The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1910-07-16


IA fore Colonel Moreau. bark
- ening at length to the call of
(&&&GJ the river. returned to his oid
haunts In New Orleans. When he dld
so 1t was to learn that his supposed
victim had entirely recovered from the
effects of the honorable combat and,
in conjunction with his partner had
reoccupied his old niche of fame
premier professional gambler OF the
Mississippi. Quite aside from all fihan-
cial reasons-the fact that a more
skillful and successful rival was gar
nering the major spoils of the river
the news of his victims recovery was
seriously disquietlng to the honorable
colonel, and had he been forewarned
he might have indefinitely prolonged
his acquaintance with the more health
full climate of Mexico He knew that
Kirby was not the type Of man to for
get or condone bullet In the back
or the smirching of whatever little re-
mained of his once fair reputation.
and had he even remotely suspected
that he would recover he (Moreau
would not have pretaricated so cheer
fully and with such abandon to young
Randall. How much did the boy now
know? That was the all important
question. Kirby. of course, had learn
ed that he stood accused Of the late
John Randall's suicide. but had he
taken the trouble to refute 1t? MO
reau did not think so. and Moreau
was right.
Kirby had but vaguely heard of the
unjust accusation and, having been
long since casehardened to calumny
in all Its phases. paid little If any at
tention. Had any member Of the Ran
dali family sought him out he would.
MS a matter Of duty. have proved his
innocence But they. believing him
dead. had not done so, and he refused
to take the initiative, partly because he
could not give absolute credence to
the rumor. but In a greater measure
because of the demands upon his
time. After all, 1t did not matter 1t
meant only another tally to the score
of Jack Moreau. and all would be
wiped out by that gentleman's death.
an undertaking upon which he had
definitely decided. What stood be-
tween them could be eradicated only
by the bullet.
Meanwhile the passing year ha
brought with 1t many changes for the
surviving members Of the Randall fam
fly. Life Is tenacious, and they had
persisted In surviving as best they
could the shock incident upon theii
fathers suicide. The one small meas
ure of satisfaction In the whole ter
rible affair was the knowledge that thu
despoller OF their home had promptly
met his death and that In consequence
they were at least saved from pauper
ization, for they were entirely igno
rant Of Kirby's recovery or the meas
ures he had voluntarily taken for theil
protection.
To the only girl. Adele, had falleI
the brunt of suffering. The General
child of eight, was too young to full.
comprehend his loss, while Tom,
hot headed youth in his early twenties
occupied all his time with the planta
tion and devoted all spare moments I
nursing his hatred against Kirby
memory. While glorying In the lat
ters supposed death he deplored tina
his hand had not effected It. Wher
grief had paralyzed Adele II had bu
further aroused the boys militant an
aggressive nature, adding, moreover,
veneer of youthful and bitter cynicisn
He abhorred Kirbys memory with a
intensity passing the hatred of ma
and. even had he been stranger
the then prevailing and primitive M
tlons Of justice. would, had he know
the other lived have immediatel
sought him out and killed him. II b