_Dear Kate_:
I just don't know how I can tell you all about it. Jim is out and it is
awful. I suppose you know it by this time in that way that you people
seem to get all the news, especially any news that has to do with crooks
or prisons. The papers say that him and French Louis hit one of the
guards over the head with a hammer while coming from work, and got away.
They hit too hard, and the guard is dead.
Well, I didn't think much about it except to be kinda sorry that Jim had
made such a fool of himself as he only had a year more, and it nearly
knocked my pins out from under me when I come up to my room one night
and found Jim setting there. He was all in and in an awful bad way, and
I said to him, "For God's sake, Jim, why did you come to me? The police
will sure watch me." He said, "I couldn't help it, Nan, I am sick and
broke and I got to have money and I didn't know who else to touch who
wouldn't peach."
Well, I just stood with my back against the door and looked at him, with
one ear ready to listen if any one come up the stairs. He sure did look
tough. The year hasn't done him no good. He couldn't look even me in the
face. I asked him if it was so what it said in the papers that he had
killed a guard. He all broke down and said, "Honest to God, Nan, we
didn't mean to croak him. We didn't hit hard enough to break a baby's
head. It must a been like mush." He got up and walked up and down the
room and was all in a tremble and he kept saying, "We didn't mean to
croak him."
I asked him how he got in my room cause my door was locked, and he just
laughed and said, "Well, if I get so as I can't unlock a crazy lock like
this, I better stay in stir the rest of my life."
He talked about half an hour with me and I was scared that he had been
seen, and I tried to get him to go away, but it seemed he wanted to talk
with some one he was not afraid of. I asked him what he was going to do,
and he started to tell me where he was going to hide, but I stopped him
and said, "Don't tell me, Jim. Then I won't know if the police get after
me." I said, "Here is fifty dollars, all I got now, but I will get you
more, only don't let no one come here or don't send no letters nor
nothing. The bulls are bound to think of me first thing." Billy was
laying in the bed and hadn't waked up cause we talked in whispers, and
when he got ready to go, he walked over to the bed and looked down at
him, and I really think something come into his rotten little heart. He
stood there with his hands in his pockets a long time and then said, "So
that is the kid! Well--well--he don't look like me, does he? But he is
mine, and if I ever get out of this scrape I'll take him." That made me
sick and I nearly said, "Well, I hope you won't get out of this scrape
then." I felt for a minit that if I thought he would get Billy that I
would peach on him, though that is the lowest trick and ain't done by no
one who is white.
I went down stairs first to see all was right, and then he sneaked out.
I come back and sat down in a chair and set there till morning. I was
just all in. Now when everything was coming along so nice, why did he
have to come and butt in and spoil it all? It is just that way all my
life. If it ain't father getting in trouble, it is you or Jim. And the
nerve of him to say he would take Billy! I suppose he would bring him up
to be a swell second story man or something big in the profession, so as
he could live off him. Well, he won't get him, I tell you, and I most
hope they find him, although that is rotten in me to even think such a
thing.
When it come light and nothing happened, I laid down on the bed by Billy
and put my face against him and cried till I woke him up, and he was so
sweet. He said, "Poor Nanny, somefing hurt her. Let Billy kiss it," and
then I broke all up for sure. I got to get some of my money out of the
bank so I can have it handy when Jim sends for it.
Well, good night, Kate, don't worry, I'll keep you posted, and I'll send
you some money next week.
_Nan_.