he quickly turned out the
light and stepped from the room. In his haste he left the door slightly
ajar. What took place thereafter the morning revealed.

CHAPTER XV.

_Unexpected Developments._

According to previous engagement, Mr. Arthur Daleman, Sr., Alene's
father, and Ramon Mansford, her affianced, went forth together for an
early morning walk. Arm in arm the somewhat aged Southerner and the
young Northerner sauntered forth.

"My boy," said Mr. Daleman, "I have thought to have a talk with you
concerning the dark shadow that projects itself over our section, the
Negro problem. Not that I would infect you with my peculiar views, but
that those of us and our descendants who abide here may have your
sympathy."

"My love for Alene invests all that is near to her with my abiding
sympathy," said Ramon with quiet fervor.

"Yes, but the mind must be informed if sympathy is to be intelligently
directed. To begin with, men of my class, families like mine have no
prejudice against Negroes nor they against us. We know them thoroughly
and they know us. There is never the slightest trespass on forbidden
ground by us or by them. It is a boast of many Negroes that they can
tell a 'quality' white person on sight, and practically all Negroes
ascribe their troubles to a certain class of whites."

"I have noticed the kindly relations between your people and all the
Negroes that have had dealings with them," interposed Ramon.

"My class was humane to the Negro in the days of slavery and under our
kindly care developed him from a savage into a thoroughly civilized man.
But I am glad slavery is gone. Under the system bad white men could own
slaves and their doings were sometimes terrible. They were the ones who
made Uncle Tom's Cabin possible and brought down upon us all the
maledictions of the world, Like 'poor dog Tray,' the humane class were
caught in bad company and we have paid for it. But all of that is in the
past. A word about the present and the future," said Mr. Daleman.

The two men were now in a grove of trees in the suburbs of the city. Mr.
Daleman took a seat on a stump and Ramon, unmindful of the dew, threw
himself at full length on the grass, and looked up intently into the
face of his prospective father-in-law.

Mr. Daleman now resumed: "The radical element at the South has always
given us trouble. The radicals hate the Negro and nothing is too bad for
them to do to him. We liberals like him and want