The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1920-01-15
CHAPTER xII-continued.

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
u long story. This yere Joe Kirby he's
a frien' o mine; I've know'd him a
long time, an he's in - of a fix.
Here's how 1t all happened: Thar wus
an oil planter Twin down in Missoury
Mt place called Beaucaire's Landin'.
His name wus Beaucaire. an he he'd
son named Bert, good-fer-nuthing
cuss, reckon. Wal, this Bert ruined
away long while ago, an never cum
back; but he left baby behind him
CURL baby-which quadroon slave
give birth to. The quadroOn's name
wus Della. an the kid wus called
Rene. Git them names in yer head.
or Beaucaire he knew the CURL 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, az nobody seemed ter
know tibet Rene wus a niger. Fer
sum reason oil Beaucaire never set
her free, ner the quadroon neither.
Wal, Kirby he heard tell o. all this
sumwhar down the river. Yer see he
an Bert Beaucaire run tergether fer
a while, till Bert got killed in a row
part o. the story. an the rest he picked
up in Saint Louee. Enyhow, it looked
like a d good thing ter Kirby, who
amt passin' up many bets. or Beau
caire wus rich. an considerable ov
sport; people who he'd seed the gurls
sed they wus both ov 'em beauties an
Eloise-the white one-hed an indie
pendent fortune left her through her
mother. So Kirby, he an Teller
named Carver-a 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 thet?"
Luck mostly, / reckon, an Kirby's
brains. The plan wus ter git Beau
caire inter poker game, ease him
long bit, an then break him, land,
niggers, an all. They didn't figure
this wud be hard. fer he wus dead
game gambler, an played fer big
stakes. 1t was luck, though, what Civ
'em their chance. Beaucaire he'd sum
mimi claims up on the Fevre. an he'd
ter go up thar. It's long, lonesom'
trip, l reckon. an so the other two
they went long. They got the OIL
chap goin' and comm, an finally cod
died him long till he put up his big
bet on a sure hand. When he found
out whit he'd happened the Of gent got
90 excited he flung a fit, an died"
Leaving Kirby ownin' all the prop
erty?'
'Every picayune, niggers an all. II
wus sum sweep, an he he'd signed
bills o. sale. Want nobody cud git II
away frum him. War Joe he didn't
want fer ter make no fuss, ner scare
the CURL none, so he went down ter
Saint Louee an made proof o. owner
ship afore, a jedge he knowd. 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, Eloise. Kirby he didn't aim ter
thar wudn't be no mistake. Yer see,
them papers had ter be served afore
they cud take away the niggers. Kir-
oy wus goin' ter sell them down river,
an not bother bout the land fer
awhile, till after he'd he'd q chance ter
shine up ter this we're CURL Eloise. He'd
never seen her-but, enyhow, he got
tibet notion in his he'd"
"She wus the daughter; the white
one?"
"Sure; he he'd the other by law.
Wal, when they all got thar. nobody
wus home 'cept one O. the gurls, who
claimed fer ter be Rene-the one
who WIS a niger, tibet Kirby owned.
Nobody know'd which wus which, an
60 they he'd ter take her word for 1t.
They cudn't do nuthin' legal till they
found the other one, an they wus
sittin' round waitln' fer her ter turn
up, when the niger guri they wus
watchin' got away"
How'd she do thet?"
Don't nobody seem ter know.
Damn funny story. Way they tell It.
sumbody must'r knocked Kirby down
an run off 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 sheriffs Niger
an all. 1t wus a slick job"
''Of course they chased them?"
BEST they cud, not KNOWN which
way they'd gone. They reckoned the
Who'll bunch must'r got away tergether.
10 the sheriff he started fer Saitt
Louee, an the others got onto troop
boat what happened ter cum long, and
started north. Long bout the mouth
ov the nlinoy they caught up with a
nigger-stealer named Shrunk. They
he'd q fight In an about his cabin, an
sum KILN. Two ov the womin got
away. but Kirby an Tim got hold O.
this CURL what he'd claimed ter be
Rene, an n mulatto cook who wus
s-workin' fer Shrunk. reckon maybe