"What is your name?" he inquired.
"Joshua, suh."
"That's a good Bible name," commented Forrester. "I fancy a man with a name like that ought to tell the truth."
"Ah does, Boss; hones' Ah does," protested Joshua. "Ah belibes in de Lawd an' goes to church reg'lar. But de Lawd, he can't always stop de debil puttin' hants in t'ings."
"You really think this tree is haunted, do you, Joshua?"
"Hones', Boss. Dat's de whole truf an' nuffin but de truf."
"Tell me what makes you think the tree is haunted," requested Forrester.
"Done make me hab de shibers ebery time Ah talk 'bout dat, Boss. Yo' see, dere's a bad Jamaica niggah woman libes back in dem woods. She an' her husband done come yere 'bout two yahs ago. Dis yere tree all right den, but she done murdah her husban' one night."
"If she murdered her husband," said Forrester, "how is it she is living here now? Why wasn't she hung or put in jail?"
"De trouble was, Boss, dere wasn't no ebidence!"