The Sins of the Father

f action his little Scalawag successor in high office w

gh the windows of the north and south wings of the C

the news of the startling events of the night, he ordered a do

ed between two men of equal stature. Their weight and height were almost the same, yet they seemed to belong to different races of men. The

oked ridiculous-as if some one had caught it with a pair of tongs, tweaked and pulled it out to an unusual length. It was elongated but not impressive. His mouth was weak, his chin small and retreating and his watery ferret eyes never looked any

pressive. The failure was doubtless due to his curious way of walking about a room. Sometimes sideways like a crab or a

omes of the aristocratic régime of slavery, would always laugh at. His

orning," he cried with forced politeness. "I need the

ed the Scalawag for a

nk y

of the person who walked with a shuffle beside him. It required no second glance at the clean ruffled shirt with its tiny gold studs, the black string tie, the polished boots and gold-headed cane to re

mation suspending the writ of habeas corpus. Your act was a blunder-a colossal blunder! We are not living in the Dark Ages, s

is answer by wringin

ers call for grave remedies. You see from the news this morning the

nfronted the Scalawag, his eyes blazing,

rs for the past three hundred years. Your effort to set the negro up as the ruler of the white race is t

nor laugh

, sir, a schoo

r man dr

get to thank your Maker for two things-that He sent a storm yesterday t

aled and his voice wa

what do

That I stood there in the moonlight with my arm around their leader for nearly an hour begging, praying, pleading for your damned worthless life! They gave it to me at last because I asked it. No other man could

ider it," was t

or

I'll think it over," the trembling voic

roclamation here and now, or, by the Lord God, I'll send a message to those m

ot my t

he loafing, drunken cowards? You can't get enough troops in this

walked calmly toward the door. The

, sir-wait a moment un

n, as he wrote his second famous proclamation, restoring the civil rights of t

t satis

sses, read each word careful

ly-good

left the executive chamber witho

and sealed his solemn proclamation, but

by a quick shift of method. He wired orders to every jailer to hold the men until warrants were issued for their arrest by one of his neg

here was no expectation that they would be proven in court. But if they could hold these prisoners until the election was ove

court in the Capital county that under no conceivable circumstan

sheriff appeared at Norton's office and served his warrant charging the p

quietly closed in around him and entered the clerk's room in a body. The clerk was dumfounded at the sudden packing of his

en by the men and the silence was oppressive. The frightened official mopped his brow and tried to leave for a moment to communicate with the Capitol. He found it impossible to move from his desk. The

e clerk steadily for a

of bail do

cer smil

ty with you, sir; a mere nomina

editor curtly ordered. "My

s the quick answer. "Have a seat,

ank you," was t

rty the arch enemy of the Governor. When it was signed and the daring young

ry busy. In reality he was breathing a prayer of thanks to God for sparing h

ge to each district leader of the Klan to secure