The Raymer enterprise., 1920-04-01
CHAPTER xIi-continued.

II. thar ain't really no manner
o risk at all. Yer don't even hav' ter
break the law. fer as | know. It's
Just got fer ter be done on the dead
quiet. an no question asked. I'll tell
yer all yer need ter know. Tain't such
9 long story. This yere Joe Kirby he's
frien' o. mine; I've know'd him
long time. an he's In n OF q FIX.
Here's how II all happened: Thar wus
an OF planter liyln' down In Missoury
at 4 place called Beaucaire's Landin'.
His name wus Beaucalre. an he he'd
son named Bert. good-fer-nuthlng
cnss. reckon. Wal. this Bert ruined
away a long while ago. an never cum
back but he left baby behind him
gurl baby-whlch quadroon slave
give birth to. The quadroon's name
wus Della. an the kid wus called
Rene. Git them names In yer head.
or Beaucalre he knew the gurl wus
his sons baby. so he brought her up
long with his own daughter. who wus
named EloIse. They wus both bout
ther same age. an nobody seemed ter
know thet Rene wus a Niger. Fer
sum reason ol' Beaucaire never set
her free. ner the quadroon neither.
Wal. Kirby he heard tell o. all this
snmwhar down the river. Yer see he
an Bert Beauealre run tergether fer
while. till Bert got killed In row
10 New Orleans | reckon he toI' him
part o. the story. an the rest he picked
up In Saint Louee Enyhow, 1t looked
like d. good thing ter Kirby. who
aIn't passln' up many bets. or Beau.
calre wus rich. an considerable ov
sport. people who he'd seed the gurls
sed they wus both ov 'em beauties an
Eloise-ihe white one--hed an lnde-
pendent fortune left her through her
mother. SO Kirby, he an feller
named Caryer-n tin-horn-planned II
out betwixt 'em ter copper OIL Beau.
CARES coin, an pick up them gurls
along with It."
"But how cud they do thetl"
Luck mostly. | reckon, an Klrby's
brains. The plan wus ter git Beau
calre inter poker game, ease him
long a bit. an then break him. land.
nlggcrs. an all. They didn't figure
this wud be hard. fer he wus a dead
game gambler. an played fer big
stakes. II was luck. though. what Civ
'em their chance. Bcaucaire he'd sum
minin' claims up on the Fevre. an he'd
ter 60 up thar. It's long. lonesom'
trip. reckon. an so the other two
they went long They got the o'
chap goIn' and comm. an finally cod
died him long TIL he put up his big
bet on sure hand. When he found
out whnt he'd happened the ol' gent got
20 excited he fung At. an died"
Leaving Kirby owntn' all the prop
erty7"
Every plcayune, niggers an all. 1t
wus sum sweep, an he he'd signed
bills o. sale. Want nobody cud git II
away frum him. Wal Joe he didn't
want fer ter make no fuss. ner scare
the gurl none. so he went down ter
Saint Louee an made proof o. owner.
ship afore jedge he know'd. Then,
with the papers all straight. he. an
the sheriff. with Tim yere, the deputy.
run up the river at night ter serve 'em
quietly on the daughter-the white
one, Elolse. Kirby he didn't aim ter
be seen ut all. but just went long so
thar wudnt be no mistake. Yer see,
them papers had ter be served afore
they cud take away the niggers. Kir-
by wus goln ter sell them down river,
an not bother bout the land fer
awhile. till after he'd he'd chance ter
shine up ter this yere gurl Eloise. He'd
never seen her-but. enyhow, he got
thet notion In bis he'd"
'She wus the daughter. the white
one7
"Sure; he he'd the other by law.
Wal, when they nll got thar. nobody
wus home. 'cept one O. the gurls. who
claimed fer ter be Rene-the one
who WIS Niger. thet Kirby owned
Nobody know'd which wus which, an
so they he'd ter take her word for IL.
They crdn't do nuthln legal till they
found the other one. an they wus
sittin' round watin' fer her ter turn
up when the niger guri they wus
watchln' got away"
How'd she do thet?"
Don't noboddy seem ter know.
Damn funny story. Way they tell II.
sumbody must'r knocked Kirby down
an run of with her Whoever did II.
stole the boat In which Kirby an the
sheriff cum up the river. an Just natur-
ally skipped out--the sherIff's niger
an all. 1t WIS a slick Job"
"0f course they chased themf
BEST they cud. not KNOWN which
way they'd gone. They reekoned the
Who'll bunch must'r got away tergether.
40 .he sheriff he started fer Saint
Louee. an the others got onto a troop
boat what happened ter cum long. and
started north. Long bout the mouth
ov the Illlnoy they caught up with a
nigrer-stealer named Shrunk. They
he'd . fight In an about his cabin, an
sum killin'. Two ov the womin got
sway. but Kirby an Tim got hold o.
this gurl what he'd claimed ter be