"So you left this place fur new pastures. But I Will be sworn you went
off cause you could not see the sun ashinin on my Childs grave nor meet
her old broke down mother face to face. I have wanted to meet you ever
since she died, but I helt in. The reason I sent you word not to come
to the Funeral was cause I knowed ef I saw you thar I would jump right
up before the people and drag you with yore yaller Pumpkin face full of
gilt right up to her Box an make you look at yore work. It was not out
of respect fur yore feelings that I did not, nuther, fur I dont respect
you as much as I do a decent egg-suckin dog, but I was afraid folks
would suspicion the pore Child's secret, the secret that me an you an
nobody else knows, that she took her own life to git out of the misery
you put her in. She did not want them to know, an they shall not;
besides, thar are Folks in this cussed Settlement mean enough to
begrudge her the grave Lot she has becase of what she was driv to.

"Thar is one thing I want you to stop. I dont want you to hire Peter
Slogan with Blood money, nur nobody else, to haul wood fur me. I
knowed you did send a load, fur he is too lazy to think of anybody but
hisself without thar was money in it. I accused him of it after I had
toted the last Stick back to yore land whar he got it. He tried to
deny it, but I saw the lie in his face an shamed it. Dont you bother
about me. I will live a powerful sight longer than you want me to
before I am through with You. You will never forgit how Sally died, ef
you did not look at her pore little face in death nur help the
neighbors fill her grave up.

"John Westerfelt, you killed my Child as deliberately as ef you had
choked the life out of her with yore Bare hands. You hung after her
night and Day, even after she had been cautioned that you was fickle,
an then when you got her whole soul an hart you deliberately left her