The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-11-25
smaht. People dess drap UNI, en- dey wux
on do dOwn-hill wen me Ell maraer meet

on do down-hill wen me en- marser meet
unl. s
AT fuss marser gle um de go-by;; den
Miss Ruby put in t hepp, en- soon. It
wnxz all ober wild him. t'ink de writ.
era wat write de Bible in de 'Merican
langwidge made mistake bout Eve
eat'n dat apple. b'lieve Adam eat it.
en- de sarpint wux dess sech a oman ex
man she sot her haid to. En dc can'n
heseff want human; marser fonn' it out.
"Marser's frien's drap off, one by one,
Wen de lass one gone he money gone.
too, en- Miss Ruby sont wud mot at home
Wen he 80 dere TO comfo't. Den, ex de
Bible say, de tishscale done fall FUN he
eyes, en- he see vat dem people wux. He
TUX off a ring Miss Ruby had done swap
sont me t de cap'n wild a challenge. Fo'
de Ole Souf wNz still hugg'n De New
Souf, en- 1t wuz hahd t. larn dat so many
o dey constitutions, specially duellin',
wuz ag'in dc law. He say, Here. Tom,
you halter tex 1t t de cap'n, kase done
loss al my friens, en- l ain got cheek
huff t. beg um back. He kin fin secon's
eff he wanters but you mex him onner-
stan dat he got me t fight somehow
II say, IN do dat, marser. En-, If YOU
| en- him kin fo'git my black skin TO- one
hour, I'll mex de bess secon' YOU cher
had. bin see dis come'n on, en- I'se
studded de slickess kin o way t spile he
pistils.'
"He laugh dough he wuz so dreale
homesick.
"'Dat wouldden. skacely. do, Tom; but
youse de bess frien' got; de onlies frien'.
Dat bunco.steer done run INN all off,
"'Dat wat, MarserS Wat YOU call
de cap'n, TO- de Lawd's sake?' ~
:" 'Bunco'steer. He's dat, en- nuff'n
Il feel lax my eye gwine pop out my
kin YOU prove dat, marser? Is you
rot witnesses I says, kase T ono ~ do
Eyahful kim, an amt gwine max no mo-
mistake dan l kin hepp.
Only too many, Tom: more's de pity.'
lis you gwine to fight a creeter lax
| dat? A steer wat look human? Hits
| dangerous to- mess wild de debbil's Off
| sperings.'
'Debbil's offsperings, sho-nuff.
Youse hit it dis time he say, wild nurr
laugh. AN de, same, Use Ewine fight nm
Doan' be skSahed f. hie: Did You eber
know ME t miss Ii shot?
'Well, l neber did. De fuss time he
de bud froo de haid. Eff anybody could
hit bunco-steer. he wuz de man. En-
dass de way it. tuhn out.
wen went t. de cap'n's room at de
hotel didden knock; I know I got t.
tex bunco-steer at all de disumwantape
l kin. Him en- he sister wuz pack'n in
a big hurry; en- he wuz mighty wife about
challenge, Ell treat it lax boy frolic:
but stuck to it en- wouldden be kicked
out. I wuz free, en- wuz gWine stav o.
longs I wanter. Miss Ruby whisper +
UNI awhile, Ell I know right den he would
'cep' de challenge. Dass wat he DONE
Hit WIZ t be now, en- no secon's, kase
de cap'n wuz bad off heseff fo' frien's.
De night befo' Col. Hopkins he'd got let
tiers fun de Fairbankses, tell'n UNI dey
ain 'quainted wild no Bankses, en- de por-
ter (report) had done gone ober town.
''Marser wuz ready wen I got back.
l TUX de kyahpet-bag Ell de pistils, en- we
meet de bunco-steer behime p'meter
(palmetto) patch in de subub. l amt say
in want skyahed, kase it doan's do t.
marser look at he pistils en- tex aim dess
lax he wuz alter kiln a common steer in
de pen, know he bullet gwine hit. So it
did. Ell de cap'n's shot on'y bark tree.
A bunco-steer mought walk en- talk hui
man. but, co'se, 1t couldden shoot.
zig s saw cool e. you p te E: 1e se
train er go back t. Flurdy-w'ich You
wanter.'
come'n'. En- he went a-kite'n.
"De cap'n WIZ come'n to. He call me
wild he finger; gle me bag O sumpin,
an try t tell me wat to do wild it. De
| rattle in he froat stop um; he wuz daid
in one minute.
ter, 50 l run t de hotel. She sutney
did TEX de news cuyus. She flush up
glad-glad,' en- tex things out de capn's
kyahpet-bag en- put in hern, all de time
glen me saff talk en- sweet smiles.
"'Doan speak my name ner de cap'n's,
Tom, tel YOU year de boat WHSLE, she
say ez she went out de do.
6! know right den wat she ,wuz; no
cap'n's sister at all; but one O. dem bad,
bad wolnails wat de debbil put here t.
git mems souls. Gawd ain hab huff II
t do wild aim. She wuz a witch, too;
she had put spell on me so c6uldden
speak ner move tel year dat boat wis
sic. She cOnjur me so clean fo'get de
lii bag. | open it, en-, fo' de Lawd! eff it
want full,o' jewelry stones from ladies'
yearrings eli, such.''
"Thank Sod! Oh, thank Godv' cries
the girl, whose tears have flowed noise
lessly throughout the narrative; yet Cour-
rier's eloquent hand still begs, commands
patience. And the fire of his eyes as
| they flash with joy and triumph is hot
enough to dry her tears.
Blind Toms voice. that has been falling
| lower and lower, now fails him altogeth-
"Will the doctor never come? He is
worse than l thought. Food has come
too late. # had only thought to send
for brandy"
Brandy? Oh, there may be some in
papa,s flask. I've always kept it just as
Yes, it contains spoonful of fine old
IN -
| His hands close around the ancient, sill
ver-mounted flask as Courier tits it to
his mouth in order to save every precious
drop. 'Marser's flask! I'd know it in
heaben. YOt1 mussa got um hid in dis
here house. YOU"
Courier puts an arm around the young
| lady, and draws her to her knees by the
pallet.
'Tom, listen to me. Your master is
taken YOU in"
His .datter? Did he git mah'ed in
| Texas?~
He did; and she knows the story lust
told by you. She is so exceedingly high
minded that she makes the cloud unon
her fathers name barrier to marriage
with the man she loves. Her father
cused of stealing, quantity of Jewels
the society people had been losing. He
vas seen wearing stolen ring, the very
same that Miss Ruby had exchanged
| with him. OF course Banks, pickDocket
! as well as confidence man, was the thief
but he had no means of proving it. SO
bore the blame all his life. In the ethics
OF the South, Banks death might be for
given; the stealing never
"Marser steal!' says Blind Tom, who
understands nothing else in Courrier's
little speech: de hull O. Flurdy know
bettah dan dat. 1 got de jewelry stones.
TEX my conjur- bag off my neck-rip it
up. Dere dey, is, dess lax de cap'n gle
i'm t me: 1. bin skyahed t. show UNI t
ANYBODY 'cep marser, en- him couldden
! reich. He neber Know nuff'n bout um.
Courrier's quick fingers remove the
talisman-the skin of garter-snake-
opens it and pours out the precious stones
that had nearly wrecked his life.
God is goodv' he says, reverently.
"Therc is nothing more to come between
u.s."
Don't think of that, now. = Look at
him! Tom, poor, good fellow, hear mo