“The test of loyalty in war times is whether a man is wholeheartedly for the war and subordinates everything else to its successful prosecution.”
—Minnesota Commission of Public Safety
Considering the excitement of the evening, the night was turning out to be exceptionally quiet, Alafair thought. Rob had gone into the kitchen to have a bowl of sweetened rice before turning in. Charlie had turned up an hour or so after everyone else. Alafair expected him to be excited and full of chatter, but he was unusually subdued.
After putting the children to bed, Alafair came out of the bedroom to find Shaw sitting in an armchair, reading the latest edition of the Muskogee Phoenix. On the other side of the lamp table, sharing his father’s light, Charlie was engrossed in a book with pictures of soldiers in it. Charlie Dog lay snoring softly under the boy’s feet. Gee Dub had already gone out to the shed. She passed into the kitchen and found her brother sitting at the kitchen table, a kerosene lamp before him, perusing a yellow piece of paper that looked suspiciously like a telegram.
He looked up at her and smiled. “Finally got the little ones settled?”
She sat down on the other side of the table. “It took a while. They were too excited to sleep.”
Rob leaned his elbows on the table. “Well, I was glad to see how the law handled the situation without taking sides. That don’t always happen, I’m afraid, especially if your family is full of subversives and foreign-born, like yours is.”
“It helps if the sheriff is kin and his deputy is sweet on one of your daughters.”
“Is that so?” Rob grinned.“That carrot-topped youngster fancies one of yours? Ruth, I’m guessing.”
“That’s right. If I’m any judge of these things they’ll be wed before long. And even if it weren’t so, that boy is like family.”
“Well, that’s good. That’s all good! In time of trouble, you can’t rely on anybody to stand with you like your own kinfolks. Who belongs to this Knights of Liberty group, Alafair? Gee Dub thinks it’s the same bunch that jumped Dutch Leonard at the Liberty Sing tonight.”
Alafair shrugged. “The Knights like to keep their faces covered, so it can’t yet be proved who they are. The word has got around, though, that Billy Claude Walker and the rest of the late Win Avey’s pals are involved. They all hold to a rigid standard for what it means to be American.”
Rob looked thoughtful. “Huh. I’d like to have a word with this Walker fellow.”
“Now, Robin, you’d better just keep your distance from his kind. Billy Claude is the new Secret Service man in town since Win died. I think him and his crew are just itching for an excuse to run somebody just like you out of town on a rail, or at least get you thrown in prison.” Her voice was heavy with dread.
“I can handle myself, Alafair. Most of these puffed up rubes are nothing but a case of big behavior. They love to push you around, until you push back.” He began to drum absently on the piece of paper that lay on the table beneath his fingers.
“What are you reading?” Alafair said.
“Nothing to worry about, Sis.” He casually folded the paper and slipped it into his breast pocket. “Got a telegram from I.W.W. headquarters this morning. They got a little assignment for me before I leave Oklahoma.”
That piece of news did not please Alafair at all. “What do they want you to do?”
“Oh, nothing much. Just stop an uprising.”
Alafair didn’t laugh at his joke. “I thought you were getting ready to leave Oklahoma because you’re worried folks will think me and Shaw approve of your politics.”
Rob felt a stab of annoyance. “Don’t worry. My business is too far away from here to bring the wrath of public opinion down on you.”
“Don’t get all tied in a knot, now. I didn’t mean it that way. I fret when I know you’re about to roil the waters. Especially now that everybody’s nerves are so frazzled.”
“Alafair, you been trying to mother me for as long as I can remember. Quit it, now. You’ve got enough kids to be fussing over. I’ve been at this for a long time. I know what I’m doing.”
“I’m sorry, Robin. I guess mothering is what I do without thinking about it. I know you’re good at your business. But I’ve never seen a time like this one before. It’s like everyone has gone barking mad. I can’t help but fear.”
As he listened, Rob’s expression softened. Alafair put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a shake. “Robin, don’t be messing with Billy Claude. And don’t go traipsing off and get yourself in trouble again. I got a bad feeling about all this.”
He puffed. She would never change. “I do, too, Alafair. That’s why I’ve got to try to stop a bunch of fellows from doing something really stupid. Don’t fret over me. I know how to walk the razor’s edge, if anybody does. I’ve been in a lot worse situations than this will be. I ain’t looking for trouble.”
“Trouble just finds you, Robin, whether you’re looking for it or not.”