The Farmers' News (Knowles, Okla.), Vol. 15, No. 4, Ed. 1 Friday, December 12, 1919 Page: 2 of 4
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THF FARMFRS' NFWS. KNOWTFS. OKLAHOMA
ft
I (i
I>.<V>w■«w Ii.i^ft Wi^f ifl
X5he Devil's Own
k A Romance of the Black Hawk War By RANDALL PARRISH
Aolbor •( "Ceatrabaad," "Sbsa of (be Irish Brifade," "Whea Wilderaaaa Waa Kiag," ate. Illostratioas by Irwta Mytra
Copyright bjr A. C. McClure * Co.
"THE WORD OF A SOLDIER AND GENTLEMAN."
Synopsis — In 1832 I.leutenant Knox of tha regular army la on du*y at Port
Armstrong, Rock Island. 111., In territory threatened by disaffected Indians
The commandant aends him with dispatches to St. Louis. Ha takes passage
on the steAmer Warrior and makes the acquaintance of Judge Beaucalre, rich
planter, and of Joe Klrby (the Devll'a Own), notorloua gambler. Knox learns
Judge Beaucalre haa a > aughter, Elotne, and a granddaughter, Rene, offspring
of a son whom tha judi a has disowned Rene's mother la a negress, and she
and her daughter, never having been freed, are slaves under the law, although
the (Iris have been brought up as sisters. Klrby Induces tha judge to staks
his plantation and negro servanta on a poker hand unfairly dealt by Joe
Carver, Klrby's partner. Klrby accuses the Judge of cheating Beaucalre
Infuriated, drops dead. Knox tries to Induce Klrby to give up his stolen
winnings Kl"Ky and Carver throw Knox overboard. The lieutenant swims
ashore and reaches a hut. Knox lies unconscious for ten days. Recovering,
he finds he Is In a cabin owned by Pete, a "free nigger." who had ahot him,
mistaking him for an enemy. His dispatches have been forwarded. Recovering
from his wound. Knox sends Fete to bring Haynes, Beaucalre's lawyer, and
they arrange, with Pete's help, to get the women to the cabin of an aboli-
tionist, Amos 8hrunSc, before Klrby cornea. At the Beaucalre place Knox
overhears a conversation between the aherlff and his deputy, and learns the
truth about the situation. He la wltneaa to an interview between Klrby and
Rene Beaucalre.
CHAPTER VI—Continued.
b
"1 know," she sold distinctly, "I bid
no longer n free white woman; 1 am
• negro and n slave."
"Oh, you know that, do you? Then
you must also be aware that you are
my property. Perhaps It will he well
for you to remember thla In answer-
ing my questions. Now tell me who
Informed you of all this?"
"I cannot answer."
"Cannot! You mean you will not.
Well, young woman, I'll And means to
make you, for 1 have handled your
kind before. Where U Elolse Beau-
calre?"
"Why do you seek to find her? There
ts no slave blood In her veins."
"To serve the necessary papers, of
course."
Fie spoke Incautiously, urged on by
Ms temper, and I marxed how quickly
her face brightened at this Intelli-
gence.
"To serve papers! They must be
nerved, then, before—before you can
take possession? That is what I un-
derstood the sheriff to say. Then I
am not really your slave—yet?" her
voice deepening with earnestness and
understanding. "Oh, so that Is how
It —even If I am a negro I do not
belong to you until those papers have
been ■ served. If you touch me now
you break the law. I may not be
free but I am free /rem you. I am
glad to know that!"
"And d n little good It Is going
tQ do you," he growled. "Sheriff or no
sheriff my beauty, you are going to
fit. Louis with me tonight; so I ad-
.vise you to keep t grip on that tongue
<of yours. Do ynu think I am going to
t>e foiled altogether by a technical
point of law? Possession Is the main
thing, and I have you where you can't
get Away. You henr me?"
She had not moved, although her
■form had straightened and her hnnd
tio longer rested on the table. Klrby
tiad stepped close In front of her. his
«>ye* glowing with anger, h's evident
Jut*".uon bttllf to thus frighten the
girl Into compliance with his wishes,
but her eyes, defiant and unafraid,
looked him squarely In the face.
