Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-01-02
.You learned whu they were r,

You It0rneu Wuo tiey WeiS'
COURSE All did. Skies he 'splained
,Il 'bout 'en ter Massa Shrunk, an All
aeerl whut he ssd. All was waitin'
IN 'em. We all ov us helped fer ter
out 'em In de wagon. hid undeh n lot o
.ruck, an den Skies he done drove 'em
out thro' de bluffs. All done walked
VIE de gal. an she toll NOR bout her
self, an whar she cum frum; an dat
wus her name. sah.'
"Her name? What Manner
.Rene Beaucaire; de quadroon wom-
an, she wus her mother
I could scarcely voice my surprise,
he quick throbbng OF my heart threat
,ning TO choke me. t
"She claimed that name? She aetual-
" told you she was Rene Beaucairer
"she sure did. WhyF Want tibet
aer nameT
az do not know" confessed. Per
aaps I shall understand better, II you
20 on. What happened after they
eft?
why, we Just went back ter bed,
an long bout daylight, I reckon, sum
'ellars cum ashore off steamboat, an
lone broke inter de house. We never
lone heerd 'em till dey bust In do dofe.
One Oh dem he Knocked me down. an
len All saw Massa Shrunk XIII one,
,fore dey got him. All don't know
lust whut did cum OBJ de free niger;
All reckon maybe he run away. Oars
4 felIar on board we're whut killed
Massa Shrunk; an he's de same one
whut made me cum long wild him. A
,mooth-faced man, sorter tall like. all
dressed up. an who never talks much
"Kirby-Joe Kirby, river gambler
Oats de name-Kurby. Wal, he's
lie one whut was lookin' fer dis yere
gal, Rene Beaucaire. He wanted her
powIful bad. Dey hunted all round
FER ter git hol' her. cussin' an threat
anin', an a haulln' me round; but
twan't no sorter use. So finally dey
took me long ter boat in de crick-a
seelboat. run by steam. Most de odder
men disappeared; All never did know
whar dey went, but dis we're kurey
lone shut me up in de cabin. All don't
know much whut did happen after
dat, til bout de time de steamboat
done hit US: an bout de next thing
All wus yanked up yere on deck"
'But there was another woman on
the keelboat when 1t was sunk-a pris-
oner also. Surely you must have seen
her" insisted.
"Ah saw her-yas." eagerly. "But
All don't know who she wus, sab, nor
whar she ever cum frum."
Then she Is not there with you!"
NO. sab; Abs we're all lone. All
reckon. tho, she sure mus be ON board
sumwhur All what Al does know is,
DAT de gal called Rene Beaucaire sure
amt on board; fer she, an her NAH,
am at Beardstown long fore dis, an a
headin' right smart for Capady; while
Abs headin' fer down soufec@ Abs jast
told yer all dis, Mister White Man,
cause you's frieR' eb de Beaucaires
yer WIS, wusn't yer?'
Yes said soberly, y am; and, if
can fad any chance 10 help you,
am going TO do it, Elsie Don't talk
any more-the captain Is just coming
out OF the pilot house"
AS greatly as this brief, hastily
whispered conversation had served to
clear up certain puzzling matters in
my mind. the total result of che infor-
nation thus impaired by Elsie Clark
only rendered the situation more COM
pick and puzzllng. Evidently the other
| prisoner had not been confined on the
upper deck. but had been more secure
ly hidden sway below, where her pres
ence on board would better escape de-
lection For what puFpose7 A sints-
ter one, heyond all doubt-the express
sion of a vague fear in Kirby's heart
that, through some accident her
identity might be discovered. and his
plans disarranged. I comprehended
the part he intended Eloise Beaucaire
| to play in his future. and realized that
he cared more to gain possession OF
her, to get her into his power. than he
did to obtain control Of the slave. This
knowledge helped me to understand
the predicanent which this revelation
put him into, and how desperately be
would strive to retain the upper hand.
Il, IN very truth, she was Judge Beau
caire's white daughter, and could gain
communication with others OF her
class. bringing to them proof Of her
identity, there would be real men
enough on board the Adventurer to
rally to her support. We were already
sailing through free territory. and even
now he held on to his slaves rather
through courtesy than law. Once II
was whispered that one Of these slaves
was white, the daughter Of wealthy
planter. stolen by force, the game
would be up.
But would she ever proclaim hei
right to freedom7 II she was indeed
Eloise Beaucaire-and even an to this
I was not as yet wholly convinced
she had deliberately assumed to be
Rene, doing so for 2 specific purpose
that object being to afford the Other
an opportunity for escape. Why. she
had not 80 much as trusted me- Frou
the very beginning Ghe had encouraged
me tn the belief that she was q ne
gress, never once srousing tho faintes
suspicion IN my mind. Nothing, thsn
WAS Convinced. short Of death Or dis
grace, could ever compel her to eon
fess the truth Jet. Kirby might sus
poet, might fear, but he had surel,
nsye1 learned who che was from 'hsl
lips-hat che was Ei0ise Beaueairs,
The conviction that this young WON
an was white, Cd ated,, refined. III