“They can and they will.”Ashley's voice was calm but there was worry in his eyes.“And it'll make things just that much harder for us.”
“Oh,Ashley,surely not!Things couldn't be any harder than they are now!”
“Yes,things can get worse,even worse than they are now.Suppose we have a dark legislature?A darky governor?Suppose we have a worse military rule than we now have?”
Scarlett's eyes grew large with fear as some understanding entered her mind.
“I've been trying to think what would be best for Georgia,best for all of us.”Ashley's face was drawn.“Whether it's wisest to fight this thing like the legislature has done,rouse the North against us and bring the whole Yankee Army on us to cram the darky vote down us,whether we want it or not.Or—swallow our pride as best we can,submit gracefully and get the whole matter over with as easily as possible.It will amount to the same thing in the end.We're helpless.We've got to take the dose they're determined to give us.Maybe it would be better for us to take it without kicking.”
Scarlett hardly heard his words,certainly their full import went over her head.She knew that Ashley,as usual,was seeing both sides of a question.She was seeing only one side—how this slap in the Yankees'faces might affect her.
“Going to turn Radical and vote the Republican ticket,Ashley?”jeered Grandpa Merriwether harshly.
There was a tense silence.Scarlett saw Archie's hand make a swift move toward his pistol and then stop.Archie thought,and frequently said,that Grandpa was an old bag of wind and Archie had no intention of letting him insult Miss Melanie's husband,even if Miss Melanie's husband was talking like a fool.
The perplexity vanished suddenly from Ashley's eyes and hot anger flared.But before he could speak,Uncle Henry charged Grandpa.
“You God—you blast—I beg your pardon,Scarlett—Grandpa,you jackass,don't you say that to Ashley!”
“Ashley can take care of himself without you defending him,”said Grandpa coldly.“And he is talking like a Scallawag.Submit,hell!I beg your pardon,Scarlett.”
“I didn't believe in secession,”said Ashley and his voice shook with anger.“But when Georgia seceded,I went with her.And I didn't believe in war but I fought in the war.And I don't believe in making the Yankees madder than they already are.But if the legislature has decided to do it,I'll stand by the legislature.I—”
“Archie,”said Uncle Henry abruptly,“drive Miss Scarlett on home.This isn't any place for her.Politics aren't for women folks anyway,and there's going to be cussing in a minute.Go on,Archie.Good night,Scarlett.”
As they drove off down Peachtree Street,Scarlett's heart was beating fast with fear.Would this foolish action of the legislature have any effect on her safety?Would it so enrage the Yankees that she might lose her mills?
“Well,sir,”rumbled Archie,“I've hearn tell of rabbits spittin'in bulldogs'faces but I ain't never seen it till now.Them legislatures might just as well have hollered ‘Hurray for Jeff Davis and the Southern Confederacy'for all the good it'll do them—and us.Them nigger-lovin'Yankees have made up their mind to make the niggers our bosses.But you got to admire them legislatures'sperrit!”
“Admire them?Great balls of fire!Admire them?They ought to be shot!It'll bring the Yankees down on us like a duck on a June bug.Why couldn't they have rati—radi—whatever they were supposed to do to it and smoothed the Yankees down instead of stirring them up again?They're going to make us knuckle under and we may as well knuckle now as later.”
Archie fixed her with a cold eye.
“Knuckle under without a fight?Women ain't got no more pride than goats.”
When Scarlett leased ten convicts,five for each of her mills,Archie made good his threat and refused to have anything further to do with her.Not all Melanie's pleading or Frank's promises of higher pay would induce him to take up the reins again.He willingly escorted Melanie and Pitty and India and their friends about the town but not Scarlett.He would not even drive for the other ladies if Scarlett was in the carriage.It was an embarrassing situation,having the old desperado sitting in judgment upon her,and it was still more embarrassing to know that her family and friends agreed with the old man.
Frank pleaded with her against taking the step.Ashley at first refused to work convicts and was persuaded,against his will,only after tears and supplications and promises that when times were better she would hire free darkies.Neighbors were so outspoken in their disapproval that Frank,Pitty and Melanie found it hard to hold up their heads.Even Peter and Mammy declared that it was bad luck to work convicts and no good would come of it.Everyone said it was wrong to take advantage of the miseries and misfortunes of others.
“You didn't have any objections to working slaves!”Scarlett cried indignantly.
Ah,but that was different.Slaves were neither miserable nor unfortunate.The negroes were far better off under slavery than they were now under freedom,and if she didn't believe it,just look about her!But,as usual,opposition had the effect of making Scarlett more determined on her course.She removed Hugh from the management of the mill,put him to driving a lumber wagon and closed the final details of hiring Johnnie Gallegher.
He seemed to be the only person she knew who approved of the convicts.He nodded his bullet head briefly and said it was a smart move.Scarlett,looking at the little ex-jockey,planted firmly on his short bowed legs,his gnomish face hard and businesslike,thought:“Whoever let him ride their horses didn't care much for horse flesh.I wouldn't let him get within ten feet of any horse of mine.”
But she had no qualms in trusting him with a convict gang.
“And I'm to have a free hand with the gang?”he questioned,his eyes as cold as gray agates.
“A free hand.All I ask is that you keep that mill running and deliver my lumber when I want it and as much as I want.”
