The Gallant South- Part Two

Chapter IX- April 14-18, 1913

    The first day that everyone had come back to Cora's house, she didn't go to sleep. She sat in the powder room reading and waiting for Eveline to come in. Cora stayed up until two in the morning, and Eveline still hadn't come in. So Cora gave up and went to bed

        Almost a month later, after not once catching Eveline overdosing, Cora let herself into Eveline's room. "What happened to all your medicine?" Cora asked.
        Eveline narrowed her eyes. "I cut myself off. Mama Elsie talked me into it," she replied sourly.
        "Maybe you should be living with her, then," Cora said.
        "No. It's better here. There's more people. I don't feel as lonely," she said. Cora raised an eyebrow, but Eveline didn't have time to answer before the telephone rang, which she used as an excuse not to elaborate. Cora shrugged and followed her downstairs.
        "Hello?" Eveline exclaimed into the receiver.
        "It's me," Bettirose said. "We're all gonna be at the society tonight, if you all want to come."
        "Well sure, I don't think we're doing anything. What time?" Eveline replied.
        "After supper," Bettirose replied. "I'll see you there."

        For a very long time, Colby has suspected that Cora and her friends had some kind of meeting place. They all always seemed to be out at the same time on specific nights, and if they did have some kind of secret building, he was going to find it. So when he caught wind that Cora and her friends were going out that night, he called his good friend Jefferson Davis Tarleton to explain his plan.
        "I want you to trail behind Miss Heiler's car," he said as soon as Jefferson knocked on the door.
        "What for?" Jefferson replied. Before Colby answered, he checked around the room and doorways to make sure Alice wasn't there.
        "I think they may have some sort of hidden meeting place. I want you to follow her to wherever she goes, then come back and tell me. And whatever you do, make sure she doesn't see you," Colby explained.
        "An' what are ye gonna do if they do have a place?" Jefferson asked. Colby grinned. "I'm gonna destroy it. What's one more fire?"
        "You had better be careful," Jefferson warned. "They gonna start gettin' suspicious if you keep burnin' places down. Why not try something else?" he suggested. Colby took this into consideration. It was true, he'd already burned two buildings, and tried to burn a third, had Stockton not "killed himself." Colby knew it was either Cora or Mildred Henry, the two best shots from what he'd seen. Eveline was pretty good herself, but Colby knew she would never risk something like that with Nielsen having it out for her.
        "I've got a better idea," Colby said at last. Jefferson raised an eyebrow.
        "It's a surprise," Colby replied. "You'll see when it happens. Not get out there and follow her."
        "You got it," Jefferson replied, walking back outside to wait for Miss Heiler's car to go by.

        When it came time to go, Cora put on a nice spring green evening gown and waited in the foyer for the others to get ready. The only ones going tonight were Cora, Eveline, Maddie, and Masterson. Cecelia was still too scared to brave more than a single visit per month.
        "Ready?" Cora asked when Eveline glided down the stairs in a cream and black evening gown. Eveline nodded and the four headed out to the car.
        It was mid-April now, and the weather was finally warm. They'd had only a few cooler days so far, and Cora had packed up all of her winter hats and uncovered the giant, floppy spring ones. She put all of her thick fur coats and wraps up in the attic to make more room in her closet.

        When they got closer to the Society, Masterson parked the car near the honey packaging factory, which was where he always parked, just across the street from Square Park. The four of them walked down the street, enjoying the evening air.
        "You know what today is?" Eveline asked, all of a sudden.
        "No, what?" Cora asked, trying to think of a holiday on April 14.
        "It's been a year since the Titanic sank," Eveline replied. "What a tragedy that was."
        "You know, John Jacob Astor died on that ship. So Rockefeller's back on top," Masterson explained.
        Cora remembered hearing about the Titanic tragedy. She'd just woken up when she heard a commotion downstairs. She'd hurried up to see what it was, forgetting to properly dress herself for public appearance.
        "The Titanic sank!" cried the servant who had gone to get the mail. "She hit an iceberg and foundered! Fifteen hundred people are dead!"
        "What?" Lillian had gasped. "When was this?"
        "Last night, ma'am," the servant replied. "Around two in the morning.
        "Oh my God," Thomas had whispered. "I knew people on that ship! Is there a casualty list?" he asked, taking the newspaper and reading through it. "Mr. Astor...Guggenheim...oh, not the Strauses!" he'd cried. The whole family had known them.
        "And they said it was unsinkable," Maddie said. Eveline laughed. "No ship is unsinkable. Those men challenged God, and look what happened."
        "You know they recently made a film about it," Cora said, recalling when she'd gone to see it. Eveline nodded. "Maybe one day, they'll make a movie about it that'll be so famous it'll be remembered forever!" she exclaimed. "That would be incredible!"
        "It would probably be really sad though. I don't know if I'd watch that," Masterson said. "Movies are supposed to be happy."
        "Are they though?" Eveline asked. "Can't there be all kinds?"