The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-05-26

! "Hank is a corpse," says l., bIubbering. always made it so strong, I hadn't no sort of unbelief but what Hank was a corpse already. So I slams the trap door shut over that there cistern with out looking in. fur I hearn Hank flop ping around down in there. I hadn't never hearn a corpse flop before and didn't know but what it might be some how injurious to me, and wasn't go- ing to take no chances.
 So went out and played in the front yard and waited fur Elmira. But couldn't seem to get my mind settled on playing I. was a horse nor nothing I kep' thinking mebby Hanks corpse is going to. come Hopping out of that cistern and whale me. some unusual way I hadn't never been licked by a corpse ana dffn't rightly know jest what one is anyhow, being young and comparative innocent. So I sneaks back in and sets all the fatirons in the house on top of the cistern lid. hearn some Hopping and splashing and splut- tering. like Hanks corpse is trying to jump up and is falling back into the water, and hearn Hanks voice and got scareder yet. And when Elmira come along down the road she seen me by the gate a-crying, and she asts me why
 .'Hank is a corpse says I, blubber- ing.
 "A corpser' says Elmira, dropping her coffee, which she was carrying home from the gineral store and post office. Danny, what do you mean?''
 seen was to blame somehow, and wisht then I hadn't said nothing about Hank being a corpse. And made up my mind wouldn't say noth- ing more. So when she grabs holt of me and asts. me ag'in what did mean blubbered harder. jest the way a kid will, and says nothing else. I wisht hadn't set them f1atirons on that door, fur it come to me all at oncet that even if Hank has turned into a corpse I ain't got any right to keep him in that cistern.
 Jest then old Mis- Rogers, whicbpfs one of our neighbors, comes by, while Elnira is shaking me and yelling out what did mean and how did it hap pen and had saw it, and where was Hanks corpse?
 And Mis- Rogers she says, Whats Danny been doing now, E1mira?'' me eeing always up to something.
 Elnnira she turned around and seen her, and she gives a whoop and then hollers out, Flank is dead!' and throws her apern over her head and sets right down in the path and boo hoos like baby. And bellers louder
 Mis- Rogers, she never waited to ast nothing more. She seen she had a piece of news, and she's bound to be the first to spread it, like they is all ways a lot of women wants to be 1u them country towns She run right acrost the road to where the Alexan- derses lived. Mis- Alexander, she seen l her coming and unlocked the screen door, and Mis- Rogers she hol1ers out before she reached the porch:
 Hank Walters is dead!'' And then she went footing it up the 1 street. They was a black plume on her bunnet which nedded the same as on a | hearse, and she was into and out of seven front yards in five minutes. 1 Mis- Alexander, she runs acrost the | street to where we was, and she kneels | down and puts her arm around El- mira, which was still rocking back and forth in the path, and she says: "How do you know he's dead, Ell mira? seen him not more'n an hour ago"
 l Danny seen 1t aIl,'' says Elnira. ! wants to know what happened and how it happened and where it hap pened. But don't want to say noth- ing about that cistern. So I busts out f 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 done it,'' I says.
 "And you seen him?'' she says. ] nodded.
 Where is he?" says she and E1mira. both to oncet.
 But I was scared to say nothing about that there cistern so jest bawled some more.
 ''Was it in the blacksmith shop?' says Mis- Alexander. I nodded my head agin and let it go at that
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