first in Dothan he 
 was as spiritless as a donkey. I believe you recharged 
 him with life, Miss Atkinson." 
 
 The girl blushed a rosy red, and replied, " I'm not an 
 electric battery." 
 
 " That is our home," she exclaimed suddenly, as the 
 
THE CRISIS OF 'A LIFE 177 
 
 motor car shot round a corner, and a magnificent man- 
 sion on the hillside came into view. 
 
 The location of the home was superb, commanding 
 a wide prospect, and overlooking a wooded valley below. 
 
 The powerful car rushed swiftly up the long avenue, 
 which was lined with beautiful shade trees, and stopped 
 in front of the marble steps. 
 
 Rose soon ushered Jefferson into her palatial home, 
 and introduced him to her mother, a fine looking lady 
 of noble bearing, and when it was explained that they 
 had met in Dothan, he was cordially welcomed. 
 
 He also met George Atkinson, a brother of Rose, who 
 was some two or three years younger than his sister. 
 
 The other guests had not yet arrived, and so Jeffer- 
 son had a good opportunity to get acquainted with the 
 family. He found that the mother and brother were 
 kindred spirits to Rose, but they seemed to lack her 
 intensity of self-sacrifice. He found them greatly in- 
 terested in Alabama on account of Rose's experiences in 
 that State. 
 
 " Since Rose has been talking so much of the beauties 
 of Alabama I have been thinking of going into business 
 myself in Birmingham," said George Atkinson. " I have 
 had a good offer from an iron firm there recently." 
 
 " Birmingham is the Pittsburg of the South, and 
 is destined to a great future," said Jefferson, with en- 
 thusiasm. " Go down and investigate it for yourself. 
 You will find it is full of business opportunities." 
 
 " Rose seems to think that duty calls her to Alabama," 
 said Mrs. Atkinson, " but I tell her she ought to let the 
 South take care of its own negroes. I am afraid she is 
 finding the work in Harbison rather perplexing. She 
 came home all tired out." 
 
178 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 " She is making a great success of the school," re- 
 plied Jefferson, enthusiastically. " She has the right 
 ideas of negro education, and her influence will yet be 
 felt all over the Southland. I have been studying our 
 problem with new interest for myself this summer, and 
 I am convinced your daughter is teaching the Dothan 
 whites how to properly solve the delicate race problem." 
 
 " I am glad to hear you say so," responded Rose's 
 mother. " I was afraid the girl was merely throwing 
 her life away." 
 
 " If you are interested in the negro question," laughed 
 George, " you will meet some kindred spirits to-night. 
 About every influential friend of the negro is to be here. 
 We will have a large company." 
 
 " It will be a great pleasure for me to meet these 
 Northern friends of our colored race," replied Jeffer- 
 son. 
 
 The guests soon began to arrive. They included men 
 and women from all walks of life, from millionaires 
 like Andrew Carnegie down to Ward School teachers. 
 Well known business men, bankers, lawyers, and minis- 
 ters were also present. 
 
 Jefferson became greatly interested in one of the min- 
 isters to whom Rose introduced him while the guests 
 were gathering. He was a scholarly gentleman, whom 
 he found to be an authority on almost any question in 
 regard to the negro race. His name was Dr. Fisher, 
 and when Rose introduced him she remarked, " I want 
 you to meet my friend, Dr. Fisher. He has charge of 
 the organization which oversees Harbison, and twenty 
 other such schools in different parts of the South." 
 
 Dr. Fisher and Jefferson wandered into the library 
 before the supper was served. 
 
THE CRISIS OF A LIFE 179 
 
 " What is your business in Alabama ? " Dr. Fisher 
 asked the young man. 
 
 Jefferson smiled depreciatingly and replied, " Wan- 
 dering to and fro upon the face of the earth." 
 
 Dr. Fisher looked at him earnestly and said, " You 
 are of too good metal, my young friend, to rust out your 
 life in any such a useless way as that. Why don't you 
 allow me to set you to work ? " 
 
 "What would you have me do?" asked the aston- 
 ished Jefferson. 
 
 " I would commission you as Secretary and Treasurer 
 of Harbison Institute and send you to Dothan to assist 
 Rose Atkinson in making that school a model for all 
 similar schools to pattern after. We are just now in 
 need of a Secretary and Treasurer for that institution." 
 
 " Your proposition is unexpected, sir," he answered, 
 " but it has interested me. I will call at your office to- 
 morrow and talk with you about the matter." 
 
 At the supper table, a little later, Jefferson had a 
 good opportunity to see a large and representative com- 
 pany of the Northern philanthropists whom many South- 
 erners look upon as their worst enemies because of their 
 efforts to uplift the blacks of the Southland. He soon 
 saw that these philanthropists were interested in the 
 negroes, not because they were negroes, but because they 
 were men. He saw that they were enthusiastic in their 
 devotion to all kinds of men, and that with them no color 
 line barred them from service where they could help a 
 brother-man to rise to a higher plane. They referred 
 in generous terms to men of all colors. The white, 
 red, yellow and brown races were the subjects of their 
 philanthropic efforts just as much as the black race. 
 
 " These people seem to think that human brotherhood 
 
180 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 is a possible reality," Jefferson said to himself, as he 
 listened to the conversation. 
 
 The honored guest was Andrew Carnegie, who was 
 personally acquainted with most of the others, as Pitts- 
 burg has been the theater where he has played, in such 
 an amazing way and with such vast success, his part in 
 life's battle. He was leading a discussion on a favorite 
 subject of his, the relation of Capital and Labor, when 
 he turned to Jefferson and said, " I believe it is best 
 for both capital and labor when the laborer is the 
 capitalist. Do you not think, Mr. Lilly, that it would 
 be a blessing to the Southern States if the large plan- 
 tations were sold out in small farms to the negro ten- 
 ants?" 
 
 " I have heard that plan spoken of," replied the South- 
 erner, " but I fear that many in the South are opposed 
 to such reconstruction of our present system. How- 
 ever, they are doing that already to some extent in Ala- 
 bama. There is no doubt the negro who owns his own 
 farm is the best kind of a negro." 
 
 " We encourage our young men to get hold of small 
 farms of their own just as soon as they can," interposed 
 Rose, who had been listening with interest to the conver- 
 sation. 
 
 " I was amused the other day," said Mr. Carnegie, " at 
 the remark a negro educator in Washington made to me, 
 speaking on this subject. He was telling me that 
 some of the old slave-owners in the South, and their 
 children, think that the negro is at his best when some 
 white man does all his thinking for him, and when he 
 submits to be nothing but a beast of burden. Such men 
 claim to be the best friends of the black, and they say 
 that those who are seeking to uplift the race are really 
 doing them an injury. ' Such talk reminds me,' said 
 
THE CRISIS OF A LIFE 181 
 
 the educator, 'of a story about an astronomer who was 
 trying to prove to an old darky that the North Star was 
 larger than the moon. " Dat may be, Massa," said the 
 darkey, dubiously, " but dat star has a poor way o' 
 showin' it." ' I have often thought myself," concluded 
 Mr. Carnegie, " that some Southerners have a very poor 
 way of showing their professed friendship for the negro 
 race." 
 
 " I am free to confess," replied Jefferson, with a flush, 
 " that some of-our white men in the South miscall them- 
 selves friends of the negro when they are really their 
 bitter enemies, but the mass of the Southern people feel 
 kindly toward the black race, and the sentiment of a 
 square deal to all kinds of folks, no matter what their 
 color is, is growing in the South to-day just as this senti- 
 ment is growing all over the modern world. The South 
 is sharing in the progress of the times." 
 
 " There is a white man in Dothan," said Rose, with 
 much spirit, " who represents the really dangerous ele- 
 ment in the Southern problem to-day. I am sorry to 
 say he is ' boss ' of the town. Do you not think, Mr. 
 Lilly," she went on, " that I am right in calling the Le- 
 grees of the South its worst curse in our time." 
 
 " I cannot trust myself to express an opinion about 
 such scalawags," replied Jefferson, with flushed cheek, 
 Rose's remark bringing to his memory the filthy prison 
 cell in Dothan and the hospital cot in Tuscaloosa Asy- 
 lum. " I look on the Legrees, with their doctrines of 
 racial hate, as worse enemies of the South than ever 
 the carpetbaggers or the scalawags were." 
 
 " Bravo," replied Andrew Carnegie. " I don't ever re- 
 member hearing a Southerner speak more intelligently 
 about conditions in the South. I am often surprised to 
 see so many excellent Southern people who are blind, 
 
182 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 seemingly, to the ominous evils that follow in the wake 
 of these fomenters of racial strife." 
 
 lAfter supper, there was a general conference held, and 
 the different members of the party expressed freely their 
 views. Jefferson noted with great interest how intelli- 
 gently these Northern men discussed the whole negro 
 problem in all its aspects. " I think I can see how it 
 is," said Jefferson to himself, " that a Northern girl, like 
 Rose Atkinson, has brought such rational ideas in re- 
 gard to the matter of negro education down to Alabama. 
 It is the old story," continued Jefferson, thinking to 
 himself, as he listened that night. " When people are 
 too near a problem they cannot always see its best solu- 
 tion. We of the South are so near this delicate ques- 
 tion that we cannot see it in the cold, calm, clear light 
 of reason, and so passion and blind prejudice rule 
 amongst us, to our undoing, while these Northerners 
 study the whole matter far more intelligently than we 
 do, and, naturally, they are able to tell us what the proper 
 solution of our difficulty is, for this world is governed in 
 the long run by reason and intelligence and not by blind 
 passion and prejudice." 
 
 Jefferson Lilly never forgot the lesson which he 
 learned at the supper party at Rose's home in Pitts- 
 burg. 
 
 The next day Jefferson called on Dr. Fisher and had a 
 long conversation with him. It was the turning point of 
 his career, a crisis in his life. Dr. Fisher listened with 
 the closest attention to the young man's story, and, es- 
 pecially, the account of his Dothan experiences. 
 
 " It is a clear case of God's Providence," said Dr. 
 Fisher, at last. " I believe, Mr. Lilly, that God began to 
 lead you into noble service for your beloved Southland 
 when you first picked up that wounded negro. .Your 
 
THE CRISIS OF A LIFE 18S 
 
 subsequent trials have opened your eyes to the true so- 
 lution of the problem of the South." 
 
 " One result of my sufferings," responded Jefferson, 
 reverently, " has been worth all they cost me. My old 
 faith in my mother's God has come back. I can now 
 understand the self-sacrificing life of Rose Atkinson. I 
 feel within me the same spirit urging me to devote my 
 life and fortune to the betterment of the world." 
 
 " Could you take charge of the business affairs of 
 Harbison at once?" asked Dr. Fisher, anxious to secure 
 the services of such an efficient helper without any delay. 
 
 " I can," he replied promptly. " I can begin next 
 week, if necessary." 
 
 " You need not fear to return to Dothan as an official 
 in Harbison," said Dr. Fisher, encouragingly, " because 
 such men as Legree are naturally cowards, and when 
 they know you have a powerful Northern organization 
 back of you, he will not dare use any extreme measures 
 against you." 
 
 " I fear him not," replied the young man, with confi- 
 dence. " I am ready to take up the work at Harbison, 
 no matter what the consequences are." 
 
 When Rose Atkinson heard of Jefferson's decision she 
 could not conceal her great pleasure. 
 
 " I am proud of you, Mr. Lilly," she exclaimed, with 
 enthusiasm. " We will soon make our Harbison Insti- 
 tute the model for all such institutions. With your as- 
 sistance I am confident that success is assured. I can 
 see already the Waterloo of Legreeism in Dothan." 
 
 " I have been much encouraged to expect success," he 
 replied, smiling, " by something I read the other day 
 about another Dothan that was formerly located some- 
 where in Palestine." 
 
 "What do you mean?" asked Rose. 
 
184. THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 " Did you never read the old story about Elisha and 
 his servant in Dothan ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes. I understand you now. You mean the 
 Bible story of the investment of Dothan by Israel's ene- 
 mies, and the opening of the young man's eyes so that 
 he saw the hills around Dothan full of the chariots and 
 horsemen of the Lord." 
 
 " Exactly," said Jefferson. " I have had my eyes 
 opened, so that I can see the chariots and the horsemen 
 of the Lord around every negro school in the South. I 
 know that God is on the side of Harbison." 
 
 " I have always had that faith," said Rose, simply. 
 " If I did not think that God was working with us to 
 uplift the negro race, I should at once abandon the task 
 in despair, but God's work cannot be stopped. He has 
 decreed the progress of the human race, including men 
 of every shade of color." 
 
 " When do you expect to return to Alabama your- 
 self ? " asked Jefferson, as he was about to take his leave. 
 
 " In a few more weeks I shall be ready to go back," 
 she replied. " I am glad you are going to start South 
 at once, for I know that Dr. Furber needs help. He is 
 getting old, and that awful lynching of Walter Wilkins 
 almost prostrated him." 
 
 " That was a frightful example of the lawless cruelty 
 of lynch law," said Jefferson. " I hope it will help to 
 banish the horrible iniquity from the South." 
 
 " Lynch law and Legreeism go together," responded 
 Rose. " Both of these blots in our country will disap- 
 pear with the inevitable progress of the spirit of justice 
 and Christianity amongst both blacks and whites." 
 
 " I can now see clearly," said the new official of Harbi- 
 son, " that my work in a negro school will be the most 
 patriotic service I can render my State. I have had a 
 
THE CRISIS OF A LIFE 185 
 
 vision of a new and greater Alabama which I shall help 
 to create, an Alabama where justice and a square deal 
 will be given to every citizen." 
 
 The two young dreamers parted with much cordiality, 
 expecting to meet again soon in the Alabama town. 
 
 Wishing to give Dr. Furber an agreeable surprise, Dr. 
 Fisher did not write him of Jefferson Lilly's appointment 
 as Secretary and Treasurer of Harbison, but entrusted 
 a letter to the young man, which he was to deliver to the 
 President on his arrival at Dothan. 
 
 During the long railway journey Jefferson's thoughts 
 turned with strange fascination to Florence Ashley. He 
 had not heard a word from her during the entire sum- 
 mer. Donald Shelby had written him that she was 
 spending the warm months on the coast of Florida. He 
 wondered if she had forgotten him. He pictured to him- 
 self their meeting again. 
 
 " What will she think of me as a Harbison official ? " 
 he asked himself, more than once. He was still hopeful 
 that once he was back in Dothan and met her that their 
 old happy relations would be resumed. " I shall still call 
 her Florence," he said to himself, looking out of the car 
 window and noticing a motor car which the train was 
 passing. The scene reminded him of his automobile ride 
 with Miss Ashley, and his race with the Flying Coast- 
 land Express. He was glad that he should so soon have 
 an opportunity of meeting her again. 
 
 With many thrilling emotions he stepped off the train 
 at Dothan. 
 
 " Drive me to Harbison Institute," he told the cabman, 
 and he was soon hurrying through the main street of the 
 town. He passed the town hall and the jail, and the mem- 
 ory of his former wrongs came back vividly to his mind. 
 He recalled the savage mob and his wild race for life. 
 
186 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 " If I am mobbed again," he said, with determination, 
 " I will face the lawless rabble. Jefferson Lilly will 
 never save his life again at the expense of his honor." 
 
 He well knew that his first reappearance on the streets 
 of Dothan might mean another mob, and he judged 
 truly, but he had counted the cost, and he returned to 
 Alabama to give his life, if need be, to the cause of negro 
 education, which he now believed meant the redemption 
 of the South. 
 
 The carriage entered the Harbison grounds and drove 
 up to the President's house. 
 
 " I have come back to Dothan to assist you in the 
 work at Harbison," he said to the astonished President, 
 as he entered the hall and met Dr. Furber. 
 
 " I am glad to see you again, Mr. Lilly," he replied, 
 shaking his hand cordially, not understanding what he 
 meant. " I often wondered what had become of you." 
 
 " I have just come from Pittsburg and here is a let- 
 ter from Dr. Fisher," Jefferson said, handing him an 
 envelope. 
 
 Dr. Furber read it in amazement. Tears came to his 
 eyes. 
 
 " Is it possible," he exclaimed, " that you have really 
 come to assist in our school? I can hardly believe, but 
 I am glad, so glad," and the aged President grasped Jef- 
 ferson's hand. 
 
 " I am at your service," responded the young man, 
 simply. 
 
 Dr. Furber looked at the strong, stalwart son of Ala- 
 bama, who in the strength of his youth and with his 
 splendid mental equipment thus offered himself to the 
 cause of humanity. " This is glorious," exclaimed the 
 President of Harbison, at length. " Our long-hoped-for 
 day of triumph is at hand." 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 BACK IN DOTHAN 
 
 The surprise of the white people in Dothan was great 
 Avhen it became known that Jefferson Lilly had returned 
 to town as an official in Harbison Institute. Donald 
 Shelby could hardly believe his ears when Jefferson 
 called him up over the 'phone the next day after his ar- 
 rival and told him the news. The two friends soon after- 
 wards had an affectionate meeting. Jefferson told of 
 his Northern trip and of his visit to the home of Rose 
 Atkinson in Pittsburg. 
 
 " You and Rose seem to be getting well acquainted," 
 said Donald, at length, with just a little feeling of jeal- 
 ousy in his voice. 
 
 " Yes," answered Jefferson. " Since I have met her 
 people and have seen the sacrifice she has made to come 
 down into Alabama on her mission of mercy I have come 
 to think Rose is one of the finest women in the world — 
 except one," he added, quickly, noticing the shadow that 
 came to the face of his friend. " By the way, Donald," 
 he continued, " have you seen Florence Ashley lately ? 
 Is she back from Florida yet?" 
 
 " I understand she is expected home now in a few 
 days. She has been away almost all summer." 
 
 " I must see her at once on her return," said Jeffer- 
 son, eagerly. 
 
 Donald shook his head. " I am afraid that your work 
 
 187 
 
188 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 in Harbison will cost you Florence Ashley," he re- 
 marked, slowly. 
 
 " Not at all," replied his friend, confidently. " I know 
 if I can only see her that I can easily convert Florence 
 to our modern ideas about such institutions as Harbi- 
 son." 
 
 " Do not be too sure about that," responded Donald, 
 with another shake of his head. " I had a long conversa- 
 tion the other day with her father, Mr. Ashley. I am 
 trying to work up enough political strength in Dothan 
 so as to control our next city elections and destroy the 
 Legree ' machine.' I thought I could easily depend on 
 Mr. Ashley, as he is an honorable, broad-minded man, 
 but I found I was mistaken." 
 
 " Surely Mr. Ashley will not continue to support Le- 
 gree, will he ? " asked Jefferson, with wide-open eyes. 
 
 " Not exactly, and yet it amounts to the same thing. 
 He is opposed to any policy that will encourage the 
 blacks to think that they are men. He is getting very 
 bitter against Harbison, and says we might as well waste 
 money and effort educating monkeys as niggers." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " asked Jefferson, in astonish- 
 ment. 
 
 " I mean that Legree has evidently hired some college 
 professor to convince Mr. Ashley, and a number of our 
 other prominent men, that the negroes are not men at 
 all, but simply animals, resembling men somewhat in 
 physical shape just as the anthropoid apes do, but not, 
 by any means, human. Mr. Ashley is full of the idea. 
 I spent a whole evening lately arguing with him about it." 
 
 "Are those the tactics that Legree is now using?" 
 said Jefferson, laughingly. " Well, that is just the theory 
 that our fathers used in defending negro slavery, and if 
 our fathers had been right in their theory their position 
 
BACK IN DOTHAN 189 
 
 would have been impregnable. But they were wrong, 
 manifestly wrong, as the world has decided. That theory 
 has been completely exploded. Abraham Lincoln called 
 all the arguments used in its defense ' mere strings of 
 words,' and science has declared Lincoln was right. I 
 am surprised to learn that an intelligent man like Mr. 
 Ashley could be so provincial as to listen to such an ex- 
 ploded theory for a single minute." 
 
 " You ought to talk to Mr. Ashley," said Donald, 
 earnestly. " He soon had me in a corner. He has all 
 kinds of arguments to prove his point. He spoke of the 
 mental indolence of the negroes, the coarseness of their 
 physical organization, their exemption from malarial dis- 
 eases, and the strong odor which they exhale, all show- 
 ing that they are altogether different from the white 
 race. He even argued that in some things, as in the 
 length of the forearm, the negro was more akin to the 
 anthropoid ape than to the white man. He mentioned 
 other physical characteristics which are peculiar to the 
 black race, and asked me triumphantly, ' What can you 
 say in answer to all these arguments ? ' " 
 
 " I wish I had been there," exclaimed Jefferson, 
 quickly. " I heard that whole subject discussed in the 
 Sorbonne in Paris by a company of the leading scientists 
 in the world. Every argument you have mentioned, and 
 a great many more, were brought forward by a profes- 
 sor from the Louisiana State University to prove that 
 the negro race was not human, but the scientists just 
 laughed at him." 
 
 " But laughter does not answer arguments " said Don- 
 ald, with a little impatience. 
 
 " I know that," responded Jefferson, with a smile, 
 " but such arguments are ridiculous to the scientific world 
 to-day when one plain, indubitable fact, that the South 
 
190 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 knows of so well, is clearly manifest. That fact is that 
 a reproduction of the human race is possible through the 
 negro. It is a scientific axiom that hybrids are sterile, 
 and no one ever was so blind and ignorant as to claim 
 that the mulattoes are such. If the negro did not belong 
 to the human family there could be no reproduction of 
 the human species through the negro." 
 
 " I had not thought of that," replied Donald, looking 
 at his friend with a sigh of relief. " I disliked to think 
 that some negroes such as Booker T. Washington, Paul 
 Lawrence Dunbar, and the artist, Henry O. Tanner, 
 were brutes and not human beings, but Mr. Ashley's 
 arguments seemed very strong. However, your point is 
 unanswerable, and according to science it is impossible 
 to place the colored people outside the human family." 
 
 " Peter Legree a man and Booker T. Washington a 
 brute," said Jefferson. " Any theory that would permit 
 such a classification must come from a madman, or else 
 a very provincial Southerner," and Jefferson Lilly 
 laughed long and loudly. 
 
 "Those. who are opposed to negro education and to 
 the negro's right to life and liberty will have to find a 
 better basis for their position than such an exploded 
 theory as that. Only a provincial fossil would think of 
 using it," he remarked at length to Donald. 
 
 " I must confess you seem to me to be well qualified 
 to be an official in Harbison," said the young lawyer to 
 Jefferson, as they parted. " I wish you all success. I 
 shall seek to destroy Legree politically, and then your 
 school will have a fair show. There are a large number 
 of us in Dothan who would like to see the present po- 
 litical tyranny and rottenness succeeded by an era of 
 enlightened policy founded on the square deal." 
 
BACK IN DOTHAN 191 
 
 " Good for you, Donald. We will clean up this old 
 town yet, and wipe out Dothan's curse. Legreeism will 
 have to go." 
 
 With these encouraging sentiments on the part of both, 
 the two friends separated. 
 
 A few days later, Jefferson Lilly was walking down 
 the streets of Dothan. The Legree minions had all 
 learned of his return, and he could tell by the whispered 
 words and the looks of several of the people that he was 
 a marked man on the street that day. Soon he was ac- 
 costed by the very same policeman who had told him to 
 leave town some months before, who said to him, with 
 an oath, " I thought we sent you out of this town once 
 before." Jefferson looked at the officer of the law in 
 contempt, and replied, " I am a free, American citizen. 
 The Stars and Stripes assure me of protection here as 
 well as in any other place in the world." 
 
 " What do we care for the Stars and Stripes," said the 
 policeman, with another oath. " You'll soon find out that 
 we don't want such as you in this town." 
 
 Jefferson soon saw that the policeman's threat was no 
 idle word. Shortly afterwards, just as before, a crowd 
 began to form behind him, and he could hear the now 
 familiar insult, " white nigger," pass from mouth to 
 mouth. The rabble following him began to increase, and 
 the mob spirit was rapidly rising, when Jefferson quietly 
 turned around, and walked right up to the leaders of the 
 crowd. 
 
 " Are you people following me ? " he asked the amazed 
 rabble. They stared at him in mute astonishment, and 
 then began to fall back before his calm and steady gaze. 
 His quiet, masterful spirit took the bravado out of them, 
 and they melted away in confusion. 
 
192 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 Jefferson was surprised himself at his easy victory, but 
 he determined to put an end to such disturbances in the 
 future. 
 
 He walked slowly to the town hall and entered the 
 Mayor's office. That fat, lazy-looking official was sit- 
 ting at his desk, and he looked up in a surprised way at 
 young Lilly, as though he were a ghost. 
 
