The Conquest: The Story of a Negro PioneerMicheaux, Oscar
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The Conquest: The Story of a Negro Pioneer
Micheaux, Oscar
African American pioneers -- Fiction; Autobiographical fiction; South Dakota -- Fiction; Western stories
"Don't do that, dear," I implored. "I don't want them to know, that is,
just yet." The reason I was uneasy and wanted her to wait awhile was,
that I felt her father would go to call on Mrs. Ewis about eight o'clock
and it was now only seven. But she seemed restless and ill at ease, and
persisted that she should call up mother, and let her know, so I
consented, reluctantly. Then as she was on the way to the phone I called
her and said: "Now, Orlean there are two things a woman cannot be at the
same time, and that is, a wife to her husband and a daughter to her
father. She must sacrifice one or the other."
"I know it," she replied, and appeared to be confused and hesitant, but
knowing she would never be at ease until she had called up, I said "Go
ahead," and she did.
I shall not soon forget the expression on her face, then the look of
weak appeal that she turned on me, when her father's deep voice rang
through the phone in answer to her "Hello." The next instant she
appeared to sway and then leaned against the wall trembling as she
answered, "Oh! Pa-pa, ah," and seeming to have no control of her voice.
She now appeared frightened, while Mrs. Arling and Mrs. Hite stood near,
holding their breath and looked discouraged. She finally managed to get
it out, but hardly above a whisper, "Oscar is here."
"Well," he answered, and his voice could be heard distinctly by those
standing near. "Well," he seemed to roar in a commanding way, "Why don't
you bring him to the house?"
What passed after that I do not clearly remember, but I have read lots
of instances of where people lost their heads, where, if they would have
had presence of mind, they might have saved their army, won some great
victory or done something else as notorious, but in this I may be
classed as one of the unfortunates who simply lost his head. That is how
it was described later, but speaking for myself, when I heard the voice
of the man who had secured my wife by coercion and kept her away from me
a year; which had caused me to suffer, and turned my existence into a
veritable nightmare, the things that passed through my mind during the
few moments thereafter are sad to describe.
I heard his voice say again, "Why don't you bring him to the house?" But
I could only seem to see her being torn from me, while he, a massive
brute, stood over lecturing me, for what he termed, "my sins," but what
were merely the ideas of a free American citizen. How could I listen to
a lecture from a person with his reputation. This formed in my mind and
added to the increasing but suppressed anger. I could see other years
passing with nothing to remember my wife by, but the little songs she
had sung so often while we were together in Dakota.
"Roses, roses, roses bring memory of you, dear,
Roses so sweet and endearing,
Roses with dew of the morn;
You were fresh for a day then you faded away.
Red roses bring memories of you."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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