The Oklahoma miner. [volume] (Krebs, Okla.) 1912-192?, 1920-02-26

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top him thet Joe Kirby go. all this
yere property in a game O. kyards on
the boat, an thet it want no square
game either. l didn't git 1t all straight,
l reckon, but accOrdln' 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"
"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, lie
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 q passel O. thieves ter take
these niggers down ter Saint Louee.
What do yer make Ov it, JakeW
oval" said the other slowly, his
mouth evidently loaded with tobacco.
81 amt never asked no questions since
l wus made sheriff. I'm doin' whut
the court says. Kirbys got the law
on his side-nO doubt bout that-but
l reckon as how he knows it 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. thet crick, an
then he'd ter hoof it 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-seeY
Sure" disgustedly. 81 reckon
know all that; l 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 yere lie
idle fer year or two, an by that time
nobody'H 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 goln' ter pre-
vent2 They're his'n, amt they? Thar
amt no Black Abolitionsts round
yere l reckon"
Seems sorter queer ter me-" admit
ted the sheriff, "but / did get little
outer that feller Carver comm up.
! Carver is SOM sorter partner with
Kirby-a Capper, reckon. 'Tain't the
niggers thet are maxim the trouble
leastways not the black 'uns. No
body's likely ter row over them. 1t
seems that Beaucaire kept a quadroon
| hOuSekeeper, a 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 wus a girl, Is as white as
l am-maybe more so. l 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. l reckon
she didn't know 1t herself"
eyer mean the girls a slaveY
Eyer bet! That's the law, amt it?'
"And Kirby knew about this2"
81 reckon he did. l sorter judge,
Tim, frum whut Carver sed, that he
wus 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 Landln'
! 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 rIsk2 A smart lawyer
like Haines could make a devil ov lot
O. trouble just the same, If he took a
notion. That's Klrby'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 off
in the night. Then it's done an over
with afore the Landin' even wakes up
l reckon the jedge told him that wus
the best way"
There was moment OF silence, the
first man evidently turning the sltua-
ton over in his mind. The sheriff bent
across the rail, and spat into the dark
ness below.
The joke OF 1t all ls," he continued
with a short laugh, as he Strengthened
up, "thls didn't exactly work out