THE FORGED NOTE

They stood together now upon the walkway, and suddenly he gripped her hand.

They regarded the clock strangely, and uttered audibly, "Eighteen minutes left," and in the meantime it tick-tocked the fatal minutes away.

THE FORGED NOTE

A Romance of the Darker Races

BY

OSCAR MICHEAUX

Author of "The Conquest"

ILLUSTRATED BY C.W. HELLER

Lincoln, Nebraska WESTERN BOOK SUPPLY COMPANY 1915

COPYRIGHT, 1915

BY

Woodruff Bank Note Co.

All rights reserved

"Has it occurred to you that you have told me nothing, absolutely nothing, about yourself?" The look she gave him was severe; but he only regarded her strangely.

Press of the Woodruff Bank Note Co. Lincoln, Nebr.

Murphy conducted a blind tiger in his loft; he also ran a crap game in connection; and it was his place that "Legs" visited frequently.

"I own the L. & N. Railroad."

TO ONE WHOSE NAME DOES NOT APPEAR

I am leaving you and Dixie land tomorrow. It is customary perhaps to say, "Dear Old Dixie" but, since I happen to be from that little place off in the northwest, of which I have fondly told you, the Rosebud Country, where I am returning at once, and which is the only place that is dear to me, I could not conscientiously use the other term. Still, I am grateful, and well I should be; for, had I not spent these eighteen months down here, I could never have written this story. No imagination, positively not mine, could have created "Slim", "T. Toddy", "Legs", "John Moore", et al. I really knew them. I haven't even changed their names, since what's the use? They, unless by chance, will never know, for, as I knew them, they never read. Only one of them I am sure ever owned a book. That one did, however, and that I know, for he stole my dictionary before I left the town. Whatever he expected to do with it, is a puzzle to me, but since it was leather-bound, I think he imagined it was a Bible. He was very fond of Bibles, and I recall that was the only thing he read. He is in jail now, so I understand; which is no surprise, since he visited there quite often in the six months I knew him. As to "Legs", I have no word; but since summer time has come, I am sure "Slim" has either gone into "business" or is "preaching." "T. Toddy" was pretty shaky when I saw him last, and I wouldn't be surprised if he were not now in Heaven. And still, with what he threatened to do to me when he was informed that I had written of him in a book, he may be in the other place, who knows! I recall it with a tremor. We were in a restaurant some time after the first threat, but at that time, he appeared to understand that I had written nothing bad concerning him, and we were quite friendly. He told of himself and his travels, relating a trip abroad, to Liverpool and London. In the course of his remarks, he told that he used to run down from Liverpool to London every morning, since it was just over the hill a mile, and could be seen from Liverpool whenever the fog lifted. He advised me a bit remonstratingly, that, since I had written of him in the book, if I had come to him in advance, he would have told me something of himself to put into it that would have interested the world. I suggested that it was not then too late, and that he should make a copy of it. He intimated that it would be worth something and I agreed with him, and told him I would give him fifty cents. He said that would be satisfactory, but he wanted it then in advance. I wouldn't agree to that, but told him that he would have to give me a brief of his life, where and when he was born, if he had been, also where and when he expected to die, etc. first. He got "mad" then and threatened to do something "awful". Took himself outside and opened a knife, the blade of which had been broken, and was then about a half inch long, and told me to come out, whereupon he would show me my heart. As he waited vainly for me, he took on an expression that made him appear the worst man in all the world. I did not, of course go out, and told him so—through the window.

That was the end of it—and of him, so far as I know. But you can understand by this how near I have been to death in your Dixie Land. When I come back it will not be for "color"; but—well, I guess you know.

New Orleans, La., August 1, 1915. O.M.

He awakened from a strange dream. The Bible had fallen to the floor, and lay open at a chapter under which was written, "THOU SHALT NOT STEAL!"

