ers and boo-hoos some more. Things was
getting past anything I could see the way out of.

"He might of hung himself to one of the iron rings in the jists above
the forge," says another woman. "He clumb onto the forge to tie the rope
to one of them rings, and he tied the other end around his neck, and
then he stepped off'n the forge. Was that how he done it, Danny?"

I nodded. And then I bellered louder than ever. I knowed Hank was down
in that there cistern, a corpse and a mighty wet corpse, all this time;
but they kind o' got me to thinking mebby he was hanging out in the shop
by the forge, too. And I guessed I'd better stick to the shop story, not
wanting to say nothing about that cistern no sooner'n I could help it.

Pretty soon one woman says, kind o' shivery:

"I don't want to have the job of opening the door of that blacksmith
shop the first one!"

And they all kind o' shivered then, and looked at Elmira. They says to
let some of the men open it. And Mis' Alexander, she says she'll run
home and tell her husband right off.

And all the time Elmira is moaning in that chair. One woman says Elmira
orter have a cup o' tea, which she'll lay off her bunnet and go to the
kitchen and make it fur her. But Elmira says no, she can't a-bear to
think of tea, with poor Hennerey a-hanging out there in the shop. But
she was kind o' enjoying all that fuss being made over her, too. And all
the other women says:

"Poor thing!" But all the same they was mad she said she didn't want any
tea, for they all wanted some and didn't feel free without she took it
too. Which she said she would after they'd coaxed a while and made her
see her duty.

So they all goes out to the kitchen, bringing along some of the best
room chairs, Elmira coming too, and me tagging along behind. And the
first thing they noticed was them flatirons on top of the cistern door.
Mis' Primrose, she says that looks funny. But another woman speaks up
and says Danny must of been playing with them while Elmira was over
town. She says, "Was you playing they was horses, Danny?"

I was feeling considerable like a liar by this time, but I says I was
playing horses with them, fur I couldn't see no use in hurrying things
up. I was bound to get a lamming purty soon anyhow. When I was a kid I
could always bet on that. So they picks up the flatirons, and as they
picks em up they come a splashing noise in the cistern. I thinks to
myself, Hank's corpse'll be out of there in