When she reached the door she found a stranger there waiting. Another man whom she did not know was waiting in a car in the street.
"Is this Mrs. Armstrong?" the man at the door asked.
"Yes, I am Mrs. Armstrong."
"Here is an envelope that I was requested to hand you." He gave her a large envelope and without another word hurried to the car. Mrs. Armstrong, wondering at his brevity and haste, watched them drive out of sight around the corner before she opened the envelope which he had handed her. Imagine her surprise when she found that it contained bills. She looked at it carefully—yes it was real money. There was some mistake. They must have been mistaken in the address where they were to take the envelope. She counted the money. There was two hundred dollars. "If this money were really mine," she thought, "how much it would help me. Sixty or seventy dollars would pay all my debts, and I could go right to town and buy some school clothes for the children, which they are needing so badly." She happened to look into the envelope and saw a piece of paper on which was written in a large bold hand:
"The Wilford Springs Ku Klux Klan commends you for keeping your children in the public schools and Sunday School and for all your efforts to raise them to become good citizens. In appreciation of your services to your family and community we send you a little gift which we trust will be accepted in the same spirit in which it is sent.
"Wilford Springs Ku Klux Klan."
"Thank the Lord for the Klan!" exclaimed Mrs. Armstrong and then hurried to call the children that they might share the joy with her.
When the morning meal was over and the washing on the line she went down to the Central State Bank and asked for Mr. Stover. The bank president was surprised when she told him that she had come to settle the back rent. When he saw her he supposed of course that she had come to beg for more time. When she said, "I have come to settle with you," he could scarcely believe his ears.
"Are you ready to pay all?" he asked.
"Yes. I will settle with you and move out tomorrow."
"If you settle, Mrs. Armstrong," he said, smiling, "you don't need to move out."