Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-11-11
I Was UnpleasantIy Aware OF His
Continued Scrutiny. What Would
He Dsclde2 z

I Was unpleasantIy Aware OF His
Continued Scrutiny. What Would
He Deelde2 z
once more, but grufiy enough, leaning
forward, and lowering his voice to a
hoarse whisper.
"wap now see yere, Moffett, I'm
goin, fer ter be d plain with yer.
I reckon yer whut yer say ye are, fer
thar amt no reason, fer as I kin see,
why we should lie bout it. Yer flat
broke, an need coin, an I'm takin' ye
at yer own word-thet ye don't care
overly much how yet git it. Thet
true%
aust 'bout-so it amt no hangin'
Job"
"H--, thar amt really no manner
o. risk at all. Yer don't even hav' ter
break the law, fer as I know. It's
Just got fer ter be done on the dead
quiet, an no question asked. I'll tell
yer all yer need ter know. Tain't such
a long story. This yere Joe Kirby he's
a frien' o. mine; I've know'd him q
long time, an he's in h Of fix.
Here's how it all happened: Thar wus
an Of planter nvin' down in Missoury
at a place called Beaucaire's Landin'.
His name wus Beaucaire, an he he'd a
son named Bert, good-fer-nuthing
cuss, I reckon. Wal, this Bert runned
away q long while ago, an never cum
back; but he left baby behind him
q gurl baby-which a quadroon slave
give birth to. The quadroon's name
wus Della, an the kid wus called
Rene. Git them names in yer head.
OF Beaucaire ne knew the gurl wus
his sons baby, so he brought her up
long with his own daughter, who wus
named ElOise. They wus both bout
thcr same age, an nobody seemed ter
know thet Rene wus niger. Fer
sum reason OF Beaucaire never set
her free, ner the quadrOon neither.
Wal, Kirby he heard tell O. all this
sumwhar down the river. Yer see he
an Bert Beaucaire run tergether fer
a while, till Bert got killed in row
in New Orleans. I reckon ne toP him
part O. the story, an the rest he picked
I'D in Saint Louee. EnyhOw, it looked
like a d good thing ter Kirby, who
amt passin' up many bets. or Beau
caire wus rich, an considerable ov a
sport; people who he'd seed the gurls
sed they wus both ov 'em beauties an
Eloise-the white one-hed an indie
pendent fortune left her through her
mother. So Kirby, he an feller
named Carver-a tin-horn-planned it
out betwixt 'em ter copper Oh Beau
caire's coin, an pick Sp them gurls
along with it," "
"But how cud they do theft"
"Luck mostly, I reckon, an Kirby's
brains. The plan was ter git Beau
caire inter q poker game, ease him
long q bit, an then break him, land,
nigers, an all. They didn't figure
this wud be hard, fer he Wus dead
game gambler, an played fer big
stakes. 1t was luck, though, what Civ
'em their chance. Beaucaire he'd sum
minin' claims up on the Fevre, an he'd
ter go up thar. It's long, loneSOm'
trip, I reckon, an so the other two
they went long. They got the oil
chap goin' and comm, an finally cod.
died him long till he put up his big
bet on a sure hand. When he found
out whut he'd happened the OF gent got
so excited he flung fit, an died."
Leaving Kirby ownin' all the prop
erty?"
Every picayune, niggers an all. II
wus sum sweep, an he he'd signed
bills O. sale. Want nobody cud git ii
away frum him. War Joe. he didn't
want fer ter make no fuss, ner scare
the gurl none, so he went down ter
Saint Louee an made proof O. owner
ship afore a jedge he knOw'd. Then
with the papers all straight, he, an
the sheriff, with Tim yere, the deputy
run up the river at night ter serve EN-
quietly on the daughter-the white
one, Eloise. Kirby he didn't aim tel
be seen at all, but just went long sc
thar wudn't be no mistake. Yer see
them papers had ter be served af0rC
they cud take away the niggcrs. Kir
by wus goin' ter sell them down river
an not bother bout the land fer
awhile, till after he'd he'd a chance tel
shine up ter this ycre gurl Eloisr. He'L
never seen her-but, enyhOw, he got
thet notion in his he'd"
"she wus the daughter; the white