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Though well by Julian Kilman. Jeremiah
Hubbard toiled with a team of horses in

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a piece of ground some distance down
the road from his dwelling. When it

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neared five o'clock in the autumn afternoon, he unwound the lines from his waist,

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unhooked the traces, and started home
with his horses. He was a

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heavy man, a bit under middle
aged, with a dish shaped face and

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narrow set eyes. He walked with
vigor. One of the horses lagged a

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trifle, and he struck it savagely
with a short whip. They came presently

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to the Eldridge dwelling, abandoned and
tumbled down on the opposite side of the

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road. The farm was being worked
on shares by a man named Simpson,

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who lived five miles away, and
drove a tin Lizzie. An ancient oak

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tree, the tremendous circumference of its
trunk, marred by signs of decay,

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reared splendid narled branch's skyward. These
branches shaded a disused well well that had

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been the first one in Nicholas County, having been dug in the early fifties

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by the pioneering Eldridge family. It
went forty feet straight down into the residual

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soil characteristic of the locale, but
owing to improve drainage, it had become

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dry. Nothing remained of the old
pump house save the crumbling circle of stonework

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around the mouth to give evidence of
its one time majesty. A child of

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eight ran from the rear of the
premises. Hubbard frowned and stopped his team.

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You better get away from there,
he growled, or you'll fall into

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the well. The girl glanced at
him impishly. Ian missus Hubbard, don't

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speak to each other, do you. Hubbard's face went black. His whip

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sprang out and caught the girl around
the legs. She yelped and ran an

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eighth of a mile further along the
road. Hubbard turned in and drove his

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team to a big barn he fed
his stock. It was after six when

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he entered the house. This was
a structure that, by comparison with the

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gigantic barn in the rear, seemed
pigmy like. A sallow, flat chested

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woman with a wisp of hair twisted
into a knot, took from Hubbard the

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two pails of milk he carried.
She set them in the kitchen. The

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two exchanged no words. Hubbard strode
to the washstand, his boots thumping the

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floor, and performed his evolutions.
He rumpled his hair and beard, using

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much soap and water and blowing stenerously. In the dining room, a girl

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of twelve sat with a book.
As her father came in. She glanced

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at him timorously. He gave no
heed to her as he slumped down into

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a chair, standing before a death. The desk was littered with papers,

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among which were typewritten sheets of a
sort referred to as pleadings. There was

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a title search, much bethumbed and
black along the edges where the setouts had

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been scanned with obvious care, the
man adjusted a pair of antiquated spectacles to

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his dish face. To do this, he was compelled to pull the ends

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of the bows tight back over the
ears, as his nose afforded practically no

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bridge to support the glasses. Presently, he spoke to the girl, tell

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your mother to bring on supper.
The girl hastened out, and shortly thereafter

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the mother appeared carrying dishes. Food
was disposed around the table in silence.

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The farmer ate gustily and in ten
minutes finished his meal. Then he addressed

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his daughter, keeping his eyes averted
from his wife. Tell your mother,

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he said that I'll want breakfast at
five o'clock tomorrow morning. Where are you

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going, paw, asked the girl. I'm going to drive to the county

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seat to see lawyer Simmons. Hubbard's
gaze followed the girl as she helped clear

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the table. Look at here,
he said, you've been a talkin to

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the Harper child. No, returned
the daughter with a trace of spirit.

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But I just saw her father over
by the fence. What was he had

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doing there? I didn't stay.
I was a feared he'd catch me watching

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him. Hubbard glowered and reached for
his hat. I'll find out, he

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snarled. Walking rapidly, he crossed
a field of wheat stubble, keeping his

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eyes fixed sharply ahead. It was
dusk, but presently at the northern extreme

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of his premises, he made out
the figure of a man. Hey,

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Harper, he shouted, you let
that fence be ran forward swiftly. The

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men were now separated by two wire
strand fences that paralleled each other only three

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feet apart. These fences matching one
another for a distance of about two hundred

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yards. Each farmer claimed title to
the fence on the side furthest from his

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own represented the basis of the litigation
over the boundary claim that had gone on