"I certainly henr," she replied
calmly. "Your voice Is sufficiently
distinct. I am a slave, I suppose, and
In your power; but I despise you,
hate you—and you are not going to
take me to St. I.oula tonight."
"What can stop me? The sheriff?
Puh! a few dollars will take care of
hire. The Judge Is a friend of mine."
"It Is not the sheriff—nor the Judge;
I place reliance on no friend of
yours."
He grasped at her arm. but she
stepped back quickly enough to avoid
contact, and the red Hps were pressed
together In a thin line of determlna
tlon. Her hand had suddenlv disap-
peared within the folds of her skirt:
but the angry man. apparently blinded
by the violence of his passion, his
eagerness to crush her spirit, thought
only that she counted on outside aid
ifor deliverance.
"You allly lit We fool." he snapped,
(his mustache hrmtling. "Why. what
•could you do to stop roe? I could
Ibreak your neck with one hand. So
lyou Imagine someone is going to save
you. Well, who will It be? Those
prokels down at the Landing? Halites
ithe lawyer? You have a surprise up
|your sleeve for me, I suppose 1 II—11
ttt makes me laugh; but you might as
well have your lesson now as any
lother time. Come here, you wench!" [
He caught her arm this time, bru- !
Itally Jerking her toward hlra. but as j
Instantly staggered backward, grasp-
ing at the table, the flash of anger In
his eyes changing to a look <>f startled
'surprise. A pistol was leveled full In
his face, the polished black barrel
ishtnlng ominously In the light of the
overhead lamp.
"Now perhaps you know what I
mean." she said. "If you dare to touch
me I will kill you like a dog. That
la no threat; it Is true as God's gos-
pel," and the very tone of her voice
carried conviction. "You may say I
am a slave—your slave! Thnt may be
so, bu' you will never possess me—
never' Life means nothing to me
any more, snd I never expect to go
out of this house alive; I do not even
care to. Ho I am not afraid of you. Do
Ml drop your artna, you low-lived cur,
g r vmi have never heeu nearer death
In all your miserable life than you
are now. God knows I want to kill
you; It Is the one desire of my heart
at this moment to rid the earth of
such a beast. But I'll give you one
chance—Just one. Don't you dnre
call out or answer me. Do what I say.
Now step baclf—back along the table;
that's It, a step at a time. Oh, I
knew you were a cowardly bully. Go
on—yes. clear to that window; don't
lower those hands an Inch until I say
you may. I ntn a slave—yes, but I am
also a Beaucalre. Now reach behind
you and pull up the sash—pull It up
higher than that."
Her eyes dilated with sudden aston-
ishment and terror. She had caught
sight of me, emerging from the black
shndow Just behind her victim. Klrby
also perceived the quick change In the
face fronting him. read Its expression
of fright, and sought to twist his head
so as to learn the truth. Yet before
he could accomplish this or his lips
could give utterance to a sound, my
hands closed on his throat, crushing
him down to the sill, and throttling
him Into silence between the vise of
my fingers.
CHAPTER VII.
To 8ava a "Nigger."
It proved to be a short, sharp
struggle, from the first the advantage
altogether with me. With all the old-
time dislike !n my heart, all the hat-
red aroused by what I had overheard.
I closed down on his throat, rejoicing
to see the purple of his flesh turn Into
a sickening black, as he fought des-
perately for breath and as he lost
consciousness and censed from strug-
gle. I was conscious of a pang In my
wounded shoulder, yet It seemed to
rob me of no strength but only added
to my ferocity. The fellow rested
limp In my hands. I believed I had
killed him. and the belief was a Joy
as I tossed his helpless body aside on
the floor and stepped through the
open window Into the room.
In my henrt I hoped he was dead,
and In a sudden feeling of utter con-
tempt I struck the Inert body with my
foot. Then, as my eyes lifted, they
encountered those of the girl. She
had drawn back to the table, startled
out of all reserve by this sudden ap-
parition. unable to comprehend. The
pistol yet remained clasped In her
hand, while she stared at me as
though a ghost confronted her.
