a minute. One woman, she
says:

"Goodness gracious sakes alive! What's that, Elmira?"

Elmira says that cistern is mighty full of fish, and they is some great
big ones in there, and it must be some of them a-flopping around. Which
if they hadn't of been all worked up and talking all to oncet and all
thinking of Hank's body hanging out there in the blacksmith shop they
might of suspicioned something. For that flopping kep' up steady, and a
lot of splashing too. I mebby orter mentioned sooner it had been a dry
summer and they was only three or four feet of water in our cistern, and
Hank wasn't in scarcely up to his big hairy chest. So when Elmira says
the cistern is full of fish, that woman opens the trap door and looks
in. Hank thinks it's Elmira come to get him out. He allows he'll keep
quiet in there and make believe he is drowned and give her a good scare
and make her sorry fur him. But when the cistern door is opened, he
hears a lot of clacking tongues all of a sudden like they was a hen
convention on. He allows she has told some of the neighbours, and he'll
scare them too. So Hank, he laid low. And the woman as looks in sees
nothing, for it's as dark down there as the insides of the whale what
swallered Noah. But she leaves the door open and goes on a-making tea,
and they ain't skeercly a sound from that cistern, only little, ripply
noises like it might have been fish.

Pretty soon a woman says:

"It has drawed, Elmira; won't you have a cup?" Elmira she kicked some
more, but she took hern. And each woman took hern. And one woman,
a-sipping of hern, she says:

"The departed had his good pints, Elmira."

Which was the best thing had been said of Hank in that town fur years
and years.

Old Mis' Primrose, she always prided herself on being honest, no matter
what come, and she ups and says:

"I don't believe in no hippercritics at a time like this, no more'n no
other time. The departed wasn't no good, and the hull town knowed it;
and Elmira orter feel like it's good riddance of bad rubbish and them is
my sentiments and the sentiments of rightfulness."

All the other women sings out:

"W'y, MIS' PRIMROSE! I never!" And they seemed awful shocked. But down
in underneath more of em agreed than let on. Elmira she wiped her eyes
and she said:

"Hennerey and me has had our troubles. They ain't any use in denying
that, Mis' Primrose. It has often been give and take between us and
betwixt us. And the hull town kno