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between them for four years. The
odd spectacle of the twin fences had come

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to be one of the show places
in the county. It had been photographed

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and shown in agricultural journals. I
don't trust you, Harper, announced Hubbard,

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breathing hard. You got the inside
track with Jedge Bissell, and the

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two of you was a scheman to
beat me. A laugh broke from the

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other. I'll beat you, all
right, he said coolly. But it

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won't be because Judge Bissell is unfair. His manner enraged Hubbard, who rushed

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swiftly up to the fence and threw
himself over With equal celerity. He clambered

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over the second fence. Startled by
the sudden outburst of temper. Harper had

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drawn back. He held aloft to
spade. Hubbard leapt at him. The

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spade descended. Harper was slightly built, However, the force of the blow

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did not halt the infuriated man,
now swinging at him with all his might.

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They clinched. Hauberd's fingers caught at
the throat of the smaller man,

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and the two stumbled to the ground. Hubbed atop the fall, broke his

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grip with his huge fists. He
began to hammer the body. He continued

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until it was limp Then his rage
suddenly appeased. He drew back and stared

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at the inert figure lying strangely quiet, so he gasped. There came the

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sound of someone singing, the voice
floating distinctly through the night air. Hubbard

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recognized it for that of an itinerant
free Methodist minister whose church in Ovid he

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and his family occasionally attended. The
song rolled forth as the Man of God

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drove along the highway. In his
rig was Jesus, Lover of my soul.

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For the moment, Hubbard shielded his
face with an arm as to ward

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off an invisible thing. Then,
bending over the prostrate form, he ran

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his hands inside the clothing to test
the action of the heart. He performed

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the act mechanically because he knew he
had killed his man. He discovered the

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handbag. Evidently, Harper was on
his way to Ovid to catch the train

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to the county's seat for the trial
on the morrow. This meant that he

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would not be missed by his wife
for at least twenty four hours. The

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murderer studied his next move where to
secrete the body. A piece of wood

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lay back of him, but he
was aware that it was constantly combed by

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squirrel hunters. He thought of the
railroad. Why not an accident killed by

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the very train he was bound for. He started to lug the body toward

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the track, which passed half a
mile to the north. Realizing, however,

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that for the time at hand the
distance was too great, he let

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the body slide to the ground.
Next, he stole along the twin fences

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to the highway and peered both ways. No one seemed abroad. He came

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back on the dead run, and
in twenty minutes he had carried the body

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to the Eldridge premises and flung it
down the ancient well. When he returned,

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he found his wife and daughter together
in the parlor, where, with

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the itinerant preacher, all three were
kneeling on the floor in prayer. Hubbard

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unceremoniously nudged the clergyman. That'll do, he said. The minister rose,

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his tall, lanky frame towering over
hubbard brother. He began in an orotone

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voice. Come with the lord.
Yes, I know, returned Hubbard with

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the patience that surprised his wife.
But I've got something to talk over with

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my family, he paused. Here, he added, feeling in his pocket

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and producing a small coin. Take
this and go. When the preacher had

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left, Hubbard called to his daughter. Harper was gone when I got over

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to the fence. What kept you
so long? I walked over to the

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woods. There's a nesta coons.
They're going to play havoc with the corn,

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he smiled, unnaturally, look a
here. If we catch him,

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I'll give you the money their pelts
bring. Hubbard divined that his acting was

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poor. Both the girl and his
wife were frankly regarding him well. He

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shouted, what's the matter with you? Oh nothing, thought nothing, whimpered

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the girl. Then go to bed, the two of you. Next morning,

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Hubbard started for the county seat,
a ten mile drive. He returned

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that evening and complained that the case
had been adjourned because Harper had failed to

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appear in court. The following day, he went back to his field far

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down the road for more plowing.
Twice he was called to the roadside by

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a passer by to discuss the disappearance
of Harper. One morning a week later,

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when he came along the road with
his team, he discovered the Harper

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child on the Eldridge premises. She
was sitting at the edge of the well

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with a suppressed oath. He dropped
the lines and half walked, half ran

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to where the little girl sat.
Didn't I tell you to stay away from

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there, he exploded. The girl
stared at him but made no move,

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though her lips quivered. Hubbard glanced
back to observe the road. Then he

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caught her arm. Go home,
he shouted. He spun her roughly.