"Who—who are you?" she managed
to gasp In a voice which barely
reach my ears. "My God I who—who
sent you here?"
"It must have been God," I i
swered, realizing Instantly that I
needed to make all clear In a word.
My Hands Closed on Hla Throat,
Crushing Him Down to the till.
"I came only to help you and was
Just in time—no doubt God sent me."
"To help me? You came here to
help me? But how could that be?
I—j never suw you before—who are
you?"
I stood straight before her. my eyes
meeting her own frankly. I had for.
gotten the dead body at my feet, the
Incidents of struggle, the pain of my
own wound, comprehending only the
supreme Importance of compelling her
to grasp the truth.
"There Is no time now to explain
all this. Miss Bene. You must accept
thv bare facta--w'll your
"Yes—I—I suppose I must."
"Then listen, for you must know
that every moment we waste here In
talk only makes escape more difficult.
I tell you the simple truth. I am Ste-
ven Knox, an officer In the army. It
chanced I was a passenger on the boat
when Judge Beaucalre lost his life. I
witnessed the game of cards this man
won, and afterward, when I protest-
ed, was attacked and flung overboard
Into the river by Klrby here and that
fellow who Is outside guarding the
door. They believe me to be dead;
but I managed to reach shore and
was taken care of by a negro—'Free
Pete' he calls himself; do you know
him?"
"Yes—oh, yes; he was one of the
Carlton slaves." Her face brightened
slightly In its bewilderment.
"Well, I knew enough of what was
bound to occur to feel an Interest, and
tonight he brought me here for the
purpose of warning you—you. your
mother and Elolse Beaucalre. He has
his cart and mule out yonder; we In-
tended to transport you across the
river, and thus start you safely on the
'way to Conada."
"Then." she said slowly, seeming to
catch at her breath, her voice trem-
bling, "then It must be really true
what these men say—Delia Is my
mother? I—I am a slave?"
"You did not really know? You were
not warned by anyone before their
arrival?"
"No. there wos no warning. Did
anyone In this neighborhood under-
stand?"
"Haines the lawyer did. He fur-
nished me with much of the Informa-
tion I possess. But I am the one
puzzled now. If the truth was not
known to any of you how does It hup-
pen the others are gone?"
"So far as I am aware that Is mere-
ly an accident. They walked over to
the old Carlton place early this eve-
ning; there Is sickness In the family,
and they hoped to be of help. That is
everything I know. They were to re-
turn two hours ago, for I was here all
alone, except for the negroes In their
quarters. I cannot conceive what hn
occurred—unless they have learned in
some way of the trouble here."
"That must be the explanation;
they have hidden themselves. And
these men told you why they came?"
"The only one I saw at first did. He
came In all alone and claimed to be
a deputy sheriff. I was terribly fright-
ened at first, and did not at all un
derstand; but I questioned him and
the man liked to talk. So he told me
all he knvw. Perhaps I should have
thought he was crazy, only—only some
things had occurred of late which led
me to half suspect the truth before.
I—I wouldn't believe it then, but—but
I made him repeat everything he had
heard. Horrible as It was I—I wanted
to know all."
"And you acknowlerieed to hlra that
you were Rene Beaucalre?'
Her dark eyes flashed up Into my
face questlonlngly.
"Why—why, of course. I—I could
not deny that, could I?"
"Perhaps not; yet If none of them
knew you. and you had claimed to be
Elolse. they would never have dared
to hold you prisoner.'
"I never once thought of that; the
only thing which occurred to me was
how I could best protect the others.
My plan wos to send them warning In
some way. Still now I am very glad
I said I was Bene.'
"(ilad! Why?"
"Because It seems It la Elolse they
must first find to serve their papers
on. They dare not take away the
slaves nnttl this Is done. As for me,
I am nothing—nothing but a slave my
self; la that not true?"
To look Into her eyes, her face, snd
answer was a hard task, yet one I saw
no way to evade.
"Yes; I am afraid It ts true."
"And—and then Delia, the house-
keener, Is actually my mother?"
"That Is the story aa It reached roe.'
