"Sez the Sheriff, 'Miss Thompson,' sez he, 'hev you seen the murderer Hardwick? He was seen half a mile back a-comin' this way.'
"'I hev not,' sez she. Wa'al, that was true; she hedn't seen nor heard him.
"'It is your duty if you know anything of his whereabouts to communicate that knowledge to me,' sez he. He was old Jimmy Grey, the Sheriff, and he talked big.
"'I hev no love for Mr. Hardwick,' said Alice, simply. 'He whipped that boy of mine almost to death. It is not probable that I should hide him.'
"That's true,' sez Sheriff Grey. 'But he's a-hidin' somewheres about,' sez he.
"'If I see him, I'll let you know,' sez Alice, standin' up, and looking at the Sheriff as stiff as a double holly-hock.
"Wa'al, all there is about it is, the Sheriff's folks came a-watchin' that mill all day, and that boy and his mother they sat and defended the skulkin' dog in the cock-loft—a-sawin' and a-sewin'—and that day's work broke Phil's back. He was a-growin' boy, and it jest killed him. When night came, and Hardwick got away, Phil he fainted right down, like a mowed mullein stalk.
"But the next day sez he, 'Mother, I'm a-goin' in to the Sheriff to tell what I done. It warn't right of us to interfere with the law, even if we did want to do good for evil.'
"And sez she, 'Phil, I guess you're right, and I'll go too.'
"I tell you there was a stir to Dicksonville when them two told their story, and they clapped Phil right into jail. It was a cold, gloomy place—jails ain't comfortable, particler in the fall when the courts puts folks in, generally after the harvest's done. Naow there was Sol Sullivan that murdered his wife; they knew it in August, but Sol warn't arrested till October, cos they wanted him to help on his father's farm gettin' in the wheat and corn and potatoes, and when they asked Sol why he done it, he said 'he didn't want to winter her.' Farmin' folks think o' these things. Wa'al, I guess that cold Phil took there didn't help his back none, for he was awful sick afterwards.