The Epitaph of Belle Starr


Somewhere near Hooker in Eastern Oklahoma, the grave lies past a plum thicket, beyond an alfalfa patch, through a grassy field fringed with sycamores and blackberry vines, to a forgotten and scrub-tangled knoll above a river. The inscription was written by her daughter, Pearl, and reads:
		Shed not for her
		    the bitter tear
		Nor give the heart
		    to vain regret
		Tis but the casket
		    that lies here,
		The gem that filled it
		    Sparkles yet

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