 " I have returned to Dothan as the Secretary and 
 Treasurer of Harbison," said the young man, abruptly. 
 
 The Mayor muttered something under his breath, but 
 Jefferson did not catch his meaning. 
 
 " I want to give you fair warning, as the chief execu- 
 tive of Dothan you are responsible for keeping order on 
 the streets of this town. With the permission and as- 
 sistance of your police a crowd formed to mob me a few 
 moments ago." 
 
 " People don't want such as you in Dothan," inter- 
 rupted the Mayor. 
 
 Without noticing the interruption, Jefferson went on, 
 " If you do not promise me protection from such insults 
 I shall telegraph to the headquarters of our organiza- 
 tion in Pittsburg, and the Governor of Alabama will 
 send a company of militia to keep order, if you cannot 
 do so, and if the militia fail, the President of the United 
 States will send a regiment of the regular Army. The 
 Stars and Stripes mean protection to American citizens 
 in Dothan as well as in any other part of our country, 
 or the world. Do you understand me, sir ? " 
 
 The Mayor quailed before the earnest intensity of Jef- 
 ferson's spirit, but he was silent. 
 
 " You must promise me protection, sir," Jefferson re- 
 peated, " or I will send a telegram immediately, and in 
 six hours the State militia will be here." 
 
 The Mayor began to see that Jefferson Lilly was no 
 
BACK IN DOTHAN 193 
 
 longer an unprotected citizen, but that on account of his 
 connection with Harbison there was a possibility that he 
 might be able to get the protection which he claimed. 
 
 " What can I do?" he asked Jefferson. 
 
 " You can tell your police to disperse, instead of gath- 
 ering, such mobs. That is all that I ask," he answered, 
 firmly. 
 
 Noticing the determination in the young Harbison offi- 
 cial's face, the Mayor assured him that he would have 
 no further trouble. 
 
 After this episode, the only way in which Legree's 
 minions showed their hostility was in their looks, but 
 Jefferson scorned their frowns, and felt that he was se- 
 cure. 
 
 The very day of his encounter with the Mayor, Jef- 
 ferson was walking slowly on the outskirts of the town, 
 enjoying an hour of recreation, when he heard a carriage 
 drive up behind him. He looked up, as the vehicle was 
 rolling past, and, to his delight, saw Florence Ashley sit- 
 ting alone, evidently in deep meditation. She did not 
 see him, but, with a bound, he was at the side of the 
 carriage, crying, " Florence, Florence." 
 
 She looked up in quick surprise, and a deep flush man- 
 tled her cheeks, as she exclaimed, " Jefferson." 
 
 The driver at once stopped, and Jefferson entered the 
 carriage as in a dream. 
 
 They greeted each other with mutual joy, and, on both 
 sides, everything in the past that was unpleasant, was 
 forgotten. 
 
 As soon as he recovered himself somewhat, Jefferson 
 asked, " When did you return to Dothan ? " 
 
 " I came back yesterday, and you were the last person 
 I expected to find here. I was afraid you would never 
 come back." 
 
194 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 " Don't you know why I am in Dothan ? " 
 
 The girl blushed, thinking he referred to herself, and 
 made no reply. 
 
 " I am now the Secretary and Treasurer of Harbison 
 Institute," he went on. 
 
 The girl turned to him quickly, and the color left her 
 face as she said in quivering tones, " How could you, 
 Jefferson ? I thought you had come back to tell me that 
 you had given up all those foolish ideas, which have al- 
 ready made you so much trouble, and that we could be 
 happy again." 
 
 She covered her face with her hands, and burst into 
 tears. 
 
 Jefferson was strangely moved. He turned to her 
 tenderly. " I thought you had forgotten me, since you 
 did not answer my letter, or I would have let you know 
 before I came back." 
 
 " Answer your letter," echoed the girl. " I never re- 
 ceived a letter from you. I could not understand why 
 you did not write." 
 
 " I wrote you from Tuscaloosa Asylum just after I 
 was taken from Dothan and gave you the address of my 
 law firm in Montgomery. Did you not receive that let- 
 ter?" 
 
 " No," answered Florence, looking puzzled. " I ex- 
 pect mamma got it and did not show it to me. She told 
 me to foiget you, after you got into that awful trouble, 
 but I couldn't, I couldn't." 
 
 She leaned towards him, and Jefferson's heart was 
 thrilled with joy. 
 
 " Florence, we will be happy yet. I did not under- 
 stand your silence, but I never forgot you for a single 
 day." 
 
 " But as long as you are in Harbison, we cannot asso- 
 
BACK IN DOTHAN 195 
 
 date," said his companion, her eyes again filling with 
 tears. " Papa and mamma have turned more bitter than 
 ever against the school. I was told just this morning 
 that I was not to invite even Rose Atkinson to our party 
 next week, no matter whether it offended the Waynors 
 or not." 
 
 " I'm sorry," began Jefferson. 
 
 " Can't you give up those foolish fancies of yours 
 about the black folks, and be like other young men? " she 
 pleaded. 
 
 " Come out to Harbison and see the institution, Flor- 
 ence," said Jefferson, in reply; "you have never been 
 there and you do not know what a magnificent work is 
 being done by that school, and others like it. They 
 mean the redemption of the South. I feel sure that some 
 day you will be proud that I am a Harbison man." 
 
 But the girl drew away from him and exclaimed in 
 tones of disgust, " Never, Jefferson, never. I want noth- 
 ing to do with such a place. I think it is terrible you 
 are living out there. If you stay, we cannot see each 
 other any more." 
 
 " You do not understand," he replied, earnestly. " In 
 such places as Harbison we are changing a black plague 
 into a genuine blessing. At present, our ignorant negro 
 population is like a malarial swamp, a menace to us all, 
 but when educated, they become like these same swamps 
 when drained, useful and desirable." 
 
 " Impossible," answered the girl. " I was in New Or- 
 leans this summer, and I saw enough to convince me that 
 negroes are only animals." 
 
 " Those negro settlements in Louisiana prove to me," 
 replied Jefferson, quickly, " that the white men of the 
 State are brutally ignorant or they would make desperate 
 efforts to heal those plague spots." 
 
196 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 " It can't be done," she responded, impatiently. " The 
 case is hopeless. The negroes are naturally vicious and 
 animal-like." 
 
 " That is false," said Jefferson. " It has been proved 
 wherever it has been intelligently tried that the negroes, 
 like all other human beings, respond to wise efforts which 
 are made for their uplift. They can be raised out of 
 their brutish ignorance into useful manhood and woman- 
 hood." 
 
 " There is no use talking to me any more, Jefferson," 
 she answered, with a gesture of impatience at his per- 
 sistence. " You will have to choose between Harbison 
 and me. If you remain there you and I must become 
 strangers." 
 
 " Florence," said Jefferson, appealingly. " You surely 
 will not send me adrift like that now that we have met 
 again." 
 
 The proud daughter of Alabama drew herself up. She: 
 called to her aid all the race prejudice which she had in- 
 herited, and which she had acquired by her education 
 and her environment. She resolutely shut her ears to the 
 pleadings of her own poor, lonely, longing heart. She 
 steeled herself against any pity for the young man at her 
 side. 
 
 " Which is it to be ? " she demanded, looking him full 
 in the face. 
 
 " I cannot give you up," said Jefferson, his moist eyes 
 and the tone of his voice showing her the depth of his 
 feeling. 
 
 " Will you give up your place in Harbison ? " she asked 
 again. 
 
 He paused. Something within him spoke wildly, 
 tumultuously, " Say yes. Do not kill your own joy and 
 the joy of another. Do not mar two lives. Say yes at 
 
BACK IN DOTHAN 197 
 
 once." But another voice was also heard. It was the 
 voice of reason and conscience. He thought of his 
 evening at the home of Rose Atkinson in Pittsburg, and 
 the new, strange ideas that came to him at that time. 
 He thought of the poor, mute millions of black souls, 
 unable even to send out a Macedonian cry, so dense was 
 their ignorance. 
 
 " I cannot give up Harbison," he answered slowly. 
 " My work is there, and I have given my word for a 
 term of service." 
 
 " Then we part," said the girl, in quick response. 
 
 The carriage stopped, and Jefferson stepped out. He 
 stood watching the vehicle until it had passed out of 
 sight and then, like a man in a stupor, he made his way 
 back to Harbison. 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 BLOTTING OUT THE COLOR LINE 
 
 " Wait a moment, Miss Thomas. I am going your 
 way." 
 
 Martha Thomas looked around in a frightened man- 
 ner, as she heard a man's voice speak these words. She 
 had started for a walk to a friend's house a little dis- 
 tance from Dothan, and she had taken a lonely path 
 through some woods. It was late in the afternoon and 
 the dusky maiden had been hurrying along as fast as she 
 could. 
 
 When she saw that it was a white man who had ad- 
 dressed her, she quickened her pace, but the man who 
 was following soon reached her side. Looking at him 
 closely, Martha Thomas was surprised and horrified to 
 see that it was Peter Legree. 
 
 Although the three men, who had attacked and beaten 
 her father almost to death on the day that Jefferson 
 Lilly performed his first act of mercy for the black race, 
 were closely masked, Mose Thomas was convinced that 
 the leader of the trio was none other than Peter Legree 
 himself, and he had often confided this information to 
 his two children, Nafti and Martha, although he coun- 
 seled them to silence as he feared another outrage at the 
 hands of the enemy of his race. 
 
 In addition to this, Martha Thomas well knew Peter 
 Legree's contempt for negroes, and the insults which he 
 delighted to heap upon them on all possible occasions. 
 
 198 
 
BLOTTING OUT THE COLOR LINE 199 
 
 Accordingly, she dreaded him, as the lark dreads a hawk, 
 and she trembled visibly when she found herself alone 
 in his company. 
 
 " Don't hurry so fast. I want to talk to you, Mar- 
 tha," he continued, breathing heavily from his hurried 
 pursuit of the colored girl. 
 
 Martha Thomas was too confused to reply, and, in her 
 fright, was wondering what she could do, when the 
 " boss " of Dothan went on, " You know who I am. 
 My name is Peter Legree. I have been watching you for 
 some time, and I have taken a fancy to you, Martha, in 
 spite of your dark complexion." 
 
 The girl glanced at him in dread, and instantly turned 
 her face away with a shudder as she saw the wicked 
 gleam in his eyes. 
 
 " Let me alone, Mr. Legree," she faltered. " I do not 
 wish to have anything to do with you." 
 
 " Don't talk like that, Martha," replied Legree, trying 
 to speak in a sentimental tone. " I want you to listen to 
 me and I will give you a lot of money, and you can live 
 in a nice house of your own, and be a lady. Be my girl, 
 Martha, and it is all yours." 
 
 As Legree said these words, he threw his arm around 
 the waist of the young negress and sought to draw her 
 to his side. 
 
 With a cry like a wounded bird, the girl bounded 
 from his embrace, rushed shrieking into the woods and 
 disappeared amongst the trees, before he realized what 
 had happened. He tried to follow her, but his unwieldy 
 body proved utterly incapable of movement swift enough 
 to catch up with the frightened negress, who sped back 
 to Dothan like a hunted deer. 
 
 Hurrying to Harbison Institute, she rushed to her own 
 room, threw herself on the bed, and broke out into loud 
 
200 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 weeping. Mrs. Wiley, who happened to be in an ad- 
 joining room, heard her sobs and hastened to her side. 
 
 At first the Matron could not get her to tell the reason 
 for her distress, but, becoming more calm, she related 
 her encounter with Legree. 
 
 Mrs. Wiley's heart was touched. " My poor girl," she 
 said, putting her arm tenderly around the motherless 
 young negress, " don't be afraid. He cannot harm you." 
 
 " But I am afraid of him," she sobbed. " He nearly 
 killed my father and I am sure he will not let me alone 
 until — " Here she ceased and bowing her head in her 
 hands she wept uncontrollably. 
 
 Mrs. Wiley became somewhat alarmed. " Don't cry, 
 Martha, don't cry," she said to the girl, soothingly. 
 " We'll tell Dr. Furber." 
 
 "No, no," shrieked the girl, wildly, "don't tell Dr. 
 Furber. If that horrid man hears of it he will surely 
 kill papa or Nafti. Oh, what shall I do? What shall I 
 do?" 
 
 Mrs. Wiley began to understand the nature of the 
 young negress' fear, which she sadly knew was not un- 
 reasonable. 
 
 She decided, however, to brace up the spirit of the 
 agitated girl. 
 
 " For shame, Martha," she began. " You claim to be 
 a Christian and yet you are so easily frightened. Do 
 you not know that God cares for you ? " 
 
 This was a powerful argument with Martha Thomas, 
 as Mrs. Wiley well knew, for she was a devout and con- 
 scientious Christian. 
 
 " God cares for the little sparrows," Mrs. Wiley went 
 on, more tenderly. " Don't be afraid to trust Him. Le- 
 gree cannot hurt you." 
 
 Gradually her agitation left and Martha became! 
 
BLOTTING OUT THE COLOR LINE 201 
 
 calmer. She sat in silence for a time and then said, 
 slowly, " I wish Miss Atkinson were at home. She 
 would know what I ought to do." 
 
 " Miss Atkinson returns to-night," said Mrs. Wiley, 
 quickly. " Dr. Furber had a telegram from her this 
 morning." 
 
 By this time the negress was composed again, and she 
 said quietly, " I will wait until she comes and tell her 
 about it." 
 
 The next day Martha Thomas saw Rose Atkinson, who 
 greeted her most cordially, and told the young North- 
 erner her story. Rose questioned her closely to be sure 
 there was no mistake, but the girl's tale, though seem- 
 ingly incredible, was most certainly true. 
 
 The young Pittsburger was roused to the greatest in- 
 dignation. 
 
 " The white villain," she said to herself, as she lis- 
 tened to Martha's recital of the insult, " he and crea- 
 tures like him are the very whites who cry out against 
 Harbison Institute, and say that such institutions will 
 blot out the color line. Such white wretches as he, with 
 his black, devilish heart, are the real curse of the South." 
 
 " What ought I to do ? " asked Martha, after her story 
 was told and re-told. " I am afraid of that man now." 
 
 " Do not leave the Harbison grounds for a few days, 
 Martha," Miss Atkinson told her, " and I will see to it 
 that Peter Legree does not insult you again." 
 
 Feeling all confidence in the power of the teacher, the 
 girl became more cheerful. 
 
 " I will never go out in the country alone again," she 
 said. " I ought to have known better anyway, for my 
 father has spoken to me about it, but I was not afraid 
 before this. I dare not tell Nafti or father about this, 
 for I do not know what they would do." 
 
202 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 " Do not say a word to anyone about it," responded 
 Rose Atkinson. " I will see to it that Legree, at least, 
 does not trouble you again." 
 
 After thinking the matter over, Rose decided she would 
 not trouble Dr. Furber with the matter, but would take 
 the case at once to Rev. William Durham, the pastor of 
 Calvary Church. " Legree is a member of his church," 
 she said to herself. " I will see if such actions are allow- 
 able on the part of his church-members." 
 
 The next day it was with some surprise that Rev. Wil- 
 liam Durham saw Rose Atkinson approaching the par- 
 sonage. 
 
 She greeted the minister cordially, telling him that she 
 had just returned from a trip to Pennsylvania, and say- 
 ing she was glad to be back in Alabama again. 
 
 " I have come to see you to-day on a matter that I dis- 
 like to speak about, but which I must relate to you," she 
 said at length, with a shade of embarrassment. 
 
 "If there is anything I can do for you, I shall be glad 
 to do it," said Mr. Durham, so cordially, that Rose felt 
 sure that Booker T. Washington's address must have 
 mollified somewhat the preacher's feelings in regard to 
 Harbison. 
 
 " I want you first to excuse me for talking so plainly 
 in church the day that your brother from Hambright 
 preached, but I simply could not help it." 
 
 " That was all right," responded Mr. Durham, in some 
 confusion. " I told John afterwards that I thought he 
 was not in order that day." 
 
 " I have come to see you about something else," went 
 on Rose, getting very serious in her tone. " There has 
 been another outrage on one of our students at Harbi- 
 son." 
 
BLOTTING OUT THE COLOR LINE 203 
 
 " What is that ? " asked the minister, with a startled 
 look. " I have not heard of it." 
 
 Rose then related briefly Martha's story, and asked 
 bluntly, " Is not Peter Legree a member of Calvary 
 Church?" 
 
 " He is," said Mr. Durham. 
 
 "Is such conduct consistent in a church-member?" 
 asked the girl, looking Mr. Durham straight in the eye. 
 
 The old preacher arose from his seat and faced the 
 teacher of Harbison. 
 
 " Are you sure that this young negress told the truth? " 
 he inquired, so earnestly that Rose was almost fright- 
 ened. His eyes were gleaming like coals of fire. He 
 had clenched his fists and was grinding his teeth to- 
 gether. 
 
 " You know the Thomas family yourself," replied 
 Rose. " I could hardly believe the girl at first myself 
 and I questioned her closely, but I soon saw she was 
 telling me the exact truth. We look on Martha as a 
 sincere Christian girl and we have never had any occa- 
 sion to doubt her word." 
 
 " This is the second complaint of the kind I have had 
 against my church-members recently," Mr. Durham said, 
 at length. "If these things are true, by the help of God, 
 I will stop the accursed thing if I have to wreck the 
 whole church to do it. I will expose these men, no mat- 
 ter who they are. I thank you for telling me about this, 
 Miss Atkinson. Martha Thomas need not fear that Le- 
 gree will insult her again. I will see him." 
 
 Before she left the parsonage, Rose ventured to refer 
 to the Booker T. Washington meeting. 
 
 " How did you like the President of Tuskegee ? " 
 asked the Northern girl. 
 
204 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 The preacher paused a few minutes and then replied 
 slowly, " I was greatly impressed with his address. I 
 have thought since, Miss Atkmson, that perhaps some of 
 us older men, who remember the bitter past, do not look 
 at the negro problem in a modern way." 
 
 " I am delighted to hear you say this," responded Rose, 
 eagerly. " I believe, Mr. Durham, you will yet become 
 a friend of Harbison." 
 
 The old man smiled wanly and replied, " I am still 
 very dubious about the results of such efforts as yours 
 on the blacks, but the old method of keeping them in ig- 
 norance does not seem to work well in the twentieth 
 century. We surely have a dark, and, I fear, a hopeless 
 problem." 
 
 " Not at all," responded Rose, with enthusiasm. 
 " Booker T. Washington is right, as experience is prov- 
 ing. The application of the teachings of Jesus to the 
 negro problem will solve it in a manner that is entirely 
 satisfactory both to God and man. Do not despair, Mr. 
 Durham. Do you not preach that the Gospel is the 
 power of God to redeem the world? Does not that in- 
 clude all peoples and all races ? " 
 
 When Rose Atkinson had gone, Rev. William Durham 
 sat in deep thought for some time. At length, he arose, 
 put on his hat, and went up town. Calling at Legree's 
 office he found that gentleman alone. After a few for- 
 mal words of greeting, Mr. Durham began, " I have been 
 told on good authority that you insulted the black girl, 
 Martha' Thomas, a few days ago. Is the story true, Mr. 
 Legree ? " 
 
 The " boss " of Dothan looked up quickly at his pas- 
 tor, but his eyes quailed before the steady gaze of the 
 preacher. 
 
BLOTTING OUT THE COLOR LINE 205 
 
 " I ask, is this report about you true ? " repeated Mr. 
 Durham, in a serious tone. 
 
 " Who told you about it ? " asked Legree, recovering 
 somewhat from his astonishment at the minister's ques- 
 tion and manner. 
 
 " That makes no difference, sir," he replied. " Did 
 you insult Martha Thomas?" 
 
 " Why, preacher," replied Legree, impatiently, " don't 
 you know you can't insult a nigger ? Martha Thomas is! 
 a nigger." 
 
 "Do you acknowledge then that the charge is true?" 
 asked the minister again, looking steadily at the " boss." 
 
 " What if it is true ? " said the other, defiantly. 
 
 " If it is true you must promise me never to insult that 
 girl again, or by the help of God, I will expose your vil- 
 lainy all over Alabama." The minister had arisen to his 
 feet, and was looking down, like an avenging angel on 
 his church-member. " This is not the first story of this 
 kind of deviltry I have heard, and I am going to stop it 
 amongst the members of Calvary Church," continued the 
 preacher in an emphatic tone. 
 
 " Bosh," answered Legree, turning away. " You are 
 getting clear off, Mr. Durham, on this nigger question. 
 These niggers are no account anyway. A white man 
 can use them just as he wants to." 
 
 The insulting tone, the brutal language, the horrible 
 insinuation of Legree's remarks was more than the min- 
 ister of Calvary Church could stand. He shook his 
 trembling white hand in the face of Dothan's master, 
 and, in a voice trembling with emotion, he replied, " I 
 have often thought, Mr. Legree, that you failed to show 
 at all times a Christian spirit, but I see now that you are 
 not only not a Christian, but you are not even a man. 
 
206 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 Such language as yours shows you are a degraded and 
 debased wretch, and I shall tolerate you no longer, sir." 
 
 Peter Legree could tell from the whole manner of the 
 minister that he was in dead earnest. He began to fear 
 lest his tottering power would fail completely if the min- 
 ister became his open enemy. His own idea was that a 
 negro or negress had no rights which a white man was 
 bound to respect, but he well knew that this old-time idea 
 was no longer shared by all the whites of Alabama. 
 
 " Don't get excited, Mr. Durham," he answered. " Sit 
 down and let us talk this matter over. The fact is that 
 these nigger women are to blame." 
 
 " Stop," shouted Mr. Durham, excitedly. " Do not add 
 to your villainy by slandering the good name of Martha 
 Thomas." 
 
 " I said nothing about her," said Legree, sulkily. 
 
 " Do you promise to let the girl alone after this ? " 
 asked the minister, earnestly, still standing in front of 
 the " boss." 
 
 " I do," he replied, petulantly. " No nigger is worth 
 a fuss between white men. Let us shake hands on it, 
 preacher." 
 
 But Mr. Durham was thoroughly aroused and ignored 
 Legree's outstretched hand. " It is not a question of 
 what a negro is worth," he exclaimed. " It is a ques- 
 tion of justice, a question of decency, a question of Chris- 
 tianity. I want you to remember hereafter, Mr. Legree, 
 that Calvary Church stands for these things, and if you 
 do not believe in justice and decency, we do not want you 
 as a member of our church." 
 
 Legree made no reply, and the minister added more 
 gently, " I am sorry to be compelled to speak to you in 
 this way, but the salvation of your own soul demands 
 it," and Mr. Durham walked out of the office. 
 
BLOTTING OUT THE COLOR LINE 207 
 
 Legree sat silent for a few moments, and then burst 
 out in a fearful kind of a laugh. It was the laugh that 
 Victor Hugo describes when he pictures a lost soul mock- 
 ing at its own damnation. " The salvation of my soul," he 
 sneered. " What do I care for my soul ? I'll teach that 
 old preacher a lesson yet that he won't soon forget." 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 
 NEW VIEWS ON THE RACE QUESTION 
 
 One afternoon a few days after the interview between 
 Rev. William Durham and Peter Legree, the minister 
 started on a drive into the country. His team of rest- 
 less grays were highly strung and nervous, but Mr. Dur- 
 ham liked thoroughbreds, old though he was, and he en- 
 joyed nothing better than a fast drive. 
 
 Whirling out of town at a rapid pace he took the road 
 by the side of which Jefferson Lilly had found the 
 wounded Mose Thomas on the eventful day which 
 marked the beginning of our story. 
 
 Just as the carriage was approaching the spot where 
 the minister on that day had passed by the half-dead 
 negro on the other side, scorning to help him, a sudden 
 swerve of the mettled team broke the harness and the 
 pole of the buggy fell to the ground. In an instant the 
 frightened horses leaped in the air, and started to run 
 furiously along the road with the pole dragging on the 
 ground. 
 
