"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 would a ghost be doing in a cistern? Tom Alexander, he laughs and he says: "What in blazes you want to jump in there fur, Hank?" "You dern ijut!" says Hank, "you quit mocking me and get a ladder, and when I get out'n here I'll learn you to ast what did I want to jump in here fur!" "You never seen the day you could do it," says Tom Alexander, meaning the day he could lick him. "And if you feel that way about it you can stay there fur all of me. I guess a little water won't hurt you none." And he left the house. "Elmira," sings out Hank, mad and bossy, "you go get me a ladder!" But Elmira, her temper riz up too, all of a sudden. "Don't you dare order me around like I was the dirt under your feet, Hennerey Walters," she says. At that Hank fairly roared, he was so mad. He says: