Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1919-11-21
Continued from last week

Seems sorter queer ter me-" admit
ted the sheriff, "but I did get a little
outer that Teller Carver comm up.
Carver is SOM sorter partner with
Kirby-a capper reckon. "Tain't the
niggers tibet are maxim the trouble
leaStWayS not fhe black 'unS. No
bOdy'S likely ter row over them. 1t
seems that Beaucaire kept quadr0On
hOusekeeper, a slave, o. course, an a
while back she Civ birth ter q child,
the father o. the infant bein' Judge
Beaucaire's son. Then the son skipped
out, an amt never bin heard frun1
since-dead most likely, fer all this
Wus twenty years ago. Course the
child, which wus girl, is as white as
/ am-maybe more SO. | amt never
set eyes on her, but Carver he says
she's good lookin'. Enyhow, the
jedge he brought her up like his own
daughter, sent her ter school in Saint
L0uee, an nobody round yere even
suspected she wus a niger. / reckon
she didn't know it herself
"Yer mean the girls a slave?"
eyer bet That's the law, amt it?'
"And Kirby knew about this?'
81 reckon he did. / sorter judge,
Tim, frum whut Carver sed, that he
Wus more anxious fer ter git thet girl
than all the rest O. the stuff; an it's
her he wants ter git away frum we're
on the dead quiet, afore Haines er
any o. them others down at the Landin'
kin catch on
"They couldn't do nuthin'; if thar
amt no papers, then she's his, &C
cOrdin' ter law. I've seen that tried
afore now"
"Of course; but what's the use o.
runnin' eny risk? A smart lawyer
like Haines could make a devil ov lot
o. trouble just the same, if he took a
notion. That's Kiroys idee-ter cum
up yere in a boat, unbeknOwnst to eny-
body, tie up down thar at Saunders,
an run the whole bunch O. niggers off
in the night. Then it's done an over
with afore the Landin' even wakes up
]. reckon the jedge told him that WIS
Tie best way"
There was a moment of silence, the
first man evidently turning the situa-
ton over in his mind The sheriff bent
across the rail, and spat into the dark
ness below.
1.-THE joke of it all is" he continued
with a short laugh, as he Strengthened
up, this didn't exactly work out
SoDrJfp, FOR cpboI111a Whom WE
dropped in yere we rounded up the
niggers all right, an we got the Cir
whar there's no chance fer her ter git
away"
rs that the one back in the house?'
81 reckon so; leastways she toll
an that's how it reads in the papers
But thar amt no trace Ov her mother
ner ov the jedge's daughter. They
amt in the house, ner the Niger
cabins. Leaves me in a deuce Ov 6
fix, fer l can't serve no papers less we
find the daughter. Her names Eloise
she's the heir ct law, an / amt got nc
legal right fer ter take them niggers
away till | do. Looks ter me like
they'd skipped out. Thar's Kirby an
Carver, a comm now, an they're
alone; amt got no trace ov the girl Of
her mother, | reckon"
Where / crouched in the shadows
could gain no glimpse of the approach
ing figures but | heard the crunch OF
their boots on the gravel of the drive
way. and moment later the sound OF
their feet rs they mounted the w0OdeT
steps. Kirby must have perceived the
forms of the other men as soon as hi
attained the porch level, and his nat
urally disagreeable voice had snarly
ring.
THAT you, Donaldson? Have either
of those women come back?''
NO." and l thought the sheriff's
answer was barely cordial. "We AIM