The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1919-12-11
CHAPTER xu--contirued.

brcak 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
q long story. This yere Joe Kirby he's
a frien' o. mine; I've know'd him a
Tong time. an he's In a r. OF o fix.
Here's how 1t all happened Thar wus
an oil planter Twin down In Missoury
ats place called Beaucaire's Landin'.
Ills name wus Beaucaire, an he he'd a
son named Bert. "a good-fer-nuthing
cuss, I reckon. Wal, this Bert ruined
away a long while ago. an never cum
back but he left a baby behind him
q gurl baby-which a %quadroOn slave
give birth 10. The quadroon's name
was Della. an the kid wus called
Rene Git them names ia yer head.
OF Beaucaire he knew the CURL wus
his sons baby. 81 he brought her up
'iobg with his own daughter. who wus
uamed Eloisc. They wus both bout
thpr same age. an nobody seemed ter
know thet Rene wus II niger. Fer
SUN reason OF SIeaucaire never set
her free. ner the guaireon neither.
Wat. Kirby ne heard tell o all this
sufDwhar down the river. Yer see he
an Bert Beaueaire run tergether fer
a while, till Bert got killed In a row
tn New Orleans. | reckon he toll him
part o. the story, an the rest he picked
up ia Saint Louee, Enyhow. II 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
Moise-the white one--hed an indie
pendent fortune left her through her
mother. SO Kirby. he an' a Teller
named Carver-a tin-horn-planned Il
out betwixt 'em ter copper oil Beau.
caire's coin. an pick up them gurls
along with It."
aRut how cud they do theft"
Luck mostly. | reckon. an Kirby's
brains. The plan wus tex git Beau
caire inter q poker game. ease him
long a bit. AN then break him, land.
niggers. an all. They didn't figure
this wud be hard. fer he wus y dead
game gambler. an played fer big
stakes. IL was luck. though, what Civ
'em their chance. Beaucaire he'd um
minin' claims up on the Fevre, an he'd
ter go up thar. It's a long. Ionesom'
trip. 1 reckon. au so the other two
they went long. They got the Of
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 whit he'd happened the Of gent got
so excited he flung a iii. an died"
Leaving Kirby ewnin' all the prop
erty7"
Every picayune. niggers an all. 1t
wus sum sweep, an he he'd signed
bills o. sale. Want nobody cud git IL
sway frum him. Wal Joe he didn't
wynt fer ter make no fuss, ner scare
the guri none, so he went down ter
Saint Louee an made proof o. owner
snip arore n Jetlge he know'd. Then,
With the papers all straight. he. an
the sheriff. with Tim yere. the deputy.
ruu up the river at night ter serve EN-
quietly on the daughter-the white
one, Eloise. Kirby he didn't aim ter
he. see at oil. but just went long so
thar wudn't be no mistake. Yer see.
sheyn papers lad ter he served afore
they cud take away the niggers. 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 ter
shine Mp ter this yere gurl Eloise. He'd
ueyer e her-but. enyhow. he got
thief notion in his he'd"
She wus the daughter: the white
oueY'
Sure: he hei the other by law.
Wal. when they all got thar. nobody
NUS home. 'cept one % the gurls. who
claimed fer ter be Rene-the one
VINO wus a nigger. tibet Kirby owned.
Nobody know'd which wus which. an
s0 they he'd ter take her word for Il.
They ,cudn't do nuthin' legal till they
found the other one. an they wus
situn' round waitin' fer her ter turn
up. when the niger guri they WIS
watchin' cot away"
How'd she do thetT-
Don't nobody seem ter knov.
Damn funny story. Way they tell II.
suunbody must'r knocked Kirby down
an run or with her. Whoever did Il.
stole the boat In which Kirby an the
shcftK cum up the river. an just natur-
sliy skipped out-the sherirrs niger
an all. II was . slick job"
1Of course they chased them,"
Hest they cud. not KNOWN which
wax they'd gone. They reckoned the
who'd bunch must'r got away tergether.
10 the sheriff ne started fer SaInt
s1ouee. an the others get onto a troop
Aoat what happened ter cum long. and
sserfed north, Long bout the mouth
0v the Ilinoy they caught up with a
O~<eker-stealer named Shrunk. They
AedSA aght 10 an, about his cabin. an
xurA KILN. Two ov the womin rot
Array. bat Kirby an Tim got hold O.
fhia gur what he'd claimed ter be
Ssene an mulatto cook who wus
s-vDrkin' fer Shrunk. reckon maybe
yers know tie rest"
II know they wus run down BY the
Adycnfnfer. an hauled aboard. Hul
baw did Kirby learn hts prisoner wui