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She continued to stare at him as
she retreated homeward. All that morning,

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Hubbard worked his horses hard. He
realized that he was eager to go back

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by the Eldridge dwelling promptly at twelve
o'clock. Therefore, he tied his team

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and started up the road. A
flash of relief came to him when he

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did not observe the little girl.
It left him cold, However, eating

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dinner, he mumbled. He moved
off without looking into the well until four

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o'clock that afternoon. He labored.
On the way home, he discovered the

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girl again, seated by the well. She was bending over and acting queerly.

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Hurrying his horses to the roadside,
he looped the lines over one of

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the posts in the old snake fence. As he approached, he saw her

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toss a piece of stone down the
hole. Hubbard waited until he was sure

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of his voice. Come with me, he said, Gripping the girl,

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he started with her toward her home
a short distance away. When they arrived,

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the front door was a jar.
A woman with red eyes from weeping

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looked at Hubbard in silence. Here, he said gruffly, this child ought

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to be kept home. She'll fall
into the well. Missus Harper merely reached

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out her arms for her daughter.
Hubbard remained standing awkwardly. Have you heard

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anything of Harper yet? He asked. I don't want to talk to you,

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replied the woman. Hubbard turned on
his heel. Waiting for him by

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his horses was a deputy sheriff.
The two of them further discussed the disappearance.

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If you yourself wasn't so well known, Jeremiah finally declared the official they'd

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be a thinking you was in it. Some way, why, grunted the

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farmer as he untied the lines.
Well, everybody knows you and Harper been

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a lawn at it for years.
Over the boundary line, Hubbard achieved a

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laugh. I'll tell you where Harper
is. He cleared out, that's what

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I think. Deserted his family.
That night and many following nights, Hubbard

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did not sleep. Some weeks later, a tremendous electrical storm broke in the

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night. One peculiarly heavy clap so
startled the wakeful Hubbard that he leapt from

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his bed and dressed. In the
pouring rain, he started out. Inevitably,

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his steps took him toward the well. It was black. He could

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not see it first, but another
flash came and he observed the strange thing.

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The huge oak standing at the side
of the well had been split in

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two by lightning, and one portion
of the tree had fallen over the mouth

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of the hole. Next morning,
Simpson, the man with the tin Lizzie,

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stopped at Hubbard's place. He was
a blunt spoken, red faced man

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whom Hubbard hated. That was a
bad storm last night, he said.

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The lightning struck the big oak tree
by the well. What of it?

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Snapped Hubbard. There was a skeleton
in the center of that tree, explained

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Simpson. I was talking this morning
with the sheriff over the telephone. He

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said. Seventy five years ago a
man was murdered in Ovid and they never

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found his body. This skeleton must
be his. Hubbard cleared his throat,

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sharply, what did you do with
it? The skull and one of the

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leg bones fell down into the well
when I tried to gather him up.

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I want to borrow some ropes so
I can climb down in there for a

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bare second. Hubbard was silent.
What you ought to do, he said,

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gathering himself, is to fill up
that hole. It's dangerous. Yeah,

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that's so, But I'm gonna get
the skull first. It'll be a

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good exhibit. I'm wonderin whether we'll
ever find harper skeleton. Wait a moment,

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said Hubbard, huskily, starting for
the barn. I'll get some rope

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and help you. The two returned
to the Eldridge farm. They found there

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the dead man's child. She had
perched herself on the fallen tree. Damn

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fool, muttered Hubbard. Her mother
let her play around here. A Pulley

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was rigged over the branch and the
rope inserted with a board for a rest.

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I'll go down, vouchsafed Hubbard.
Simpson looked his surprise as he assented.

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He took Hubbard five minutes or so
to retrieve the missing skeleton parts.

