The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1920-02-06

toP MIN thet Joe Kirby gOt all tnl:
yere property in game o. kyards OF
the boat, an tibet it want no square
game either. didn't git 1t all straight
reckon, but accordin' ter the dea
handed me thar wus two dead meI
mixed up in the affair-Beaucaire, an
a young army officer. Seems ter me
his name was Knox"
II didn't hear that"
"Well, enyhow, that's the way Bill
told it. 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
i 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 it, Jake"
| "Wal," said the other slowly, his
mouth evidently loaded with tobacco.
II amt never asked no questions since
1 wus made sheriff. I'm doin' whit
| the court says. Kirby,s got the law
on his side-no doubt bout that-but
1 reckon as how he knows it wus a
durn mean trick, and so he's sorter
skeered as ter how them fellers Twin
down ter the Landln' 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 it up we're in the
dark. OF course we got the law with
us, but we wanter pull this job off an
not stir up no fight-see?"
"Sure," disgustedly. 81 reckon I
know all that; heerd the jedge tell
yer how We must do the job. But
why's Kirby in such 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 we're lie
idle fer year or two, an by that time
nobody'll care a whoop how he got it.
But he's got ter git rid o. them mig
gers right away"
"Well, who the h-s goin' ter pre-
vent? They're his'n, amt they? Thar
amt no Black Abolitionists round
yere, l reckon"
Seems sorter queer ter me-" admit
ted the sheriff, "but / did get little
outer that Teller Carver comm up.
Carver is SOM sorter partner with
Kirby-a capper, 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, slave, O. course, an a
while back she Civ birth ter 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 |
l arn-maybe more so. l amt never |
set eyes on her, but Carver he says |
she's good Iookin.. Enyhow, the
iedge he brought her up like his own
sent her ter school In Saint
Louee, an nobody round yere even
suspected she wus q niger. / reckon
she didn't know it herself"
Yer mean the girls slave?"
Eyer bet That's the law, amt it,"
"And Kirby knew about this?"
81 reckon he did. I sorter judge,
Tim, frum whut 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-
,ordin' ter law. I've seen that tried
lfore now"
''Of course; but what's the use o.
rnnnin' eny risk? A smart lawyer
like Haines could make devil ov lot
D trouble just the same. if he tool, a
notion. That's Kirby's idee-ter cum
Up yere in a boat, unbeknownst to eny-
body, tie up down thar at Saunders,
IN run the whole bunch o. niggers off
n the night. Then it's done an over
with afore the Landin' even wakes up.
reckon the jedge told him that wus
he best way"
There was moment of silence, the
irst man evidently turning the situa-
ion over in his mind. The sheriff bent
lcross the rail, and spat into the dark
less below.
'+The joke Of 1t all Is" he continued
With short laugh, as he Strengthened
Up, this didn't exactly work out
cOrdin' ter schedule. When we
Iropped in yere we rounded up the
iggers all right, an we got the girl ,,
vhar there's no chance fer her ter git
way
'1s that the one back in the house?"
Il reckon so; leastways she toll
1irky her name was Rene Beaucaire, )
n that's how it reads in the papers.
tut thar amt no trace ov her mother,
er 0v the jedge's daughter. They
lat in the house, ner the niger !
abins. Leaves me in deuce ov q i
X, fer can't serve no papers Tess we i
nd the daughter. Her names Eloise !
he's the heir ct law, an amt got no
gal right fer ter take them niggers !
way till 1 do. Looks ter me like i
ley'd skipped out. Thar's Kirby an i