She held tightly to the table for
aupport, all the fresh color deserting
her face, but the lips were firmly set
and her head remained aa proudly
poised as ever above the round throat
Whatever might be the ataln of allen
blood In her veins, she was still
Beaucalre. Ilcr eye*, filled with pnln
as they were, met mine unflinchingly.
"And—and knowing all this, con-
vinced of Its truth—that—that I am
colored." she faltered, doubtfully, "you
came here to help me?"
"I db!; that can make no difference
now."
"No difference! Why do you say
that? Are you from the North, an
abolitionist ?"
"No; at least I have never been
called one or so thought myself. I
have never believed In slavery, yet I
waa born In a southern atate. In thlrf
case I merely look upon you as
woman—aa one of my own class. It—
It does not seem as though I could
ever consider you In any other way.
You must believe thla,"
"Believe It! Why. you and I are
caught In the same net. I am a slave
to be sold to the highest bidder, and
you—you have killed a man to aave
me. Even If I was wll'.lng to remain
And—and you have done this for me.'
My eyes dropped to the upturned
fnce of Klrby, on which the rays of
light rested. The flesh was no longer
black and horrid, yet remained ghastly
enough to increase my belief that the
man was actually dead—had perished
under my hand. He was not a pleas-
ant sight to contemplate, flung as he
hRd been in a shapeless heap, and the
sight brought home to me anew the
necessity of escape before those others
of his party could learn what had oc-
curred.
"From whatever reason the deed
was done," I said, steadying my voice,
"we must now face the consequences.
As you say, it is true we both alike
have reason to fear the law if caught
Flight is our only recourse. Will you
go with me? Will you trust me?"
"Go—go with you? Where?"
"First across the liver Into Illinoia;
there is no possible safety here. In a
way your danger is even more seri-
ous than mine. I have not been seen—
even Kirby had no glimpse of my
face—and might never be identified
with the death of this man. But you
will become a fugitive slave and could
he hunted down anywhere this side
of Canada."
"Then being with me would add to
your danger."
"Whether it will or not counts noth-
ing ; I shall never let you go alone."
She pressed the palms of both her
hands against her forehead as though
in a motion of utter bewilderment.
"Oh. I cannot seem to -eallze," she
exclaimed. "Everything Is like a
dream to me—Impossible In its horror.
This situation Is so terrible; It has
come upon me so suddenly I cannot
decide; I cannot even comprehend
what my duty is. You urge me to go
away with you—alone?"
"I do; there Is no other way left.
You cannot remain here In the hands
of these men; the result of such a step
Is too terrible to even contemplate.
There are no means of determining
where the othera are—Delia and Miss
Elolse. Perhaps they have had warn-
ing and fled already," I urged desper-
teiy.
Her eyes were staring down at
Klrby's body.
"Look, he—he Is not dead," she
sobbed excitedly. "Did you see then—
one of his limbs moved, and—and—
why. he Is beginning to gasp for
breath."
All the more reason whr we should
decide at once. If the fellow regains
consciousness and lives, our danger
will be all the greater."
'Yes, he would be merciless," her
Hps parted, her eyes eloquent of dis-
gust and horror as she suddenly lifted
them to my face. "I—I must not for-
get that I—I belong to hlro; I am his
slave; he—he, that hideous thing
there, can do anything he wishes with
me—the law says he can." The Indig-
nant color mounted into her face. "He
can sell nte. or use me. or rent roe;
I am his chattel. Good God! think of
It! Why. I am as white as he Is, bet
ter educated, accustomed to every
are, brought up to believe myself
rich and happy—and now I belong to
him; he owns me, body end soul." She
paused suddenly, assailed by a new
thought, a fresh consideration, "la It
so. Is It the law that these men can
take possession of nothing here until
after Elolse haa been found and thelt
papers served upon her?"
"Yes, I bellere It Is." I said. "She
Is the legal hHress of Judge Beau-
calre; the estate la hers by Inheri-
tance, aa I am told there was no will.
All this property. Including the slaves,
would legally remain In her possession
until proper stepa had been taken by
others. Serving of the papers would
be necessary. There is no doubt as
to that."
She drew a deep breath and stepped
toward me. gazing straight into my
face.
