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Smith, Jewell Ellen, 1915-1998

"Great Jehoshaphat and Gully Dirt"

"
"Jodie, who all knows about Ward's still?"
"Nobody except us, Doctor Elton, and the Goodes. And we told
the new schoolteacher. He's a fine man, Nannie."
"Seems to be."
"Evidently Wes Bailey hasn't got wind of it yet. Old Man Hawk
don't know it either, or he would've done had Ward in jail."
Chapter 5
Late Sunday afternoon a bunch of men-Wallace Goode's papa,
Doctor Elton, Mr. Shepherd, the new schoolteacher, and Uncle Dan,
and others besides-came to talk to Papa about something bad,
something none of them liked. But exactly what, I couldn't find
out. Mister Goode said it would rile a rattlesnake. Whatever it
was had happened Saturday night over at Mister Goode's house-long
after he had gone to bed and while Mrs. Goode was sitting by the
window brushing her hair.
All the men had solemn looks on their faces. And when the
doctor said, "Maybe we ought'a get him out of the settlement
before somebody kills him," the deep lines on Papa's forehead got
deeper, and he took all the men into our front room and closed
the door.


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