 Mr. Durham sought in vain to gain control and the 
 vehicle began to sway dangerously from side to side. 
 On rushed the horses at full speed and a fearful accident 
 seemed imminent. Only the minister's coolness saved 
 him from immediate wreck. Never for a moment did he 
 lose his self-control. Pale as death, but with his eyes 
 flashing fire, he grasped the reins with his full strength, 
 and by his strenuous efforts he managed to keep the 
 
 208 
 
NEW VIEWS ON RACE QUESTION 209 
 
 runaway horses in the middle of the road. In an un- 
 expected way help suddenly came to Mr. Durham. Gal- 
 loping towards Dothan, a colored horseman appeared a 
 short distance in front. He saw the swaying carriage 
 rushing along towards him and quickly stopped his horse 
 and backed it close to the fence to avoid a collision. As 
 the horses raced madly past him he caught one glimpse 
 of the occupant of the buggy and realized Mr. Durham's 
 imminent danger. Without hesitating a second he put 
 the spurs to his own fleet steed and galloped after the 
 runaways. Racing his horse at breakneck speed, the 
 colored rider soon began to gain on the carriage. It 
 seemed like a race against death itself. Like Brown- 
 ing's famed rider who " brought the good news from 
 Ghent to Aix," this Alabama negro " stood up in the 
 stirrups, leaned, patted his ear," while his horse, like the 
 good Roland, seemed to understand and 
 
 " With his nostrils like pits full of blood to the brim. 
 And with circles of red for his eyesockets' rim," 
 
 the negro's horse overtook the maddened team. 
 
 With reckless daring the negro passed the carriage 
 and, holding on with one hand to the reins of his own 
 horse, he seized the bridle of one of the runaways with 
 the other. Mr. Durham was astonished even in the 
 midst of his excitement to see the black angel of mercy 
 who was seeking his deliverance, but he trembled lest 
 the bold rescuer should be unhorsed. 
 
 " Let go, let go," he shouted to the horseman. 
 
 But, clinging to his own horse with the skill of an In- 
 dian, the negro began to check the mad speed of the 
 frightened team. They were nearing a curve of the road 
 where there was a bridge over a creek and the negro 
 well knew the danger at that point. Slacking the speed 
 
210 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 of his own well-trained horse, he gradually gained con- 
 trol over the runaways and just a short distance from 
 the bridge he brought them to a standstill. 
 
 Mr. Durham stepped out of the vehicle, trembling like 
 a leaf. 
 
 " I thank you, sir, I thank you," he said, with shaking 
 voice. " You have saved my life." 
 
 " I knew you could never get across this bridge in 
 safety. I am glad I caught up in time, Mr. Durham," 
 replied the negro, simply. 
 
 " Is it you, Naf ti Thomas ? " said the minister in as- 
 tonishment, recognizing his negro savior as none other 
 than the Harbison student. 
 
 " Yes," answered Nafti. " I have been out exercising 
 Dr. Rankin's horse and I am glad I happened to be on 
 this road to-day." 
 
 " God bless you, my boy," said Mr. Durham, brokenly, 
 with the suspicion of a tear in his eye. 
 
 Nafti repaired the damage to the harness and was 
 holding the horses, expecting Mr. Durham to resume his 
 drive, when the minister remarked, " I do not think I 
 will continue my journey. I find I am pretty badly 
 shaken up, and I will ask you to drive me back to town." 
 
 " Certainly, sir," answered the youth. " This team 
 is a lively one, and perhaps they might try to run again. 
 I can tie my horse behind your buggy." 
 
 " I am sorry to trouble you," continued the minister, 
 " but I am considerably unnerved. It was a narrow es- 
 cape." 
 
 " It is no trouble at all, Mr. Durham. I am more 
 than pleased to do it." 
 
 As they were driving back to Dothan, the minister re- 
 covered himself and began a friendly conversation with 
 Nafti. 
 
NEW VIEWS ON RACE QUESTION 211 
 
 " When did you become such a rider ? " he asked the 
 youth. " No one but an expert could have performed 
 that feat of yours. I was sure you were going to break 
 your neck." 
 
 " Dr. Rankin has taught me some things about horse- 
 back riding," he responded with a little embarrassment 
 at the minister's praise. 
 
 " How is your father getting on now ? " asked Mr. 
 Durham, suddenly becoming quite sober. 
 
 " He is not very well," replied Nafti, with a tone of 
 sadness in his voice. " Right there," he continued, point- 
 ing to the roadside, " my poor father was nearly killed 
 last spring and he has never quite gotten over it. He 
 would have died, only Jefferson Lilly, our new Secre- 
 tary at Harbison, happened along this way and brought 
 him to town." 
 
 The pastor of the Calvary Church of Dothan made no 
 reply. He was thinking of his neglect of Nafti's father 
 on the day the poor black man needed his help, and he 
 was comparing his own conduct with Nafti's self-sacri- 
 ficing bravery. 
 
 " The negro is a Christian and a gentleman compared 
 with me," said the contrite minister of the Gospel, speak- 
 ing to himself. " I am beginning to feel that Rose At- 
 kinson is right after all. I have not been a representa- 
 tive of Christ in my treatment of the African." 
 
 " What is your sister, Martha, planning to do when 
 she has finished her education ? " Mr. Durham asked a 
 little later. 
 
 " We are both preparing to become teachers, and we 
 hope to fit ourselves for work at Tuskegee Institute," an- 
 swered the colored youth somewhat bashfully. 
 
 " I am glad to hear that," said the minister, earnestly. 
 " I am convinced that the President of Tuskegee has a 
 
212 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 divine mission to your race. Ever since I heard his ad- 
 dress in Dothan I have been changing some of my own 
 ideas about the future of the American negro. I wish 
 you and your sister all success." 
 
 " Thank you, sir," replied Nafti with emotion, for the 
 unexpected cordiality of Mr. Durham towards his life 
 plans was a surprise to the youth, as he well knew Mr. 
 Durham's former attitude towards all efforts to uplift 
 the colored race. 
 
 " Come out to Harbison some day, Mr. Durham," 
 Nafti continued. " I know you will appreciate the work 
 of Dr. Furber in our Institute if you were to see it for 
 yourself. Especially since Miss Atkinson has come to 
 Dothan our school has been doing wonders." 
 
 " I shall call some day soon and see your father," said 
 the minister, without noticing the boy's cordial invitation 
 to visit the negro school. 
 
 " He will be pleased to see you," answered his colored 
 companion, quickly. " He often speaks kindly of you, 
 Mr. Durham." 
 
 When they reached the minister's home, he and Nafti 
 parted with a cordial handshake, and the pastor went to 
 his study to meditate on the strange Providence of the 
 afternoon. He well remembered his return home on the 
 day he had passed by Nafti's father in contempt. He sat 
 silent a long time, deep in thought. 
 
 " The negro lad has heaped coals of fire on my head," 
 he spoke aloud, at last, with a sob in his voice. " Miss 
 Atkinson is entirely right. I confess my sin." He rose 
 from his chair and walked around the room restlessly. 
 
 " She is right," he continued, still speaking aloud. 
 " Before God, she is right. I have not been a representa- 
 tive of Christ in my abuse and neglect of the colored 
 race." 
 
NEW VIEWS ON RACE QUESTION 213 
 
 The old minister, as he said these words, was over- 
 come with his emotion and bowing his head in his hands 
 he gave way to a flood of tears. 
 
 " Forgive, forgive, forgive," he kept murmuring, as 
 though speaking to someone in the room. When he be- 
 came calmer he took up his Bible and opened it. His 
 eye caught a verse in Romans, " We then that are strong 
 ought to bear the infirmities of the weak." 
 
 " This shall be the text for my sermon next Sunday 
 morning," he exclaimed. " I shall make amends for my 
 life-long sin. I see it now so plainly. The law of Christ 
 demands that we give our sympathy and help to a weak 
 and backward people, leaving the future with Him. In- 
 justice and disobedience to the Christ can never bring 
 happiness to any race." 
 
 Then the old minister knelt in his study in long and 
 earnest prayer. 
 
 It was with great pleasure that Mose Thomas greeted 
 the Rev. William Durham the next day when the minis- 
 ter called at the negro's home. 
 
 " Nafti tol' me you was comin', Massa Durham," said 
 the black man with emotion. " I'se sho' glad to see 
 you." 
 
 After the first greetings were over the minister no- 
 ticed that Martha Thomas was at home, and that both 
 father and daughter seemed agitated. They endeavored 
 to appear calm, but he knew that something was wrong. 
 After a while Martha left the room, and the two men en- 
 gaged in an earnest conversation. 
 
 " I owe my life to your son, Nafti," said Mr. Durham, 
 as he began, " and I want to assure you that I appreciate 
 it. If ever I can be of any help to you, Mr. Thomas, I 
 want you to let me know." 
 
 " Thanks, Massa Durham. I always knows you was a 
 
214 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 Christian man eber since dat time I'se wurked at de par- 
 sonage. Fse do want your help, Massa. My po' HT 
 girl Martha is in sore trouble." 
 
 " What's wrong with Martha ? " asked the minister 
 quickly, recalling the story that Rose had told him. 
 
 " De po' girl is 'fraid for her life, Massa. Dat man 
 who hates de po' darky race is tryin' to get my Martha." 
 The old black man's eyes filled with tears, and his voice 
 trembled. 
 
 " Tell me about it," said Mr. Durham, sympathetically. 
 
 Mose Thomas then related to the minister the story 
 of Peter Legree's first insult (about which, of course, 
 Mr. Durham knew), and then he went on to tell of a 
 second attempt which the " boss " had made to intimidate 
 the girl. 
 
 " Ma po' HT lamb didn't tell me de furst time," said 
 the father in conclusion, " but yestaday he spoke to her 
 again, and she tol' me all about it. What can we do, 
 Massa ? " 
 
 The colored father had an indescribable look of pain 
 and anxiety on his face, and the pastor of Calvary Church 
 was deeply stirred. Before he found words with which 
 to answer the black father a change suddenly came over 
 the negro. He arose to his feet and stood erect. His 
 eyes were shining like two balls of fire. 
 
 He struck his breast with his left hand and almost 
 shouted, " I'se feel some'in' inside dat tells me to shoot 
 dat Legree like a mad dog. I'se can't stand it no more, 
 Massa Durham." 
 
 But the wild mood left him as suddenly as it came. 
 He sank back to his seat again murmuring, " I'se no 
 kill him for I'se a Christian, but, oh, my po' HT lamb." 
 
 The minister could see that the father's anguish over 
 his daughter's danger was unnerving the poor man, al- 
 
NEW VIEWS ON RACE QUESTION 215 
 
 ready much broken in health, and he began to comfort 
 and encourage his black-skinned fellow-mortal. 
 
 " Do not be afraid, Mr. Thomas," he said tenderly. 
 " God is not dead. He will watch over Martha. Legree 
 cannot harm her." 
 
 Meanwhile, Martha hearing her father's excited tones 
 and knowing what was the cause of his emotion, hurried 
 into the house and threw herself on the floor in front 
 of the white minister, weeping uncontrollably and cry- 
 ing, " Save me, Mr. Durham, save me." 
 
 The old minister was deeply moved. No experience 
 he had ever had during his long ministry had touched 
 his heart as this scene. 
 
 He reached out his hand and gently raised the pros- 
 trate daughter of Africa to her feet. He looked into her 
 tear-stained black face and said in tones of terrible ear- 
 nestness : 
 
 " Fear not, Martha. Before God I swear that if Legree 
 touches a hair of your head he will have to walk over 
 my dead body to do it. I will save you." 
 
 As he said this he stood erect, noble, kindly, strong, 
 and the impressionable colored girl felt all the dread 
 leaving her soul. She dried her tears and thanked him 
 warmly, while the father kept repeating, " God bless you, 
 Massa Durham." 
 
 The minister left the house of Mose Thomas that day 
 with every nerve of his body tingling and his blood boil- 
 ing. " The vile dog," he said to himself, as he thought 
 of Legree, " I am determined to defy him. Things have 
 become intolerable." 
 
 Unable to trust himself to see Legree again while he 
 was alone, Mr. Durham made his way to Donald Shelby's 
 office. He found the young lawyer in conversation with 
 Jefferson Lilly, and much to Jefferson's astonishment 
 
216 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 he greeted the new Harbison secretary with great cor- 
 diality. 
 
 "I am glad to see you, Mr. Lilly," he exclaimed. " I 
 wish you to invite Dr. Furber and the Harbison faculty 
 to Calvary Church next Sunday morning; I think they 
 will enjoy the service." 
 
 Wondering at this invitation and surprised at the 
 change in the minister's manner, Jefferson assured Mr. 
 Durham that all would be present on the next Sunday. 
 As soon as Jefferson had left the office, Mr. Durham 
 told Donald what Mose Thomas had said to him, and 
 finished by exclaiming, " What can be done, sir, to put 
 that man behind prison bars. Such a man has no right 
 to liberty." 
 
 " I am sorry to say, Mr. Durham," replied the lawyer, 
 " it is impossible to take any legal steps to punish the 
 man, although he richly deserves it." 
 
 " But I must protect the girl," said the minister. " Le- 
 gree promised me to let her alone but he has broken his 
 promise. He is drunk with the power which the white 
 people of this community have given him for years and 
 he regards neither the laws of God nor man. What can 
 I do?" 
 
 Donald shook his head sadly. 
 
 " There is only one thing to do," he answered slowly, 
 " but I find it almost impossible to do it. We must 
 arouse the whites of Dothan to see the awful depths of 
 civic rottenness and moral obliquity of Legreeism. This 
 race prejudice is responsible for it all. Without the? 
 spirit of racial hate to support him, Legree would Jos*? 
 his power at once and his very presence would not be! 
 tolerated on our streets. But, excuse me, Mr. Durham, 
 for I know you do not agree with me in regard to this.'* 
 
 "You are right, Mr. Shelby, absolutely right," re- 
 
NEW VIEWS ON RACE QUESTION 217 
 
 sponded the minister, quickly, while Donald opened his 
 eyes in amazement. " I have come at last to see," went 
 on Mr. Durham, " that your position is not only correct 
 but that our awful race problem can be solved in no 
 other way than by exercising a spirit the exact opposite 
 of all that Legree stands for. Miss Atkinson is right. 
 May God forgive me for being blind so long. I acknowl- 
 edge I have sinned deeply against the Southland by 
 my own example, but it was through ignorance that I 
 did it." 
 
 " Bravo, bravo," shouted Donald, leaping to his feet 
 and grasping the minister's hand. " The victory is ours. 
 Since you have come to see things in that light the down- 
 fall of Legreeism is at hand. When the church takes 
 this stand all over the South our race problem is solved 
 forever." 
 
 " I will show you that I am in deep earnest in my 
 new views on this question next Sunday morning," said 
 Mr. Durham, emphatically. 
 
 " I will surely be there," replied Donald, with enthu- 
 siasm, " and I will spread the news around town that 
 you are to speak on the race question. You will have a 
 large audience, I assure you." 
 
 " But how about Martha Thomas ? I promised to 
 save her," said the minister, with a troubled look. 
 
 " Leave her case with me," responded Donald, quickly. 
 " I shall threaten Legree with a complaint to the Gov- 
 ernor of the State if he insults her again." 
 
 " May God forgive us all for nourishing this viper in 
 our midst so long," said Mr. Durham, as he departed. 
 
 " Next Sunday will mark an epoch in Dothan," said 
 Donald to himself after the minister had gone. " Per- 
 haps even Florence Ashley may be converted and poor 
 Jefferson will take hope once more." 
 
218 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 Through Donald Shelby's efforts the entire community 
 soon knew that Rev. William Durham would set forth 
 new views on the race question the following Sunday 
 and everyone was on the tiptoe of expectancy, for the 
 race question is a live subject in Dothan. 
 
CHAPTER XXII 
 
 A LONG-REMEMBERED SERMON 
 
 It was on Sunday morning and the Calvary Church 
 was crowded. Never had such a congregation gathered 
 within its walls before. When the service began every 
 seat was taken and the aisles and vestibule were thronged. 
 A tense feeling was in the atmosphere and all were 
 awaiting eagerly Rev. William Durham's sermon on the 
 race question, as it had been rumored on all sides that 
 he was going to say some startling things. 
 
 Deacon Leavitt sat in his pew near the front with a 
 puzzled expression on his face. He was undecided as 
 to the wisdom of the minister's course, for Mr. Durham 
 had confided to him the nature of his sermon. The 
 good deacon feared that the church would be disrupted. 
 Mr. Ashley with a stern look gazed fixedly at the pastor 
 when the white-haired minister ascended the pulpit stairs. 
 Ever since the college professor had convinced him that 
 the negroes were not members of the human family, 
 Mr. Ashley had become an extremist on the race ques- 
 tion. Accepting the theory that the negroes were mere 
 brutes, he had become one of Legree's most ardent sup- 
 porters. 
 
 Peter Legree had overtaken the Ashley family as they 
 were walking to church that morning and accompanied 
 them to the sacred edifice. He beamed on Florence but 
 that young lady evidently was seeking to avoid him, as 
 
 219 
 
220 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 she managed to get beside her mother and compelled the 
 " boss " to walk along with Mr. Ashley. 
 
 " Our old preacher is going to make a fool of himself 
 this morning," remarked Legree after the first greetings 
 were over. 
 
 " I am beginning to think seriously that Mr. Durham 
 has outlived his usefulness as a minister of the Gospel 
 in Dothan," replied Mr. Ashley with a frown. 
 
 " It is that cursed nigger school, Harbison, that has 
 fooled him as well as a lot of others in this town," re- 
 sponded the " boss " with animation. 
 
 Just then around the corner came the entire faculty 
 of Harbison, walking to church in a body, President and 
 Mrs. Furber leading the procession. Immediately be- 
 hind them came Jefferson Lilly and Rose Atkinson. 
 
 Peter Legree gnashed his teeth in rage. " There they 
 go," he hissed. " That Yankee teacher and that crazy 
 dude, Lilly, are a nice pair to be running things in Do- 
 than." 
 
 When Florence saw her former lover walking by the 
 side of the fair Northerner, both of them engaged in 
 an animated conversation, she became pale and almost 
 staggered, saving herself by grasping her mother's arm. 
 
 " What's the matter, Florence ? " asked her mother, 
 looking around anxiously. " Oh, nothing," she replied, 
 but her pale face and her agitation contradicted her 
 speech, and Mrs. Ashley's quick eye soon discerned what 
 had caused her daughter's emotion. 
 
 " What a merciful thing that you threw off that fellow 
 when you did," said Mrs. Ashley, looking across the 
 street at Jefferson. " He is a traitor to the South." 
 
 Poor Florence could not trust herself to reply. 
 
 At the door of the church the Ashley family and Le- 
 gree met the Harbison faculty face to face. 
 
A LONG-REMEMBERED SERMON 221 
 
 Ignoring Legree, Jefferson lifted his hat politely to 
 the Ashleys, and tried to win a glance from Florence, 
 but she kept her eyes on the ground and made no re- 
 sponse to his salutation. When she was seated in the 
 choir loft Jefferson noticed the pallor on her cheek and 
 he could not help feeling assured that the girl was suf- 
 fering as well as himself. 
 
 The faculty of Harbison sat together near the front, 
 to the right of the pulpit, Jefferson and Rose sitting side 
 by side. Many in the church turned their eyes on these 
 " nigger teachers," as Legree contemptuously called 
 them, and gazed with admiration on the noble-looking 
 Jefferson and the fair Rose. 
 
 " A fine couple, are they not ? " whispered Dr. Rankin 
 to Deacon Leavitt, who sat in front of him. Dr. Rankin 
 had taken an intense interest in Jefferson Lilly ever since 
 the first strange meeting in Larkin's Hotel and, as he 
 noticed the good deacon looking earnestly in the direc- 
 tion of the Harbison teachers, he leaned forward and 
 made this remark. 
 
 " I like the looks of that whole Harbison crowd," re- 
 sponded the deacon in a whisper. " They make one think 
 of real Christians." 
 
 Just then Deacon Leavitt turned his face in the direc- 
 tion of Peter Legree and caught sight of that gentleman 
 scowling in rage as he glared at the teachers. " Watch 
 Legree," he continued. " He will have to swallow some 
 bitter medicine to-day, I am thinking." 
 
 " It will be good for him," answered Dr. Rankin. 
 
 The opening parts of that memorable service were 
 conducted by Mr. Durham with a quietness and humility 
 of manner that was unusual. The opening hymn was 
 significant. Before they sang it, the minister read with 
 deep feeling the words of the first verse: 
 
222 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 " The morning light is breaking, 
 The darkness disappears, 
 The sons of earth are waking 
 In penitential tears." 
 
 When the time came for the sermon the excitement 
 amongst the crowded congregation was intense. There 
 was a breathless silence as Mr. Durham began, " You 
 will find my text in Romans, the fifteenth chapter and 
 the first verse, ' We then that are strong ought to bear 
 the infirmities of the weak.' " 
 
 After announcing his text, the preacher paused and 
 looked around the congregation. He saw the delighted 
 look which had come over the faces of the Harbison 
 teachers as soon as he announced the text. He noticed 
 also the puzzled expression in Deacon Leavitt's face, 
 and the angry scowl of hate which was evident on the 
 face of Peter Legree. He glanced in the direction of 
 the Waynor pew and saw they were listening intently, 
 while the Ashleys, with haughty mien, affected indiffer- 
 ence. The great body of the congregation were leaning 
 forward, making no effort to conceal their excitement. 
 
 Rev. William Durham well knew he had reached a 
 crisis in his life, but he had counted the cost and went 
 forward with calm determination. He began in a quiet 
 manner, referring to his long pastorate and his pleasant 
 relations with the members of the church. He spoke 
 of his own early days, the ruin which the war had brought 
 to the South, the fearful scourge of the eight dark years 
 of reconstruction, far more terrible and costly than the 
 four years of war. He told of Alabama's gradual rise 
 from poverty to wealth. 
 
 " We are beginning a new era in this glorious com- 
 monwealth of ours," he exclaimed. " It is high time 
 
A LONG-REMEMBERED SERMON 223 
 
 for us to forget the past and reach forth into the future." 
 He then began to speak on the race question. 
 
 A stillness that was death-like pervaded the church. 
 The fall of a pin could have been heard distinctly. 
 
 " We have been accustomed," went on the preacher, 
 with increasing animation, " to blame all our troubles 
 in the Southland on the unfortunate negro race. All 
 my life I have done so myself. You have heard my 
 brother, John, recently speak in the old-fashioned way 
 about the colored people and you well know I held like 
 views myself. But I want to confess to-day that, like 
 Paul at Damascus, I have seen a great light. I pray 
 God to forgive my long years of ignorance." Up to 
 this point Mr. Durham had carried his entire audience 
 with him, but as he uttered these words a feeling of un- 
 easiness crept over the congregation. The minister saw 
 it, but he heeded it not and with increasing fervor he 
 continued, " I have suddenly awakened to find out that 
 racial hate is debauching our beloved Southland, white 
 and black alike. I have been convinced that the attempt 
 on the part of some of the whites to keep the negro in 
 ignorance threatens our Southland with mulattoism, for 
 I have seen how the color line is lost when the white 
 man uses his strength, not to help, but to depress, the 
 weaker race." 
 
 At this bold thrust Peter Legree started from his seat. 
 His face was discolored with rage, but he sank back as 
 the preacher went on, " I could give you local facts to 
 prove my point that would make the very atones of this 
 church cry out for shame, but for the present I forbear." 
 
 The speaker paused a moment and then continued in a 
 gentler voice, " Brethren, we that are strong ought to 
 bear the infirmities of the weak. Have we not been 
 
224 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 looking at this whole race question from the standpoint 
 of pagans instead of Christians. The fancied danger 
 of social equality, which has been the nightmare of my 
 own life, has blinded our eyes to the plainest truths. 
 There is no unavoidable danger to the South in the 
 presence of the negro. He was brought here by the 
 crime of the white man but it was the Providence of 
 God." 
 
 As the congregation listened to these words they could 
 scarcely believe their ears. They looked closely at the 
 speaker to see if it was Rev. William Durham, brother 
 of John Durham of Hambright, who was really address- 
 ing them. In a dazed condition the people listened while 
 their minister kept on, " I now firmly believe in the 
 negro's final, complete and peaceful incorporation into 
 the American system without injury to himself or his 
 white neighbor. The only negro the South dreads to- 
 day is the brutal, ignorant, criminal negro, but the Gospel 
 of Christ, in which we all believe, is the power of God 
 unto salvation even to the negro if we, who are strong, 
 are Christ-like enough to bear the infirmities of the 
 weak." 
 
 Dr. Furber had been listening with amazement and 
 delight to the words of the minister. At this point he 
 could restrain himself no longer and a loud " Amen " 
 resounded from his lips. 
 
 The faces of the congregation were a study. Some 
 of them were evidently enraged. Legree's frown be- 
 came fiercer and fiercer until he was now glaring at the 
 preacher with the ferocity of a tiger. Mr. Ashley's eyes 
 shone with an indignant light and several times he was 
 at the point of rising and leaving the church, only that 
 he knew the crowd hopelessly blocked the way. In the 
 choir Florence Ashley, pale and weary-looking, but hold- 
 
A LONG-REMEMBERED SERMON 225 
 
 ing her head high in haughty disdain, showed her marked 
 displeasure. 
 
