But pretty soon he sort of come to himself
again and says:
"Uncle Silas, don't you say another word like that.
It's dangerous, and there ain't a shadder of truth in it."
Aunt Sally and Benny was thankful to hear him say
that, and they said the same; but the old man he
wagged his head sorrowful and hopeless, and the tears
run down his face, and he says;
"No -- I done it; poor Jubiter, I done it!"
It was dreadful to hear him say it. Then he went
on and told about it, and said it happened the day
me and Tom come -- along about sundown. He said
Jubiter pestered him and aggravated him till he was so
mad he just sort of lost his mind and grabbed up a stick
and hit him over the head with all his might, and
Jubiter dropped in his tracks. Then he was scared and
sorry, and got down on his knees and lifted his head
up, and begged him to speak and say he wasn't dead;
and before long he come to, and when he see who it
was holding his head, he jumped like he was 'most
scared to death, and cleared the fence and tore into the
woods, and was gone. So he hoped he wasn't hurt
bad.
"But laws," he says, "it was only just fear that
gave him that last little spurt of strength, and of course
it soon played out and he laid down in the bush, and
there wasn't anybody to help him, and he died."
Then the old man cried and grieved, and said he was
a murderer and the mark of Cain was on him, and he
had disgraced his family and was going to be found
out and hung.
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