ears open; my eyes, she is not close. No one knows me--I am no account
of. Every one is forgot the man, Joseph Nadeau, who was try for his
life. Perhaps it is every one is forget the lawyer who save his neck--
perhaps? So I stand by the streetside. I say to a man as I look up at
sign-boards,' 'Where is that writing "M'sieu' Charles Steele," and all
the res'?' 'He is dead long ago,' say the man to me. 'A good thing too,
for he was the very devil.' 'I not understan',' I say. 'I tink that
M'sieu' Steele is a dam smart man back time.' 'He was the smartes' man
in the country, that Beauty Steele,' the man say. 'He bamboozle the jury
hevery time. He cut up bad though.'"

Charley raised his hand with a nervous gesture of misery and impatience.

"'Where have you been,' that man say--'where have you been all these
times not to know 'bout Charley Steele, hein?' 'In the backwoods,'
I say. 'What bring you here now?' he ask. 'I have a case,' I say.
'What is it?' he ask. 'It is a case of a man who is punish for another
man,' I say. 'That's the thing for Charley Steele,' he laugh. 'He was
great man to root things out. Can't fool Charley Steele, we use to say
here. But he die a bad death.' 'What was the matter with him?' I say.
'He drink too much, he spend too much, he run after a girl at Cote
Dorion, and the river-drivers do for him one night. They say it was
acciden', but is there any green on my eye? But he die trump--jus' like
him. He have no fear of devil or man,' so the man say. 'But fear of
God?' I ask. 'He was hinfidel,' he say. 'That was behin' all. He was
crooked all roun'. He rob the widow and horphan?' 'I think he too smart
for that,' I speak quick. 'I suppose it was the drink,' he say. 'He
loose his grip.' 'He was a smart man, an' he would make you all sit up,
if he come back,' I hanswer. 'If he come back!' The man laugh queer at
that. 'If he comeback, there would be hell.' 'How is that?' I say.