The Homesteader: A Novel by Oscar Micheaux

  CHAPTER I

  CHICAGO--THE BOOMERANG

  The Reverend McCarthy had scored. He had succeeded in separating hisdaughter from the man she married. The fact that there was positively nomisunderstanding between the two, was not seen or considered by him.Jean Baptiste had opposed him, and that was enough. He hated any memberof his household, or any one related to the one of his household whodared disagree with him. Of course his "Majesty" did not see it thatway. He saw himself as the most saintly man in the world and sympathizedwith himself accordingly. No man thought himself more unjustly abusedthan did N. Justine McCarthy.

  But there were other things to complete. He had not wilfullyparticipated in what had just passed--in fact, he had not meant to partthe couple at all. He prided himself with having some judgment. He wasmerely undertaking that which in a way had grown common to him--the taskof getting even.

  Now he had estimated that he knew Jean Baptiste, although studyingcharacters and their natural tendencies had not been a part of his themein life. He felt albeit, that he had this one's tender spot clearlybefore him. To begin with: he put himself right with his own conscienceby believing that Baptiste was a vain, selfish character, bent on onepurpose--getting rich! He concluded--because he wished to--thatBaptiste did not, and had never, loved Orlean. The fact that Orlean hadnot said anything to the contrary did not matter. He was her father, andtherefore predicated and privileged to think and act for her. That waswhy he had always been of so much service, such fatherly help. He wasprotecting his daughter from the cruelty of men. But how he had plannedit all!

  "Now that hard-headed rascal," meaning of course his son-in-law, "is notgoing to lay down. Oh, no! My poor girl has that claim. He does not wanther, but he does want the claim. To hold the claim, he must have her,and have her back on the claim. He's all war now; but when he realizesthat to lose her is to lose the claim into the bargain--oh, well, I'lljust set right down at home here and wait. Yes, I'll wait. He'll becoming along. And when he appears here, then I'll bend his ornery willinto the right way of seeing things." So thereupon he took up his vigil,waiting for Jean Baptiste to put in his appearance.

  But for some reason the other had not hastened to Chicago as soon as theElder had anticipated he would. Three weeks had been consumed in thetrip West, so he was somewhat behind in his church work. While it wastrue that ministers in some of the towns in his itinerary collected fromthe members at the quarterly conference and sent the money to him; onthe other hand if he expected to get what was due him in any greatmeasure, it was highly necessary that he be there in person.Accordingly, the time he spent in Chicago, waiting for the coming of hisson-in-law that he might have the satisfaction of bending the other tohis will began to grow long and irksome.

  Moreover, if he sat at home, he was obliged to meet and greet the manyvisitors who called to see his sick daughter. More largely of course forthe purpose of securing information for gossip, but compelling himtherefore to make or offer some explanation. And here arose anotherphase of the case that was not pleasant. Following Jean Baptiste'smarriage to Orlean, and after the Reverend had paid them his firstvisit, he had said a great deal in praise of his "rich" son-in-law. Thathe was so extremely vain, was why he had done this. It had tickled hisvanity to have the people see his daughter marry so well, since it waswell known about Chicago that Jean Baptiste was very successful. Whenthe Elder had boasted to the people he met of the "rich" man hisdaughter had married, he wrote telling the young couple of it. To bereferred to as "rich" he conjectured, should have flattered any man'svanity--it would have his--and he estimated that he was doing Baptiste agreat favor when he let him know that he, the Elder, was advertising himas rich.

  But the same had brought no response from that one. He had been too busyto take any interest in being praised. And even after the Elder had madehis first visit, and returned and told of the wonders his daughter hadmarried into, he still hoped this would soften Baptiste's dispositioninto praising and fawning upon him. It was not until Baptiste hadreturned the money he had sent his daughter for railway fare the Xmasbefore that the Reverend had thrown down the gauntlet and declared war.So the very thing he had played up a few months before, came back now toannoy him. Because he had never lived as he should have it was proving aboomerang. He had made a practice of pretending not to hear what wasbeing said about him by others. But he could not seal his ears to thefact that the people were asking themselves and everybody else what hadhappened to his daughter, or between his daughter and the "rich"son-in-law. This was very uncomfortable, it was very annoying. It wasreported that he was compelled to go out West and get her, and it wasexasperating to explain all without making it seem that what he had saida few months before was boast, pure and simple.

  "Yeh. All you could hear a few months ago, was the 'rich' man Orlean hadmarried. Yeh. Mr. Mc. would make it his business to get around so youhad to ask 'im about them. Then he'd swell up lak a big frog and tellall about it. Then of a sudden he jumps up and goes out there and bringsher back. Ump! Now I wonder what is the mattah."

  During these times, those of the household had little peace. Withimpatience over Baptiste's not showing up so he could read him the riotact, and his work being neglected; with having to listen to no end ofgossip that his meddling had brought about, he became the most obstinateproblem imaginable about the house. All the love he had pretended forOrlean while on the claim, was now changed to severe chastisement. He nolonger fondled and wasted hours over her. She had no longer theconvenient check book. The fact that she had to have a little medicine,and that she also had to have other necessities; that she had toeat--and the most of this he was forced to provide, made him soirritable, that those near prayed for the day when he would leave. Butif Jean Baptiste would only come so that he could say to him what he hadplanned to say. Just to have the opportunity to bend that stubbornwill--that would be sufficient to repay him for all he was now actuallysacrificing.

  As for "Little Mother Mary" these were the darkest days of her neverhappy married life. Of all the men she had met or known, she had trulyadmired and loved Jean Baptiste more than any other. In truth it was herdisposition to be frank, kind and truthful. She dearly loved herson-in-law for his manly frank and kind disposition. She trusted him,and, knowing that Orlean was of her disposition, weak and subservient tothe will of those near, she had been relieved to feel that she hadmarried the kind of man that would be patient and love a person withsuch a disposition.

  She had been sincere in her praise of him to her many friends. She hadtold of him to everybody she knew or met. So much so indeed, that theReverend on his last trip West in his daily rebuke, then had said: "AndMary has just sickened me with telling everybody she meets about Jean."Ethel had joined with him in this. The truth was that when her motherhad sung her praise to the people regarding Jean Baptiste, there wasnothing left to say about Glavis, but more especially about the Elder.

  What the Reverend was forced to endure at this time, he promptly ofcourse charged to the indiscretions of Jean Baptiste. If he had not donethis, or if he had done that, the Elder would not have been forced toendure such annoyance. If he would only show up with his practical ideasin Chicago! Every morning when the door bell rang, he listened eagerlyfor the voice of his son-in-law. He watched the mail, and in assortingthe letters, looked anxiously for the Western postmark. But a weekpassed, and no letter and no Jean Baptiste. Then at the end of twoweeks, the same prevailed. And at the end of three weeks, he knew hewould have to go to work or reckon with the bishop.

  So on Tuesday of the following week, the Elder left for his work, andthat same afternoon, Jean Baptiste arrived in Chicago.