 The presence of Jefferson and Rose Atkinson, sitting 
 side by side, and both evidently enraptured with the 
 sermon, was a much harder trial, however, than Mr. 
 Durham's words in the case of the Southern beauty. 
 
 " That bold Yankee teacher imagines this is her great 
 triumph," said Florence Ashley to herself, " but both 
 she and Mr. Durham will soon find out that Calvary 
 Church wants none of this foolish negro nonsense." 
 But down in her heart she felt it was a victory for 
 Harbison and for Rose, and a bitterness, that was almost 
 hatred, filled her soul, even in the sacred place of wor- 
 ship. 
 
 " She is to blame for Jefferson's mad folly," poor 
 Florence went on, speaking to herself, as she bit her lip 
 and glanced at her Northern rival when Dr. Furber 
 aroused the audience with his loud " Amen." 
 
 Without noticing the interruption of the President of 
 Harbison Institute, Mr. Durham went on earnestly, 
 " My friend and fellow-Southerner, President Kilgo, 
 of Trinity College, Durham, North Carolina, recently 
 said, ' Among the problems that have been thrust into 
 prominence within the past few years is what is called 
 the race problem. One thing is certain — the race ques- 
 tion is a moral question, it is the question of the right 
 of a human being to rise from the lower points of life to 
 the higher levels of it. This is the same problem at 
 which all people have worked, and at which the Anglo- 
 Saxon race must continue to work. So the negro finds 
 himself at a low point in the scale of life, and, true to 
 the voice of the human soul, he wants to go up higher, 
 not that he may go into the society of other races, but 
 that he may be fit to associate with himself. In the su- 
 
226 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 preme struggle the politician will reach no hand out to 
 him, the social spirit will give no help, the industrial 
 spirit will lend no assistance, but the God-spirit should 
 speak to him a helping word, and reach out to him a 
 lifting hand. This race issue will test the moral quality 
 of this nation, and if it finds no settlement, the failure 
 will be a moral failure, and show the point at which 
 our civilization broke down for the lack of moral 
 strength/ " 
 
 When Mr. Durham had finished this quotation from 
 the well-known Southern educator, it could plainly be 
 seen that the majority of the congregation were listening 
 again with intense and eager interest, and that the old 
 minister was winning them over by the score to his new- 
 found views on the whole race problem. The preacher, 
 with the practiced eye of a public speaker, saw that he 
 was making an impression and he finished his discourse 
 with a strong plea that in the future all should treat 
 the negro race kindly and justly, as a child-race ought to 
 be treated. 
 
 " I believe," he exclaimed, with a burst of eloquence, 
 " that God in His Providence brought the negro to 
 America in order to try the patience, the strength, and 
 the Christian character of the Anglo-Saxon. Let us not 
 fail. The world looks to us. Justice, self-preservation 
 and Christianity call on us to take our stand with those 
 who are seeking the uplift of the colored race in the 
 South." 
 
 The benediction was pronounced, and the immense 
 congregation swarmed out on the street. 
 
 The sensation made by this espousal of the negro 
 cause by Mr. Durham was tremendous, but recent events 
 had prepared many of the people to accept his new views, 
 and it was evident that the great majority went away 
 
A LONG-REMEMBERED SERMON 227 
 
 with an awed feeling that, like the people of Drum- 
 tochty, " they had heard a message from the Lord." 
 
 Not so, however, with the Ashleys and with Peter 
 Legree. The " boss " had been invited to dinner that 
 day at the Ashley home, and he accompanied the family 
 as they left the church. 
 
 " That's a nice kind of a sermon for old Durham to 
 preach, isn't it ? " said Legree to Mr. Ashley, when they 
 had separated themselves somewhat from the crowd. 
 
 " We'll have to silence the old man," answered Mr. 
 Ashley with a frown. " I always liked Mr. Durham, 
 but such a harangue as he gave us this morning is trea- 
 son to the South. It was an outrage on the Anglo- 
 Saxon race." 
 
 " I think I understand what has come over the 
 preacher," said Legree, with a knowing look. " He is 
 going wrong in more ways than one. He has been call- 
 ing around on that nigger, Mose Thomas. You know 
 Martha Thomas is a likely nigger wench. I think that's 
 the trouble," and Legree rolled his eyes piously. 
 
 " Don't mention such a thing," hastily replied Mr. 
 Ashley, with an expression of horror. " Mr. Durham 
 is a Christian gentleman." 
 
 Legree laughed contemptuously. " Durham is no bet- 
 ter than anybody else and these female niggers need 
 watching. Mark my words. The old man has gone 
 wrong." 
 
 Mr. Ashley was astounded. He did not dream that 
 Legree could so foully slander a venerable minister of 
 the Gospel, and he began to think there must be some 
 grounds for the dark hints of the " boss." Besides, the 
 radical change in Mr. Durham's views on the negro ques- 
 tion were proof that in some way the minister had slipped 
 from his moorings. 
 
228 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 ** I shall get a number of our influential people to- 
 gether at once," said Mr. Ashley. " The scandal must 
 be hushed and Mr. Durham must leave Dothan." 
 
 " The root of all our troubles is that nigger school, 
 Harbison," went on Legree. " We must drive out these 
 white niggers. Since Booker T. was here this is getting 
 to be a black man's town." 
 
 After dinner, Peter Legree and Florence were left 
 alone in the parlor. 
 
 The " boss " had been making a desperate effort to 
 win the belle of Dothan, but Florence Ashley had steadily 
 repulsed him, almost with contempt. Seeing how in- 
 censed the girl was at Mr. Durham's sermon, and finding 
 that their complete harmony in regard to the Afro- 
 American made them somewhat congenial friends that 
 day, Legree thought that the moment was auspicious. 
 He felt that Jefferson Lilly during his first visit to Do- 
 than had gained a place in the affections of Florence, 
 and that her rebuffs to his attentions were the result of 
 this favor with which she regarded Donald Shelby's 
 friend. Accordingly, he began to sneer at the Harbison 
 faculty, and especially at Jefferson and Rose. " I expect 
 that when they marry," he said, laughing contemptuously, 
 " they will join the darky church." 
 
 " I did not know that they were going to be married," 
 responded Florence with a strained voice. Legree no- 
 ticed also a pallor come to her cheek. " I hear that they 
 are engaged," went on her admirer, lying in a most facile 
 way. " I am really surprised myself, for I expected both 
 of them to marry negroes." 
 
 Florence frowned and was silent, and Legree changed 
 the subject. A little later he drew his chair close to 
 the side of the girl, and speaking in low, sentimental 
 tones, he whispered, " Miss Ashley, I have waited for you 
 
A LONG-REMEMBERED SERMON 229 
 
 a long time. Since we are so united in our views on the 
 great question of the South we can be happy together. 
 Won't you be mine ? " 
 
 Florence Ashley looked at him. She compared his 
 bullet head, low brow and groveling expression with 
 the manly figure and noble bearing of Jefferson Lilly 
 on that memorable day of her automobile ride. A feel- 
 ing of disgust for the man beside her arose in her heart. 
 At the same time there came to her, in spite of herself, 
 a longing tenderness towards the one who apparently 
 had cast her off for the sake of a Yankee teacher in a 
 negro school. -Her conflicting emotions almost over- 
 powered her, but she retained enough self-control to rise 
 and say with emphasis, " Mr. Legree, I never want you 
 to speak to me on this subject again. I beg you to ex- 
 cuse me. I hear my mother coming." 
 
 She arose hastily and left her astonished suitor just 
 as Mrs. Ashley entered the parlor. Going upstairs, Flor- 
 ence locked herself in her own room, threw herself into a 
 chair, and finally burst into a flood of tears. " Jeffer- 
 son, Jefferson," she cried despairingly, " I can never 
 give you up." If only Jefferson Lilly had known this 
 — but Florence Ashley was not by any means the first 
 white woman whose life the negro question had blighted. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII 
 A man's good name 
 
 The excitement produced in Dothan by Rev. William 
 Durham's sermon on the race question was almost equal 
 to the stir which Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses 
 made when he nailed them to the door of the Castle 
 Church in Wittenberg. Not only in Dothan, but all 
 over Alabama his sermon was discussed. It is true the 
 minister had said nothing new or startling, for he simply 
 endorsed the well-known teachings of Booker T. Wash- 
 ington, and of many others, white and black, who for 
 years have contended that the white man ought to ex- 
 tend a helping hand to the dark-skinned, ignorant child- 
 race of the Southland. But for the minister of the Cal- 
 vary Church of Dothan to advocate the cause of the 
 negro, as Rev. William Durham had done, was as strange 
 and startling as for a persecuting Saul to turn Chris- 
 tian, or a Jerry McAuley to leave his accustomed place 
 in New York " underworld " to preach the Gospel in a 
 Christian pulpit. 
 
 Letters poured in on him from his friends, to his great 
 astonishment, cheering him with cordial endorsement of 
 his new attitude and assuring him that the Southern 
 whites endorsed his views, and that the time had come 
 for all to rise above racial hate and an absurd fear of 
 negro supremacy. 
 
 But there was one letter that wounded the minister 
 of the Calvary Church. It was from his brother, Rev. 
 John Durham of Hambright, and it read as follows : 
 
 230 
 
A MAN'S GOOD NAME 231 
 
 "Rev. William Durham, Dothan, Ala.: 
 
 " Sir : To say I am disgusted with your negro talk 
 as it is reported in the papers is to put it mildly. I 
 feel myself disgraced. Marry a black wife, as it is re- 
 ported you are going to do, and you will then complete 
 your infamy. Your mad folly of endorsing Booker 
 T. means ruin to the South. We are brothers no longer. 
 I want no more of your society. 
 
 "John Durham." 
 
 But William Durham quietly stood his ground. He 
 was a man of strong character, and, once he had made 
 up his mind to champion a cause, no power on earth or 
 beneath it could turn him back. He was now fully con- 
 vinced that an educated and hopeful negro race was the 
 salvation of the Southland, white and black alike, and he 
 went on his way fearlessly. He was delighted to find 
 that the best Southerners sympathized with him. 
 
 Being a man of literary tastes, Mr. Durham was 
 charmed with the poems of Paul Lawrence Dunbar, 
 which he now read for the first time. He had often 
 wished to read his verses before, but his contempt for 
 the black race had prevented him from seeming to give 
 them any encouragement by noticing their poet. Hav- 
 ing no such scorn now in his heart for a man just be- 
 cause he was black, he began to study the negro poet's 
 verse. " This is wonderful," he said to himself one 
 day in his study after perusing Dunbar's poem on " Con- 
 science." 
 
 " Good-bye," I said to my conscience — 
 " Good-bye for aye and aye," 
 
 And I put her hands off harshly, 
 
 And turned my face away; 
 
 And conscience sorely smitten 
 
 Returned not from that day. 
 
232 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 But a time came when my spirit 
 
 Grew weary of its pace; 
 
 And I cried : " Come back, my conscience ; 
 
 I long to see thy face." 
 
 And conscience cried : " I cannot ; 
 
 Remorse sits in my place." 
 
 " Nothing in the English language portrays the truth 
 about a man's conscience with more insight than that," 
 exclaimed the pastor of Calvary Church. He was still 
 more charmed as he read the dialect poems of the gifted 
 negro. " William Dean Howells was right, after all," 
 he exclaimed after he had read " Accountability," recall- 
 ing to mind a sentence that Howells had written about 
 Dunbar (which had formerly disgusted him) but which 
 he now remembered with approval. " These," said 
 Howells, speaking of the dialect poems of Paul Law- 
 rence Dunbar, " these are divinations and reports of what 
 passes in the hearts and minds of a lowly people whose 
 poetry had hitherto been inarticulately expressed in 
 music, but now finds for the first time in our tongue, 
 literary interpretations of a very artistic completeness." 
 
 But the act in Mr. Durham's life which showed he had 
 completely broken with the past in regard to the negro 
 question was his visit to Harbison Institute. Accepting 
 a cordial invitation from Jefferson Lilly, he drove out 
 there a few days after his epoch-making sermon. He 
 was taken over the entire institution by President Furber, 
 who explained to him all their hopes and plans. The 
 old minister made little comment, but with looks of 
 eager interest he observed everything in connection with 
 the school. 
 
 " There is certainly nothing here which a Christian 
 man can object to," was his comment when his visit to the 
 industrial department was finished. Dr. Furber was. 
 
A MAN'S GOOD NAME 233 
 
 overjoyed. He suspended all the classes and gathered 
 the students in a body into the chapel and asked Mr. 
 Durham to address them. His talk was very brief but 
 earnest and helpful. 
 
 " God has a work for everybody," he began. " He 
 has a place for all of you in His beautiful world, and if 
 you make the most of your opportunities here in Har- 
 bison every one of you will become a blessing to our be- 
 loved Southland." The applause of the negro boys and 
 girls to this sentiment was tremendous. On his way 
 back to town, Mr. Durham said to himself again and again, 
 " God has truly opened my eyes. I now clearly see that 
 our Heavenly Father has ordained the development of 
 the negro just the same as He ordained the develop- 
 ment of the Anglo-Saxon." 
 
 On the following Sabbath both Jefferson Lilly and 
 Rose Atkinson became members of the Calvary Church. 
 Rose Atkinson brought a church letter from Pittsburg, 
 but Jefferson Lilly united on profession of his faith in 
 Christ. As the two young people stood up together to 
 be received into membership, Florence Ashley, with 
 pallid cheek, gazed upon them with conflicting emotions. 
 At last a steely glare came into her eyes and she hissed 
 to herself, " I hate her. She plans to ruin the whole 
 Southland just as she has ruined my life." 
 
 The reception of these members of the Harbison fac- 
 ulty brought matters to a crisis in the church. Mr. Ash- 
 ley, Peter Legree, and a few others gathered together as 
 many of the members as they could find who were op- 
 posed to the new policy of Mr. Durham. They were 
 surprised and chagrined to find that the number they 
 could muster was so small in comparison with the total 
 membership of the church. The great majority of the 
 members seemed to quietly acquiesce in the new views 
 
234 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 and many openly declared that Booker T. Washington's 
 visit to Dothan had already changed their own views in 
 regard to the negro. 
 
 However, Mr. Durham's enemies made up in their in- 
 tensity of opposition to him for their numerical weakness. 
 A committee was appointed to see the minister at once 
 and to demand his resignation. Dark words about Mr. 
 Durham's character were also passed around at this 
 meeting. Never before had the shadow of a shade rested 
 on his fair name, but now this little company of aggrieved 
 church members greedily accepted the base insinuations 
 and they solemnly determined that the cause of Chris- 
 tianity made the retirement of the minister an impera- 
 tive and immediate necessity. 
 
 The committee, which was composed of Mr. Ashley, 
 Legree, Larkin, and three other kindred spirits, called 
 at once on the old minister. They filed in silence into the 
 study and seated themselves. Mr. Durham well knew 
 the reason for their visit, but he greeted them cheer- 
 fully and inquired, " What can I do for you gentlemen 
 to-day?" 
 
 There was a painful silence. When face to face with 
 the kindly, noble-looking preacher of the Gospel no one 
 wanted to speak. 
 
 At last Mr. Ashley cleared his throat and began, " We 
 have called to see you, Mr. Durham, on a mission that 
 is very painful to us all." Here he paused and looked 
 around helplessly at the others. Legree's scowl seemed 
 to encourage him and he continued, " The fact is we 
 have come as a committee to ask for your resignation as 
 pastor of the Calvary Church. Your usefulness in Do- 
 than is clearly ended." 
 
 Mr. Durham smiled a little and asked quietly, " Whom 
 do you represent — the entire congregation ? " 
 
A MAN'S GOOD NAME 235 
 
 " No, not all of them," stammered Mr. Ashley, con- 
 fused by the minister's smile and question. 
 
 ** I must refuse at this time," replied Mr. Durham, 
 quietly but with intense earnestness, u to entertain any 
 such request as you make unless it come from the entire 
 congregation." 
 
 " Mr. Durham, we do not want a scandal," responded 
 Mr. Ashley, gaining confidence in himself. " This negro 
 folly of yours has aroused bitter enmity against you and 
 a scandal is imminent. We come to you as your friends, 
 Mr. Durham." 
 
 " No scandal ever came to any church which followed 
 its divine Lord," answered the minister, gravely. " In 
 this ' negro folly,' as you call it, we are only following 
 Him." 
 
 " Calvary Church will never endure such treason 
 against the Anglo-Saxon race in its pulpit," replied Mr. 
 Ashley, somewhat nettled. The other members of the 
 committee nodded their heads in emphatic approval. 
 
 The old minister rose to his feet. " When Calvary 
 Church refuses to listen to the principles of justice and 
 Christianity," he began, speaking slowly, as in a reverie, 
 " the church will not need to ask for my resignation. 
 As a minister of Christ I should decline to officiate in 
 a synagogue of Satan, but I am assured my dear people 
 will never prove false to their Christ" 
 
 " You held the right view of the negro until lately, 
 sir," Legree interposed at this point, scowling darkly on 
 the preacher. " We think we know what has led you 
 astray," he added with a sneer. 
 
 At the sound of Legree's voice the minister's eyes 
 began to shine, the color came to his cheek and he turned 
 quickly to address the " boss." 
 
 " I confess I did not see my duty to the colored race 
 
236 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 until recently," he exclaimed, " but I have always de- 
 spised a man who was false." 
 
 Fearing an open exposure by the aroused minister, Le- 
 gree kept silent and Mr. Ashley spoke again. 
 
 " Your intentions may be all right, sir, but you have 
 been led astray. You are endangering every white 
 woman in Dothan by your recent actions. You are turn- 
 ing the heads of the negroes and making them think they 
 are as good as the whites." 
 
 " A man, whether he is white or black," replied the 
 preacher earnestly, " must be judged by his soul and 
 character. In God's sight color is not the dividing line 
 amongst men." 
 
 " My God, hear him," exclaimed Larkin, the hotel- 
 keeper, looking at Mr. Durham in horror. " Such talk 
 will overturn society in Alabama." 
 
 " You well know," responded the minister with in- 
 tense earnestness, " that I have always abhorred the idea 
 of a mulatto race in our Southland and I abhor it more 
 to-day than ever, but I have found out that the effort 
 of the white man to keep the negro in hopeless ignorance 
 blots out the color line, while our efforts to uplift the 
 Afro-American will deepen and broaden the physical 
 gulf between the blacks and the whites. My knowledge 
 of this law of the color line," continued the minister 
 amid a breathless silence, " has resulted in the adoption 
 of new views in regard to this entire question and I 
 firmly believe the better element in the entire Southland 
 agrees with me." 
 
 As he spoke, the old minister stood erect before them, 
 his white hair, like a crown of glory, mantling his tem- 
 ples, his eyes glowing with an intense light, and his whole 
 face glorified. 
 
 The visitors were awed. Even Mr. Ashley and Le- 
 
A MAN'S GOOD NAME 237 
 
 gree felt the power of a good man when he is wholly in 
 earnest. 
 
 But Mr. Ashley soon recovered himself, and remarked, 
 as he arose to go, " The trouble is, sir, you think 
 negroes are human and can be treated as human beings, 
 while the scientific fact is that they are more akin to the 
 ape than the man." 
 
 The preacher faced Mr. Ashley and looked him 
 squarely in the eye to see whether the lawyer was in 
 real earnest. When he saw the sincere expression on 
 Mr. Ashley's face, his first idea was to laugh outright, 
 but on second thought he remarked quietly, " If I be- 
 lieved that old, exploded theory about the black race I 
 should be compelled to acknowledge that in many cases 
 the brute was superior to the man in every quality that 
 goes to make up real manhood, but such an idea is bar- 
 barous and absurd. The negro is made in the image of 
 God and the Gospel of Christ is for him as well as for 
 us." 
 
 Not knowing what reply to make, Mr. Ashley led the 
 discomfited committee out of the study. 
 
 " Poor men, poor men," said Mr. Durham to himself 
 when he was left alone, " I see now that nothing makes 
 people so blind and narrow as race prejudice. But I 
 cannot condemn them, for I have only escaped myself at 
 the eleventh hour from the damning sin." 
 
 While the minister was meditating thus, a loud knock 
 on the front door startled him. He opened it quickly 
 and Nafti Thomas stood before him. The colored 
 youth was greatly agitated and almost gasped as he ex- 
 claimed, " I want to see you, Mr. Durham." 
 
 The minister took him by the hand and drew him into 
 the study. 
 
 " What is the matter, Nafti ? What has happened ? " 
 
238 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 Instead of answering, the boy bowed his head and the 
 minister saw tears trickling down his dark cheeks. Some- 
 thing clutched the old man's heart and he feared a tragedy 
 had finally come to Nafti's home. 
 
 " Tell me what it is, Nafti," he said, anxiously. 
 
 " These stories they are telling, how can we stop 
 them ? " responded the youth brokenly. 
 
 " Stories," exclaimed the minister in amazement, " what 
 stories ? " 
 
 "Haven't you heard, sir?" asked Nafti, looking up in 
 surprise. 
 
 " No," said the other, sitting down beside the lad. 
 " Tell me what is on your mind." Then with much em- 
 barrassment Nafti told him the stories that were being told 
 around town connecting the names of his sister, Martha, 
 and Mr. Durham. " It is not for my sister's sake I am 
 here, sir," said the boy, when he had finished, " for she 
 is only a colored girl, but these stories have been started 
 to injure you because of your kindness to us. What can 
 we do, sir?" 
 
 As he began to understand the full import of the 
 stories that were being circulated regarding him, and 
 as he learned from Nafti that many were beginning to 
 credit them as the explanation of the minister's change 
 of views, Mr. Durham had a new revelation of the fearful 
 savagery of racial hate which spares neither virtue nor 
 honor. He remembered how Mr. Ashley had used the 
 word " scandal " in asking for his resignation, a word 
 which had puzzled him then, but which he now under- 
 stood. 
 
 " It is the work of Peter Legree and Mr. Ashley," 
 said the boy. " Mr. Shelby and I traced the stories down 
 to them." 
 
 " Legree is the real author of the lies," remarked 
 
A MAN'S GOOD NAME 239 
 
 the minister at length, restraining his anger with diffi- 
 culty. " Nothing is safe from his vile touch. I well 
 know he has started these slanders." 
 
 " What can we do ? " asked Nafti, pathetically. " Poor 
 father is sick with worry." 
 
 Mr. Durham paced around the room with restless steps. 
 In his whole life this was the first time that slander 
 had blackened his fair name. He could clearly see the 
 cunning plans of his enemies. He had expected opposi- 
 tion to his new views on the race problem, but he was 
 not prepared for the brutal insults which were being 
 heaped upon him. But Mr. Durham was not a man to 
 be frightened by any opposition whether of men or of 
 demons. When he was opposed to any effort being made 
 to uplift the negro, he was outspoken in his faith and was 
 ready to die for it, if need be. Now that a light, just 
 as amazing to him as to others, had shone into his soul, 
 he took his ground unflinchingly, determined never to 
 retreat. 
 
 " Thank you for coming to me," he said kindly to the 
 colored youth, " but you need have no fear. Tell your 
 father that I shall quickly clear his daughter's name. 
 Her honor is as precious as mine in the sight of God." 
 
 Left alone, Mr. Durham tried to reflect calmly on 
 what had happened. He sought to quiet himself, but the 
 more he meditated on Legree's villainy the more his anger 
 grew. His warm Southern nature was roused beyond 
 his control. For long years he had been building up a 
 reputation worthy of a Christian minister. His conduct 
 had always been scrupulously conscientious and in every- 
 thing he had avoided even " the very appearance of 
 evil." But he could see the auspicious hour which Le- 
 gree had chosen. He well understood how bitter was 
 the enmity he had aroused in the hearts of some. At 
 
240 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 last his brain reeled and his judgment faltered. He 
 rose, almost staggering, and went to his desk, and from 
 a lower drawer he pulled out a long-disused gun. 
 
 " It's too much, it's too much," he muttered as he left 
 the house and walked up the street. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 A STRANGER IN DOTHAN 
 
 " Good morning, Sambo. Is this Harbison Insti- 
 tute?" 
 
 A well-dressed young man, evidently a Northerner, ad- 
 dressed these words to a coal-black negro who was work- 
 ing near the gate of the Institute one morning. 
 
 " Dis am Harbison, but dis ain't Sambo," answered the 
 swarthy African. 
 
