All the other women sings out: “W'y, Mis' Primrose, I never!” But down in underneath more of 'em agreed than let on to. Elmira she wiped her eyes and says:
“Hennery and me had our troubles, there ain't any use denying that, Mis' Primrose. It has often been give and take between us and betwixt us. And the whole town knows he has lifted his hand against me more'n once. But I always stood up to Hennery and I fit him back, free and fair and open. I give him as good as he sent on this earth and I ain't the one to carry a mad beyond the grave. I forgive Hennery all the orneriness he did to me, and there was a lot of it, as is becoming to a church member, which he never was.”
All the women but Mis' Primrose says: “Elmira, you have got a Christian sperrit!” Which did her a heap of good, and she cried considerable harder, leaking out tears as fast as she poured tea in. And each one present tried to think up something nice to say about Hank, only there wasn't much they could say. And Hank in that cistern, listening to every word of it.
Mis' Rogers, she says: “Before he took to drinking like a fish, Hank Walters was as likely a lookin' young feller as ever I see.”
Mis' White, she says: “Well, Hank he never was a stingy man, anyhow. Often and often White has told me about seeing Hank treating the crowd down in Nolan's saloon just as come-easy, go-easy as if it wasn't money he'd ought to have paid his honest debts with.”
They sat there that way telling of what good points they could think of for ten minutes, and Hank hearing it and getting madder and madder all the time. By and by Tom Alexander came busting into the house.
“What's the matter with all you women?” he says. “There's nobody hanging in that blacksmith shop. I broke the door down and went in, and it's empty.”
There was a pretty howdy-do, then, and they all sing out:
“Where's the corpse?”
Some thinks maybe someone has cut it down and taken it away, and all gabbled at once. But for a minute or two no one thought that maybe little Danny had been egged on to tell lies. And little Danny ain't saying a word. But Elmira grabbed me and shook me and said: