Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-05-05
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
KIRBY
Adapted From
the Play Of the Same
Name by W. B. N.
Ferguson
A,nsLEE MAGAZINE COMPANY

apouts, while the captain and officers
stood with barred heads and thankfully
left the unwelcOme task Of explaining
the tragedy to the amiable and willing
Colonel Moreau.
my boy" said the latter. now lay
ing fatherly hand on young Ran
dall's heaving shoulder. although !
am stranger to yoh. sub, ! have
ventured to assume temporary control
of this terrible affair. foh ! am a
southern gentleman, as was Mr.. RAN
dali, and feefs bound to yoh all by
the ties of sympathy and country. !
was witness, sub, to the events
which preceded and prompted this out
rage. and. although am aware it is
but poh satisfaction. still it is some
thing to know that the scoundreI who
was instrumental in causing yoh poh
fathers death has already paid fob
it with his life. My name. sub. Is
Colonel Moreau, and II ! can be Of
any further service to yoh all In this
dark hour of tribulation pray com
mand me, sub. AS an old soldier
beg of yoh to meet this calamity with
the fohtitude Of Christian gentle
man." with which admirable and pious
ADMIRATION the good colonel hourished
bis handkerchief and helped himself
to a generous pinch of snuff.
I'll thank you. Colonel Moreau. for
all you have DONE" said young Ran
dali stonily, looking on the huddled
thing ut his feet. "You-you say you
witnessed my fathers death:"
mot exactly, sub. fob he shot him
self in his stateroom. However hard
to bear, l 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: II fohmed 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 fob ten thousand and
had the cash with him. and he was
in mighty high spirits because be was
on his way back home to see his chill
dren. Poh gentleman! AS delicately
as l can l must state that he was not
quite himself. and by that, sub. mean
that he had been imbibing little too
freely. ] don't have to tell yoh. sub,
that there are certain characters on all
the big boats who keep pretty sharp
lookout fob 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 on 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 u
private stateroom. piled him with mob
liquor and won from him not only all
bis money and personal edects-even
including miniature of yOh dead
mother, suh-but also deed to his en-
tire plantation and all his slaves. every
thing which be owned. was too late
to save Mr. Randall. but ] knew Kirby
BY repute. and | was SO screamingly
outraged by the whole affair that de-
nounced him fob the low scoundrel
he was. Thercupon he drew on me, but
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 out Of
my hands," said young Randall un-
steadily. "The coward and villain!
For a stranger. sir. the attitude which
you have displayed toward my family
has been most considerable. and ! will
never forget It. The-tbe hospitality Of
q house In mourning
mo. no. my boy" interrupted Mo
reau. again employing his fatherly
hand. Il am sensible Of the honor.
but couldn't think of it. This Is a
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 l must run
for it. Honored, sub. to have made
yoh acquaintance. though Of co'se l
deeply deplore the necessity which &C.
casioned 1t. 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
a leap that shamed his fifty odd years.
Meanwhile Cameo Kirby. a bullet
through his right lung. was making a
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 COM
bat ragged. Kirby lowering between life
and death, but at the end he emerged
triumphant as. over the gaming table
when the odds were rs heavily against
him, he had emerged from many a
hotly contested conflict.
To those who judged Kirby'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
dren of the devil his remarkable re-
covery would have been accepted mere
~ as another proof that the evil one
favors his own. that the mills Of the
gods grind slowly, that justice is blind
and that scoundrel Is difficult to kill.
together with many similar ancient