"A silly prank of schoolboys!" he said at length.
"You think that's all?" Peeler asked dubiously.
"Certainly. The Ku Klux Klan have more important tasks on hand just now. No man in their authority sent that to you. Their orders are sealed in red ink with a crossbones and skull. I've seen several of them. Pay no attention to this—it's a fake."
"I don't think so, major—just wait a minute, I'll show you something worse than a red-ink crossbones and skull."
Old Peeler tipped to the door leading into the hallway, opened it, peered out and waved his fat hand, beckoning someone to enter.
The voice of a woman was heard outside protesting:
"No—no—I'll stay here——"
Peeler caught her by the arm and drew her within:
"This is Lucy, my housekeeper, major."
The editor looked in surprise at the slender, graceful figure of the mulatto. He had pictured her coarse and heavy. He saw instead a face of the clean-cut Aryan type with scarcely a trace of negroid character. Only the thick curling hair, shining black eyes and deep yellow skin betrayed the African mother.