ws he has lifted his hand agin me
more'n oncet. But I always stood up to Hennerey, and I fit him back,
free and fair and open. I give him as good as he sent on this here
earth, and I ain't the one to carry no annermosities beyond the grave. I
forgive Hank all the orneriness he done me, and they was a lot of it, as
is becoming unto a church member, which he never was."

And all the women but Mis' Primrose, they says:

"Elmira Appleton, you HAVE got a Christian sperrit!" Which done her a
heap of good, and she cried considerable harder, leaking out tears as
fast as she poured tea in. Each one on em tries to find out something
good to say about Hank, only they wasn't much they could say. And Hank
in that there cistern a-listening to every word of it.

Mis' Rogers, she says:

"Afore he took to drinking like a fish, Hank Walters was as likely
looking a young feller as I ever see."

Mis' White, she says:

"Well, Hank he never was a stingy man, nohow. Often and often White has
told me about seeing Hank, after he'd sold a piece of land, treating the
hull town down in Nolan's bar-room jest as come-easy, go-easy as if it
wasn't money he orter paid his honest debts with."

They set there that-a-way telling of what good pints they could think of
fur ten minutes, and Hank a-hearing it and getting madder and madder
all the time. The gineral opinion was that Hank wasn't no good and
was better done fur, and no matter what they said them feelings kep'
sticking out through the words.

By and by Tom Alexander come busting into the house, and his wife, Mis'
Alexander, was with him.

"What's the matter with all you folks," he says. "They ain't nobody
hanging in that there blacksmith shop. I broke the door down and went
in, and it was empty."

Then they was a pretty howdy-do, and they all sings out:

"Where's the corpse?"

And some thinks mebby some one has cut it down and took it away, and all
gabbles to oncet. But for a minute no one thinks mebby little Danny has
been egged on to tell lies. Little Danny ain't saying a word. But Elmira
she grabs me and shakes me and she says:

"You little liar, you, what do you mean by that tale you told?"

I thinks that lamming is about due now. But whilst all eyes is turned on
me and Elmira, they comes a voice from that cistern. It is Hank's voice,
and he sings out:

"Tom Alexander, is that you?"

Some of the women scream, for some thinks it is Hank's ghost. But one
woman says what wou