"I believe in you." she said firmly.
"And I trust you. You look like a real
man. You tell me you serve In the
array—an officer?"
"A lieutenant of Infantry."
She held out her hand and my own
closed over It. the firm, warm clasp
of her fingers aendir.,; a strange thrill
through my whole body. An Instant
she looked directly Into n y eyes, down
Into the very soul of me, and what I
rend In the depths of her brown orbs
could never find expression in words.
I have thought of It often since—that
great, dimly lighted room, with the
guard at the outer door; the Inert,
alinoat lifeless body huddled on the
floor beside us, and Rene Beaucalre.
her hnnd clasped in mine.
"Lleuteuant Knox." she said softly,
yet with a note of confidence In the
low voice, "I era going to truat you
abaolutely; there are reasons why I
ao decide which 1 cannot explain at
this time. I have not known you long
enough to venture that far. You must
accept roe Just us I am—a runaway
alave and a negreaa, but also a woman.
Can you pledge such aa 1 your word
of honor—the word of a soldier and a
gentleman?"
"1 pledge It to you, Rene Beau-
calre," 1 answered soberly.
Ard I accept the pledge In all faith.
I had but one Immediate purpose
In my mind—to escape from the house
as quickly as possible, to attain Pete'a
cart at the edge of the woods, and be
several miles up the river, hidden
away In some covert before daylight,
leaving no trail behind. It would prove
decidedly to our advantage If I was
not seen or recognized. The very mys-
tery, the bewilderment as to who had
so viciously attacked the gambler and
then spirited away the girl, would
serve to facilitate our escape.
I stooped and removed a pistol from
Klrby's pocket, dropping it. together
with such ammunition as I could find,
Into one of my own. The man by this
time was breathing heavily, although
his eyes remained closed, and he still
lay exactly as he had fallen.
"Keep your own weapon," I com-
manded her. "Hide It away In youi
dress. Now come with me."
She obeyed, uttering no word ,of ob-
jection, and stepping after me through
the open window onto the narrow bal-
cony without. I reached up and drew
down the shade, leaving us In com-
parative darkness. The night was
soundless and our eyes, straining to
pierce the black void, were unable to
detect any movement
"You see nothing?" I whispered,
touching her hand In encouragement
"No evidence of a guard anywhere?"
"No—the others must still be out
In front waiting."
"There were only the four of them,
then?"
"So I understood. I was told they
came up the river In a small keelboat
operated by an engine, and that they
SCRAPS
OR.
Lucky.
"He's a lucky man."
"That so?"
"Yep. Once In an airplane acci-
dent."
"I don't see anything lucky about
that."
"Mighty few men been In airplane
accidents and lived to tell about
them."
HARD TIMES.
Fish—Times must be getting ter-
rible on earth. They're even using
baitless hooks now!
The Change.
He flashed a bank roll
Large and fat
And said, "The barkeeps
Once got that."
A R se All Around.
"What Is the matter with the tenant
on the floor above?-'
"He's raising Cain."
"What about?"
"The landlord's raising the rent"
tV
MU
"Can You Pledge Such aa I Your Word
of Honor—the Word of a Soldier
and a Gentleman 7"
anticipated no resistance. The eagl-
neer was left to watch the boat and
be ready to depart downstream at any
moment."
"Good; that leaves us a clear paa-
sage. Now I am going to drop to the
ground; It Is not far below. Can yoa
make it alone?"
"1 have done so many a time."
We attained the solid earth almost
together nod In silence.
"Now let me guide you." she sug-
gested, aa 1 hesitated. "I know every
Inch of the way about here. Where la
the negro watting?"
"At the edge of the wood where tha
wagon road end!, beyond the slave
quarters."
"Yes, I know; It will be safer for
us to go aroond the garden."
She flitted forward, sure-footed,
confident, and 1 followed as rapidly as
In Life, In Death.
It waa n deathbed scene, but the
director was not satisfied with the
hero's acting.
"Come on!" he cried. "Put more
life In your dying!"—Film Fun.
Fate'a Rewarda.
"There's a guy 1 used to do his
arithmetic for when we were at school
together."
