The Whitefish pilot. [volume] (Whitefish, Mont.) 1904-current, 1910-08-18

Colonel Moreau and If can be of
any further service to yoh all in this
dark hour Of tribulation pray com
maild me. sub As an cd soldier
beg OF yoll 10 meet t.i;., calamity with
the fohtEnGe Of a Christian gentle
man." with which admirable and pious
adjuration the good colonel f1ourished
his handkerchief and helped himself
to u generous pinch Of snuff.
IL thank you. Colonel Moreau. for
all you have done" said young Ran
dali stonily. looking on the huddled
thing at his feet "You-you say you
witnessed my fathers death?
"Not exactly. sub. fob he shot him.
self hi his stateroom. However hard
to bear. ! think yoh should know who
and what prompted his death. The
scOundrel. sub. was the notorious
Cameo Kirby. of whom. perhaps. yoh
have heard"
Young Randall nodded duly. and
Moreau. entering into the spirit Of the
tale. continued: IL fohned an acquaint-
ance. sub. with yoh poh father when
he came aboard at New Orleans. He
confided to every one that he had sold
his sugar crop foh ten thousand and
had the cash with him. and he was
in mighty high spirits because he was
OIL his way back home to see his chill
dren. Poh gentleman! AS delicateIy
as ! can | must state that he was not
quite himself. and by that. sub. | mean
that he had been imbibng a little too
freely. don't have to tell yoh. sub
that there are certain characters on all
the big boats who keep a pretty sharp
lookout foh gentlemen with money who
are in the condition yoh poh father.
sub. was in tonight. and expect there
was more than one river gambler on
board who would have liked to get his
hands OH Mr.. Randall But the one
who got him was the slickest and clev
crest of the lot. the Cameo Kirby
whom have mentioned This rascal.
sub. inveigled yoh poh father into a
private stateroom. piled him with mob
liquor and Won from him not only all
his money and personal effects-even
including miniature of yoh dead
mother. Suh-but also deed to his en-
tire plantation and all his slaves, every
thing which he owned. ! was too late
to save Mr.. Randall. but l knew Kirby
by repute. and l was so screamingly
outraged by the whole affair that de
nounced him fob the low scOundrel
he was. Thereupon he drew on me. hut
was the quicker and shot him down
like dog They carried him ashore.
sub. at the landing below this, and the
river is cleaner fob his DEATH"
"You have taken vengeance GU Of
my hands," said young Randall un-
steadily. THE coward and villain!
For stranger sir. the attitude which
you have displayed toward MY family
has been most considerable and will
never forget it. The--the hospitality Of
a house in Mourning
mo. no. my boy" interrupted Mo.
reau. again employing his father.y
hand. II am sensible of the honor.
but couldn't think of it. This is
time when yoh all must wish to be
alone. and business calls me north. |
merely stepped ashore in yoh interests
as any gentleman would have done
There goes the bell, and | must run
for 1t. HOnored. sub. to have made
yoh acquaintance. though of co'se l
deeply deplore the necessity which &C.
casioned it. | will venture to pay my
respects to yoh family when | return
south. and pray command me in any
occasion yoh may have. Yoh servant.
subj" And with magnificent bow
the colonel turned and raced for the
gangplank. boarding the Shotwell with
leap that shamed his fifty odd years.
Meanwhile Cameo Kirby. bullet
through his right lung. was making u
desperate battle against death, fight
Ing for the life which he had cOnsid-
cred little better than worthless. In
his efforts he was materially assisted
by the crude but faithful Bunce. his
gambling partner. with whom he had
played up and down the Mississippi
for years. For two weeks this CON-
bat ragged. Kirby lowering between life
and death. but at the end he emerged
when the odds were as heavily against
him. he had emerged from many a
holly contested conflict.
To those who judged KNby's charac-
ter from the evil reports which gossip
had spread concerning him and to 9th
ers who. in their righteous ignorance.
considered all gamblers legitimate chill.
=
cOvery would have been accepted mere.
ly as another proof that the evil one
favors his own, that the mills Of the
gods grind slowly. that justice is blind
and that a scoundrel is difficult to kill.
together with many similar ancient
and redoubtable maXins which igno-
rance and self righteousness love to
distribute on every lifting occasion.
Among pOSsessorS Of the last men,