BOOK ONE WHICH DEALS WITH ORIGINALS CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I The Barrier 15

II Attalia 31

III Next Day—Discoveries 40

IV And He Never Knew 47

V B.J. Dickson 51

VI "Oh, You Sell Books!" 59

VII In the Office of the Grand Secretary 63

VIII Henry Hugh Hodder 67

IX "Sweet Genevieve" 74

X "Do Something and You'll Find Out" 78

XI "Jedge L'yles' Co't" 84

XII A Jew; A Gentile; A Murder—And Some More 93

XIII "'Cause Nigga's 's Gittin' So Rich" 105

XIV And Then Came Slim 111

XV "Shoo Fly!" 124

XVI "Why Do You Look at Me so Strangely?" 130

XVII "I'll Never be Anything But a Vagabond!" 140

BOOK TWO THE BEAST AND THE JUNGLE CONTENTS

I Effingham 149

II "These Negroes in Effingham are Nigga's Proper" 164

III "I Have BEEN Married", Said She 173

IV "Eidder Stuck Up Ah She's a Witch!" 181

V "A Bigga Liah They Ain't in Town!" 189

VI "Yes—MISS Latham!" 196

VII "It All Falls Right Back on Society!" 202

VIII "Where Are You From?" 206

IX "But Smith is Not His Real Name" 211

X "When You Have Been Grass Widowed, It's Different" 224

XI "I'm Worried About Mildred" 232

XII And Then She Began to Grow Otherwise 241

XIII Enter—Mr. Tom Toddy! 243

XIV The Disappearing Chin 256

XV "Wilson! Wilson! Mildred Has Gone!" 268

XVI The Beast and the Jungle 273

XVII "This is Mr. Winslow, Madam!" 278

XVIII "Thou Shalt Not Steal" 285

XIX They Turned Her Out of Church 290

XX "I LOVE You" 299

XXI "Please Get D' Ole Man Outta Jail" 302

XXII "This Man is Losing His Mind!" 309

XXIII "I'll Brand You as a Faker!" 317

XXIV The Arraignment 324

"A crooked mother can't raise a straight daughter. It's up to the daughter—and I've failed!"

BOOK THREE A MATTER OF TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS CONTENTS

I "That Gal's Crooked" 336

II "IT WAS IN THAT CHURCH LAST SUNDAY!" 344

III "Uh! 'es Got 'im a Nigga!" 349

IV "Please Go!" She Cried Hoarsely 355

V The Time Limit 362

VI Reminiscences—Charge of the Black Cavalry 369

VII "Please Stop—and Save Me!" 375

VIII What Her Eyes Saw 381

IX "Wha's Y' Man?" 386

X "Kick Higher Dare Gal!" 392

XI "My Wife—Sick—HELL!" 397

XII Mid-Night December Thirty-First 407

XIII Into the Infinite Long Ago 412

XIV "Go, Brother! In God's Name, Go!" 418

BOOK FOUR THE QUEST ETERNAL CONTENTS

I "'Scriminatin' 'Ginst Nigga's" 422

II At Last She Didn't Care 432

III "They Knew He Had Written the Truth!" 439

IV The Woman With the Three Moles 446

V "Hello Brown Skin" 450

VI "WHO'RE YOU!" She Repeated 456

VII "At Last, Oh Lord, At Last!" 462

VIII "Well I'm Going." And She Went 468

IX "I Hope You—Won't—Be—Angry" 473

X Vellun Parish—Jefferson Bernard 478

XI "Mildred, I've Come Back" 495

XII The Slave Market 504

XIII "Restitution" 515

She had never felt that he would rebuke her, but now she turned her head away to shut out the scorn in the look he had given her.

"Wha's yo' man?" "I—I have no man," Mildred replied, turning her face away. "I am alone—alone in everything."

"That last woman I married" said Slim, "was such a devil she almost made me lose my religion."

THE FORGED NOTE

CHARACTERS

Sydney Wyeth, An Observer, Who had the Courage of His Convictions.

Mildred Latham, A Girl of Mystery, Whose Fortunes are What We Follow.

Furgeson and Thurman, Originals, Who Possessed some Wit and Humor.

B.J. Dickson, An Editor, and a Fighter of the Right Sort.

V.R. Coleman, (Slim) A Summertime Professor and "Business Man". (?)

"Legs", a "Crap Shooter", Who Reformed and Became a Hero.

John Moore, A Character, Who Read the Bible—and did Other Things.

Miss Palmer, Grasswidow and School Teacher, Who Desired to Remarry.

Dr. Randall, A Druggist, Who Knew Everybody's Business.

Wilson Jacobs, A Minister, Who Works for Uplift among Black People.

Constance Jacobs, His Sister, a Friend of the Girl of Mystery.

Stephen Myer, With a Heart, but a Sinner, Who Died and Went to——.

THE FORGED NOTE

BOOK I.