Ruth went on to her own room, closed the door behind her, threw herself on the bed and gave way to tears.
When Harold King had been informed that Ruth was out riding he felt keen disappointment and had a strong suspicion as to whom she was riding with. As he was riding home on the street car his suspicions were confirmed as a roadster passed the street car under an electric light. He at once sank into the valley of despondency where jealousy like a poisonous miasma sickens the heart.
Chapter VII
The city election resulted in a complete triumph for the anti-law enforcement, anti-prohibition, anti-Ku Klux crowd. The Klan not being fully organized took no active part, as an organization, in the election. The enemies of the Klan who were supporting the Clark ticket, used the Klan as a scarecrow to line up the Catholics, Jews, negroes and bootleggers for Clark. This influence, together with the personal following of Clark, easily elected him.
Springer boasted in many issues of the Journal of "The victory the respectable law-abiding citizens gained over the lawless Klan and its sympathizers." He told the people through the columns of the Journal that the election had sounded the death knell of the Klan in Wilford Springs; that the law-abiding citizens had emphatically protested through their votes, and that no self-respecting citizen would think of joining this organization after the community had shown its disapproval.
In spite of this propaganda fiery crosses and white robed figures were more frequently seen in the vicinity of Wilford Springs than before the city election. During the entire summer the frequency of these reports increased.
Soon after Clark took the oath of office as mayor he appointed Roberts as chief of police. Roberts was inexperienced in politics and knew but little of the methods and less of the principles of the men who had been elected. Roberts was not a strong character, but, generally speaking, he desired to do what was right. No sooner had he become the head of the police department than he made his police force a talk and told them that he expected the law to be enforced without fear or favor.
Sixty days after he had been acting as chief he was passing the Wilford Springs Central State Bank. Stover stepped to the door and asked him to come in.
"Come into my private office." The banker led the way.