Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-12-30
SYNOPSIS.


CHAPTER LIN 1882 Lieutenant Knox
Armstrong, Rock Island, III, In territory
threatened by disafected Indians, The
to st. Louis. He tak"s passage on the
steamer Warrior and makes the acquaint.
ance OF Judge Beaucaire. rich planter, and
of Joe Kirby (the Devils OWN. notorious
gambler.
CHAPTER II. Knox learns Judge
Beaucaire has a daughter. Eloise. and a
granddaughter, Rene, offspring OF a son
whom the Judge has disowned. hene
mother Is q negress, ana she and her
daughter, never having been freed. are
slaves under the law although the girls
have been brought up as sisters
CHAPTER III.-Kirby induces the Judge
to stake his plantation and negro servants
on a poker hand unfairly dealt by joe
Carver. Kirby's partner: The two hands
Judge Of cheating Beaucaire, Infatuated
arises to attack Kirby. and drops dead.
CHAPTER 1v.-1n tho confusion Kirby
and Carver are enabled to steal away
Knox tries to induce Kirby to give up his
stolen winnings. Kirby refuses and after
Knox oS' o % The lieutenant swim.
ashore and reaches hut.
CHAPTER V.-Knox lies unconscious
for ten days. Recovering. he finds he Is
in a cabin owned by Pete. free niger,
who had shot him. MISLEADING him for ar
enemy. Hts dispatches have been FOR
warded. He sends Pete to bring Haynes
Beaucaire's lawyer. and they arrange
with Pete's help. to get the women to the
cabin of an aboltionist, Amos Shrunk
before Kirby comes.
CHAPTER vI-At the Beaucaire place
Knox overhears a conversation between
the sheriff and his deputy. and learns the
truth about the situation Reaching the
house he, from balcony. is witness &c
an interview between Kirby and Rene
Beaucaire. Kirby insults the girl. and
Knox attacks him.
CHAPTER Withdrawing Kirby dead
Knox explains affairs to the girl and she
agrees to try to escape with him They
fail to find Pete where he had been posted
so Knox seizes the sheriff's keelboat
SnF WITH II the
CHAPTER VIII. Reaching Rassue,
creek. WITHOUT incident they lay up foi
the night. Next day steamer passes and
Sam recognizes Kirby on. board. Wher
the boat Is out Of sight they proceed tc
6hrunk's place. There they find "Fres
ana carver, also dead. within the shack
The last few rods of our Journey
lay through thick underbrush, and be-
meath the spreading branches Of inter-
lacing trees. Suddenly l emerged
upon the bank of the creek. with the
rude log wharf directly before me. l
stopped transfixed, staring at the wa
ter-nothlng else greeted my eyes
both the boats were gone.
This unexpected discovery came to
me like a blow; the very breath
seemed to desert my lungs, as I
stared down at the vacant stream. We
had been outgeneraled, tricked, and all
our theories as to what had occurred
were wrong. The duty we had per-
formed to the dead had cost us our
own chance to escape. Instead Of be-
ing alone, as we had supposed, we
were in the midst of enemies; we had
been seen, watched, and while we
loitered ashore the murderers had sto-
len our boat and vanished. leaving us
there helplessly marooned. All this
was plnin enough now, whan 1t was
already too late to remedy the evil.
The struggling girl emerged through
the tangle Of shrubs and paused sud
denly at my side. her lips giving ut
terance to a cry Of surprise.
"The-the boat! 1t Is not here"
mo; there is not a sign Of 1t. Those
fellows must be still in the neighbor-
hood; must have seen us when we
first came"
But what are we to dor"
had no ready answer, yet the echo
of utter despair in her voice stirred
me to my own duty as swiftly as
though she had thrust knife into my
side. Do? We must do something !!
We could not sit down idly there in
the swamp. And to decide what was
to be attempted was my part. If Kir-
by and whoever was with him had
stolen the missing boat. as undoubt-
edly they had, they could have pos
sessed but one purpose-escape. They
were inspired to the act by desire
to get away, to flee from the scene
Of their crime. They must believe
pursue them or. create alarm. Yet II
it was Kirby why had he fed so
swiftly, making no effort to take Rene
captive also? It was she he was seek
ing; for the purpose Of gaining pos
session Of her these murders had been
committed. Why, then, should he run
away when he must have known the
girl was already in his grasp7 The
Same thought apparently occurred to
her.
"You-you believe that Kirby did
this2"
what other conclusion Is possible7
We know that he passed US on the
steamer-Sam saw him plainly. 1t
was his man, Carver, whom we found
dead In the hut. 1t could have been
no one else" ..>
"But," she questioned, unsntisfled,
"he would have only one reason for
being here-hunting me, his slave.
That was his one purpose. was 1t not q?
II he saw us then he must have known
Of my presence, that I was here with
you. Why should he make no attempt
to take me with him? Why should he
steal our boat and run away7"
zone theory fs as good az another"
said, land mine SO far have all been
wrong. What do you make Of It,.
SAINT"
"Who, sahf Me, sahT'
Eyes, take a guess at this"
"'Pears like" he said, deliberately,
rubbing his eur with one hand. "as
how 1t mought have happened dis yere
way, sab. All amt a.sayin' it wus--