"Well?"
"Now I'm his bookkeeper."
Effort Misapplied.
"Success depends on hard work."
"Yes," rejoined Fanner Corntossel.
"I know a man whose land got cover-,
ed np with weeds and mortgnges while
he was workln' terribly hard to be the
best checker player In the neighbor-
hood."
Peppery.
"When I was in Mexico I saw a man
crying for food."
"Was It before or after lunch*
Those chile preparations are enough te
bring tears to anybody'a eyea."
Help Youraelf.
"Ah. the weather man f How about
a little shower today?"
"Den't ask toe. If you need one,
take It"
net at
Fixed Up to Match.
Madame X—Do up my hair, while 1
am down at breakfast.
Maid—What color, Madame?
Madame X—The black, please. 1
possible through the darkness, barely | am going to a funeraL
keeping her dim figure In sight. Our
feet stumbled over the ruts of a road,
aDd I seemed to vaguely recognize the
spot as familiar. Yes, away off yon-
der was the distant gleam of the river
reflecting the stars. This must be the
very place where Pete and 1 had part-
ed. but—where had the fellow gone?
"Here is wheee he was directed to
wait," I explained hurriedly. "I am
sure I am not mistaken in the Bpot."
Yet he Is not here, and there I*
no sign of hla. Yoa left no othei
Instructions except for hin to remain
until your return?"
"I think not—oh, yes, 1 did tell him
If you women came without me be was
to drive you at once t the boat and
leave me to follow the best way I
could Do yon suppose It possible the
others reached here and he has gone
away with themV
She stood silent and I strove by
peering about to discover some marks
of guidance, only to learn the use
lessness of the effort. Even a slight
advance brought no result, and It was
with some difficulty I even succeeded
In locating her again in the darkness—
Indeed, only the sound of her voice
made me aware of her immediate pre#.
ence.
"The negro's boat la some distance
away, la It not?"
"Four miles, over the worst road I
ever traveled." A sudden remembrance
swept into my mind, bringing with It
Inspiration.
Mutual Friends.
Maid—Mrs. Dingdong is
hone.
Visitor—OK I'm so glad. Please
tell her that when I s«w her peeping
over the curtains I was terribly afraid
she might be In I
A Consoling Thought
Mr.—All I do is eat and sleep and
work.
Mrs.—Cheer up; think how many
more privileges you have than Itlp
Van Wlakle; for twenty years all be
did was sleep.
and face my fate I could not no*, for | From bow on whatever yoa any I will
that would mean you must suffer. | do."
Knox has an inspiration
that promises well.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Love's Labor Lost
A young and enthusiastic golfer at
a dinner party started to enumerate
to his partner the details of a golf
match that he had been playing that
day. It was not until dessert was
brought In that he suddenly bethought
himself that he had been talking all
the time; indeed, the young lady at hit
side had not said a single word dor
lug the progress of the meal. "I am
afraid I have been boring you wltfc
•hla talk," he said In half apology
"Oh, no—not at all!" was the poll ti
reapona* "Only, what la tttUT
Nothing in a Name.
"Are you at.II a member of the
'Don't Worry Club' thai was organ-
ised years ago?"
"Yes. And there's something mora
to worry about. I must be terribly
In arreurt* In tuy dues."
Moneymoen'a End.
"Mother, when would yoa say the
honeymoon la over?"
"When you find that It's hard work
and no longer any fun to get up In
the morning and get your husband's
breakfast"
Terrifying Styles.
"The Gorgons were mythological ale-
ten who had snakea for tresses In-
stead of hair."
"Gee!" muttered the high-school girl.
"It must have been tough to have to
go nut and gather a bunch of snakea
whenever you needed a few extra
puffa."
Woman's Way.
"Why don't you ask your huaband'a
advice r*
"I Intend to, my dear. Just as soon
aa I've made up my mind what 1'U do."
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Sloan, Edith. The Farmers' News (Knowles, Okla.), Vol. 15, No. 4, Ed. 1 Friday, December 12, 1919, newspaper, December 12, 1919; Knowles, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc161549/m1/2/: accessed May 1, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.