Vaguely shocked he grew so silent that she
noticed it and concluded she had said too much. But he pursued the
subject.
"Surely there must be many friends of our race willing to stand for the
right and sacrifice for it?"
She laughed unpleasantly, almost mockingly.
"Where?"
"Well--there's Miss Smith."
"She gets a salary, doesn't she?"
"A very small one."
"About as large as she could earn. North, I don't doubt."
"But the unselfish work she does--the utter sacrifice?"
"Oh, well, we'll omit Alabama, and admit the exception."
"Well, here, in Washington--there's your friend, the Judge, who has
befriended you so, as you admit."
She laughed again.
"You remember our visit to Senator Smith?"
"Yes."
"Well, it got the Judge his reappointment to the school board."
"He deserved it, didn't he?"
"I deserved it," she said luxuriously, hugging her knee and smiling;
"you see, his appointment meant mine."
"Well, what of it--didn't--"
"Listen," she cut in a little sharply. "Once a young brown girl, with
boundless faith in white folks, went to a Judge's office to ask for an
appointment which she deserved. There was no one there. The benign old
Judge with his saintly face and white hair suggested that she lay aside
her wraps and spend the afternoon."
Bles arose to his feet.
"What--what did you do?" he asked.
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