Argosy, Vol. 123, No. 1 — page 136: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

126 tell all oe say. Dey use high-falutin, eddicated languidge what am not familiar toh me, though Lawd knows Ah’s done hear enuff on it sence Miss ’Licia come mars wif Marse a Mooah. “ Dey argifies an’ argifies. Mistah Bah- bour, he don’ say nuffin much. But Mis- tah Buhquis’, he specify dey shud bof up’n leave. Miss ’Licia she say mebbe sump’n bad gwine happen purty quick. Marse James, he say: ‘ Mistah Bahbour, you go; come back ’notha time.’ Mistah Barbour, le say no, he doan wanta go, kaze Miss Licia c’n mebbe help him some way. Mis- tah Buhquis’ he go right up in de ath. He specify some hahm done come ob he fren’ stayin’ roun’ deah any lengah. “ Mistah Buhquis’ he am standin’ right alongside de big table wif de lamp on it. De lamp am behin’ him. I see ebery move he make. “ He done muttah sump’n low. Ah don’ rightly knew whut he say, but it hab a right spiteful, argifyin’ tone toh it. ‘‘ Marse James, he holler out: ‘I fix yoh now foh dat!’— No, dem ain’t mebbe de zact wuds he use, but yoh ast me toh tell dis in mah own wuds, an’ dat am whut he mean— Yas, suh, Ah will continue. “He holler, ‘Ah fix yoh now foh dat!’ an’ he rush obah toh Mistah Buhquis’ an’ lay han’ on he ahm— No, suh; he didn’t go foh toh do Mistah Buhquis’ no hahm. Marse James he hab a way ob talkin’ loud an’ biggity, but Ah nevah done saw him do no hahm toh nobuddy. . “He grab Mistah Buhquis’ lef’? ahm. Mistah Buhquis’, he reach out he otha’ han’ and grab sump’n off de table. Marse James don’ do nuffin. Mistah Buhquis’, he fro back he han’ an’ hit out wif it real smaht. Marse James leggo he ahm, clap he han’s obah he face, an’ sorta lets go ail obah. He jes’ crumble down lak. “ Ah knows. dat de bad am happen. “ Ah cuddin’ git out dat box easy intoh de room, kaze dey’s a table in it dat reach purty nigh acrost, an’ Ab ain’t spry to climb ober it—No, suh; Ah didn’t think toh shuv de table out de way. Ah ain't think ob nuffin but Miss "Licia. Ah turns roun’ an’ gits out de back, kaze Ah wants toh git toh mah Miss ‘Licia. Ah comes THE ARGOSY, roun’ toh de hall doah and goes in de library. Deah is Mistah Buhquis’ stannin’ obah Marse James, he han’s all droppin’ blood. ‘“Ah, say: ‘Yo’ done kill him, ain’t yoh?’ He luks all roun’ kinda pitiful lak, an’ den he say: ‘“““ Vas, Sabina, Ah kill him! fotch de doctah an’ some pleece!’ ‘““Mistah Buhquis’, he am lak lots ob otha high-spirited gemmen. He don’ go foh to kill Marse James, but when Marse James tech him in anger, he jes’ bleeged foh to do it. Das all right! Ab gotta right toh hab mah ’pinion, same as ebryone. Waal, den’ put it in de writin’ record, den. Ak don’ keer whut yoh does. Das jes’ mah “Yas, suh. Ah’s suah dat it war Mistah Burquis’ grab de file and not Marse James. Waal, Marse James, he stannin’ wif he lef’ side toh de table. Yas, suh; I cud suah nuff tell which wuz which. Marse James, he ain’t so tall by purty nigh a fut high as Mistah Buhquis’. It am de tall man who stan’ wif de right side ag’in’ de table who take de file off’n it. No; Marse James don’ Now go try ter do nuffin’ hurtful teh Mistah Buh- quis’. No; dey don’ struggle roun’ none atall. Dey jes’ stan’ deah. It’s de Lawd’s truf, dat was de mos’ onexcitin’ killin’ Ah hab evah saw!”’ And then Clemens let her go, to the deep disgust of Hydra, outside the rail. He had not asked what she was doing in the cabi- net, nor many other of the questions which gave an amusing double interest to the Moore murder. All that, however, was bound to come out in the cress-examination, and, mean time, Sabina had _ proved ‘““Clemens’s witness” to an extent which made the case promise well of interest on its tragie side. BOUND BY THE DEAD. | WAS not called before the jury until after the noon recess, which gave me time to think over a bit more. At the inquest, I had not actually heard Sabina’s testimony. Though Marx, who COMICLO© SS C@© 5}