The Forged Note: A Romance of the Darker RacesMicheaux, Oscar
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The Forged Note: A Romance of the Darker Races
Micheaux, Oscar
African Americans -- Fiction
He happened to have a delivery on Fourteenth street, and when he had
filled it, he stood talking with the girl a moment. "Are you acquainted
with Mr. V.R. Coleman?" she inquired.
"Sure. He is a "_sort_" of agent for this book," Sidney replied.
"I thought so," said she; "and I was wondering what kind of an agent he
must make, when he spends so much time in this neighborhood. He goes
with a certain party next door, and he was there all last week. I think
he scarcely went outside."
"Good morning," said Sidney.
"Goodbye," said she. "I hope I'll enjoy the book."
* * * * *
The week arrived in which Wyeth was to depart, and preparations were
made to that end. He decided to leave the office in charge of Mrs.
Lautier. Slim came in the day before he was to leave, looking frightened
and terribly upset. Always given to joking with him, Wyeth hardly knew
how to accept him, as he apparently was that day. He was trembling in
every limb as he cried:
"That woman! She's after me! Great God! I wish she would leave me alone,
I wish she would leave me alone! She's followed me all over the country.
She's like a ghost on my trail! And now she is at this moment down in
the street looking for me again!" Wyeth's sympathy went out to him, and
he cried:
"Quiet yourself! You'll surely go to pieces trembling like that. After
all, why should you become so excited? You say you have advised her that
you are not going to live with her again."
"Aw, but you don't know; you don't understand. She's got it on me, on me
so strong until I dasn't make a crooked move, or resort to the law. The
only chance I have is to keep out of her sight." He paused a spell now,
and his appearance was that of a man under sentence of death. Then he
said: "She has vowed to kill me, and I know if she gets a chance she
will!"
"I will go with you fellows to Effin'ham," he said more calmly. "I've
got to get away from where she can see me, if I hope to live. Every
moment I stay where I know her to be near, will be moments of fear. I
don't want to kill her, even in self-defense. God, no! I don't want
murder on my hands!" He paced the floor at some length, pausing at
intervals to peep into the street, in evident fright.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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