The Gallant South- Part One

Chapter V- October 6, 1912

        Cora had spent the rest of the day letting Jim show her how to cook, in an attempt to rid her mind of any thoughts of the earlier rally, and the events that had gone down during it. She worried about Eveline all day, then remembered that Millie and the others had specifically told her not to worry, Eveline was fine, and would pay bail within the next few days.
        At dinner, the others had plagued Cora with questions about the rally. Cecelia wanted to know if it had been dangerous. Cora told her about Colby showing up, but nothing about the gun. Masterson had asked if there were men there as well. Cora told him there were. Henderson asked if the police had showed up. Cora told him they did, but it wasn't violent. And finally, Jim asked if anything had happened to any of them, and Cora told them about Eveline, making sure to tell them that she was fine. Of course, they were all still worried even though they had yet to meet her.

        That night, Cora had gone to bed not worrying about it all. Nielsen hadn't seen her face, nor did he know who she was. Colby hadn't said anything to Cora. She'd seen Alice, but didn't think highly of it. Of course, Colby would figure Cora to attend the rally. And so she fell asleep after making sure all the doors and windows in the house were shut and locked tightly.
        BANG!
        Cora shot up. It was the middle of the night, the clock read 11:48. She looked around the dark room, wondering what could have caused the sound. The entire room was dark, and not even moonlight shone in, because Cora had made sure the curtains were tightly drawn. And so, she stepped out of bed and made her way over to the nearest lamp, about to turn it on when she realized that that was a stupid idea.
        BANG!
        It was coming from the window in the sitting area. Cora quietly walked over to it, sticking her head through the curtain in order to look out the window. She didn't see anyone until she looked down in between the tree branches and saw a dark figure in a yellow dress, hand full of pebbles, flashlight shining. And she knew immediately who it was.
        "Eveline!" Cora whisper-shouted, throwing open the window and sticking her head out into the freezing nighttime air. Eveline dropped the pebbles and looked up at her.
        "Come let me in, will you?" Eveline asked, nodding to the front door. Cora nodded, stuck her head back in the room, closed the window and curtains, and slipped on a silk robe before quietly opening her bedroom door and running down the stairs into the foyer. The room was illuminated by moonlight seeping in through the tall windows, so Cora could see where she was going. She ran into the room and unlocked the front doors.
        "Eveline, it's the middle of the night! Are you all right?" Cora asked with concern as Eveline stepped inside and nodded.
        "Oh yes, I'm alright. Say, do you have any Campho-Phenique?" she asked, closing the door behind her. Cora nodded and walked into the foyer. Eveline looked around in awe, first at the giant chandeliers, then at the intricate marble carvings, then at the grand staircase, then at the ceiling patterns, and she gasped.
        "It's  beautiful. This is your house?" she asked in wonder. Cora nodded and began walking upstairs towards the powder room, Eveline following behind her but still gaping at the house. Cora smiled to herself and turned on the powder room light, ushering Eveline in and closing the door.
        "My God, are you sure you're alright?" Cora asked in shock. Now that the light was on, Cora could see Eveline. Her yellow dress was tattered and mangled, and the shoulder was ripped open. There was dirt and grime covering the skirt of the dress, her hair was tangled, and she had bruises all over her face and shoulder where the dress was torn open. But still, she grinned and nodded.
        "Oh yes, I just wanted to put some Campho on my cuts. Jail's a bit of a harsh place, even for a woman," she noted, taking a seat on the settee on the back wall. With a worried sigh, Cora fetched the bottle of Campho-Phenique wound treatment from the medicine cabinet in the corner, and pulled out a few cotton balls from one of the drawers with her makeup.
        "So what exactly happened?" Cora asked, taking in the small cut on Eveline's neck.
        "Oh, well I'm sure Millie told you that they don't know who I am, and they're real curious to find out, so I guess violence is their answer to most," she replied casually, not even wincing when Cora dabbed Campho on the cut.
       "You say it so casually, as if this is something that happens a lot," Cora replied with concern as she looked at Eveline's shoulder. There were vague fingernail marks right where Colby had grabbed her, but she didn't even bat an eye. "Oh yes, it does. It's a bit bothersome though, which is why we don't hold rallies and protests too often. After each one, this usually happens to me and sometimes others, and then I always have to find a place to stay for a few nights before it's safe for me to go home. Speaking of, would you mind it if I stayed here for a day or two?" she asked.
        "Why here?" Cora asked, putting away the Campho and throwing the cotton balls into the trash bin before taking out the bottle of pain reliever.
        "Oh, I don't need any of that, I assure you I'm all right," Eveline said, standing up. "And I wanted to stay here because Nielsen doesn't know you too well yet, and he won't think to look here as he would with some of the other places I could stay at, such as Bettirose's house." she said.
        "That makes sense. Yes, stay here as long as you'd like," Cora replied, putting away the bottle and closing the cabinet. Eveline stood up and opened the door, walking out into the dark hallway. Cora turned off the powder room light and opened the door to one of the bedrooms. Eveline walked in and lay down on the bed, looking back at Cora.
        "How did you get out of jail?" Cora asked before Eveline fell asleep.
        "I paid bail. It gets a little more expensive every time. Good night, Cora," Eveline replied, looking like she was falling asleep. Cora nodded and closed the door gently before walking down the hallway back to her own bedroom. She slammed the door and stood in the room, breathing heavily and fuming. Without thinking, she picked up a porcelain vase sitting on the dresser and flung it across the room. It hit the blank wall and shattered to pieces, taking with it Cora's fury.
        Of course, she was more than furious.