 " What is your name, then ? " inquired the young 
 stranger, looking at the son of Ham with a quizzical ex- 
 pression on his face. 
 
 " I'se Pete," was the answer. " I'se,, keep de groun's 
 in ordah. Sambo drives de mules on de farm. He's a 
 learned colo'd gemman." 
 
 The negro was evidently an object of interest to the 
 Northerner and he encouraged him to talk further by 
 asking, " How do you know that Sambo is a learned col- 
 ored gentleman, Pete?" 
 
 " Well, boss," answered the negro, slowly, " Sambo 
 knows all dere is to know. Dey young folks at de school 
 caint eber fool Sambo. Dey tried it t'othah day when 
 dey asked him to 'splain de tel'graph." 
 
 " And how did Sambo explain the telegraph," the 
 stranger kept on, like the " end " man at a minstrel show. 
 
 " Well, boss," began Pete, " when dey asked him to 
 'splain de tel'graph I'se thinks he sho' floored, but Sambo 
 says, quick-like, ' Sho' Ah can 'splain de tel'graph,' and 
 he sho' did," grinned the negro in conclusion. 
 
 241 
 
242 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 " You explain the telegraph to me just like Sambo 
 did," persisted the Northerner. 
 
 " It's lak dis," said the negro, wrinkling his brows ; 
 " suppose dere's a big dog with his head in San Fran- 
 cisco and de tail in New York — " 
 
 " But, Pete," interrupted the stranger, " there never 
 was such a dog as that." 
 
 " Sho' not," replied Pete, with a little disgust ; " Sambo 
 neber said dere was such a dog. Just suppose dere was 
 such a dog, suppose it." 
 
 " All right," said the other, " we'll suppose it." 
 
 " Well, boss," continued the negro, with a little impa- 
 tience, " ef youse tramp on de dog's tail in New York 
 he barks in San Francisco. Dat's de tel'graph." 
 
 The young man laughed heartily at the negro's " ex- 
 planation," and then went on, " I say, Pete, is there a 
 young lady who teaches in this school whose name is 
 Miss Rose Atkinson?" 
 
 " Dere sho' is, boss," responded the black man, quickly. 
 " She's de young Missus. Neber was such a fine lady 
 in Dothan befoah." 
 
 Just then there was the sound of approaching wheels 
 on the graveled avenue of the Harbison Institute and the 
 negro turned round to see what it was, and exclaimed, 
 " Heah she comes huhself, boss, in de carridge with Massa 
 "Lilly." 
 
 The stranger quickly looked up the avenue and saw a 
 carriage in which a young man and woman were sitting 
 coming swiftly towards the gate. As soon as they were 
 opposite him, the stranger lifted his hat in greeting and 
 exclaimed, " Good morning, Miss Rose." 
 
 " Horace Speedwell," cried the girl, in astonishment, 
 as Jefferson Lilly, who was her companion, pulled up 
 the horse with a jerk. In another moment Rose Atkin- 
 
A STRANGER IN DOTHAN 243 
 
 son was on the ground and shaking hands heartily with 
 the stranger, who was no other than her old Pittsburg 
 friend, Horace Speedwell, whom Donald Shelby had met 
 on the train some time before. 
 
 " I am so glad to see you, Horace," cried Rose, her 
 face flushing with excitement at the unexpected meet- 
 ing. " I was sorry to miss seeing you at Pittsburg, 
 but Mr. Shelby told me he had met you on the train 
 and that you promised to come to Dothan sometime. 
 Mr. Lilly," she added, turning to Jefferson, " this is my 
 old friend, Horace Speedwell, of Pittsburg." 
 
 The two young men shook hands warmly, but Jeffer- 
 son Lilly thought that the young Northerner eyed him a 
 little suspiciously. 
 
 " Excuse me, to-day, Mr. Lilly," said the girl to Jef- 
 ferson. " I will stay with Mr. Speedwell and take him 
 up to see Dr. Furber." 
 
 Jefferson drove on, thinking to himself, " I fear poor 
 Donald will have a strong rival in that Northerner. Rose 
 was overjoyed to see him." 
 
 " I want you to meet Dr. Furber, our President, first 
 of all," said Rose, when Jefferson had gone. 
 
 " No," answered the other, " I want to talk to you a 
 little while first by yourself. Let us go over to that 
 shaded seat." 
 
 They were soon seated in a beautiful sylvan retreat on 
 the Harbison campus and young Speedwell turned and 
 gazed a moment at Rose. 
 
 " Alabama certainly agrees with you," he exclaimed 
 with admiration. " You are fairer than ever, Rose. 
 From what I had heard of your work here I feared I 
 would find you a physical and mental wreck." 
 
 " Our school is prospering now and since that young 
 Southern gentleman, Jefferson Lilly, whom you just met, 
 
244, THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 has joined us, my own responsibility grows less and less, 
 and I am enjoying this work for our Afro-American 
 citizens more and more. Every day we see its good re- 
 sults. But what do you mean, Horace," she asked, turn- 
 ing towards him, " surprising me like this ? Why did 
 you not write me that you were coming? You never 
 mentioned it in any of your letters." 
 
 " I wanted to see how you were getting on, and at the 
 last moment I decided to visit Dothan. I have been in 
 New Orleans. Rose," he continued, in a low tone, " I 
 cannot bear to have you remain here any longer. You 
 must come back to your old friends in Pittsburg. This 
 work is not worthy of you." 
 
 " Don't say that, Horace," answered the girl, quickly. 
 " I often think I am not worthy of the work. In many 
 ways Harbison Institute means more to America's fu- 
 ture than either Yale or Harvard. We are solving here 
 the greatest problem of America." 
 
 " But anyone can do missionary work amongst these 
 ignorant blacks. Come back to us, Rose," pleaded the 
 young man. " You are not needed here and we need 
 you in Pittsburg." 
 
 The girl smiled at his earnestness and answered, 
 " When I was in Pittsburg I met Mr. Lilly there and he 
 asked me how I could leave such a splendid city as Pitts- 
 burg and come to Dothan, and I told him it was just the 
 other way — I am not needed in Pittsburg, but I am 
 needed here." 
 
 " Who is this Jefferson Lilly ? " asked young Speed- 
 well, a little later. Rose told him, as briefly as she 
 could, Jefferson's story, concluding by saying, " Since 
 he has come to Harbison our institution has taken on 
 new life. He is a remarkable young man, and will be 
 heard from some day all over the South." 
 
A STRANGER IN DOTHAN 245 
 
 Horace Speedwell winced a little as he noticed the 
 tone of admiration which Rose used in describing Jeffer- 
 son Lilly. He could plainly see that in her eyes Jeffer- 
 son Lilly had begun to live when he gave himself up to 
 the service of his lowly fellow-Southerners. He was 
 silent for a little while and then changed the subject ab- 
 ruptly by saying, in earnest tones, " Rose, you have al- 
 ways been my queen. Don't you remember how I used 
 to say that to you when you were only a little girl. 
 Won't you consent to be my wife? I will do anything 
 you ask me. I will even arrange to spend part of each 
 year in Dothan if you will consent to be mine." 
 
 The young man arose from his seat as he spoke and 
 stood in front of the girl. She looked up at him sadly 
 as she shook her head. " It can never be, Horace. I 
 told you so before. I have always looked on you as my 
 best friend, but I can never consent to be your wife. I 
 thought we had settled that." 
 
 " But, Rose, think what I am now able to offer you. My 
 new Pittsburg home is just completed, and I have pur- 
 chased a summer residence in the Alleghenies. I will 
 spend my whole life to make you happy." 
 
 " Horace, Horace," answered the girl, with a little im- 
 patience, " you well know that those things mean noth- 
 ing to me. Life to me is not luxury and pleasure. It 
 is service. No, Horace, let us not speak of that any 
 more," she concluded, firmly, rising as she spoke and 
 looking straight into his eyes. " My answer a year ago 
 was final. Let us continue to be always friends." 
 
 Horace Speedwell lowered his eyes dejectedly to the 
 ground. 
 
 " Promise me, Horace," said the girl, holding out her 
 hand, " that you will not bring up this subject again. 
 It only gives both of us pain." 
 
246 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 He stood for a while helpless and then deliberately 
 took her hand. " Rose," he said, slowly, pressing her 
 hand in his, " I cannot but love you and you will never 
 know what this has cost me, but I will trouble you no 
 more. I said this the last time, but I see it is different 
 now. I plainly see that such a man as Jefferson Lilly 
 has more claim on you than an idle fellow like me." 
 
 Rose blushed and responded with some confusion, 
 " No, it is not that, Horace, but I shall hope to see you 
 some day just as active as Jefferson Lilly in trying to 
 make this a better world." 
 
 They resumed their walk to the President's house, and 
 Rose introduced her friend to Dr. Furber. Before the 
 young man left, the President showed him around the in- 
 stitution. 
 
 " Here is where we prove that the negro has a future 
 before him," said Dr. Furber, pointing to a group of col- 
 ored boys at work in the carpenter shop. " These lads," 
 he continued, " are learning to do just the kind of skilled 
 work that there is great demand for. You see there: 
 some of the future contractors and builders of the 
 South." 
 
 " I was in Washington last winter," replied young 
 Speedwell, who was beginning to arouse himself some- 
 what from his depression under the influence of Dr. 
 Furber's enthusiasm, " and I heard Senator Tillman 
 speak in the Senate on the race question. He seemed to 
 think that such institutions as yours mean only a race 
 war, as industrial training gives the negro power and 
 incites him to resist the domination of the white race. 
 I remember he shouted out, ' Race hatred is growing in 
 the South every day.' Do you think that is true, Dr. 
 Furber?" 
 
 " Not at all, not at all," replied the President of Harbi- 
 
A STRANGER IN DOTHAN 247 
 
 son with much spirit. " These men owe their political 
 power to the fact that they stir up racial strife. Men 
 like Tillman are the real enemies of the South to-day. 
 The education and uplift of the negro race is the only 
 solution of the race problem." 
 
 " It seems to me to be the only Christian solution, but 
 you know, Dr. Furber, that many of the people of this 
 day do not seek the Christian solution of such questions. 
 Very few take Christianity as seriously as you and Rose 
 Atkinson, for example." 
 
 " I disagree with you, my young friend," answered 
 Dr. Furber with emphasis, " for I hold that the Chris- 
 tian solution is the only possible solution of any question, 
 and that the world is slowly but surely accepting this as 
 an axiom." 
 
 Before the inspection of Harbison w?r concluded Dr. 
 Furber had so impressed Mr. Speedw^ - with the prac- 
 tical usefulness of such an institut* , that the young 
 millionaire surprised the educator oy handing him a 
 check for $5,000, saying as he did so, " Use this as you 
 see fit and take good care of Miss Atkinson. As she 
 told you, she and I have been friends from childhood." 
 
 The parting of Rose and her old friend was pathetic 
 She had accompanied him to the gate. " I wish you 
 could have remained in Dothan a few more days," she; 
 said, sorrowfully. 
 
 " No," he replied, " I see I am no longer needed in 
 your life, but I wish you well. I have been convinced 
 by this visit that your work in Harbison is a worthy one 
 and that you are not throwing your life away, but I wiN 
 never believe that the work is worthy of such as you. 
 Good-by." 
 
 " Good-by," she answered simply, as they shook hands 
 in parting. A tear dimmed her eyes as she watched him 
 
248 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 walk away. " Poor Horace," she sighed to herself. " I 
 am sorry for him. How happy we were as children and 
 what a great man I used to imagine he would become. 
 If only he had been born poor I really think my dreams 
 for him would have been true." 
 
 Half an hour after leaving Rose Atkinson, Horace 
 Speedwell entered the office of Donald Shelby. " How 
 are you, Mr. Shelby ? " he exclaimed. " Do you remem- 
 ber me ? " Donald looked perplexed for a moment and 
 cried out, " Glad to see you again, Mr. Speedwell. You 
 have come to redeem your promise to visit Miss Atkinson. 
 She will be delighted to see you." 
 
 " I have been out at Harbison," answered the young 
 man, with a crestfallen look, " but I find that I put off 
 my journey too long. This is a case where the South 
 is the victor. 7 received my final answer to-day." 
 
 Donald did n t understand exactly what was meant, 
 but he continued s e conversation by asking, " Did you 
 meet my friend, JeJerson Lilly, at Harbison ? " 
 
 " Yes, and I wish him well, but he has made me mis- 
 erable for the rest of my life." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " asked Donald, in surprise. 
 
 " Didn't you know he had won the heart of my Penn- 
 sylvania Rose. I met them this morning driving to- 
 gether and from the very first I suspected the truth. 
 After talking with Rose for a little while I soon learned 
 my fate." 
 
 " Jefferson and Rose — not at all," exclaimed Donald, 
 in confusion. " Poor Jefferson Lilly pays dear for his ser- 
 vices at Harbison," and then Donald told Horace Speed- 
 well the story of Jefferson Lilly and Florence Ashley. 
 
 " Did Miss Atkinson know all of this ? " asked Mr. 
 Speedwell. 
 
 " Certainly," responded Donald. 
 
A STRANGER IN DOTHAN 249 
 
 " Then perhaps she has thought it was her duty to 
 cheer Mr. Lilly's heart, for I assure you they are en- 
 gaged. Rose admitted as much to me." 
 
 " You are surely mistaken," said Donald Shelby so 
 earnestly that young Speedwell looked at him curiously 
 and exclaimed, " I believe that girl has bewitched all 
 Dothan." 
 
 In trying to hide his real feelings Donald laughed 
 heartily and said, " She has certainly wrought a change 
 in our community since she came here. Jefferson Lilly 
 is only one of her converts. Even our old minister, Rev. 
 William Durham, has become her follower in the matter 
 of negro education." 
 
 " Durham, Durham, where did I hear that name ? " 
 
 " I expect," responded Donald, " you have heard of 
 his brother, Rev. John Durham of Hambright." 
 
 " Yes, yes. He has won a national reputation as a 
 first class negro chaser. Did you say his brother is a 
 minister here and that he has become a supporter of 
 Harbison ? " 
 
 " Even so, and all through Miss Atkinson's influence. 
 It has meant almost a tragedy in our old minister's life, 
 for only yesterday I met him wandering the street look- 
 ing for Legree, a low fellow here who basely slandered 
 our minister on account of his new views in regard to 
 the negro. Mr. Durham was so excited over the attack 
 on his good name that he had vowed to shoot Xegree at 
 sight, but I met him, fortunately, and restored him to 
 reason." 
 
 Horace Speedwell looked perturbed. " This is no 
 place for a girl like Rose Atkinson. These negro haters 
 will get her yet." 
 
 " Fear not," said Donald. " She is taking away 
 Dothan's reproach." 
 
CHAPTER XXV 
 
 THE COMING OF THE CRISIS 
 
 " Come in, Larkin ; you are late." Peter Legree 
 opened the door of his office in response to a quiet 
 knock, and ushered in the hotel-keeper, Larkin, with this 
 greeting. 
 
 " Are the rest here ? " inquired Larkin, looking around. 
 
 Three other rough-looking men were lounging in 
 chairs, smoking cigarettes. Their faces were black, but 
 a close inspection showed that they were white men sim- 
 ulating negroes. " It's black inside as well as out to- 
 night," added Larkin with a laugh, as he noticed his 
 companions. 
 
 " We're all here," responded one of the men, whom 
 they called " Pug," a peculiarly brutal-looking fellow. 
 " Let us get down to business." 
 
 The five men drew their chairs together and Legree 
 began, " This is our trump card, and we want to make a 
 clean sweep. The day for half measures is past. We 
 can depend on you fellows, can't we ? " 
 
 The three desperadoes nodded in silence. 
 
 " Do you remember that guy, Lilly, who drilled a hole 
 in your arm one night ? " went on the " boss," speaking 
 to " Pug." 
 
 " Bet your life," replied the fellow with a vile oath. 
 " There is something coming his way if I ever get a 
 chance." 
 
 * We'll give you the chance," replied Legree. " We 
 want a neat job done this time. Understand?" 
 
 250 
 
THE COMING OF THE CRISIS 251 
 
 " Pass over the spondulix and give your orders, boss, 
 and we'll do the rest," replied " Pug," while the other 
 two nodded again in silence. 
 
 " Listen," said Legree, lowering his voice. " We want 
 three big bonfires in Dothan to-morrow night — one at 
 old Preacher Durham's house, and two out at the nigger 
 school." 
 
 " My conscience, Legree," said Larkin, " you don't 
 mean to burn down all of Harbison just to get at that 
 fellow Lilly." 
 
 " Your conscience," laughed Legree in reply. " What 
 do men like us want of a conscience? I want to get at 
 more than Lilly. We'll burn up that whole nest of black 
 crows. That is the only way we can win out. We'll 
 scare that nigger school out of Dothan for good." 
 
 Larkin shook his head. " You will raise the very 
 devil if you do that, Legree, and it will end you for good 
 and all. There will be suspicion and it will make lots of 
 sympathy for the blacks." 
 
 " Now listen to me. Here's my plan," answered Le- 
 gree. The men drew their chairs closer, and Legree in 
 a whispered voice conversed for a long time with his 
 henchmen. 
 
 " Do you all understand ? " asked Legree, at length. 
 
 " You bet," echoed the chorus. 
 
 " To-morrow night, remember, all at the same time. 
 Do a good job and there is five hundred in it for each 
 of you." 
 
 The three men withdrew, leaving Larkin and Legree 
 alone. The two looked at each other for a few mo- 
 ments and then Larkin began, " Legree, I don't like this. 
 You are going too far. Ashley would never approve 
 of it." 
 
 " Larkin, the whites are getting desperate. We can 
 
252 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 depend on them once you get them woke up. They 
 killed niggers by the hundred forty years ago and we're 
 worse off now than then. It is a fight between civiliza- 
 tion and barbarism." 
 
 "Things are very different now from the Ku Klux 
 Klan days," replied Larkin. 
 
 " Not at all. We shot and burned them then and we 
 need to do it to-day. This is a white man's country and 
 white men must govern it, with the gun and torch, if 
 need be." 
 
 Larkin shook his head. " You will find that the burn- 
 ing of Harbison will not help your cause, Legree. There 
 will be a reaction." 
 
 " I know just what Dothan needs," answered the 
 other, with impatience. " We white men who believe in 
 a white government have been too easy." 
 
 Larkin was silent, but he shook his head, and soon 
 afterwards he left Legree alone. 
 
 " When I have cleaned out the town and rid Dothan 
 of Harbison they will all praise Peter Legree again," 
 said the boss to himself. " I am not afraid of the con- 
 sequences. This is a white man's country." 
 
 But in spite of his bravado Larkin's warnings re- 
 sounded in his ears that night as he sat alone. Some 
 such thoughts came to his mind as those which haunted 
 Macbeth on the eve of Duncan's murder, when he solilo- 
 quized in his room at Inverness Castle: 
 
 "If it were done, when 'tis done, then 'twere well 
 It were done quickly: if the assassination 
 Could trammel up the consequences, and catch. 
 With his surcease, success; that but this blow 
 Might be the be-all and the end-all here, 
 But here, upon this bank and shoal of time, 
 We'd jump the life to come. But in these cases 
 We still have judgment here; that we but teach 
 
THE COMING OF THE CRISIS 253 
 
 Bloody instructions, which being taught, return 
 To plague the inventor; this even-handed justice 
 Commends the ingredients of our poisoned chalice 
 To our own lips." 
 
 As he meditated somewhat thus, a rush of wind shook 
 the windows and Legree started to his feet. He looked 
 around him with a shudder, but, soon gaining his self- 
 control, he broke into a sneering laugh, saying, " Dothan 
 needs this purifying fire." 
 
 It happened on that very evening that another secret 
 meeting was being held in Dothan in Rev. William Dur- 
 ham's study. Deacon Leavitt and Dr. Rankin sat in 
 close consultation with the old minister for a long time. 
 Unable to bear the strain alone any longer, Mr. Durham 
 had called in these two officers of the church and laid be- 
 fore them the facts regarding Legree's perfidy. He con- 
 fessed to them his own lapse in seeking vengeance, and. 
 said with great emotion, " I feel that I have fallen from 
 grace myself. Had it not been for Mr. Shelby I might 
 have stained my soul with a fellow-mortal's blood." 
 
 " You had good reason to be enraged," said Dr. Ran- 
 kin, sympathetically. " We have neglected this matter 
 too long. The judgment of God will soon fall on us 
 unless we purge the church." 
 
 " I sometimes fear I have waited too long," said the 
 old minister with sadness. " I have been much at fault 
 myself." 
 
 " We are all sinners," Deacon Leavitt exclaimed, " but 
 I hope we are not a band of robbers and a den of thieves. 
 In spite of Legree's prominence we must at once ask 
 him to retire from our communion or else stand trial for 
 his conduct." 
 
 " It will mean an upheaval in our church," responded 
 Mr. Durham, " for Legree has some powerful friends, 
 
254 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 but I believe that the church as a whole will hail with 
 joy such action as we propose. This last infamy of his 
 in trying to blacken our pastor's good name is already 
 proving a boomerang." 
 
 " I cannot understand why Mr. Ashley supports Le- 
 gree as he does," said Deacon Leavitt. 
 
 " Mr. Ashley came to see me to-day," said Mr. Dur- 
 ham, with a smile. " The man is in earnest, but it is ri- 
 diculous to hear an intelligent man talk as he does. He 
 is fully convinced that the negro has no soul and he actu- 
 ally thinks it would be best if we could re-enslave every 
 black man and treat him as an animal. He told me that 
 his daughter, Florence, would not sing in the choir any 
 more on account of my endorsement of Harbison." 
 
 " How can such folly on the part of a man like Mr. 
 Ashley be explained ? " asked Dr. Rankin. 
 
 " Oh, he has a bushel of arguments to prove his point," 
 replied Mr. Durham. " Some State University profes- 
 sors in the South have been advocating this theory lately 
 with great earnestness, and Mr. Ashley has been read- 
 ing their books. They claim that the negro has de- 
 scended from some species of prehistoric animal, akin to 
 the ape, and they deny strenuously that he is a descendant 
 of Adam." 
 
 " What did you say to Mr. Ashley when he talked like 
 that ? " asked Deacon Leavitt. 
 
 Mr. Durham smiled broadly as he answered, " I gave 
 him a few facts to ponder over, but I found it was use- 
 less to argue with him. His belief that the negro is 
 only an animal has become his religion. However, I 
 told him some well-known facts about what the negroes 
 are doing." 
 
 " I was in Birmingham lately," interposed Dr. Rankin, 
 
THE COMING OF THE CRISIS 255 
 
 " and I found that two of the finest banks in that city are 
 run by negroes." 
 
 " I gave him a number of cases like that," went on 
 Mr. Durham. " I told him that there were over 14,000 
 negroes in the employ of the federal government, their 
 combined salaries amounting to nearly $10,000,000. One 
 of these negroes receives $10,000 a year and a number 
 of colored government officials receive from $2,500 to 
 $5,000 per year. Nearly three hundred negroes are 
 postmasters. I gave him a whole lot of information like 
 that and said that such a record proved that some ne- 
 groes, at least, were human." 
 
 " What did he say to that? " inquired the deacon. 
 
 " He became angry at me, and said that when the 
 Southern white man came into power he would turn out 
 every last one of these black animals." 
 
 Dr. Rankin and Deacon Leavitt laughed uproariously 
 at this, and then Mr. Durham added, " At last I ended 
 all argument by reminding him that the human race is 
 reproduced through the negro and that scientists all over 
 the world included the negro in the human family." 
 
 " Poor Mr. Ashley," said Dr. Rankin. " He is a good 
 example of the way prejudice on any subject blinds the 
 eyes and distorts the reason of intelligent people." 
 
 " But even if we granted to him that his theory of 
 the negro was true," said Deacon Leavitt with emphasis, 
 " how can we uphold Legree in his evil deeds ? " 
 
 " In his eyes Legree is a hero, a champion of civiliza- 
 tion, and he thinks all accusations against him are the 
 result of his determination to keep down the animal 
 race." 
 
 Finally, Mr. Durham and his advisers determined that 
 the time had come for prompt action in the case of Le- 
 
256 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 gree, and a letter to him was prepared asking him either 
 to withdraw from the church, or to stand a public trial on 
 charges which had been preferred against him. 
 
 " We have had a false peace in Calvary Church too 
 long," said Deacon Leavitt as they separated. " The 
 good Book says ' The wisdom that is from above is first 
 pure, then peaceable.' I only hope that our action is not 
 now too late to avert God's righteous judgment." 
 
