The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-06-12

aCrOSC the ROAD 10 where Tie AleAdu'
derses lived. Mis- Alexander, she seen
her coming and unlocked the screen
door, and Mis- Rogers she holers out
before she reached the porch:
Hank Walters is dead
And then she went footing it up the
street They was 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
down and puts her arm around FL
mira, which was still rocking back and
forth in the path, and she says:
GLOW do you know he's dead, El-
mira? l seen him not more'n an hour
ago." q
Danny seen it ALL" says Elmira.
Mis- Alexander turned to me and
wants to know what happened and
how it happened and where it hap
pened. But l don't want to say moth
ing about that cistern. So busts out
belcring 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," l says.
"And you seen him?" she says.
nodded.
"Where is he?" says she and Elmira
both to oncet.
But I was scared to say nothing
about that there ciStern, 50 | Jest
bawled some more.
"Was it in the blacksmith shop:''
says Mis- Alexander. nodded my
head agin and let it go at that.
SIS he in there now?" asts Mis-
Alexander. I nodded agin. hadn't
meant to give out no untrue stories.
But kid will always tell a lie. not
meaning to tell one. if you sort OF in
vite him with questions like that and
get him scared the way you're actin"
Besides, I says to myself, $50 long as
Hank has turned into a corpse and
that makes him dead. what's the diff
ference whether he's in the black
smith shop or not?" Fur hadn't any
plain idea, being such little kid. that
a corpse meant to be dead and wasn't
sure what being dead was like, nei
Their. except they had funerals over you
then I knowed being a corpse must
be some sort of a big Disadvantage
from the way Elmira always says
keen away from that cistern door or
I'll be one. But if they was going to
be a funeral in our house I'd feel kind
O. important too. They didn't have
'em every day in our town. and we
hadn't never had one of our own.
SO Mis- Alexander, she led Elmira
into the house, both a-crying. and Mis-
Alexander trying to comfort her. and
me a tagging along behind holding on
| to Elmira's skirts and shifting into
them. And in few minutes all then
women Mis- Rogers has told come
| filing into that room. one at time
| looking sad Only old Mis- Primrose
! she was awful late getting there be
cause she stopped to put on her bun
net she always wore to funerals witt
the black Paris lace on it her cousin
Arminty White had sent her from
Chicago.
When they found out Hank had come
home with Ticker in him and done j
himself they was all excited, and they
all crowds around and asts me how
except two as is holding on to Elmira's
hands. which sets moaning in chair
And they all asts me questions as tc
what seen him do. which if they
hadn't l wouldn't have told 'em the
lies l did. But they egged me on to it
Says one woman, DANNY. you seer
him do it in the blacksmith shop?'
nodded,
''But how did he get in?" sings out
another woman. "The door was lock
ed on the outside with a paddock jes
now when come by. He couldn't OF
killed himself in there and locked the
door on the outside"
didn't see how he could Of done
that myself, so begun to bawl ag'in
and said nothing at all.
HE must of crawled through that
little side window says another one
"It was open when l come by, if the
door was locked. Did you see him
crawl through the little side window
Danny?"
nodded. They wasn't nothing else
fur me to do
''But you hain't tall enough to look
through that there window" says an
other one to me. How could you see
into that shop. Danny?"
l didn't know, so 1 didn't say nothing
at ALL jest SMILED.
''They is & store box right in under
that window" says another one "Dan
ny must have clumb on to that store
box and looked in after he seen Hank
come down the road and crawl through
the window. Did you scramble on to
the store box and look in, Danny"
I jest nodded ag'in.
"And what was it you seen him do:
How did he kill HIMSELF" they all asts
to oncet.
didn't know. So jest bellers and
boohoos some more. Things was get
fino mast ANYTHING I cOIlld see the waV