Stella turned her eyes, gleaming with a deadly purpose, straight on Steve, and a revolver flashed from her hand into his face. He dodged, trembled, and crouched against the wall, while she sternly said:
“Now lift your hand or open your mouth, you contemptible sneak and coward!”
A cry of terror swept the dark crowd, and scores broke and fled.
As John appeared in the doorway, Stella turned to the Negroes and in ringing tones cried:
“I dare one of you black loafers to offer a single insult to the man whose love I hold dearer than my life. I’ll kill you as I would a dog.”
Revolver in hand, with stern set face and flaming eyes she opened the way through which John Graham passed in silence.
At the station a crowd of friends gathered and cheered his departure.
Old Nicaroshinski slipped a hundred dollars in his hand and whispered in broken voice:
“Don’t—don’t you vorry, me poy, ve’ll puild a monumendt to you in de public squvare yedt!”
Stella was allowed to sit by his side in the car, and as the train started John looked at her a moment through dimmed eyes, and slowly said: “The glory of this hour has more than paid for all the pain and all the shame a thousand lives could hold!”