minmarn/Gone_with_the_wind · Datasets at Hugging Face

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"Ashley--and you?"

"Yes, platitudinously but truly, politics make strange bedfellows.
Neither Ashley nor I cared much for each other as bedfellows but--
Ashley never believed in the Klan because he's against violence of
any sort. And I never believed in it because it's damned
foolishness and not the way to get what we want. It's the one way
to keep the Yankees on our necks till Kingdom Come. And between
Ashley and me, we convinced the hot heads that watching, waiting
and working would get us further than nightshirts and fiery
crosses."

"You don't mean the boys actually took your advice when you--"

"When I was a speculator? A Scallawag? A consorter with Yankees?
You forget, Mrs. Butler, that I am now a Democrat in good standing,
devoted to my last drop of blood to recovering our beloved state
from the hands of her ravishers! My advice was good advice and
they took it. My advice in other political matters is equally
good. We have a Democratic majority in the legislature now,
haven't we? And soon, my love, we will have some of our good
Republican friends behind the bars. They are a bit too rapacious
these days, a bit too open."

"You'd help put them in jail? Why, they were your friends! They
let you in on that railroad-bond business that you made thousands
out of!"

Rhett grinned suddenly, his old mocking grin.

"Oh, I bear them no ill will. But I'm on the other side now and if
I can assist in any way in putting them where they belong, I'll do
it. And how that will redound to my credit! I know just enough
about the inside of some of these deals to be very valuable when
the legislature starts digging into them--and that won't be far
off, from the way things look now. They're going to investigate
the governor, too, and they'll put him in jail if they can. Better
tell your good friends the Gelerts and the Hundons to be ready to
leave town on a minute's notice, because if they can nab the
governor, they'll nab them too."

For too many years Scarlett had seen the Republicans, backed up by
the force of the Yankee Army, in power in Georgia to believe
Rhett's light words. The governor was too strongly entrenched for
any legislature to do anything to him, much less put him in jail.

"How you do run on," she observed.

"If he isn't put in jail, at least he won't be reelected. We're
going to have a Democratic governor next time, for a change."

"And I suppose you'll have something to do with it?" she questioned
sarcastically.

"My pet, I will. I am having something to do with it now. That's
why I stay out so late at nights. I'm working harder than I ever
worked with a shovel in the gold rush, trying to help get the
election organized. And--I know this will hurt you, Mrs. Butler,
but I am contributing plenty of money to the organization, too. Do
you remember telling me, years ago, in Frank's store, that it was
dishonest for me to keep the Confederate gold? At last I've come
to agree with you and the Confederate gold is being spent to get
the Confederates back into power."

"You're pouring money down a rat hole!"

"What! You call the Democratic party a rat hole?" His eyes mocked
her and then were quiet, expressionless. "It doesn't matter a damn
to me who wins this election. What does matter is that everyone
knows I've worked for it and that I've spent money on it. And
that'll be remembered in Bonnie's favor in years to come."

"I was almost afraid from your pious talk that you'd had a change
of heart, but I see you've got no more sincerity about the
Democrats than about anything else."

"Not a change of heart at all. Merely a change of hide. You might
possibly sponge the spots off a leopard but he'd remain a leopard,
just the same."

Bonnie, awakened by the sound of voices in the hall, called sleepily
but imperiously: "Daddy!" and Rhett started past Scarlett.

"Rhett, wait a minute. There's something else I want to tell you.
You must stop taking Bonnie around with you in the afternoons to
political meetings. It just doesn't look well. The idea of a
little girl at such places! And it makes you look so silly. I
never dreamed that you took her until Uncle Henry mentioned it, as
though he thought I knew and--"

He swung round on her and his face was hard.

"How can you read wrong in a little girl sitting on her father's
lap while he talks to friends? You may think it looks silly but it
isn't silly. People will remember for years that Bonnie sat on my
lap while I helped run the Republicans out of this state. People
will remember for years--" The hardness went out of his face and a
malicious light danced in his eyes. "Did you know that when people
ask her who she loves best, she says 'Daddy and the Demiquats,' and

"Ashley--and you?"

