The Oklahoma miner. [volume] (Krebs, Okla.) 1912-192?, 1920-05-06
Raa,dan
Parrish

|
and partially helpless. had no will
OF my own. no power of resistance"
"You were married to Kirby"
"Oh God was II l wondered;
did not really know; truly | did not
| know. l seem to remember that
stood up, and then signed some paper,
| but nothing had any meaning to me.
Is that true2 Do you know that 1t is
true?'
I grasped her hand and held It close
ly within my own.
II am afraid Il Is true" l answered.
II know very little law, and 1t may
be that such a ceremony is not legal.
Yet l imagine those men were certain
as to what they could do. Kirby had
planned to marry you from the very
first, as | explained to you before. He
| told me that on the Warrior the night
| your father died"
"Yes, you said so; but l did not
quite understandable planned then
why?"
Because he had heard of your
beauty and that you were rich. Were
! these not reasons enough? But, after
| he had mistaken you for Rene, the
only possible way in which he could
| hope to gain you was by force. Jack
| Rale suggested that to him and how
it could be done. The other man was
friend of Rale's, a renegade preach
er named Gaskins; he is dead"
"Deadl KilledT
"Yes; we brought you away after Il
fight with those fellows. We left Rale
! bound and Kirby unconscious"
Unconscious, hurt-but not dead?"
'He had a bad cash in his skull, but
was alive"
Kennedy, putting happily upon a
! pipe. came lettering about the corner
of the hut and approached us. Eloise
staggered to her feet, shrinking back
against the wall of the shack, her eyes
on his face.
ror. THAT man! Why, he was at
Beaucaire! He is the one to whom /
claimed to be Rene"
Tim grinned at me, but did not ap-
pear particularly flattered at his re-
Ception.
|
said, suffering a bit and holding the
pipe in his hand. 81 reckon l wus
thar all right, just as ye say. an thet
| did yer a mighty mean turn, but |
amt such a dern ornary cuss as ye
think-am l, cap?"
mo, you are not" hastened to ex-
plain. Miss BeauCGire does not un-
/ l.,-. 4 l., Ill
merely supposed he was doing his duty
until he learned what Kirby cOntem-
plated. Then he refused 20 have any
hand in 1t and the two quarreled.
Shall l relate that part Of the stOryT'
Her eyes softened, her lips almost
smiling.
Yes" she said. II am glad to know
tell me ALL"
l described Tins part in the whole
tragedy swiftly, while he shifted awk
wardly from one foot to the other and
occasionally interjected some com
ment or correction.
"Then l shall count you my FRIEND
now" she said simply. "And l am sc
, delighted to understand everything
: There are four Of us here, counting the
mulatto girl, and we are in hiding mo-
, far from Yellow Banks"
Tins eyes fell Lron the map, lyInl
y outspread on the ground.
"An' whut did ye think wus best
I cap2" he inquired gravely. Tain
likely we got all summer ter sit 'rounC
yere an talk In. 'Tain't such a baC
4 place. but my notion is we ought te
\ be joggin' long"
mine also. Come over here, boil
n of you, and I'll give you my idea.
4 figured our chances in this way"
o In a few words explained m.
choice of route, pointing 1t out on tn
/. map and telling them briefly why
h was afraid to seek refuge either a
$ Fort Iadison or Fort Armstrong. OF
e indeed, at any of the nearer settle
I ments. Eloise said nothing, her gaz
Il rising from the map to our faces a
h we debated the question, for Tiu
e spoke his mind freely, his stubby fore
n finger tracing the course ] had ind
y Gated.
r "An' whar do yer reckon are ther
o Injuns-the hostile ones; this yer
K bunch O. Black Hawks? S'pose we
= run inter raidn' party O. them re-
a bucks. | ain't got much hair, but
s kin use whut / hav' got"
" 81 am not sure, Tim, but l woul
d evn prefer that TO being overtake