The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1919-10-30

believo-the day Of my visit. al had
sold me ONE timber, and I went out
with the family lawyer, a man named
Haines, living at the landing, to look
It over"
'The house was closed?"
"No; 1t is never closed. The house
keeper was there, and also the two
daughters" =
"Daughters?"
Certainly; hadn't 1 told you about
them? Both girls r accepted as his
daughters; but, If all I have heard is
true, one must be his granddaughter"
He paused reminiscently, his eyes on
the river. "Haines told me a number
Of strange things about that family l
had never heard before" he admitted
at last. "You see he has known them
for years, and attended to most of
Beaucaire's legal business. This is
about how the story runs, as he told it.
1t wasn't generally known, but it
seems that Lucius Beaucaire has been
married twice-the first time to a Gre
ole girl in New Orleans when he was
scarcely more than a boy. Nobody
now living probably knows whatever
became of her, but likely she died
early; anyway she never came north,
or has since been heard from. The
important. part is that she gave birth
to a son, who remained in New Or
leans, probably in her care, until he
was fourteen or fifteen years old. Then
some occurrence, possibly his mothers
death, caused the judge to send for
the lad, whose name was Adelbert,
md had him brought to Missouri. All
this happened before Haines settled at
the Landing, and previous to Beau
CARES second marriage to Mademoi-
selle Menard. Bert, as the boy was
called, grew up Wild and father and
finally, and before he was twenty, the
latter ran away, and has never been
heard Of since-simply disappeared,
and no one knows to this day whether
he is alive or dead. At least if Judge
Beaucaire " received any word
AlIAA Liz ICFCl SO1lCSSCu US lluSH
to Haines. However, the boy left be-
hind tangible evidence of his exist
ence."
"You mean
I'm the form Of a child, born to a
quadroon girl named Della. The
mother, it seems, was able in some
way to convince the Judge Of the
child's parentage. All this happened
shortly before Beaucairers second mar
riage, and previous to the time when
Haines came to the Landing. Exactly
what occurred is not clear, or what ex
PLANTATION was made to the bride. The
affair must have cut Beaucaire's pride
deeply, but he had to face the condi-
lions. 1t ended in his making the girl
Della his h~ousekeeper, while her child
the offspring of Adelbert Beau
caire-was brought up as a daughter.
A year or so later the second wife
gave birth to a female child, and those
two girls have grown up together ex-
actly Is though they were sisters.
Haines insists that neither of them
knows to this day otherwise"
"But that would be simply impos-
sible," I insisted. 'The mother would
never permit"
"The mother! Which mother? The
slave mother could gain nothing by
confession, and the judges wife died
when her baby was less than two
years old. Della practically mothered
the both of them, and is still in COM
plete charge of the house."
"You met her?"
"She was pointed out to me-a gray
haired, dignifed woman, so nearly
white as scarcely to be suspected Of
negro blood"
"Yet still a slave?'
II cannot answer that. Haines him
self did not know. If manumission
papers had ever been executed it was
done early, before. he took charge of
Beaucatre's legal affairs. The matter
never came to his attention"
"But, captain" I exclaimed, "do you
realize what this might mean? If
Judge Beaucaire has not issued papers
Of freedom this woman Della is still
a slave"
"Certainly."
Sand under the law her child was
born into slavery?"
"No doubt of that"
"But the u%nspeakable horror of it
this young woman brought up as free,
educated and refined, suddenly to dis
cover herself to be a negro under the
law, and a slave. Why, suppose Beau
caire should die, or lose his property
suddenly; she could be sold to the
cotton fields, into bondage to anyone
who would pay the price for her."
"There is nothing on record. Haines
assured himself as to that some years
ago."
"What are the two girls named?"
Irene and Eloise."
(Which one is the daughter?"
"Really, lieutenant, I do not know.
| You see I was never introduced, but
merely gained a glimpse of them in
the garden. I doubt If I would recog-
nize the one from the other now. You
49, = = xIS~ ~L>--".~ A-15 - $500 Il