"Yes, platitudinously but truly, politics make strange bedfellows.

Neither Ashley nor I cared much for each other as bedfellows but--

Ashley never believed in the Klan because he's against violence of

any sort. And I never believed in it because it's damned

foolishness and not the way to get what we want. It's the one way

to keep the Yankees on our necks till Kingdom Come. And between

Ashley and me, we convinced the hot heads that watching, waiting

and working would get us further than nightshirts and fiery

crosses."

"You don't mean the boys actually took your advice when you--"

"When I was a speculator? A Scallawag? A consorter with Yankees?

You forget, Mrs. Butler, that I am now a Democrat in good standing,

devoted to my last drop of blood to recovering our beloved state

from the hands of her ravishers! My advice was good advice and

they took it. My advice in other political matters is equally

good. We have a Democratic majority in the legislature now,

haven't we? And soon, my love, we will have some of our good

Republican friends behind the bars. They are a bit too rapacious

these days, a bit too open."

"You'd help put them in jail? Why, they were your friends! They

let you in on that railroad-bond business that you made thousands

out of!"

Rhett grinned suddenly, his old mocking grin.

"Oh, I bear them no ill will. But I'm on the other side now and if

I can assist in any way in putting them where they belong, I'll do

it. And how that will redound to my credit! I know just enough

about the inside of some of these deals to be very valuable when

the legislature starts digging into them--and that won't be far

off, from the way things look now. They're going to investigate

the governor, too, and they'll put him in jail if they can. Better

tell your good friends the Gelerts and the Hundons to be ready to

leave town on a minute's notice, because if they can nab the

governor, they'll nab them too."

For too many years Scarlett had seen the Republicans, backed up by

the force of the Yankee Army, in power in Georgia to believe

Rhett's light words. The governor was too strongly entrenched for

any legislature to do anything to him, much less put him in jail.

"How you do run on," she observed.

"If he isn't put in jail, at least he won't be reelected. We're

going to have a Democratic governor next time, for a change."

"And I suppose you'll have something to do with it?" she questioned

sarcastically.

"My pet, I will. I am having something to do with it now. That's

why I stay out so late at nights. I'm working harder than I ever

worked with a shovel in the gold rush, trying to help get the

election organized. And--I know this will hurt you, Mrs. Butler,

but I am contributing plenty of money to the organization, too. Do

you remember telling me, years ago, in Frank's store, that it was

dishonest for me to keep the Confederate gold? At last I've come

to agree with you and the Confederate gold is being spent to get

the Confederates back into power."

"You're pouring money down a rat hole!"

"What! You call the Democratic party a rat hole?" His eyes mocked

her and then were quiet, expressionless. "It doesn't matter a damn

to me who wins this election. What does matter is that everyone

knows I've worked for it and that I've spent money on it. And

that'll be remembered in Bonnie's favor in years to come."

"I was almost afraid from your pious talk that you'd had a change

of heart, but I see you've got no more sincerity about the

Democrats than about anything else."

"Not a change of heart at all. Merely a change of hide. You might

possibly sponge the spots off a leopard but he'd remain a leopard,

just the same."

Bonnie, awakened by the sound of voices in the hall, called sleepily

but imperiously: "Daddy!" and Rhett started past Scarlett.

"Rhett, wait a minute. There's something else I want to tell you.

You must stop taking Bonnie around with you in the afternoons to

political meetings. It just doesn't look well. The idea of a

little girl at such places! And it makes you look so silly. I

never dreamed that you took her until Uncle Henry mentioned it, as

though he thought I knew and--"

He swung round on her and his face was hard.

"How can you read wrong in a little girl sitting on her father's

lap while he talks to friends? You may think it looks silly but it

isn't silly. People will remember for years that Bonnie sat on my

lap while I helped run the Republicans out of this state. People

will remember for years--" The hardness went out of his face and a

malicious light danced in his eyes. "Did you know that when people

ask her who she loves best, she says 'Daddy and the Demiquats,' and