 On that eventful night in Dothan, on the eve of the 
 crisis in the life of the community, there was still another 
 conference. Jefferson Lilly spent that evening at the 
 office of his friend, Donald Shelby. After he saw the 
 light on Rose Atkinson's face when she greeted Horace 
 Speedwell, Jefferson Lilly was convinced that the North- 
 erner was her accepted lover, and Rose's depression after 
 the departure of young Speedwell only deepened this 
 conviction. At the same time Donald Shelby had become 
 convinced that Horace Speedwell was right and that 
 Rose had taken Florence Ashley's place in Jefferson's 
 life. 
 
 " I wonder why Jefferson never spoke to me about 
 it," Donald said to himself again and again, as he thought 
 of his own disappointment, but Donald remembered 
 that Jefferson had not mentioned Florence's name to 
 him for some time. He reasoned that the constant asso- 
 ciation of his friend and Rose in their work at Harbison, 
 and their harmonious tastes, made it the most natural 
 'thing in the world for Rose to supplant Florence Ashley, 
 especially since Florence had proved so obdurate. 
 
 Accordingly, the two friends met that evening totally 
 misunderstanding each other, and with some manifest re- 
 straint on both sides. 
 
 " Did you meet our last visitor at Harbison ? " asked 
 Jefferson during their conversation. 
 
THE COMING OF THE CRISIS 257 
 
 "Who was that?" asked Donald. 
 
 " Horace Speedwell of Pittsburg, an old friend of 
 Rose Atkinson." 
 
 " Yes," said Donald, slowly. " He called to see me. 
 You know I met him on the train once when I was com- 
 ing from New York. He told me that he found Miss 
 Atkinson in good hands nowadays." 
 
 " I could see he was greatly interested in her wel- 
 fare," said Jefferson, soberly. " Do you know, Donald, 
 I used to think that you were Rose's favorite, but you 
 have not made good use of your advantages." 
 
 " Never mind, Jefferson. I'll get over it," said Don- 
 ald, trying to appear unconcerned, but his heart-pain at 
 that moment made his voice tremble. Jefferson at 
 once thought that Horace Speedwell had told Don- 
 ald about his relation to Rose, and he hastened to sym- 
 pathize with his old friend. 
 
 " I am sorry about it, Donald. I have been thinking 
 of you all day and of your disappointment, but I did not 
 think you knew." 
 
 " It was a surprise to me, I confess," responded Don- 
 ald, with downcast head. " Horace Speedwell told me 
 all about it." 
 
 " Good for the Northerner," answered Jefferson. " I 
 am glad that he spared me the pain of doing it myself, 
 for I knew how you felt towards Rose." . 
 
 " In spite of my own disappointment I congratulate 
 you," said Donald, bravely, reaching out his hand. 
 
 Jefferson could not understand what his friend meant, 
 but he took his hand in sympathy, thinking that Donald 
 was partly overcome. 
 
 " You have always been a good friend of mine, Don- 
 ald, and I hope this won't make any difference in your 
 relation to Harbison. You have been a pillar of strength 
 
258 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 to us, as Rose says, and we need your help now more 
 than ever." 
 
 " I promised Rose once that I would be a friend to 
 Harbison, and I will keep my vow for her sake as well 
 as yours." 
 
 " You are a man, Donald, you are a man," said Jef- 
 ferson, enthusiastically, shaking his hand warmly in fare- 
 well. 
 
 " It is hard on me, Jefferson, but if only you and she 
 are happy I am not of much account." 
 
 " I am drowning myself in my work nowadays," re- 
 sponded Jefferson, as he walked away, " but I live in 
 hopes that some morn my day will dawn." 
 
 " What could he mean ? " said Donald to himself as 
 he thought of these last words of Jefferson. " I wonder 
 if he has given himself to Rose while his heart still be- 
 longed to Florence? Alas, alas, how many tangles there 
 are in life. How much that is hard to bear. My own 
 future seems intolerable." And in the deepest dejection 
 he sat alone with his sad thoughts. " That Dayton boy 
 perhaps was right after all," he said at last, recalling 
 the pathetic lines of Paul Lawrence Dunbar on " Life " : 
 
 "A crust of bread and a corner to sleep in, 
 A minute to smile and an hour to weep in, 
 A pint of joy to a peck of trouble, 
 And never a laugh but the moan comes double; 
 And that is life." 
 
CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 THE FIRE AT HARBISON 
 
 The next day after the conference at the parsonage 
 Rev. William Durham notified Peter Legree by letter 
 that Calvary Church demanded either that he withdraw 
 from its membership or stand trial for conduct unbe- 
 coming a follower of Christ. 
 
 That night the minister of Calvary Church could not 
 sleep. He knew that he had now crossed the Rubicon, 
 and that a struggle, perhaps a cross, awaited him. It 
 was a Gethsemane experience and the old minister, like 
 his Master long before, experienced a conflict of emo- 
 tions. At last he bowed his soul in humble submission 
 to the will of God, exclaiming again and again, " Thy 
 will, O God, be done," when suddenly he was startled 
 to hear a noise in the lower part of the house. He lis- 
 tened attentively. Someone was evidently forcing open 
 a window in the rear of the house. He arose hastily 
 and, partially dressing himself, prepared to go down- 
 stairs. He seized as the only available weapon a stout 
 hickory cane which happened to be standing in one of the 
 corners of his room, a cane which he had himself cut at 
 the Hermitage, the old home place of Andrew Jackson, 
 near Nashville, Tenn. When he reached the rooms be- 
 low he found that his midnight caller had already en- 
 tered and was walking around in the kitchen. Mr. Dur- 
 ham entered the pantry and could hear a splashing sound, 
 like pouring water, and wondered what it meant. All 
 at once he detected a smell of kerosene oil. In an in- 
 
 259 
 
260 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 stant the truth flashed upon him — an incendiary was at 
 work. There was not a moment to lose. The room had 
 already been drenched with the inflammable oil. In an- 
 other moment the match would be struck, and his home 
 would be in flames. 
 
 The old minister did not hesitate a moment. Grasp- 
 ing his heavy hickory cane firmly he crept noiselessly into 
 the kitchen and peered into the darkness. He could 
 make out the dim form of a man on his knees near the 
 open window. The intruder was pouring oil on a bundle 
 of paper, preparatory to setting the room ablaze, and the 
 gentle rustling of the papers enabled Mr. Durham to 
 quickly cross the floor without being detected. The man 
 was about to reach into his pocket for a match when the 
 hickory cane descended with all force on his head. With 
 a cry of pain and amazement the man fell senseless. Mr. 
 Durham without striking another blow turned on the 
 electric light. Quickly seizing a clothes-line he bound 
 securely the hands and feet of the unconscious man and 
 then looked around. There was oil everywhere. The 
 open window and the pile of oiled paper on which the 
 senseless man lay showed that discovery had come in 
 the nick of time. The minister thought at first that the 
 desperado was a colored man, but soon noticed that he 
 was only a blackened white. After recovering somewhat 
 from his excitement Mr. Durham knelt beside the perpe- 
 trator of the outrage on his property and examined his 
 wound. Blood was flowing freely from a severe scalp 
 wound and the man was breathing heavily. 
 
 " I must get a doctor at once," he said to himself, as 
 he dragged the man out of the oil-soaked kitchen onto 
 the porch and put a pillow under his head. The man 
 was still unconscious and Mr. Durham became alarmed 
 lest he had struck a fatal blow, and hurried away to Dr. 
 
THE FIRE AT HARBISON 261 
 
 Rankin's home. Arriving at the doctor's home, which 
 was only a short distance away, Mr. Durham was about 
 to ring the night bell when a glow towards the north 
 attracted him. He looked intently and was soon con- 
 vinced it was a fire out in the neighborhood of Harbison 
 Institute. He rang the bell furiously. There was no 
 response. The doctor had returned only an hour before 
 from a long night trip in the country and he was asleep. 
 At the second ringing of the door bell the doctor awoke, 
 and going to the speaking tube inquired who was there. 
 
 " This is Mr. Durham, doctor. Come quick," was the 
 response in such agitated tones that Dr. Rankin was 
 alarmed. He dressed hurriedly, seized his medicine 
 case and rushed downstairs. 
 
 By this time the flames of the fire on the north side of 
 Dothan were distinctly visible, and it was evident that 
 Harbison Institute was on fire. 
 
 "What's wrong, Mr. Durham?" asked the doctor. 
 The minister hastily explained the attempt to burn his 
 house and how he had frustrated it. 
 
 " I am afraid I killed the fellow," said the minister. 
 " I did not think I struck such a heavy blow. But, look 
 there, doctor," went on Mr. Durham, pointing towards 
 the north. " The Institute is on fire. Go back to my 
 home and then hurry out to Harbison. They may need 
 you there. I will hurry out to the school." 
 
 The doctor at once started for the parsonage while the 
 minister hurried on to Harbison. As Mr. Durham came 
 nearer he was able to distinguish the buildings which were 
 blazing and he saw with horror that one of the burning 
 houses was the Boys' Dormitory, which he well knew 
 would be crowded on its second and third floors with 
 sleeping students. 
 
 Shouting " Fire, fire," at the top of his voice, the old 
 
262 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 minister hastened his pace to a run. When he finally; 
 reached the Harbison gate he was well-nigh exhausted, 
 but he kept on running up the avenue. A terrible sight 
 met his gaze. The campus was covered with half- 
 dressed students rushing about terror-stricken. On the 
 grass lay a large number of injured boys, some moaning 
 and some shrieking in agony. The large dormitory was 
 a mass of flames, lighting up the entire campus with 
 lurid light. The fire company had already arrived, but 
 the men occupied themselves in saving the remaining 
 buildings, as the two on fire were already gutted. Mr. 
 Durham was gazing in awe at the fearful spectacle, when 
 he was aroused by a woman's voice saying to him, " For 
 God's sake, sir, help us to care for these injured boys. 
 Our students are panic-stricken." The minister looked 
 around and recognized Rose Atkinson. " This is awful, 
 Miss Atkinson. I am Mr. Durham. What can I do to 
 help?" 
 
 " How glad I am to see you," said the girl. " We 
 have some stretchers and we want the injured carried into 
 the President's house. We expect some doctors at 
 once." 
 
 " I will attend to these poor fellows," said the minis- 
 ter. Mr. Durham quickly procured the stretchers and 
 with the assistance of some others from among the 
 crowd which was collecting he was soon busily engaged 
 in carrying the injured to the President's house, where 
 arrangements had been made to render them all assistance 
 possible. He was about to lift one of them, who lay on 
 the grass motionless, when he was surprised to hear a 
 voice which sounded familiar to him gasp out, " Help 
 the others first. I fear I am done for." 
 
 " Is it really you, Jefferson Lilly ? " said Mr. Durham, 
 kneeling quickly by his side. 
 
THE FIRE AT HARBISON 263 
 
 " This is Jefferson Lilly," said the other feebly. " Help 
 the others first." 
 
 " Are you seriously hurt ? " asked Mr. Durham, with 
 emotion. 
 
 There was no answer. Jefferson Lilly had lost con- 
 sciousness. 
 
 At that moment the police ambulance came tearing up 
 the avenue and the policemen jumped out and inquired 
 if they could be of any assistance. 
 
 " Take this man quickly to Dothan Hospital," said 
 Mr. Durham quickly. " He is fatally hurt, I fear. 
 Hurry." 
 
 Two burly policemen tenderly lift^ii the unconscious 
 form of Jefferson, placed him in the ambulance, and 
 drove away. 
 
 " Where is Dr. Furber?" inquired Mr. Durham, when 
 he had brought in the last of the injured, and sank rn 
 weariness in a chair. 
 
 " He is seeking to calm our poor students," replied 
 Rose. " They are crazed with fear. Is not this terri- 
 ble?" 
 
 Dr. Rankin and another physician had arrived, mean- 
 while, and were busily engaged ministering to the burned 
 and bleeding negro lads. 
 
 "Were any lives lost?" Mr. Durham inquired when 
 first aid had been rendered to all the injured, and there 
 was an opportunity for further conversation. Tears 
 came into the girl's eyes and her voice trembled as she 
 answered, " Yes, three were burnt alive and one of them 
 was Nafti Thomas." 
 
 " Nafti Thomas," exclaimed Dr. Rankin, looking up 
 with startled eyes. 
 
 " He could have escaped," continued Rose, " but he was 
 helping the others on the second floor to reach safety. 
 
264 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 He succeeded in arousing and saving all but two. Nafti 
 died as he lived." 
 
 "My God, Nafti," said Dr. Rankin. "I loved that 
 boy. I was convinced he would be a second Frederick 
 Douglass or Booker Washington. What will his poor 
 father do?" 
 
 Just then, Dr. Furber, pale and trembling, staggered 
 into the room. Mr. Durham arose unsteadily to meet 
 him. Their hands met and they looked into each other's 
 eyes. Tears rolled down the cheeks of both as Mr. Dur- 
 ham said brokenly, " May God help you, brother." 
 
 Dr. Furber made no reply. He could not trust him- 
 self to speak, but the deep and sincere sympathy of the 
 pastor of Calvary Church was the first encouragement 
 which cheered him under the awful strain. " Where is 
 Jefferson Lilly ? " he asked, recovering himself somewhat. 
 " He had a fearful fall. He was the last to leave the 
 third floor, and the rope gave way before he was half way 
 to the ground." 
 
 Mr. Durham told of finding him amongst the injured 
 and of sending him direct to the hospital. 
 
 " I must go out again," said Dr. Furber, a little later. 
 " Our poor boys are frightened to death. They tremble 
 at the sight of a white man, thinking they are all going 
 to be shot." 
 
 " Let me go along," said Mr. Durham. " I think I can 
 help you to quiet them." 
 
 Huddled together like frightened sheep, the colored 
 students cowered by the side of the President's house in 
 a pitiable state of panic. The injury to Jefferson Lilly 
 and the death of Nafti Thomas had deprived them of 
 their two most trusted friends, and they had lost con- 
 trol of themselves completely. It was pitiable the way 
 they clung to Dr. Furber, begging him not to leave them. 
 
THE FIRE AT HARBISON 263 
 
 Fortunately, there was no panic amongst the girl stu- 
 dents, as their dormitory was in no danger of fire and, at 
 Rose Atkinson's request, Mrs. Wiley, the matron, gath- 
 ered the girls together in their large dining-room to pray. 
 
 Seeing how they shrunk from him as soon as they saw 
 he was a white man, Mr. Durham shouted out, " I am 
 your friend, Rev. William Durham. Do you not re- 
 member the welcome you gave me a short time ago?" 
 Soon as he saw he had their attention, he went on, " When 
 I saw you the other day I was pleased to see you were 
 learning such useful lessons in Harbison. To-night God 
 is teaching you a lesson more important than all else. 
 Learn in this dreadful hour to trust God amid fire and 
 death. Say in your heart, ' Though He slay me yet will 
 I trust Him.' Remember His promise, ' When thou 
 walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burned ; neither 
 shall the flame kindle upon thee.' Show yourselves men 
 to-night worthy of Harbison. No one will harm you. 
 We are all your friends." 
 
 The colored boys heard and understood. They be- 
 came calmer and soon, at Dr. Furber's request, a " camp " 
 was made beside the house and the over-wrought nerves 
 of the colored youths were rested in quiet watching 
 through the night. 
 
 Dr. Rankin, Mr. Durham, Rose Atkinson, and another 
 physician spent the rest of the night in caring for those 
 who were hurt, and assisting Dr. Furber in every way 
 that was possible. 
 
 The next day was one long remembered in Dothan. 
 Never before was the town, white and black alike, so dis- 
 turbed and so saddened. Early in the morning the campus 
 was filled with a mass of sympathizing friends, white and 
 colored alike. For one day there was no color line in 
 Dothan. As they gazed on the smouldering ruins, which 
 
266 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 held the ashes of three colored students, tears flowed 
 freely, and when the full facts were known in regard to 
 the origin of the fatal fire, the indignation of the people 
 knew no bounds. Mr. Durham and Dr. Furber investi- 
 gated the ruins and it was plain that the dread catas- 
 trophe had been caused by an incendiary. " My own 
 house was set on fire, but two students, who sleep in the 
 lower rooms, were able to put it out," said the President 
 as they gazed at the ruins of the Boys' Dormitory. Then 
 for the first time Mr. Durham told of the attempt on his 
 own home, and how the perpetrator had been caught. 
 " He is still at my home," said Mr. Durham, " bound 
 hand and foot. None but my servants and Dr. Rankin 
 know anything about it, as I fear the people might be 
 roused to a savage fury if they knew. Dr. Rankin says 
 that I did not seriously injure him." 
 
 Dr. Furber was dumfounded at Mr. Durham's re- 
 marks. " It was a fiendish plot to destroy us all," he 
 said, after a pause. " The dastards who wrought this 
 awful deed," said Mr. Durham, with a fierce earnestness, 
 " were merely the paid hirelings of a master villain. I 
 well know the hand that really struck this diabolical blow, 
 but it is his last wild work. Peter Legree will never be 
 heard of again." 
 
 " Ah," replied Dr. Furber, " you think it was his 
 work?" 
 
 " There is not a single doubt of it. My prisoner, I am 
 assured, will make a full confession." 
 
 Rose Atkinson had borne the terrible news of her 
 brother's death to Martha Thomas the night before. She 
 controlled herself well, but kept murmuring in agony, 
 " My poor father, my poor father." Mose Thomas him- 
 self was out in the country and did not return until about 
 noon the day after the fire. 
 
THE FIRE AT HARBISON 267 
 
 Amongst the very first to arrive on the Harbison 
 grounds in the morning were Donald Shelby, who had 
 not been awakened during the night, and Mr. Ashley. 
 Mr. Ashley seemed like a man in a dream at first, but he 
 soon aroused himself, as though he had become a new 
 man, and he and Donald led in the attempts to discover 
 and rescue the ashes of the three victims. At the risk of 
 their lives, for the walls continued to fall during the 
 morning, these two, with a few other daring youths, kept 
 up the search, until at last a handful of human ashes 
 was discernible. Before it was safe to attempt to reach 
 the spot Donald made a dash, and soon returned with 
 the pitiful remains of Nafti. They were identified at 
 once by Dr. Furber by a little silver cross, which Nafti 
 had worn as a watch-charm. Strangely enough the little 
 cross was uninjured and Dr. Furber eagerly seized it, as 
 he knew Nafti's father would prize it as a remembrance 
 of his brilliant son. A few hours later the other two lit- 
 tle heaps of bones and ashes were found, and a sigh of 
 relief went up from the vast crowd. 
 
 The most tragic sight of all was the appearance of 
 Nafti's father. Hearing of the burning of Harbison he 
 had hurried in from the country, and came direct to the 
 grounds. His daughter, with tear-stained face, had been 
 watching for him all morning, and as soon as she saw 
 him coming she ran towards him with outstretched arms. 
 Mose Thomas guessed at once the cause of her awful dis- 
 tress. " Is Nafti dead? " he cried. For answer the un- 
 fortunate girl threw her arms around her father's neck 
 and burst into uncontrollable weeping. The poor father 
 groaned in anguish, but sought to comfort his child, and 
 weeping together they went towards the President's 
 house. There was not a dry eye in the throng of on- 
 lookers. Mr. Ashley, weeping like a child, was stand- 
 
268 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 ing by the side of Donald Shelby, when the heart-broken 
 father and daughter passed. " May God forgive me," 
 Donald heard him murmur, and Donald knew that Mr. 
 Ashley's strange theory in regard to the colored race 
 was gone forever from his mind. Dr. Furber had 
 dreaded his awful task of giving the ashes and bones of 
 Nafti to his father. The poor man received them with 
 bowed head. His whole body shook, and at last, with a 
 shriek, he fell unconscious. Tender hands ministered to 
 him, and an hour later Donald Shelby drove him home, 
 partially recovered, his daughter, Martha, supporting him 
 in the carriage. As they passed the still smoking ruins 
 of the dormitory, he waved his hand toward the burned 
 building, and his deep sighs and groans were heart-break- 
 ing. 
 
 As Mr. Durham saw the tears of the people of Dothan, 
 weeping in sympathy, he said to himself, " Nafti Thomas 
 has not died in vain." 
 
CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 AFTER THE FIRE 
 
 When Jefferson Lilly was carried into the Dothan 
 Hospital he was still unconscious. A physician at once 
 examined him and found one of his arms broken and 
 signs of internal injuries. He did not recover conscious- 
 ness until morning. Looking around the room in a be- 
 wildered way, he exclaimed, " Where am I ? " 
 
 " In the hospital," answered the nurse, quietly. " You 
 were brought in from the Harbison fire last night." 
 
 " Oh, yes, I remember. I fell. Does the doctor think 
 that I am seriously hurt? " 
 
 Just at that moment the doctor stepped into the room 
 and heard his last question. " I am sorry to say, sir," 
 he replied, " that you are dangerously injured. Have you 
 any friends that you would like us to notify? We will 
 do the best we can for you, but complications may 
 arise." 
 
 Jefferson Lilly pondered a moment and then said 
 slowly, " Ask Florence Ashley to call and see me. Tell 
 her my condition and say that I request her presence." 
 
 A few moments later the telephone bell rang in the 
 Ashley home. Although it was early the household was 
 astir, as they had heard the news of Harbison's calam- 
 ity, and Mr. Ashley had already gone to the scene of the 
 fire. Florence answered the call herself, and the nurse 
 at the hospital gave Jefferson's message. The girl trem- 
 
 269 
 
270 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 bled when she heard, but she answered without a mo- 
 ment's hesitation, " Tell him I will come at once." 
 
 Saying nothing to anyone, she hurried out on the 
 street. Excited crowds were hastening out to Harbi- 
 son, and she overheard someone say, " I understand that 
 a number of the students and one of the teachers were 
 killed, and that several more were fatally hurt." 
 
 " I may be too late," she said to herself, as she quick- 
 ened her pace. The last few blocks she almost ran, and 
 when she reached the hospital she was breathless and 
 greatly agitated. Entering the hall she almost collided 
 with a young lady who was just leaving the institution. 
 " I beg your pardon," she began, and then exclaimed, 
 " Rose Atkinson — I am so glad you are safe," and she 
 fell on the neck of the Harbison teacher and kissed her 
 cheek. 
 
 The genuine sympathy of the Southern girl's sweet 
 voice melted the heart of Rose. Her overstrained nerves 
 gave way, and she began to weep convulsively in the arms 
 of Florence. The latter was alarmed. " Is he really 
 dead ? " she asked, tremblingly, tears coming to her own 
 eyes. 
 
 Rose knew at once to whom she referred and answered 
 quickly, " No, no. Jefferson Lilly still lives, but three 
 of our students were burned to death and our work 
 seems ruined." 
 
 " Do not despair," replied Florence, almost cheerfully, 
 so great was her relief to know that her fears for Jef- 
 ferson were groundless. " This fire has not destroyed 
 Harbison. Many of us have seen a new light in the past 
 few hours. Forgive me for my treatment of you. 
 Henceforth we are to be friends." 
 
 They parted, but her words cheered the desolate heart 
 of the young philanthropist, and she returned to the 
 
AFTER THE FIRE 271 
 
 ruins of Harbison with a new courage. Like Mr. Dur- 
 ham, she said to herself, " Nafti Thomas has not died in 
 vain." 
 
 After leaving Rose Atkinson, Florence soon found her- 
 self at the door of Jefferson's room. " Do not talk much 
 and do not excite him," cautioned the nurse, as she ush- 
 ered the girl into the room and then left them alone. Jef- 
 ferson lay helpless on his back, but his pale face bright- 
 ened and his eyes lit up with joy as the girl entered. 
 Before he could say a word she was on her knees by the 
 side of the bed, and was saying, " Jefferson, dear, I am 
 so glad you sent for me. I have come at once. Are you 
 badly hurt?" 
 
 Without a word he reached out his right hand, which 
 was uninjured, and she seized it in both of hers and 
 pressed it to her lips. A thrill of gladness went through 
 the broken body of the injured man. " It was worth all 
 the pain I have suffered to see you again, Florence," he 
 murmured. " I have waited a long time for this." 
 
 The two conversed only a short time together when the 
 nurse appeared. 
 
 " I shall get well, Florence," he said, in parting. " Your 
 visit has been like an elixir of life." 
 
 " I shall return in the afternoon," she promised, and 
 she went away with a great joy in her soul. Her second 
 visit, later in the day, was prolonged for almost an hour, 
 and Jefferson felt so well that he was able to discuss some 
 of his future plans. 
 
 Florence told him of her father's new views as a result 
 of the fire, and Jefferson was delighted. " Father says 
 that the white citizens of Dothan are already planning to 
 raise enough money to rebuild Harbison on a larger scale 
 than ever," she told him. 
 
