CHAPTER FIFTEEN

A few days later, Scarlett took Mammy and Wade and returned to Atlanta to be with Frank. He, Scarlett, Mammy and Wade moved into Aunt Pittypat's house, since she had a lot of room. A month later, Melanie and Ashley moved into a small house in Atlanta. They had almost no money, but they were able to buy a small and rather ugly house.

In a month's time, Scarlett had convinced Frank to give her the rest of the money she needed to buy the little lumber factory. When she came back to Atlanta, she had been worried that it would be sold, but it was still there. Of course, Frank was shocked and upset that his wife wanted to do something like buy a factory. Frank was very traditional, and in those days, women did not do such things! It was not at all ladylike. But Scarlett cried and pleaded, and was so sweet and charming to him that he finally said, "Well, honey, if you want to try your little idea, I suppose it won't hurt anything. But don't worry your pretty head over the factory too much. Let Ashley do that."

Frank did not really know his wife. He did not know that Scarlett was extremely good at mathematics, and was very stubborn and determined. These qualities meant that she would be good at business. He also did not know about her temper.

Scarlett bought the factory, and immediately began to find men to work in it. The men she found were criminals, who were released from prison on the condition that they work somewhere. They were terribly poor, angry young men, who were often very dangerous. Scarlett hired a man named Archie to watch the men and make sure they did their work. Archie was a man from the mountains of the southern state of North Carolina. He had once been a criminal himself, and had been sent to prison for killing his wife! In the war, he had lost a leg and an eye. He was the meanest person Scarlett had ever known. She had not wanted to hire a man like this, but Archie had told her he could make the men work hard, and she wouldn't have to worry about them.

The factory did very well, because there were many people in Atlanta who needed wood. Scarlett was able to send plenty of money to Will at Tara. Ashley was given a job managing the factory's office. He was not nearly as good at this kind of work as Scarlett was, but Scarlett was very forgiving of his mistakes.

Soon, however, Scarlett discovered something very upsetting: she was pregnant again! Scarlett had not wanted to have any more children, as she was not close to her son Wade Hamilton. Wade had spent most of his time with Mammy or Prissy, and barely knew his mother. Frank was extremely happy at the news and hoped for a son. However, Scarlett's baby turned out to be a rather ugly little girl. They named her Ella Lorena. After Ella's birth, Scarlett told herself she was definitely not having any more children—her waist was not quite as small and pretty as it used to be!

In all this time, Rhett Butler had not been to visit Scarlett once, and she had not seen him. Rhett had returned to New Orleans for a time, but no one in Atlanta knew the reason why. When he returned to Atlanta, he shocked everyone in society by becoming friends with a woman named Belle Watling. Belle owned a house of prostitutes in Atlanta, and no one who thought of themselves as good and proper would speak to her. Every mother told her daughter to stay away from Belle. Rhett, of course, had never cared what people thought of him. People had seen him entering Belle's house. Soon the most terrible things were being said about Rhett, but as usual, he did not care! Scarlett, of course, had heard all the talk about Rhett and she believed it. "So he really is a terrible man—just what I thought!" she said to Frank one evening. Frank agreed with her.

Although Scarlett didn't really like being married, Frank was all right and she liked him. Often they had pleasant evenings together. Frank would think to himself that Scarlett was such a sweet, pretty, charming little wife—when she had her way! Scarlett didn't like always having to be sweet, because sometimes she was tired from working with Ashley in her factory's office and would lose her temper. She didn't want to come home and have to be a "good little wife" to Frank. But they got along well, most of the time.

Time passed. A few months after Ella Lorena's birth, Scarlett noticed that Frank was staying out more often, late into the night. She knew that Frank wasn't with another woman, because he was not the kind of man to do such things. Frank always told her he was working late at his store. Melanie told Scarlett that Ashley, also, was staying out late as well. Both women thought that their men must be drinking together after work. Melanie was very worried about Ashley. Scarlett didn't mind Frank being out, because then he wouldn't bother her. Neither one of the women knew the truth.

