The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1919-11-06
ss2E2EgE 81

McAdoo, down ter Saint Louee, who's
just COM down from the lead mines,
tor him tibet Joe Kirby got all this
we're property In game o. kyards on
the boat an tibet 1t want no square
game either. didn't git it all straight,
/ reckon, but accordn' ter the deal
handed me thar wus two dead men
mixed up in the affair-Beaucaire, an
young army officer. Seems ter me
his name was Knox"
81 didn't hear that"
swell, enyhow, that's the way Bill
told 1t. Beaucaire 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. McAdoO 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 passed. o. thieves ter take
these niggers down ter Saint Louee.
What do yer make ov 1t, Jake%
"Wal," said the other slowly, his
mouth evidently loaded with tobacco.
81 amt never asked no questions since
I wus made sheriff. I'm doin' whit
the court says. Kirby's got the law
on his side-no doubt bout that-but
l reckon as how he knows 1t wus
durn mean trick, and so he's sorter
skeered as ter how them fellers livin'
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 1t 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-seeT
"Sure." disgustedly. 81 reckon
know all that; 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 we're lie
idle fer year or two. an by that time
nobody'll care a who0p how he got 1t.
But he's got ter git rid o. them mig
gers right away"
"Well, who the h-s goin' ter pre-
vent2 They're his'n, amt they2 Thar
amt no Black Abolitionists round
yere, reckon"
Seems sorter queer ter me-" admit
ted the sheriff, "but I did get a little
outer that Teller Carver comm up.
Carver is SOM sorter partner with
Kirby-a capper, I reckon. Tain't the
niggers tibet are maxim the trouble
leastways not the black 'uns. No
body's likely ter row over them. 1t
seems that Beaucaire kept quadroon
housekeeper, a slave, o. course, an
while back she Civ birth ter child,
the father o. the infant bein' Judge
Beaucaire's son. Then the son skipped
since-dead most likely, fer all this
wus twenty years ago. Course the
child, which wus girl, Is as white as
1 am-maybe more SO. I amt never
set eyes on her, but Carver he says
she's good lookin'. Enyhow, the
jedge he brought her up like his own
daughter. sent her ter school In Saint
Louee, an nobody round yere even
suspected she wus a niger. I reckon
she didn't know 1t herself"
"Yer mean the girls slave?"
Eyer bet! That's the law, amt it?"
"And Kirby knew about this?"
~ reckon he did. 1 sorter Judge,
Tim, frum- whit Carver sed, that he
wus more anxious fer ter git tibet 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 er
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 devil ov lot
o. trouble just the same, If he took
notion. That's Kirby's idee-ter cum
MP yere In a boat, unbeknownst to eny-
body, tie up down thar at Saunders,
an run the whole bunch o. niggers off
In the night. Then it's done an over
with afore the Landin' even wakes up.
I reckon the jedge told him that wus
the best way"
There was 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 It all Is" he continued
with 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 no chance fer her ter git
away"
'Is that the one back In the houseY
II reckon so; leastways she toll
Kirky her name was Rene Beaucaire,
an that's how 1t reads In the papers.
But thar amt no trace ov her mother,
ner ov the jedge's daughter. They