"
And then she went footing it up the street.
They was a black plume on her bunnet which nodded
the same as on a hearse, and she was into and out
of seven front yards in five minutes.
Mis' Alexander, she runs acrost the street to
where we was, and she kneels down and puts her
arm around Elmira, which was still rocking back
and forth in the path, and she says:
"How do you know he's dead, Elmira? I seen
him not more'n an hour ago."
"Danny seen it all," says Elmira.
Mis' Alexander turned to me, and wants to know
what happened and how it happened and where
it happened. But I don't want to say nothing
about that cistern. So I busts out bellering fresher'n
ever, and I says:
"He was drunk, and he come home drunk, and
he done it then, and that's how he cone it," I says.
"And you seen him?" she says. I nodded.
"Where is he?" says she and Elmira, both to
oncet.
But I was scared to say nothing about that there
cistern, so I jest bawled some more.
"Was it in the blacksmith shop?" says Mis'
Alexander. I nodded my head agin and let it go
at that.
"Is he in there now?" asts Mis' Alexander. I
nodded agin. I hadn't meant to give out no untrue
stories. But a kid will always tell a lie, not meaning
to tell one, if you sort of invite him with questions
like that, and get him scared the way you're acting.
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