 " Do you think that he would consent to allow you to 
 
272 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 live on the campus if I built a house there?" Jefferson 
 asked. 
 
 The girl smiled and replied, " You never asked me if 
 I would consent to live in such a house." 
 
 Jefferson took her hand in his and asked earnestly, 
 " Will you not give yourself with me to this glorious work 
 of uplifting a race?" 
 
 " Where you go, Jefferson, I will go," she answered. 
 
 " All Dothan is now enthusiastic for a new and greater 
 Harbison, and I have become as foolish as the rest. 
 Mother says we are all going crazy." 
 
 " No," said Jefferson, earnestly, " Dothan is coming 
 to its senses, as I well knew it would some day." 
 
 That evening the doctor pronounced Jefferson out of all 
 danger, and expressed surprise at his marvelous recov- 
 ery. " You will be up in a few days," he exclaimed. 
 " This morning I did not see how you could live." 
 
 " I had a medicine to-day which cures both soul and 
 body," said Jefferson, smilingly, while the doctor know- 
 ingly nodded his head. 
 
 Florence Ashley's assertion that the fire had aroused 
 all Dothan to the enthusiastic support of Harbison In- 
 stitute was the actual fact. As the day following the 
 fire wore on it became known that the fire was incendiary 
 in origin and that Legree was responsible for the tragedy. 
 Neither he nor Larkin were to be found anywhere in the 
 city, and it was reported that they had left Dothan dis- 
 guised as colored men. 
 
 Mr. Ashley, Donald Shelby, Rev. William Durham, 
 and a number of other prominent citizens agreed to take 
 charge of the funeral of Nafti Thomas, and a telegram 
 was sent to Tuskegee asking President Booker T. Wash- 
 ington to come and preach the funeral sermon. Dr. 
 Washington accepted the invitation, and the funeral was 
 
AFTER THE FIRE 273 
 
 held in the open air on the Harbison campus. Neither 
 Mose Thomas nor Martha were able to be present, as 
 they were still prostrated, and the doctor now feared that 
 the father could not rally. The funeral was a memora- 
 ble occasion. The whites and blacks for many miles 
 gathered together with one consent, and the crowds were 
 enormous. A temporary platform had been built on a 
 convenient spot from which Booker T. Washington 
 spoke. The choir of Dr. Brown's church, of which Nafti 
 was a member, rendered a sacred selection, " Oh, when I 
 come to die, give me Jesus, give me Jesus." 
 
 President Furber, with trembling voice, read part of 
 the fourteenth chapter of John's Gospel, and then a 
 young white lady came forward to sing a solo. A hushed 
 murmur of astonishment went over the crowd as they rec- 
 ognized Florence Ashley. The crowd became still as a 
 forest on a summer's eve, and above them floated the 
 beautiful words: 
 
 " Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
 Nearer to Thee; 
 E'en though it be a cross 
 That raiseth me." 
 
 When she had finished there was hardly a dry eye in 
 the vast assembly. Booker T. Washington began to 
 speak slowly and distinctly. It was evident that the 
 great educator was laboring to restrain himself. " The 
 blood of the martyrs is the seed of earth's best harvests," 
 he began, " and it is Nafti Thomas, the martyr, for whom 
 we mourn to-day. His tragic fate has touched all your 
 hearts, and drawn white and black together to mourn the 
 loss of this gifted son of Dothan." 
 
 The entire audience was listening in sympathy. Tears 
 began to flow down many cheeks as the speaker went on, 
 
274s THE testing fire 
 
 with breaking voice, " When I was in Dothan some 
 months ago I met Nafti Thomas for the first and last 
 time. Little did I think it was to be the last. I had 
 hoped to see him in a few years a leader of his race. 
 Alas, our hopes are blighted, our expectations have 
 failed, our hearts are broken, our tears are falling, for 
 Nafti Thomas is no more." 
 
 Here the company of students gathered near the plat- 
 form on the right of the speaker could no longer restrain 
 themselves. Weeping aloud, their cries drowned the 
 voice of the speaker, and he was compelled to cease until 
 the storm of grief had spent itself. 
 
 When calm was restored, Dr. Washington stood erect 
 again. He raised his right hand high above his head 
 and in a voice of thunder cried, " But Nafti Thomas is 
 not dead. He lives to-day. He shall live forever. His 
 name shall be a beacon of hope for every colored boy and 
 dark-skinned girl until the end of time." 
 
 The speaker lowered his voice as he continued, " He 
 died a martyr to racial hate that its awful bondage might 
 be taken away, and white and black alike unite in honest 
 effort for mutual well-being. He died a martyr to 
 wicked prejudice that this accursed scourge might blight 
 our beloved Southland no more. He died that Dothan 
 might be free and Dothan's future is now secure." The 
 negro orator then proceeded to speak of Nafti's char- 
 acter, his earnestness, his simplicity, his devotion to 
 duty, as shown in his life and death. He spoke tenderly 
 of the bereaved father and sister, and commended them 
 to the sympathy of all. Before he concluded he spoke 
 also with telling effect on the future relations of the two 
 races. " This tragedy has not divided us. It has brought 
 us closer together. We are not enemies. We are 
 friends. The white people of the South love the colored 
 
AFTER THE FIRE 275 
 
 race. Does not this service in memory of Nafti Thomas 
 prove that this is true ? We black men owe a tremendous 
 debt to our white neighbors. No race in all the world 
 is making such progress as we are making. Let us be- 
 come intelligent and industrious citizens, and we shall 
 have a part, along with the white race, in the marvelous 
 progress, material and spiritual, which is lifting up the 
 South to-day." 
 
 After the address by Booker T. Washington, Rev. 
 William Durham led in prayer, and the services were 
 closed by the singing of a hymn. 
 
 The interment of the ashes of the martyred student 
 was in a corner of the campus where the citizens proposed 
 to erect a suitable monument to the youth's memory. 
 
 After the funeral Donald Shelby called on Jefferson 
 at the hospital. He had only seen his injured friend for 
 a few moments the day before, and as Jefferson was now 
 able to sit up in bed they had a long talk, and Donald 
 told him regarding developments at Harbison. 
 
 " Terrible as this tragedy has been," said Donald, 
 earnestly, u I am convinced that God has already over- 
 ruled it for good. It has meant the complete downfall 
 of Legreeism in our community." 
 
 Donald then narrated fully regarding the attempt on 
 Mr. Durham's house, and the confession of the minis- 
 ter's prisoner. " The fellow has been taken to jail in 
 Montgomery," said Donald, " as we did not wish to take 
 any risk of mob violence." He told of Legree's disap- 
 pearance, and of the interest the citizens were showing 
 in plans for the rebuilding of Harbison. 
 
 " Our city caucus is to be held to-morrow evening," 
 Donald exclaimed, " and a number of us are planning 
 to make it a mass meeting in which our community can 
 have a new birth of freedom. Dr. Furber will be there, 
 
276 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 and Mr. Ashley and others will speak. I am going to 
 make a speech myself as well." 
 
 Jefferson listened with growing enthusiasm. " Were 
 it not for the death of our students I would feel that 
 this fire has been a blessing in every way," he responded. 
 " To see Mr. Ashley working for Harbison as he is doing 
 is worth everything to me." 
 
 " Perhaps even Florence may become interested in 
 the school," put in Donald, hesitatingly, fearing that he 
 was treading on dangerous ground. 
 
 " Florence is already with us heart and soul," ex- 
 claimed Jefferson. " She and I have everything all 
 arranged except the day." 
 
 " What ! " almost shouted Donald. 
 
 " It's all true," rejoined the other. " Florence and 
 I have everything all arranged, and we think we will be 
 able to allow Rose Atkinson to take up the training of a 
 Southern white man in case it were necessary. Flor- 
 ence can take her place at Harbison." 
 
 Donald began to see that there was a mistake some- 
 where, so he eagerly asked Jefferson, " You are not en- 
 gaged to Rose yourself then ? " 
 
 " Who ever told you such a thing ? " asked Jefferson, 
 in astonishment. 
 
 " Horace Speedwell told me that you and she were en- 
 gaged," said Donald, " and I was the most miserable man 
 in all Alabama." 
 
 " I wondered why you acted so strangely towards me 
 lately," said Jefferson, and the two friends shook hands 
 heartily. 
 
 " At any rate," said Donald after a while, " I know 
 something of what you have been suffering for these 
 months. I congratulate you sincerely. Florence is the 
 second best girl in the world." 
 
AFTER THE FIRE 277 
 
 " No, she is the first," persisted Jefferson. 
 
 That evening Donald sought Rose Atkinson, and told 
 her the news of the engagement of Florence and Jeffer- 
 son. 
 
 " I saw Florence for a moment at the hospital," said 
 Rose, " and I guessed that Jefferson had at last won 
 his suit. She is like a new girl altogether since our 
 tragedy." 
 
 "Jefferson thinks that she can relieve you of your 
 work at Harbison," suggested Donald, slowly. 
 
 " We will have to wait and see about that," Rose an- 
 swered, but she smiled so graciously that Donald was 
 content to wait. 
 
 " I hear you are to speak at the caucus to-morrow 
 night," she said, as they parted. " The gallery has been 
 reserved for the women, and Mrs. Furber and I will be 
 present." 
 
 " I shall remember you are present when I make my 
 speech," said Donald. " It will be the opportunity of 
 my life." 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 A SPEECH THAT MADE HISTORY 
 
 The citizens' caucus of Dothan was held the next 
 evening. By a strange coincidence it had happened that 
 this general meeting of the white citizens was to be 
 held at this time to arrange for the coming election of 
 city officials. Formerly Peter Legree had dominated 
 these caucuses from beginning to end but from the start 
 it was evident that night that Legree's reign was over 
 in Dothan for all time. The minds of the people were 
 still filled with the Harbison catastrophe, and there was 
 a spirit manifest on all sides that Legreeism in any form 
 was intolerable. Legree himself and his closest hench- 
 men had all disappeared, and the way was clear for a 
 complete political renovation. Deacon Leavitt was made 
 the chairman of the meeting, and his introductory speech 
 emphasized the crisis of the hour. " Dothan's new day 
 has been dawning for some time. It is now upon us," 
 he exclaimed. 
 
 Before the regular business of the caucus was taken up, 
 Dr. Furber was invited to address the meeting in regard 
 to the future plans of the institution over which he pre- 
 sided. He spoke briefly, but the hearty applause which 
 greeted his statement that the fire meant only a greater 
 and better Harbison showed that the policy of Rose At- 
 kinson had at last been crowned with complete success, 
 and that the white citizens were now unanimous in their 
 
 278 
 
A SPEECH THAT MADE HISTORY 279 
 
 support of the institution for the education and uplift of 
 the negro race. 
 
 Following the speech of Dr. Furber, Rev. William 
 Durham came to the platform. He was greeted with a 
 round of applause, and his address was listened to with 
 the closest attention. 
 
 " My brethren," he began, in a conversational tone, 
 " it is with much pleasure that I am here to-night. I 
 believe we see the beginning of a new era in our beau- 
 tiful city. We are following in the footsteps of the 
 angel of progress which has been leading our beloved 
 South out of darkness and into light for the past fifty 
 years. I confess that Dothan has lagged behind the pro- 
 cession. We have allowed our fellow-Southerners of 
 other places to lead far in advance. But now our march- 
 ing orders have come." 
 
 When he spoke these words, Mr. Durham stepped 
 forward, and raised his voice until it resounded through 
 the large building. One thousand men leaned forward 
 as he continued, " In ancient days when God's people 
 were directed from heaven to advance, the pillar of fire 
 by night lit up their pathway and they marched for- 
 ward after God. We, too, are God's people, and we 
 have seen God's pillar of fire by night. The flames of 
 Harbison have lit up our pathway and to-night we are 
 following God. We are marching to freedom. We have 
 been in the bondage of race prejudice, the most de- 
 grading serfdom that ever chained a nation or a com- 
 munity. To-night we are free." 
 
 The last word was shouted by the old minister in his 
 loudest tone. The effect was electrical. The great au- 
 dience of white men rose to their feet, tears were in 
 their eyes, and they shouted " hurrah, hurrah," until the 
 rafters rang, and Mr. Durham had to motion again and 
 
280 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 again for silence. When he could again make himself 
 heard, the minister referred touchingly to the tragic 
 death of Nafti Thomas. He told how the negro youth 
 had saved his own life shortly before. " He risked his 
 life that day to save me," said Mr. Durham with emo- 
 tion, " and now he has given his life for the good of his 
 race. We are planning a monument to his memory. 
 It is well ; but we can honor Nafti Thomas best by doing 
 our part to make Harbison Institute the pride of our 
 city. Let a greater and grander Harbison, supported 
 by our united sympathy, be the abiding monument to this 
 noble youth." 
 
 Mr. Durham then told of the attack on his own home 
 on the night that the school was burned. " The wretched 
 hireling who had sold himself to do the diabolical deed 
 confessed to me fully. He was a mere tool. He told of the 
 conspiracy to blot out Harbison, engineered by that viper 
 which we nursed in our bosom so long, Peter Legree." 
 
 The speaker hissed out this last sentence amid a tense 
 silence. For a moment there was no response, as Le- 
 gree's name had been one of power and dread so long 
 that it was difficult to think that he was at last utterly 
 vanquished. But in a moment the audience realized 
 the situation, and led by Donald Shelby, they were shout- 
 ing themselves hoarse over the victory which manhood 
 had achieved. 
 
 After the minister had finished his address, a series 
 of resolutions in regard to the burning of Harbison were 
 read. They were strong and pointed, condemning the 
 perpetrators of the vile crime, urging every effort pos- 
 sible in order that Peter Legree and his accomplices be 
 brought to justice, and promising complete support and 
 sympathy to the institution. 
 
A SPEECH THAT MADE HISTORY 281 
 
 " Be it resolved," read one of the resolutions, " that 
 we ask the Governor of Alabama to offer a reward of 
 $5,000 for the arrest, living or dead, of this incendiary- 
 fiend, whose awful crime is almost without parallel in the 
 history of our State." 
 
 The resolutions were passed unanimously amid intense 
 enthusiasm, after which Dr. Furber arose to express his 
 appreciation of the action. " I confess I have not un- 
 derstood the deep sympathy which I had in my work 
 until this calamity has shown me the real spirit of the 
 white man in Dothan. I ask you to forgive me for some 
 unkindly thoughts I have had towards some of you. 
 During the past few days there has been a constant 
 stream of white men and white women coming out to 
 Harbison bringing clothes and provisions, and I am over- 
 whelmed with your goodness. May God bless you." 
 The President of Harbison sat down in tears, and a 
 thrill went through the audience as Donald Shelby was 
 noticed making his way to the front. The gallery of 
 the Academy of Music, where the caucus was held, was 
 filled with ladies, who had looked on in silence and won- 
 der at the scene below. When Donald mounted the plat- 
 form, and the men greeted him with a rousing cheer, the 
 ladies joined, for the first time, in the demonstration. 
 Donald glanced upwards, and noticed a fair face on the 
 front row of the gallery almost in front of him. He 
 recognized Rose Atkinson at once, and her presence filled 
 his soul with gladness. Amid tense silence he began, " I 
 •am for the square deal." As he shouted out these words 
 he raised his clenched fist. In a moment pandemonium 
 had broken loose. Men shouted and applauded. They 
 stood up on their seats. They waved their hats. They 
 shouted again and again. Donald Shelby had touched 
 
282 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 the most powerful sentiment in the hearts of strong men, 
 and his audience became as wax in his hands. 
 
 " I am for the South," he continued, when silence had 
 been restored, " for the South is mine own. Her peo- 
 ple are my people and her God is my God." The great 
 audience had settled down again, but the speaker dis- 
 tinguished one beaming face in the gallery, and he went 
 on with increasing enthusiasm, " I love the South ; it 
 is the land where my fathers died, the land of noble his- 
 tory, the cradle of soldiers, the birthplace of patriots, 
 and the home of statesmen." 
 
 All were now listening intently, and in the enthusiasm 
 of the hour the speaker poured out his soul, " Alabama 
 is the land where first I knew a father's care and a 
 mother's love. I cannot speak her name without emo- 
 tion. And well our proud State is worthy of all praise. 
 Has she not wrested magnificent victory out of defeat? 
 Has she not risen from the anguish of despair to become 
 one of the fairest and most prosperous states in the 
 Union? Much as I love the South, I love Alabama 
 more. For her I live and for her I would willingly die. 
 Citizens of the proud State of Alabama, I call you to- 
 night to arise and assert your manhood, for you are 
 worthy." The face of the speaker was glowing with en- 
 thusiasm. There was no mistaking the pentecostal power 
 that thrilled his soul. 
 
 " In the Providence of God tragic events are the mo- 
 ments of crisis in the history of individuals and of so- 
 ciety. The lightning bolt that struck down his friend, 
 Alexis, near the gate of Erfurt, awoke to life the dor- 
 mant energy in the spirit of Martin Luther. The cruel 
 stones that battered the martyr Stephen to death broke 
 the spell that bound the persecutor, and transformed 
 the blaspheming Saul into matchless Paul, the Apostle. 
 
A SPEECH THAT MADE HISTORY 283 
 
 The fire that destroyed Harbison and burnt to ashes 
 Nafti Thomas has kindled a fire of patriotism in all our 
 souls, and fused into one mass the manhood of Dothan." 
 
 Again the vast building rang with applause, and Don- 
 ald could notice a little white handkerchief flutter in the 
 gallery. 
 
 " Politics in Dothan have touched the lowest ebb. Let 
 us be honest with ourselves, and acknowledge that false 
 voices have lured us astray. We have listened too long 
 to the ravings of men who have told us that the danger 
 to the South lay in the negro, and in the negro alone. It 
 is false, false as hell." Donald was now thoroughly 
 aroused. He was transfusing his spirit into the souls of 
 the listeners. Not a word of interruption was heard as 
 he kept on. " The negro is in no sense an element of 
 danger to our Southland ; it is the criminal who menaces 
 our civilization, the criminal negro and the criminal white 
 man. Violence and corruption in the political history 
 of Dothan have stained our honor because we have al- 
 lowed the criminal to rule over us. Whom do I mean 
 by criminal ? " he exclaimed, in thunder tones, still hold- 
 ing his audience in the hollow of his hand. " I mean 
 the man who is opposed to a square deal for both white 
 and black. Justice knows no color line." 
 
 These last words were not spoken to the people but 
 were hurled into their ears, and sank down into their 
 spirits by the well-nigh inspired orator. 
 
 Donald then reviewed the history of the state for the 
 past forty years and spoke of the part in its development 
 which the black man had taken. " In the old days," he 
 continued, " our fathers worked for the civilization and 
 Christianization of the negro slaves. God's providence 
 has plainly entrusted the fate of the negro to the South, 
 and, even if we would, we cannot escape the responsi- 
 
284. THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 bility. Let us accept our manifest destiny and believe 
 that this child-race has been entrusted to us because we 
 could best assist them in working out their racial salva- 
 tion. I grant that the presence of two great races in 
 our land, living a close yet divided existence, presents 
 a unique situation in the history of man, but the Al- 
 mighty has His own purposes, and the duty of the strong 
 to the weak is plain as noonday to the Christian citizen. 
 The industrial development and mental growth of the 
 negro race will mean gain, and not loss, to the white 
 race. Let us cease to listen longer to the mad ranting 
 of disordered brains. The old South faced the setting 
 sun. To-day the young South greets the new day and 
 hails a rising sun. There is a world-movement for a 
 better to-morrow. Bands of steel bind state to state, 
 and the oceans now unite and no longer divide land from 
 land. Telegraph wires, like living nerves, connect shore 
 with shore and race with race. The world is one neigh- 
 borhood. Humanity is becoming conscious of the ob- 
 ligations of man to man. Too long false prophets have 
 declared Cain's murderous answer as worthy of honor. 
 Our flag floats over ten million black men to-day but 
 yesterday fresh from the African jungle. Shall we re- 
 peat the farce of others, reverse the order of nature and 
 embrute these black men, or shall we assist them by 
 every reasonable method to improve their lot? Let the 
 manhood of the Anglo-Saxon race, with its fifteen hun- 
 dred years of Christian teaching, answer that question." 
 Donald Shelby had himself become transfigured. His 
 fellow-citizens listened in astonishment to the noble 
 words that poured out of his lips. His face was shin- 
 ing. The passion of the square deal had taken possession 
 of his soul. " Those are the words of a prophet," said 
 Mr. Durham to himself, as he listened with amazement; 
 
A SPEECH THAT MADE HISTORY 285 
 
 " a greater than Donald Shelby is here. It is a message 
 from God." 
 
 " You ought to have seen Donald when he was speak- 
 ing," confided Rose Atkinson to Florence Ashley after- 
 wards, for Florence had spent that evening with Jefferson 
 Lilly at the hospital. " He was perfectly grand. I 
 felt that some divine power was using him to give a 
 message not only to Dothan but to all the South." 
 
 Donald Shelby closed his memorable speech with' 
 these words, " Men have called the South old-fashioned, 
 mediaeval, provincial, cruel, lustful and cunning. Let 
 us answer these maligners not with words but with acts, 
 as we have done in the days gone by. Let us show the 
 world that the South is a home-loving, kind, generous, 
 and enterprising land. Let us accept our destiny and 
 let the Anglo-Saxon in the South rise to the proud 
 height of the noblest civilization ever seen on the face 
 of the earth. Let us erect in Dothan a government 
 which the criminal of either race shall justly fear, and 
 which the honorable citizen of both races can justly 
 praise. Citizens of Dothan, I call you to a task destined 
 to make your name glorious through all the annals of 
 time." 
 
 When he had ceased, Donald was given another ova- 
 tion. A number of the younger men rushed to the plat' 
 form, seized him in their arms, and bore him back to 
 his seat in triumph, while the audience went wild with 
 joy. 
 
 The nominations for the city officials soon began, and 
 the first name proposed for Mayor was Honorable Don- 
 ald Shelby. The nomination was made unanimous with 
 a shout of approval on every side. The men nominated 
 for the other offices were known as men of unquestioned 
 integrity and ability and the erection of just such a 
 
286 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 government in Dothan as Donald Shelby had described 
 was assured. 
 
 When the meeting broke up, the nominee for Mayor 
 was surrounded by a group of warm friends who con- 
 gratulated him on his speech. " That speech has sounded 
 the death-knell of Legreeism all over the South," said 
 Mr. Durham, grasping his hand warmly. " I hail you as 
 the commissioned apostle of the square deal, which ap- 
 peals to every American citizen." 
 
 Meanwhile, for the time being, the Harbison school 
 was closed. Following the fire Dr. Furber had gathered 
 the students together and assured them of the unanimous 
 support of all the white citizens of Dothan, but the 
 shock had been too much for them, and they begged 
 to be allowed to go home. Seeing that it would be use- 
 less to seek to reorganize the school at that time, Dr. 
 Furber resolved to dismiss them for a few weeks, but 
 impressed on them all the fact that the institution was 
 to be rebuilt larger than ever and that the whites were 
 to raise a large sum of money in Dothan for this pur- 
 pose. The students seemed incredulous, and Dr. Fur- 
 ber was grieved to see that the dread of the white man 
 was still upon them. One poor fellow said tremblingly, 
 " We cannot come back to Dothan. They will burn us 
 up again." 
 
 Soon as the students had all been sent home, Miss 
 Atkinson decided to leave for Pittsburg as her mother 
 sent her a telegram every day urging her return and en- 
 treating her to risk her life in Dothan no longer. She 
 left Dothan the morning after the caucus and did not 
 have time to see Donald Shelby. However, she left a 
 parting message for him with Jefferson Lilly. " Tell 
 Mr. Shelby," she said, " that I am no longer needed in 
 Dothan. My mission is finished and his has begun." 
 
A SPEECH THAT MADE HISTORY 287 
 
 " Do you really think she has left Harbison for good? " 
 asked Donald in dismay, when Jefferson gave him Rose's 
 message. 
 
 " She is satisfied that her mission in Dothan is ful- 
 filled. She said your speech last night convinced her of 
 that." 
 
 " I thought I had won my cause last night," replied 
 Donald, mournfully, " but I fear that I lost it." 
 
 " Do not lose heart," responded his friend. " Remem- 
 ber ' faint heart ne'er won fair lady.' " 
 
CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW 
 
 " Come out for a drive with me this morning," said 
 Dr. Rankin to Jefferson Lilly some days after the memor- 
 able city caucus. Jefferson had almost recovered from 
 his injuries and was stopping at a down-town hotel when 
 the doctor called for him. 
 
