disappeared, and there was little reason for denying that the new President walked into the White House through the instrumentality of an unknown Georgia Negro, little past his majority. This is what Senator Smith said to Mr. ¬ÝEasterly; what Miss Wynn said to herself; and it was what Mrs. ¬ÝVanderpool remarked to Zora as Zora was combing her hair on the Wednesday after election.
Zora murmured an indistinct response. As already something of the beauty of the world had found question and answer in her soul, and as she began to realize how the world had waxed old in thought and stature, so now in their last days a sense of the power of men, as set over against the immensity and force of their surroundings, became real to her. She had begun to read of the lives and doing of those called great, and in her mind a plan was forming. She saw herself standing dim within the shadows, directing the growing power of a man: a man who would be great as the world counted greatness, rich, high in position, powerful‚ÅÝ‚Äîwonderful because his face was black. He would never see her; never know how she worked and planned, save perhaps at last, in that supreme moment as she passed, her soul would cry to his, ‚ÄúRedeemed!‚Äù And he would understand.
All this she was thinking and weaving; not clearly and definitely, but in great blurred clouds of thought of things as she said slowly:
“He should have a great position for this.”
‚ÄúWhy, certainly,‚Äù Mrs. ¬ÝVanderpool agreed, and then curiously: ‚ÄúWhat?‚Äù
Zora considered. ‚ÄúNegroes,‚Äù she said, ‚Äúhave been Registers of the Treasury, and Recorders of Deeds here in Washington, and Douglas was Marshal; but I want Bles‚ÅÝ‚Äî‚Äù she paused and started again. ‚ÄúThose are not great enough for Mr. ¬ÝAlwyn; he should have an office so important that Negroes would not think of leaving their party again.‚Äù