The Dolores star., 1920-01-30

|
tor him tibet Joe Kirby got all this
yere property In game o. kyards on
the boat, an thet ii want no square
game either. didn't git 1t all straight.
reckon, but a"cordin' ter the deal
handed me thar wns two dead men
mixed up in the affair-Beaucaire, an
n young army officer. Seems ter me
| his name was Knox"
Il didn't hear that"
| "Well. enyhow. that's the way Bill
told 1t. .Beaucaire he naturally fell
dead-heart. er somethin'-an' the
other feller, 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 yere in the
night like n passel 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.
Il nin't never asked no questions since
| ~us made sheriff. I'm doin' whut
the court says. Kirby's got the law
on his side-no doubt bout that-but
I reckon as how he knows it wus a
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. thet 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 iight--see?"
Sure" disgustedly. II reckon
know all that; l 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 Louee?'
Ter sell 'em, an git the cash. Onct
they're outer the way there won't be
no row. He'll let the land yere lie
idle fer year or two, an by that time
nobody'll care whoop how he got 1t.
liut he's got ter git rid O. them mig
gers right away"
well, who the h-s goin' ter pre-
vent? They're hls'n, amt they? Thar
amt no Black Abolitionists round
yere, l reckon"
Seems sorler queer ter me-" admit
ted the sheriff, "but l did get little
outer that feller Carver comm up.
Carver is som sorter partner with
klrby-a capper, reckon. 'Tain't the
niggers thet are maxim the trouble
ieastways not the black 'uns. No
body's likely ter row over them. 1t
seems that Beaucaire kept quadroon
housekeeper, slave. O. course, an
while back she Civ birth ter a child,
the father O. the infant bein' Judge
Beaucaire's son. Then the son skipped
out, an amt never bin heard frum
since-dead most likely, fer all this
wus twenty years ago. Course the
child. which WIS girl, is as white as
| am-maybe more so. / 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 n niger. l reckon
she didn't know it herself"
Yer mean the girls a slave?"
Yer bet! That's the law, amt it?"
"And Kirby knew about this?"
II reckon he did I sorter Judge,
Tim. frum whut Carver sed, that he
WIS more anxious fer ter git thet 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 Lapdin'
kin catch on"
'They couldn't do nuthin'; If thar
amt no papers, then she's his, ac-
cordn' 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, IL he took a
| notion. That's Kirby's idee-ter cum
| up yere In boat, unbeknownst to eny-
body, tie up down thar at Saunders.
an run the whole bunch o. niggers or
In the night. Then it's done an over
with afore the Landin' even wakes IN.
1 reckon the jedge told him that wus
| the best way"
There was moment of silence, the
first man evidently turning the sItun-
ton over In his mind. The sheriff bent
across the rail. and spat into the dark
ness below.
1.-The joke Of it all is" he continued
with a short laugh, as he Strengthened
up, this didn't exactly work out
'cordn' ter schedule. When we
dropped In yere 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 house?"
Il reckon SO; leastways she tol'
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
ain't In the house, ner the niger
cabins. Leaves me in a deuce ov a
fix. fer I can't serve no papers less we
fvnSV