reckon I got to git 'cross the river purty soon now."

Crump had been living over in Breathitt since the old feud. He
had been "convicted" over there by Sherd Raines, a preacher from
the Jellico Hills, and he had grown pious. Indeed, he had been
trailing after Raines from place to place, and he was following the
circuit-rider now to the scene of his own deviltry-Hazlan.

"Reckon you folks don't know I got the cirkit-rider to come over
hyeh, do ye?" he went on. "Ef he can't preach! Well, I'd tell a
man! He kin jus' draw the heart out'n a holler log! He ' convicted '
me fust night, over thar in Breathitt. He come up thar, ye know, to
stop the feud, he said; 'n' thar was laughin' from one eendo'
Breathitt to t'other; but thar was the whoppinest crowd thar I ever
see when he did come. The meetin'-house wasn't big enough to
hold 'em, so he goes out on the aidge o' town, n' climbs on to a
stump. He hed a woman with him from the settlemints-she's
a-waitin' at Hazlan fer him now-'n' she had a cur'us little box, 'n' he
put her 'n' the box on a big rock, 'n' started in a callin' 'em his
bretherin' 'n' sisteren, 'n' folks seed mighty soon thet he meant it,
too. He's always mighty easylike, tell he gits to the blood-penalty."

At the word, Crump's listeners paid sudden heed. Old Gabe's knife
stopped short in the heart of the stick he was whittling; the boy
looked sharply up from the running meal into Crump's face and sat
still.

Well, he jes prayed to the Almighty as though he was a-talkin' to
him face to face, 'n' then the woman put her hands on that box, 'n'
the sweetes' sound anybody thar ever heerd come outen it. Then