Dannys Own Story | Page 8

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 senti- ments 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 knows 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 be- yond 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 black- smith 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,