Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1919-10-17
Continued from last week

but was not so successful in admins
tration, seriously lacking in business
judgment, and being decidedly indo-
lent by nature. Felipe married into
one Of the oldest and most respectable
families of st. Louis, and as result
OF that union had one son, Lucius, who
grew up reckless Of restraint, and pre-
ferred to spend his time in New Or
leans. rather than upon the plantation.
Lucius was a young man Of twenty
six, unsettled in habits, when the ia
ther died, and, against his inclination,
was compelled to return to Missouri
and assume control of the property.
He found matters in rather bad condi-
ton, and his was not at all the type
of mind to remedy them. Much Of the
land had been already irretrievably
lost through speculation, and when his
fathers obligations had been met, and
his own gambling debts paid, the es-
tate, once so princely and magnificent,
was reduced to barely five hundred
acres. together with comparatively
small amount of cash. This condition
sufficed to sober Lucius for a few
years, and he married Menard OF
Cape Girardeau, of excellent family
but not great wealth, and earnestly
endeavOred to rebuild his fortunes.
Unfortunately his reform did not last.
The evil influences of the past soon
proved too strong for one Of his tenn
permanent. The plantation house be-
came in time a rendezvous for all the
wild spirits of that neighborhood, and
stories of fierce drinking bouts and
mad gambling were current in st.
Louis
'Ilave you ever been at Beaucaire,
cantain?" / asked.
1--WE always stop at the landing, but
l have only once been up the cliff to
where the house stands. The judge
away from home-in st. Louis, I
believe-the dag Of my visit. He had
sold me some timber, and I went out
with the family lawyer, a man named
Haines, living at the landing, to lool
it over"
line mouse was clOSoQF
"No; it is never closed. The house
keeper was there, and also the two
daughters"
'Daughters?"
Certainly; hadn't I told you about
them? Both girls are accepted as his
daughters; but, If all have heard is
true, one must be his granddaughter"
He paused reminiscently, his eyes on
the river. "Haines told me number
of strange things about that family I
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 1t.
1t wasn't generally known, but 1t
seems that Lucius Beaucaire has been
married twfce-the first time to 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 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,
and had him brought to Missouri. All
this happened before Haines settled at
the Landing, and previous to Beau
caire's second marriage to Mademoi-
Selle Menard. Bert, as the boy was
called, grew up wild, and father and
son quarreled so continuously that
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 ever received any word
from him he never confessed as much
to Haines. However, the boy left be-
hind tangible evidence of his exist
ence."
"You mean"
'Tn the form Of a child, born to a
quadroon girl named Della. The
mother, 1t seems, was able In some
way to convince the judge of the
child's parentage. All this happened
shortly before Beaucaire's second mar
rage, 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-
tions. 1t ended in his making the girl
Della his housekeeper, while her child
the offspring of Adelbert Beau
caire-was brought up as daughter.
A year or so later the second wife
gave birth to female child, and those
two girls have grown up together ex-
actly as though they were sisters.
Haines insists that neither of them
knows to this day otherwise"
'But that would be simply impos-
sible," insisted. 1.-THE mother would
never permit"
'"The motherl Which mother? The
slave mother could gain nothing by
confession, and the Judges wife died