 " I shall be glad to accompany you," he exclaimed. 
 " Mr. Shelby still insists on looking after affairs for 
 me at Harbison, and time is hanging heavily on my 
 hands." 
 
 When they were seated in the carriage, Dr. Rankin 
 turned to Jefferson and said sadly, " I want you to visit 
 Mose Thomas with me. I am going to his house now. 
 The poor man has only a few more days to live." 
 
 " I am sorry to hear it," replied the other, with emo- 
 tion. " It was a terrible shock but I had hoped that he 
 would recover. I shall be glad to see the poor fellow 
 again." 
 
 " It is surely a sad case," went on Dr. Rankin. " I 
 never knew a father who was more devoted to a son 
 than Mose Thomas to Nafti. Nafti's fearful fate has 
 almost robbed him of his religious faith. I want you to 
 talk to him and encourage him all you can. He has no 
 ambition now to live." 
 
 "How is Martha Thomas getting along?" Jefferson 
 asked, as they came in sight of the humble negro home. 
 
 " Poor girl," responded the doctor, " I fear she will 
 
 288 
 
THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW 289 
 
 soon follow her father to the grave unless she can be 
 aroused to take a fresh interest in life, but she is com- 
 pletely crushed by the tragedy." 
 
 As Dr. Rankin ushered Jefferson into the home of 
 Mose Thomas, he remembered vividly his previous visit 
 shortly after his first act of mercy to the helpless black 
 stranger by the wayside. It seemed to him like a differ- 
 ent world since that day, and he recognized the important 
 part that Mose Thomas had played in the drama of his 
 own life. " But for this black man I should still be a 
 godless ne'er-do-well," he said to himself. 
 
 " Here is Jefferson Lilly, who has come to pay you a 
 visit this morning," said the doctor, cheerfully. " He 
 has almost recovered from his injuries and I wanted him 
 to have a talk with you." 
 
 At the sight of Jefferson, the old negro was overcome 
 with his emotion. Tears sprang to his eyes, and he cov- 
 ered his face with his hands. 
 
 " Massa Lilly, Massa Lilly, mah heart's broke," he 
 sobbed. 
 
 Jefferson sat down quietly by the side of the stricken 
 man and sought to soothe him. 
 
 "Don't cry, Mr. Thomas," he said tenderly. "Be 
 brave for Martha's sake. Martha needs you now." 
 
 " Mah po' HT girl," said the weeping father ; " she has 
 suffered awful. God has done clear forgot us, Massa 
 Lilly." 
 
 " No, no," said Jefferson, in kindly tones. " God's 
 protecting arms are around you and Martha all the time. 
 Trust in Him. He will take care of you." 
 
 " I'se use alway to think so," said the poor man, " but 
 now I'se goin' to die, and de Lawd is far away." 
 
 The negro uttered the last words with a look so pa- 
 thetic that Jefferson's heart was touched. He thought 
 
290 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 of the poem of Burns, " Man Was Made to Mourn," and 
 remembered how Mose Thomas had quoted a few stanzas 
 to him on his former visit. He recalled the pathos with 
 which, in his negro dialect, he had recited the last verse: 
 
 " O death, the poor man's dearest friend, 
 The kindest and the best, 
 Welcome the hour my aged limbs 
 Are laid with thee at rest. 
 The great, the wealthy, fear thy blow, 
 From pomp and pleasure torn; 
 But, Oh, a blest relief to those 
 That weary-laden mourn." 
 
 " My poor fellow-mortal," said Jefferson to himself, 
 as he gazed at the hopeless face of the desolate old 
 man, " even death now seems to offer you no relief." 
 
 " Keep your trust in God," Jefferson said aloud, after 
 a long pause. " We want you to live, Mr. Thomas, for 
 you can live happily now. Did you know that Legree 
 has gone from Dothan forever?" 
 
 " Thanks be to de good Lawd," responded the negro, 
 with a little animation, which Jefferson was pleased to 
 see. " He was a bad man, Massa Lilly." 
 
 " The whole community is happy that his day is over 
 in Dothan," went on Jefferson, hoping to arouse the 
 spirit of the sick man. " We want you to get well and 
 set a good example to the rest of the colored folks. We 
 need you now more than ever." 
 
 "Was Nafti a good boy?" abruptly asked Mose 
 Thomas. 
 
 Jefferson was a little surprised at the question, but 
 answered at once, " He was a son to be proud of. I 
 never knew a better boy than your Nafti. I wish you 
 could have seen the crowds at his funeral. I was able 
 to see some of the people from the window of the 
 
THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW 291 
 
 hospital. His funeral was the largest ever held in Do- 
 than." 
 
 " Den why did de Lawd let mah po' Nafti burn to 
 ashes ? " inquired the troubled father, beginning again to 
 weep. As he said this he drew from under his pillow 
 the little silver cross which Nafti always wore and which 
 was found, uninjured, amongst his ashes. " Dis was 
 his," he continued, holding out the little trinket ; " I'se 
 give it to him mahself de day he joined church. O 
 God, mah boy, mah po' boy. I'se would have died for 
 you, Nafti." 
 
 The negro covered his face with his hands and wept 
 uncontrollably, his sobs shaking his entire body. 
 
 " Mr. Thomas," said Jefferson, earnestly, speaking in 
 tender tones, " this cross reminds us of Him who died 
 for us all. God allowed wicked men to crucify His 
 own Son because His death meant salvation to men." 
 
 " I'se knows all dat," said the other, through his tears, 
 seeking in vain to control himself ; " I'se read de Bible all 
 mah life." 
 
 " Since God gave His Son to save you," continued 
 Jefferson, " are you not willing to give up Nafti to help 
 the colored race? Didn't you want Nafti to live so that 
 he could help the colored people to be better men and 
 women ? " 
 
 " I'se sho' did," answered Mose Thomas, looking in- 
 tently at Jefferson, and wondering what he meant. 
 
 " Nafti has done more for his race by dying as he did 
 than he could have accomplished in a long life," said 
 Jefferson emphatically. " We see the results of his sac- 
 rifice already in Dothan. Harbison is to be rebuilt on a 
 greater scale than ever, and such men as Legree will 
 never hold up their heads in Dothan again. Donald 
 Shelby is to be our next Mayor. Do you not see why 
 
292 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 God allowed Nafti to be burned to death?" asked Jef- 
 ferson, with deep earnestness. 
 
 " De good Lawd sho' gave His Son for us," said the 
 negro, beginning to see the force of Jefferson's argu- 
 ment. " So youse thinks dat de Lawd loved Nafti even 
 if He didn't save him from de fire." 
 
 " Certainly God loved Nafti, and God chose him for 
 the great honor of martyrdom just as He chose Abraham 
 Lincoln." 
 
 The old man was silent, but Jefferson could see a 
 change pass over his face, and a peace come to his eyes 
 which showed that the unfortunate man had at last found 
 some comfort in his sorrow. He was silent for a little 
 while and then he said, slowly, " Fse so glad dat dere 
 is to be a new Harbison, but I'se won't live to see it." 
 
 " You must live for Martha's sake," said Jefferson, 
 quickly. 
 
 The old negro shook his head pitifully as he said, 
 " I'se can't. De hand ob death is on me. I'se feel it 
 heah," and he laid his hand over his heart. 
 
 During this time Dr. Rankin had left Jefferson alone 
 with the father while he ministered to the sick daughter, 
 Martha, in the adjoining room. A colored nurse, em- 
 ployed by Rose Atkinson, was in charge of the stricken 
 home, and she was assisting the doctor. All that morn- 
 ing Martha was lying in a kind of stupor. Just as the 
 negro laid his hand despairingly on his heart, the doctor 
 came into the room. After a little while the two friends 
 left, the doctor speaking a cheering word to Mose and 
 promising to bring Jefferson back again. 
 
 " I think I was some comfort to the poor old man," 
 said Jefferson, as they drove away. " He often asked for 
 you," responded the doctor, " and I thought you could 
 do him some good, but I fear his days are numbered." 
 
THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW 293 
 
 That same afternoon there were two other callers at 
 the Mose Thomas home, Miss Florence Ashley and Rev. 
 William Durham. They happened to meet at the negro 
 home, and they left together. 
 
 " How little anyone can do in a case like this," said 
 the girl sadly, as they were walking down the street. 
 
 " The sorrows of the poor father will soon be over," 
 replied Mr. Durham. " I do not think he will survive 
 more than a few days. His heart has borne too heavy 
 a strain." 
 
 " We are anxious to save the girl's life, if possible," 
 replied Florence. " A number of us have arranged to 
 send her to the seacoast as soon as she recovers suf- 
 ficiently to travel. She does not seem to care to get well. 
 There is only one request she makes. She begs pitifully 
 to see Rose Atkinson again. I am going to write to 
 Rose about it to-day." 
 
 " I have heard that Miss Atkinson was not sure of 
 returning to Dothan," said the minister. " She left for 
 the North so abruptly that I did not have time to bid 
 her good-by." 
 
 " Her unexpected departure at the very hour of her 
 triumph was a surprise to us all," said Florence. 
 
 " The hour of her triumph," said Mr. Durham. " I 
 should say the dark hour of defeat." 
 
 " Not at all," responded the girl, quickly. " That fire 
 at Harbison has brought all Dothan into full accord with 
 her plans and hopes. Terrible as the price was, the re- 
 sults are worth it all, as Mr. Lilly has said to me many 
 times." 
 
 " It was surely a fearful price," said Mr. Durham, 
 gravely. " Nafti's death means the blotting out of the 
 whole Thomas family, I fear." 
 
 After a little while Mr. Durham changed the subject 
 
294 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 by saying, " I have been expecting your father to call on 
 me, Miss Ashley." 
 
 " Poor father," answered the girl in some confusion ; 
 " he is really ashamed to meet you in private. He has 
 told mamma and me all about it. He cannot now un- 
 derstand how he ever held such views as he used to de- 
 fend so vigorously, but he was sincere, as you know, and 
 those foolish ideas about the negroes are widespread 
 amongst a certain class of respectable people." 
 
 " Tell him to call," said Mr. Durham, heartily. " I 
 always honored your father as a man of honest convic- 
 tions and I knew he would not long keep company with 
 Peter Legree." 
 
 " What a blessing that Mr. Legree left Dothan as he 
 did," said the girl, with a shudder. " Do they know 
 where he is ? " 
 
 " He was last heard of in the neighborhood of Ham- 
 bright in North Carolina, disguised as a colored man, 
 but he soon disappeared again. I expect he will join 
 the criminal class in some of our large cities. He was a 
 modern scalawag and his ignoble end is a warning to 
 all such creatures in the South." 
 
 " I am encouraged to believe," responded Florence Ash- 
 lay, " that creatures like Legree are being branded as 
 criminals everywhere. We have surely had a terrible les- 
 son here in Dothan from our experience with him." 
 Unconsciously, the girl was thinking of her own long 
 separation from Jefferson, which she now attributed to 
 Legree and his influence. 
 
 "What are Jefferson Lilly's plans for the future?" 
 asked the minister, suddenly. The girl blushed a rosy 
 red at the unexpected question. 
 
 " Have you not seen him lately ? " she asked. 
 
 " No," said Mr. Durham with a smile, " but I was 
 
THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW 295 
 
 wondering if he also thought that his work at Harbison 
 was finished the same as Miss Atkinson." 
 
 " No," responded Florence. " He thinks that his 
 work has just begun. Did you not know that Dr. Fur- 
 ber intends to resign, and that Jefferson Lilly is to be the 
 new President of Harbison?" 
 
 " I had not heard of it," said the minister, in amaze- 
 ment. " What a change a few months make some- 
 times in human destiny. How unseen is the future. 
 I am greatly astonished at this news, but I am also de- 
 lighted. Does this mean that I am to congratulate you 
 as well as him on this honor? " 
 
 "Jefferson and I expect to have a quiet wedding in 
 about two weeks," said the girl, slowly. " I urged him 
 to accept the Presidency of Harbison." Mr. Durham 
 was silent for a few moments and spoke slowly, " You 
 did right. The time will come when all negro institu- 
 tions can be entrusted to the negroes, but for the present 
 they need our guidance and help, in part, at least. I 
 am now convinced that the man who made the first real 
 Christian effort to solve the negro problem in the South 
 was General Armstrong. When he founded Hampton 
 Institute in Virginia, and became its head, he built better 
 than he knew. I am proud to think that Jefferson Lilly 
 is a native of Alabama. I congratulate you both, and 
 wish you all joy and success in your noble life-work." 
 
 Strange as it may seem, Jefferson Lilly succeeded Dr. 
 Furber as the President of Harbison, and stranger still, 
 Florence Ashley urged him to accept the position when 
 it was first offered to him, and he was inclined to refuse 
 the responsibility. Strangest of all, Mr. Ashley con- 
 sented to an early wedding between his daughter and 
 the President of an institution which sought to educate 
 and train the sons and daughters of the negro race. 
 
296 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 Since the day when he raked the ashes of burnt negro 
 students out of the hot embers of Harbison, Mr. Ashley 
 had a remarkable interest in negro educational institu- 
 tions of all kinds. In a long conversation with Jefferson 
 Lilly he suggested some ideas to Jefferson regarding the 
 proper education of the negro which showed the new 
 President of Harbison that he would have an able coun- 
 selor in his future father-in-law. 
 
 " I was reading to-day of a wise suggestion," said Mr. 
 Ashley, " regarding a central university as a great need 
 to-day in negro education. Such a university could be 
 established in one of our large cities, such as Atlanta, 
 Georgia, and it would become a kind of educational 
 laboratory, a university of practical investigation for all 
 lines of negro life, as the author stated. If such a uni- 
 versity were established where mature students of char- 
 acter and ability could make a full study of the race 
 life of the negro from the standpoints of anthropology 
 and psychology, as well as history, it would be of ines- 
 timable value. Their results would be absolutely free 
 from race prejudice, at least, antagonistic race prejudice, 
 and the negroes would be encouraged to face the facts 
 of the life of their race exactly as they are. The de- 
 moralizing evils of a social nature, the destroying dis- 
 eases, the mockery of religion in some negro churches, 
 and the gross practices of some of the clergy could all be 
 studied with a view to overcoming these evils which are 
 blighting such multitudes." 
 
 14 1 have heard of such a suggestion before," responded 
 Jefferson, " and I am in favor of it. I believe that as 
 time goes on every institution such as Harbison can be 
 turned over to the colored race, but for the present to 
 turn over the entire education of the blacks to the ne- 
 groes themselves would be criminal folly. They need 
 
THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW 297 
 
 our sympathy and oversight until the childhood of the 
 race is past." 
 
 A few days after the visit of Jefferson Lilly to the 
 home of Mose Thomas the old negro slipped away to a 
 better world. The funeral at the colored church, which 
 was attended by a large number of prominent whites, 
 showed the esteem in which this humble negro laborer 
 was held. Character, no matter where it is found, gains 
 for itself the approbation of men, and the sorrow at the 
 death of Mose was genuine. After her father's death, 
 the unfortunate Martha, now left alone in the world, 
 sank slowly but surely. Her one desire was to see Rose 
 Atkinson, and at the urgent request of Florence Ashley 
 the young Pittsburger decided to make the long journey 
 South in order to comfort the dying young negress. The 
 meeting of the two friends was pathetic. Rose was 
 touched to see how the girl had wasted away, remem- 
 bering how strong and bright she had been only a few 
 months before. Martha was greatly pleased to see her, 
 and thanked her, with trembling voice, for coming to see 
 her. " I wanted to bid you good-by," said the girl. 
 " After all your kindness to me and Nafti I felt that I 
 could not die without telling you how much I had ap- 
 preciated it all. I am glad to go. I will join Nafti 
 again, and father, and we will wait for you." 
 
 Rose tried to cheer her, and spoke of the kind offer 
 of the white ladies of Dothan who wished to send her 
 to the seacoast. It was all in vain, and the kind-hearted 
 patroness of Harbison soon saw that the wounds in the 
 sensitive soul of Martha Thomas had been too great. 
 At the request of Rose Atkinson, she was buried beside 
 the ashes of her brother, Nafti, on the Harbison campus. 
 " She was a martyr as well as her brother, and she suf- 
 fered more," Rose urged. 
 
298 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 " We are all so pleased to know you will be present at 
 the laying of the corner stone of our new Harbison," 
 said Florence Ashley, or rather Mrs. Jefferson Lilly, to 
 Rose a day or two after the funeral of Martha Thomas. 
 
 " I will be glad to be there," answered Rose, " but I 
 should not have returned to Alabama at this time had it 
 not been for your letter about Martha. Since you and 
 Jefferson are to be in charge I am fully convinced that 
 my work in Dothan is done." 
 
 " Donald Shelby does not think your presence is no 
 longer needed. He has been urging Jefferson to beg 
 you to remain in Dothan, if only as an inspiration." 
 
 Rose blushed, and answered lightly, " These Southern 
 young men are great flatterers. You do not need me 
 here any longer. I expect to return to Pittsburg in a 
 few days, and write a little book on my experiences in 
 Dothan. I think that a full account of our Harbison 
 sorrows and triumphs will help the cause." 
 
 " You will change your mind about that," answered 
 the young wife of Jefferson Lilly, " after our new 
 Mayor, Donald Shelby, has had a talk with you." 
 
 " We will see about that," said Rose, as they parted. 
 
 
CHAPTER XXX 
 
 VICTORY FOR THE SOUTH 
 
 Dothan was astir early on the day when the corner 
 stone of the new Harbison was to be laid. It was to be 
 a great day in the Alabama town, and a number of visitors 
 were present from all parts of the State. Prominent 
 amongst the visitors was the Governor of Alabama, who 
 was expected to make an address. A long procession, 
 headed by the Dothan Military Band, formed down town, 
 and proceeded to the Harbison campus. The Governor 
 sat in a carriage with the Mayor of Dothan, Honora- 
 ble Donald Shelby, and the enthusiasm of the citizens, 
 as the carriage passed the throngs on the streets, showed 
 that these two executives were immensely popular with 
 the people. Arrived at the Harbison grounds, the exer- 
 cises were commenced with a simple invocation by Rev. 
 William Durham, after which the new President of Har- 
 bison, Jefferson Lilly, made a short address, thanking the 
 people for their attendance in such large numbers, and 
 assuring them that he would endeavor to make the new 
 Harbison one of the proudest institutions of their beau- 
 tiiul city. 
 
 " If there was ever any doubt of the interest of the 
 white people of Dothan in the progress and improvement 
 of the negro race, there can be no doubt henceforth," ex- 
 claimed Jefferson. " Dothan is honoring herself, hon- 
 oring the Southland, and honoring our common hu- 
 manity in uniting to-day to lay the corner stone of 
 the great building which will rise on this spot as 
 
 299 
 
300 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 a monument to your generosity and patriotism and 
 largeness of heart. When I was asked to accept the 
 presidency of this institution at this time of enlarge- 
 ment, I hesitated, but the unanimous support of the 
 white citizens of Dothan assures me that my labors will 
 be easy and my burdens will be light. Harbison Insti- 
 tute is no experiment. Such institutions have been in- 
 creasing in our land for the past fifty years, and the 
 good accomplished is incalculable. We of the South are 
 learning more and more every day that a hopeful and 
 aspiring race is easier to live with, safer, and more 
 profitable in every way than an ignorant and besotted 
 people. The policy of Legree henceforth is execrated 
 in Dothan." At these bold words the vast throng broke 
 in loudest cheers, which continued so long that Rose 
 Atkinson said to herself, as she sat in the Waynor car- 
 riage on the edge of the crowd, " How splendid this is. 
 I love these people with all my heart." 
 
 After Jefferson had concluded, Mayor Donald Shelby 
 arose, and with a few words of heartiest commendation of 
 the past work of Harbison and its future policy, he intro- 
 duced the Governor. The speech of the chief executive 
 of Alabama was an earnest appeal for cordial support 
 of every effort making for the improvement of the negro 
 race. " Just such an institution as Harbison gave us one 
 of the best assets which Alabama possesses to-day," 
 exclaimed the Governor ; " I mean Booker T. Washing- 
 ton, President of our noble Tuskegee Institute." At 
 the mention of the renowned negro educator's name a 
 burst of applause broke all over the throngs of people, 
 white and black, and it was some minutes before the 
 speaker could resume. " From Harbison I trust we can 
 send forth to our sister states men like President Wash- 
 
VICTORY FOR THE SOUTH 301 
 
 ington, who will be qualified to lead the teeming millions 
 of our negro fellow-citizens on the upward path that will 
 mean prosperity of every kind for the beautiful South- 
 land." 
 
 On the evening of that eventful day, Donald Shelby, 
 as Mayor of the city, escorted the Governor to the 
 Waynor mansion, where a reception was to be held in 
 his honor. As they drove up the avenue the mind of 
 Donald went back to the eventful evening when he had 
 first met Rose Atkinson, and heard her sing, " The Best 
 We Have." " I well remember how I feared that she had 
 come amongst us to arouse bitter feeling and increase 
 the race prejudice in Dothan, but I find that the beau- 
 tiful Northerner has brought us peace and racial self- 
 respect. I wonder if I can persuade her to remain in^ 
 Dothan." 
 
 During the evening Donald had an opportunity to es- 
 cort Rose to the arbor on the lawn where Jefferson and 
 Florence sat together on the night that Rose Atkinson 
 made her debut in Dothan society. In their embowered 
 seclusion they sat for a while in silence, watching the 
 animated scene on the broad veranda and in the house. 
 
 " I never congratulated you yet on your wonderful 
 speech at the caucus," said Rose at length. " I have 
 been telling all my Pittsburg friends about your ad- 
 dress." 
 
 " I have sometimes thought that my speech that night 
 was a mistake," answered Donald slowly, speaking in a 
 low voice. 
 
 "Why is that, Mr. Shelby?" inquired Rose quickly. 
 " You surely do not mean to say your sentiments have 
 changed since you have become Mayor of Dothan." 
 
 " Not at all," replied Donald, ** but I understand that 
 
302 THE TESTING FIRE 
 
 after you heard my speech that night you concluded that 
 your work in Dothan was finished." 
 
 The girl blushed in the darkness but was silent. 
 
 " If that is so," went on Donald, " I am sorry I spoke 
 so well, for I want you to remain in Dothan." 
 
 " There is nothing for me to do here now," responded 
 Rose. " Florence has taken my place at Harbison, and, 
 as a stranger, I think I would only hinder the growth of 
 proper race sentiment. Everything about Harbison is 
 prospering, and its prospects are unclouded." 
 
 " I want you to remain in Dothan for my own sake," 
 said Donald, turning towards the Northern girl, and 
 speaking with great earnestness. " Rose," he continued, 
 " you remember how I promised to be your friend when 
 we first met." 
 
 " And a friend you have been, Mr. Shelby," answered 
 the girl, heartily. " I will never forget your kindness to 
 me. 
 
 " I told you once that I wanted to be more than a 
 friend," he went on, speaking softly. " Will you be my 
 wife?" 
 
 As he said these words he caught both her hands in 
 his, and looked into her face. She lowered her eyes be- 
 fore his ardent look which she could feel in the dark- 
 ness of the arbor, but she was silent. He drew her to- 
 wards him, and she did not resist. A moment later he 
 had covered her face with kisses, while she murmured, 
 " Donald, I will stay in Dothan." 
 
 " Rose, Rose," someone cried from the veranda. 
 
 " That is Aunt Waynor calling," said the girl, struggling 
 to her feet. " I promised to sing for the Governor. He 
 has asked me to sing, ' The Best You Have.' You re- 
 member I sang it before. I must hurry in." 
 
 She was gone, and Donald Shelby slowly followed 
 
VICTORY FOR THE SOUTH 303 
 
 her towards the house, his whole soul filled with delight. 
 He looked up at the silent stars and murmured, as others 
 have murmured like him ten thousand times, " Oh, I just 
 love everybody to-night." 
 
 When he reached the veranda, Mrs. Jefferson Lilly 
 was at the piano, and Rose was standing beside her. She 
 sang once more the song which had charmed Donald on 
 that first night of their meeting. Breathless the com- 
 pany listened as she sang verse after verse : 
 
 " For life is the mirror of king and slave, 
 'Tis just what we are and do; 
 Then give to the world the best you have, 
 And the best will come back to you." 
 
 " It is all true ; it is all true," said Donald to himself. 
 
 [A. little later he met Jefferson Lilly and whispered in 
 his ear, " Congratulate me, Jefferson, the North has sur- 
 rendered to the South." 
 
 " You mean that the North and South are now one," 
 answered his friend. 
 
 THE END