Danny's Own Story. Don Marquis
been said of Hank in that town fur years and years.
Old Mis' Primrose, she always prided herself on being honest, no matter what come, and she ups and says:
“I don't believe in no hippercritics at a time like this, no more'n no other time. The departed wasn't no good, and the hull town knowed it; and Elmira orter feel like it's good riddance of bad rubbish and them is my sentiments and the sentiments of rightfulness.”
All the other women sings out:
“W'y, Mis' Primrose! I never!” And they seemed awful shocked. But down in underneath more of em agreed than let on. Elmira she wiped her eyes and she said:
“Hennerey and me has had our troubles. They ain't any use in denying that, Mis' Primrose. It has often been give and take between us and betwixt us. And the hull town knows he has lifted his hand agin me more'n oncet. But I always stood up to Hennerey, and I fit him back, free and fair and open. I give him as good as he sent on this here earth, and I ain't the one to carry no annermosities beyond the grave. I forgive Hank all the orneriness he done me, and they was a lot of it, as is becoming unto a church member, which he never was.”
And all the women but Mis' Primrose, they says:
“Elmira Appleton, you have got a Christian sperrit!” Which done her a heap of good, and she cried considerable harder, leaking out tears as fast as she poured tea in. Each one on em tries to find out something good to say about Hank, only they wasn't much they could say. And Hank in that there cistern a-listening to every word of it.
Mis' Rogers, she says:
“Afore he took to drinking like a fish, Hank Walters was as likely looking a young feller as I ever see.”
Mis' White, she says:
“Well, Hank he never was a stingy man, nohow. Often and often White has told me about seeing Hank, after he'd sold a piece of land, treating the hull town down in Nolan's bar-room jest as come-easy, go-easy as if it wasn't money he orter paid his honest debts with.”
They set there that-a-way telling of what good pints they could think of fur ten minutes, and Hank a-hearing it and getting madder and madder all the time. The gineral opinion was that Hank wasn't no good and was better done fur, and no matter what they said them feelings kep' sticking out through the words.
By and by Tom Alexander come busting into the house, and his wife, Mis' Alexander, was with him.
“What's the matter with all you folks,” he says. “They ain't nobody hanging in that there blacksmith shop. I broke the door down and went in, and it was empty.”
Then they was a pretty howdy-do, and they all sings out:
“Where's the corpse?”
And some thinks mebby some one has cut it down and took it away, and all gabbles to oncet. But for a minute no one thinks mebby little Danny has been egged on to tell lies. Little Danny ain't saying a word. But Elmira she grabs me and shakes me and she says:
“You little liar, you, what do you mean by that tale you told?”
I thinks that lamming is about due now. But whilst all eyes is turned on me and Elmira, they comes a voice from that cistern. It is Hank's voice, and he sings out:
“Tom Alexander, is that you?”
Some of the women scream, for some thinks it is Hank's ghost. But one woman says what would a ghost be doing in a cistern?
Tom Alexander, he laughs and he says:
“What in blazes you want to jump in there fur, Hank?”
“You dern ijut!” says Hank, “you quit mocking me and get a ladder, and when I get out'n here I'll learn you to ast what did I want to jump in here fur!”
“You never seen the day you could do it,” says Tom Alexander, meaning the day he could lick him. “And if you feel that way about it you can stay there fur all of me. I guess a little water won't hurt you none.” And he left the house.
“Elmira,” sings out Hank, mad and bossy, “you go get me a ladder!”
But Elmira, her temper riz up too, all of a sudden.
“Don't you dare order me around like I was the dirt under your feet, Hennerey Walters,” she says.
At that Hank fairly roared, he was so mad. He says:
“Elmira, when I get out'n here I'll give you what you won't fergit in a hurry. I hearn you a-forgiving me and a-weeping over me, and I won't be forgive nor weeped over by no one! You go and get that ladder.”
But Elmira only answers:
“You wasn't sober when you fell into there, Hennerey Walters. And now you can jest stay in there till you get a better temper on you!” And all the women says: “That's right, Elmira; spunk up to him!”
They was considerable splashing around in the water fur a couple of minutes. And then, all of a sudden, a live fish come a-whirling out of that hole, which he had ketched it with his hands. It was a big bullhead, and its whiskers around its mouth was stiffened into spikes, and it lands kerplump into Mis' Rogers's lap, a-wiggling, and it kind o' horns her on the hands, and she is that surprised she faints. Mis' Primrose, she gets up and pushes that fish back into the cistern with her foot from the floor where it had fell, and she says right decided:
“Elmira Walters, that was Elmira Appleton, if you let Hank out'n that cistern before he has signed the pledge and promised to jine the church you're a bigger fool 'n I take you to be. A woman has got to make a stand!” With that she marches out'n our house.
Then all the women sings out:
“Send fur Brother Cartwright! Send fur Brother Cartwright!”
And they sent me scooting acrost town to get him quick. Which he was the preacher of the Baptist church and lived next to it. And I hadn't got no lamming yet!
CHAPTER II
I never stopped to tell but two, three folks on the way to Brother Cartwright's, but they must of spread it quick. 'Cause when I got back home with him it seemed like the hull town was there. It was along about dusk by this time, and it was a prayer-meeting night at the church. Mr. Cartwright told his wife to tell the folks what come to the prayer-meeting he'd be back before long, and to wait fur him. Which she really told them where he had went, and what fur. Mr. Cartwright marches right into the kitchen. All the chairs in our house was into the kitchen, and the women was a-talking and a-laughing, and they had sent over to Alexanderses for their chairs and to Rogerses for theirn. Every oncet in a while they would be a awful bust of language come up from that hole where that unreginerate old sinner was cooped up in.
I have travelled around considerable since them days, and I have mixed up along of many kinds of people in many different places, and some of 'em was cussers to admire. But I never hearn such cussing before or since as old Hank done that night. He busted his own records and riz higher'n his own water marks for previous times. I wasn't nothing but a little kid then, and skeercly fitten fur to admire the full beauty of it. They was deep down cusses, that come from the heart. Looking back at it after all these years, I can believe what Brother Cartwright said himself that night, that it wasn't natcheral cussing and some higher power, like a demon or a evil sperrit, must of entered into Hank's human carkis and give that turrible eloquence to his remarks. It busted out every few