o run across him t'other day, and I laid the law down to him.
I told him I'd give him twenty-four hours to get out of town. He stayed
the limit; but when he saw me walk downtown with my shot-gun, he took a
notion that I really meant business, and he lit out. Minervy Ann found
out where he was headed for, and I've followed him over here. He's the
worst of the lot, and they're all rank poison."

Major Perdue paused a moment in his talk, as if reflecting. "Can you
keep a secret, Tolliver?" he asked after awhile.

"Well, I haven't had much practice, Major, but if it is important, I'll
do my best to keep it."

"Oh, it is not so important. That fellow you saw talking to the negroes
awhile ago is named Bridalbin."

"Bridalbin!" exclaimed Gabriel.

"Yes; he goes by some other name, I've forgotten what. He used to hang
around Malvern some years before the war, and a friend of mine who lived
there knew him the minute he saw him. He's the fellow that married
Margaret Gaither; you remember her; she came home to die not so very
long ago. Pulaski Tomlin adopted her daughter, or became the girl's
guardian. Now, Tolliver, whatever you do, don't breathe a word about
this Bridalbin--don't mention his name to a soul, not even to your
grandmother. There's no need of worrying that poor girl; she has already
had trouble enough in this world. I'm telling you about him because I
want you to keep your eye on him. He's up to some kind of devilment
besides exciting the niggers."

Gabriel promptly gave his word that he would never mention anything
about Bridalbin's name, and then he said--"But this parade--what does it
mean?"

The Major laughed. "Oh, that was just some of the boys from our
settlement. They are simply out for practice. They want to get their
hands in, as the saying is. They heard I was coming over, and so they
followed along. They don't belong to the Kuklux that you've read so much
about. A chap from North Carolina came along t'other day, and told about
the Knights of the White Camellia, and the boys thought it would be a
good idea to have a bouquet of their own. They have no signs or
passwords, but simply a general agreement. You'll have to organise
something of that kind here, Tolliver. Oh, you-all are so infernally
slow out here in the country! Why, even in Atlanta, they have a Young
Men's Democratic Club. You've got to get a move on you. There's no way
out of it. The only way to fight the devil is to use his own weapons