After the War was over, the South's black slaves had been given their freedom by the northerners. Now, many of the young black men walked the streets of Atlanta, doing whatever they wanted. While most of the black people were trying to find work, feed their families, and live in the new society, some of the former slaves were drinking all day and causing much trouble for the white women. Some women had almost been seriously hurt by these men. However, the new laws, made by northerners, made it illegal to punish a former slave. Frank and Ashley had become part of a secret group of southern men called the Ku Klux Klan. If a southern woman was hurt by a black man, the Ku Klux Klan would try to find the black man who had done it and kill him!

Frank and Ashley had been going out at night and having meetings with other men who belonged to this group. Sometimes, these men would go to the little towns where former slaves lived and threaten them. But when Scarlett put herself into danger, things became very bad.

Scarlett had decided to drive herself around Atlanta in a carriage alone, with no man to protect her. She would go to the factory and return to Aunt Pittypat's home, where she and Frank lived, by herself. Frank, Melanie, Aunt Pittypat, and even Ashley begged her not to do this. "Why don't you get Uncle Peter to drive you around?" Frank asked. But Scarlett was stubborn. "Frank, I can get so much more done at the factory if I don't have Uncle Peter waiting for me. It's just easier if I drive alone!"

One evening Scarlett was returning home from the factory when she was attacked by a very drunken black man! He was trying to climb into her carriage and steal her money—or worse. Luckily, another black man nearby heard her screams and was able to chase away the attacker. It was about 9 o'clock in the evening when this man returned with the frightened Scarlett, her clothes torn and dirty.

Scarlett was shocked and angry to see Frank's reaction. He was very concerned about her, but he said, "Now, honey, don't you worry your pretty little head about this. I'll take care of everything. Now, I have to work late at the store this evening. Don't wait for me, just go to bed now." He kissed her on the cheek and walked out the door.

"Well! What is the matter with him? I thought he would be more concerned about his own wife!" cried Scarlett. She did not know what Frank was really about to do.

Scarlett went to sleep, but when she woke up six hours later, Frank was not lying in the bed next to her! Where was he? For some reason Scarlett felt afraid. She got up and was lighting a candle when she heard a knock on the door. All the servants were sleeping, and so Scarlett was the only one who could answer it. She went downstairs quickly and looked through a window.

Rhett was standing on the front porch! Why was he here at this late hour?

Scarlett opened the door. "Rhett, what are you doing here? It's so late, and Frank ... "

"Scarlett, that's what I'm here about. Come into the living room and sit down. Frank and Ashley went to try and find the black man who attacked you. They're members of a group called the Ku Klux Klan. Maybe you have heard of them?"

"Yes, Rhett, I have heard of them. But Frank wouldn't join any group like that! He told me he was working late at the store!"

"Well, he's been lying to you, Scarlett. No one thought you should be driving yourself around alone at night. It was certain that you would be attacked by someone. But you insisted on being independent, and Frank and Ashley felt that they had to protect your honor by killing this man. If the northern police catch members of the Ku Klux Klan, they'll be sent to prison, or maybe even killed."

Scarlett sat down. She was too shocked and afraid to say anything. "Rhett, what am I going to do? Where is Frank now?"

Rhett took her hand. "I'm sorry, Scarlett. He's dead. He was killed in the fight."

Scarlett closed her eyes. "Is Ashley all right?"

"Yes."

"How do you know all this, Rhett?" asked Scarlett.

"I heard what had happened to you, so I knew that Frank and Ashley would immediately try to find the man. I saw them leaving Ashley's house at about 10 o'clock. I had to find a horse to follow them. I was able to help Ashley defend himself. We were fighting a group of black men, very strong. But we were able to defend ourselves and escape. But it was too late for Frank. When I arrived, he was already dead. He was killed with a knife."

Scarlett cried out and fainted. Rhett caught her as she fell to the ground, carried her upstairs, and put her into bed.

(end of section)