The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1919-10-16

Just com down from the Jead mines,
toI' him tibet Joe Kirby got all this
we're property in a game o. kyards on
the boat, an tibet 1t want no square
game either. I didn't git il all straight,
l reckon, but accordin' ter the deal
handed me thar wus two dead men
mixed up in the affair-Beaucaire, an
a young army officer. Seems ter me
his name was Knox"
~ didn't hear that"
wei. enyhow, that's the way Bill
told 1t. B%eaucaire he naturally fell
dead-heart, er somethin'-an' the
other Teller, this yere army man, he
went out on deck fer ter see Kirby, an
he never cum back. McAdo0 sorter
reckoned as how likely he was slugged,
an throwed overheard. An then, on
top all that, we're sent up we're in the
night like a passed. o. thieves ter take
these niggers down ter Saint Louee.
What do yer make ov 1t. JakeT
oval" said the other slowly. his
mouth evidently loaded with tobacco.
81 amt never asked no questions since
| wus made sheriff. I'm doin' whut
the court says. Kirby's got the law
on his side-no doubt bout that-but
/ reckon as how he knows 1t wus a
durn mean trick, and so he's sorter
skeered as ter how them fellers Twin
down ter the Landin' might act. Thet's
why we tied up ter the shore below
town, In the mouth O. tibet crick, an
then he'd ter hoof it up yere in the
dark. OF course we got the law with
us. but we wanter pull this job off an
not stir up no ~fght-see?"
Sure disgustedly. 81 reckon I
know all that; l heerd the jedge tell
yer how we must do the job. But
why's Kirby in such a sweat ter git all
these niggers down ter Saint LoueeY'
Ter sell 'em, an git the cash. Onct
they're outer the way there won't be
no row He'll let the land yere lie
idle fer a year or two, an by that time
nobody1l care a whoop how he got it.
But he's got ter git rid o. them mig
gers right away"
"Well. who the h-s goin' ter pre-
vent? They're his'n, amt they? Thar
amt nj Black Abolitionists round
we're, ! reckon"
Seems sorter queer ter me-" admit
ted the sheriff, "but l did get a little
outer that Teller Carver comm up.
Carver is SOM sorter partner with
Kirby-a capper, / reckon. 'Tain't the
nlggers tibet are maxim the trouble
lcastways not the black 'uns. No
body's likely ter row over them. 1t
seems that Beaucaire kept a quadroon
housekeeper, a slave, o. course, an a
while back she Civ birth ter a child,
The father o. the infant bein' Judge
Benucaire's son.. Then the son skipped
outa an amt never bin heard frum
si~uce-dead most likely, fer all this
wus twenty years ago. Course the
child, which wus a girl, Is as white as
| a~m-maybe more 20, l amt w
set eyes on her, but Carver he says
she's good lookin'. Enyhow. the
ledge he brought her up like his own
daughter, sent her ter school in Saint
Louee, an nobody round yere even
suspected she wus q niger. / reckon
she didn't know 1t herself"
yer mean the girls a slaye?"
"Yer bet! That's the law, amt it?"
"And Kirby knew about this?"
Il 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 yere
on the dead quiet. afore Haines err
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, ac-
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 a lot
o. trouble just the same. If he took n
notion. That's kirby's idee--ter cum
up we're in a boat. unbeknownst 10 eny-
body, tie up down thar at Saunders,
an run the whole bunch o. niggers Off
III the iiEHt. linen It's tbhe uu over
with afore the Landin' even wakes M.
| reckon the jedge told him that wus
| The 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.
'The joke of 1t all Is" he continued
with a short laugh, as he Strengthened
up. "this didn't exactly work out
'cordin' ter schedule. When we
dropped In we're we rounded up the
niggers all right. an we got the girl
whar there's NJ chance fer her ter git
away"
rs that the one back In the housef"
~ reckon 81; leastways she tot
Kirky her name was Rene Beaucaire,
an that's how It reads In the papers.
lsut 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 a
fix. fer I can't serve no papers less we
| find the daughter. Her names Elolse |: