rt had been well learned.

There, seemed now little hope for Ralph. But just at this moment who
should stride into the school-house but Pearson, the one-legged old
soldier basket-maker? He had crept home the night before, "to see ef the
ole woman didn't want somethin'," and hearing of Ralph's arrest, he
concluded that the time for him to make "a forrard movement" had come,
and so he determined to face the foe.

"Looky here, Squar," he said, wiping the perspiration from his brow,
"looky here. I jes want to say that I kin tell as much about this case
as anybody."

"Let us hear it, then," said Bronson, who thought he would nail Ralph
now for certain.

So, with many allusions to the time he fit at Lundy's Lane, and some
indignant remarks about the pack of thieves that driv him off, and a
passing tribute to Miss Martha Hawkins, and sundry other digressions, in
which he had to be checked, the old man told how he'd drunk whisky at
Welch's store that night, and how Welch's whisky was all-fired mean, and
how it allers went straight to his head, and how he had got a leetle too
much, and how he had felt kyinder gin aout by the time he got to the
blacksmith's shop, and how he had laid down to rest, and how as he
s'posed the boys had crated him, and how he thought it war all-fired
mean to crate a old soldier what fit the Britishers, and lost his leg by
one of the blamed critters a-punchin' his bagonet[28] through it; and
how when he woke up it was all-fired cold, and how he rolled off the
crate and went on to_wurds_ home, and how when he got up to the top of
Means's hill he met Pete Jones and Bill Jones, and a slim sort of a
young man, a-ridin'; and how he know'd the Joneses by ther hosses, and
some more things of that kyind about 'em; but he didn't know the slim
young man, tho' he tho't he might tell him ef he seed him agin kase he
was dressed up so slick and town-like. But blamed ef he didn't think it
hard that a passel o thieves sech as the Joneses should try to put ther
mean things on to a man like the master, that was so kyind to him and to
Shocky, tho', fer that matter, blamed ef he didn't think we was all
selfish, akordin' to his tell. Had seed somebody that night a-crossin'
over the blue-grass paster. Didn't know who in thunder 'twas, but it was
somebody a-makin' straight fer Pete Jones's. Hadn't seed nobody else,
'ceptin' Dr. Small, a short ways behind the Joneses.

Hannah was now brought on the stand. She was greatly