The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-09-24

| WOuuutu W uCath, eoaiAhS mouiyi
blindly at whatever he could feel. His
words soon became indistinguishable
and ran together into harsh, gut
tura! growl.
| Dick Beckett doubtless the reader
has recognized him) was at first too
much astonished to be at himself.
As soon as he began to pull his wits
together, however, the whole truth
became more than q suspicion in his
mind.
"Who hurt ye, Daddy Burns?" he
demanded in his natural tone of voice.
"War it that dir Pierre Rameau?"
Perhaps hearing Burns repeat the
great robbers name had suggested the
thought to Dick Beckett, or it may
have risen out of the prevalent habit
of laying everything cruel and other
wise unaccountable at the feet oi
Rameau.
Dick knelt down beside the old
man, and, still holding his gun in one
hand, felt of tho wound, after pulling
away the rent clothes from around it.
In vain he tried to arouse him.
"Well-well-tut, tut, tut!' he
splIttered.
Rising again to hiaieet and stand
ing with mcst OF his weight on his
crooked leg. he contemplated the situa-
tion, while with the fingers of his left
hand he worried the frowzy red hair
that hung under the brim of his bat
tered cap.
"Poor ole daddyr' he exclaimed,
after while. "He do seem to be
bout done for!'
Dick possessed executive ability OF
sort, and when he got his faculties
rightly put together there was no such
q thing as his giving up to circum-
stances contrary to his wish. He e1-
amined Burns and found that he was
not yet dying. The next thing was to
save him. This looked like forlorn
hope, but he would try it at all events.
So he caught the lingering horse and
with its aid bore Burns through the
wood to his cabin.
Here I insert short paragraph from
the "Honey Island Records" The
reader will feel, in reading it, watt
from the old reckless life of the from
| tier:
"Dick Beckett" it goes on to say,
"found the preacher in sad condi-
i ton when he reached home with him,
which it was after dark ut tho time.
and he struck light. The wound
was tear in the side dug by pistol
bullet that had been amazingly fiat
! tened on silver watch afore doing it.
Il will save himr said Dick Beckett,
who was good nurse besides a dis
tracing fiddler: and, belize, he had
original medicine-strange roots and
such. Some do say he did possess
root of the man-plant which he
salved the hurt with. Sure enough, any
way he cured him betimes. What they
do say, also, is that Dick Beckett did
fiddle and play profane musk unto
the preacher what time he conva-
lesced, even such tunes as Sugar in
the Gourd' and "Riding on . Rail-
No doubt, however, this matters not,
seeing that the preacher survived and
at last went on his way"
In the French version of the story
there is statement not to be found III
the other accounts.
SIT cannot be denied" runs this
creole document, which appears to be
q rough translation Of some lost Eng
lish writing-'It cannot be denied
that Burns, the preacher, did swear
vengeance on Pierre Rameau, the rob-
Der (forban is the French word used),
and did express himself in language
dreadful in its nature. Some think
that this Dick Beckett had fddled all
the piety and tenderness of religion
out of the old mans soul, for, after
this, he is nightly changed in his
temper and disposition, and some des.
perate acts are set down to his credit"
Dick Beckett himself, in his extreme
old age, when his mind ran mostly ON
things long since done, was sometimes
ready to talk about Burns; but even
the garrulity of nearly a century OF
years did not overcome certain tan
talizing discretion. The most that he
would tell was to the effect that Burns
seemed little ''onsettledin is upper
story wen e got WE'LL"
eyes," he would remark, II mem
Der how o look ed wen e up an tole
nue. goodbye an went off to s'arch for
Pierre Rameau. Twas OBJ Thurs
day mornil' an e said
Farewell Dick. I 90 unto Honey
Island an woe be upon that Internal
darn rascal what stole my chile!"
Doubtless this seemed to the aged
fiddler the exact language of Burns;
but it does not sound like him. If We
cannot wholly believe that there could
have been change so sudden and SO
radical in the character OF one who
hal been for so many years sincere
and sinsularly'humble- minded preach
or, we must, at least, give due weight
to the evidence tending to prove 1t.
~, nlxyu unt-