"There was once, as in reason; but she has now been dead and sunk
these two good years."

"Anan?" said Deerslayer, looking up at his companion in a little
surprise.

"Dead and sunk, I say, and I hope that's good English. The old
fellow lowered his wife into the lake, by way of seeing the last
of her, as I can testify, being an eye-witness of the ceremony;
but whether Tom did it to save digging, which is no easy job among
roots, or out of a consait that water washes away sin sooner than
'arth, is more than I can say."

"Was the poor woman oncommon wicked, that her husband
should take so much pains with her body ?"

"Not onreasonable; though she had her faults. I consider Judith
Hutter to have been as graceful, and about as likely to make a good
ind as any woman who had lived so long beyond the sound of church
bells; and I conclude old Tom sunk her as much by way of saving
pains, as by way of taking it. There was a little steel in her
temper, it's true, and, as old Hutter is pretty much flint, they
struck out sparks once-and-a-while; but, on the whole, they might
be said to live amicable like. When they did kindle, the listeners
got some such insights into their past lives, as one gets into the
darker parts of the woods, when a stray gleam of sunshine finds
its way down to the roots of the trees. But Judith I shall always
esteem, as it's recommend enough to one woman to be the
mother of such a creatur' as her darter, Judith Hutter!"