another hymn. Finally the men out in the front yard got
warmed up too, and begun to sing, all but Bill Nolan's crowd, and they
give Hank up for lost and went away disgusted.

The first thing you knowed they was a reg'lar revival meeting there, and
that preacher was preaching a reg'lar revival sermon. I been to more'n
one camp meeting, but fur jest natcherally taking holt of the hull human
race by the slack of its pants and dangling of it over hell-fire, I
never hearn nothing could come up to that there sermon. Two or three old
backsliders in the crowd come right up and repented all over agin on the
spot. The hull kit and biling of 'em got the power good and hard, like
they does at camp meetings and revivals. But Hank, he only cussed. He
was obstinate, Hank was, and his pride and dander had riz up. Finally he
says:

"You're taking a ornery, low-down advantage o' me, you are. Let me out'n
this here cistern and I'll show you who'll stick it out longest on dry
land, dern your religious hides!"

Some of the folks there hadn't had no suppers, so after all the other
sinners but Hank had either got converted or else sneaked away, some of
the women says why not make a kind of love feast out of it, and bring
some vittles, like they does to church sociables. Because it seems
likely Satan is going to wrastle all night long, like he done with the
angel Jacob, and they ought to be prepared. So they done it. They went
and they come back with vittles and they made up hot coffee and they
feasted that preacher and theirselves and Elmira and me, all right in
Hank's hearing.

And Hank was getting hungry himself. And he was cold in that water. And
the fish was nibbling at him. And he was getting cussed out and weak and
soaked full of despair. And they wasn't no way fur him to set down and
rest. And he was scared of getting a cramp in his legs, and sinking down
with his head under water and being drownded. He said afterward he'd of
done the last with pleasure if they was any way of suing that crowd fur
murder. So along about ten o'clock he sings out:

"I give in, gosh dern ye! I give in. Let me out and I'll sign your pesky
pledge!"

Brother Cartwright was fur getting a ladder and letting him climb out
right away. But Elmira, she says:

"Don't you do it, Brother Cartwright; don't you do it. You don't know
Hank Walters like I does. If he oncet gets out o' there before he's
signed that pledge, he won't never sign it."

So they fixed