"
It made the people shiver to think of poor old Uncle
Silas toting off the diseased down to the place in his
tobacker field where the dog dug up the body, but
there warn't much sympathy around amongst the faces,
and I heard one cuss say "'Tis the coldest blooded
work I ever struck, lugging a murdered man around
like that, and going to bury him like a animal, and him
a preacher at that."
Tom he went on thinking, and never took no notice;
so our lawyer took the witness and done the best he
could, and it was plenty poor enough.
Then Jack Withers he come on the stand and told the
same tale, just like Bill done.
And after him comes Brace Dunlap, and he was look-
ing very mournful, and most crying; and there was a
rustle and a stir all around, and everybody got ready to
listen, and lost of the women folks said, "Poor cretur,
poor cretur," and you could see a many of them wip-
ing their eyes.
BRACE DUNLAP, sworn, said: "I was in considerable
trouble a long time about my poor brother, but I
reckoned things warn't near so bad as he made out,
and I couldn't make myself believe anybody would
have the heart to hurt a poor harmless cretur like
that" -- [by jings, I was sure I seen Tom give a
kind of a faint little start, and then look
disappointed again] -- "and you know I COULDN'T
think a preacher would hurt him -- it warn't natural
to think such an onlikely thing -- so I never paid
much attention, and now I sha'n't ever, ever
forgive myself; for if I had a done different, my
poor brother would be with me this day, and not
laying yonder murdered, and him so harmless.
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