a-singin', an' a-sayin' Amen louder 'n
anybody when thar was meetin'.

Well, my boy Jim an' a lot o' fellers
jes went up fer him right away. I don't
know as the boys would 'a' killed him
EXACTLY ef they had kotched him, though
they mought; but they got Abe Shivers,
as tol' the feller they was a-comin'--
you've heard tell o' Abe-an' they mos'
beat Abraham Shivers to death. Stranger,
the sorry cuss was Dave. Rosie
hadn't no daddy an' no mammy; an'
she was jes a-workin' at Dave's fer her
victuals an' clo'es. 'Pears like the pore
gal was jes tricked into evil. Looked
like she was sorter 'witched--an' anyways,
stranger, she was a fightin' Satan
in HERSELF, as well as in Dave. Hit was
two agin one, I tell ye, an' hit wasn't
fa'r.

Co'se they turned Rosie right out in
the road I hain't got a word to say
agin Dave's wife fer that; an' atter a
while the boys lets Dave come back, to
take keer o' his ole mammy, of co'se,
but I tell ye Dave's a-playin' a purty
lonesome tune. He keeps purty shy YIT.
He don't nuver sa'nter down this way.