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He brought them up, the leg
bone and the grinning skull. He was

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pale when he hauled himself over the
edge. I'm going to fill up that

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hole myself, he said. All
right, retorted Simpson, handling the skull

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curiously, go to it. The
word traveled of the finding of the ancient

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skeleton, and the inhabitants began driving
thither to see the sight. Simpson,

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a man of some ingenuity, had
wired the bleached white bones together and suspended

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them from one of the branches of
the fallen tree. The skeleton dangled and

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swung in the wind. Hubbard,
maddened by the delay and publicity, felt

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himself wearing away. He had become
obsessed with conviction that if the hole were

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filled, his mind would be at
rest. The knights of continued sleeplessness were

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ragging his nerves, and he was
by this time unable to remain in bed.

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He would throw himself down fully dressed, waiting until the others were asleep,

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then he would steal out. At
first, he had merely walked to

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the rows, swinging his arms and
mumbling, but as the night progressed,

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his stride would quicken, and frequently
he would take to running. He would

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run until his lungs were bursting and
a slaver fed from his mouth. Late,

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travelers began to catch glimpses of the
fleeting figure, and the rumor grew

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that a ghost was haunting the locality
of the well that the skeleton walked.

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Hubbard grew haggard, but he found
himself unable to discontinue his nocturnal prowls,

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some of which took him miles,
but all of which invariably wound up in

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one place the well. Here,
fagged and exhausted, he would sit until

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the approach of dawn, staring at
the skeleton, mouthing incoherencies, praying,

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singing hymns beneath his breath, Laughing. At the approach of dawn, he

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would steal home. At last,
after the interest in the skeleton has subsided

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and Simpson had consented to its removal, Hubbard loaded his wagon with stones and

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small boulders and started for the well. The first four afternoon he made three

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trips, dumping each time a considerable
amount of stones. Next morning he worked

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in an additional trip. He began
to experience circes, but on the afternoon

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of the second day, when he
made another trip, Simpson came over from

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his work in the adjoining field.
I wanted to see you yesterday, he

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said quizzically, regarding Hubbard. Missus
Harper was here. She said, her

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little girl was playing around here and
dropped a pair of adirons the well.

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What of it, Hubbard jerked out. You gotta get him out? Why

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because them aderans is relics. But
you gave me permission to fill the hole.

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I was kidding, you, laughed
Simpson. I'm only renting the farm.

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I ain't got nothing to do with
the house in the yard. Without

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a word, Hubbard returned to his
wagon. He got into the seat and

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drove off. In an hour,
he came back with the same rope that

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had been used to recover the missing
portions of the skeleton. Also, he

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brought with him a farm laborer who
did occasional work for him. Simpson regarded

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Hubbard amusingly. As the latter adjusted
once more, the pulley arranged the bucket

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and then hitched his team to the
end of the rope. Patiently, bucketful

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by bucketful, the stones were elevated
and dumped down below. In the black

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interior. Hobbed labored for an hour. At six o'clock he had not found

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the Aderans. Twice he had been
compelled to come up for fresh air.

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His last trip left him so white
faced and weak he was forced to go

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home that night. He resorted to
sleeping powders, but he lay and tossed

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wide eyed through the dark hours.
Sometime after midnight he got up a light

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was still burning in his wife's room, and tiptoeing down the hall, he

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paused at her door. He in
low voices. The mother and daughter were

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conversing. To his heated imagination,
it seemed certain they were talking of Harper's

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disappearance. Mumbling to himself, he
left the house. He ran down the

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lane to the highway, and along
this until he came to the Eldridge place.

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He determined not to stop, and
succeeded in running by like a frightened

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animal. His gait accelerated it was
one best described as scurrying. As he

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ran, crouched and low, he
thought he saw someone approaching. This turned

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him back. He fled with the
speed of the wind. Drawn by an

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irresistible force, he made straight for
the Eldridge pathway. He came to the

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well, the entrance of which gaped
at him. For a moment he stood

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with eyes wide open, staring into
the black depths. Then screaming, he

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plunged in head first. His cry, long drawn and eerie, hung quivering

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in the night air. In the
Hubbard home a of a mile away.

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The mother and daughter heard it.
The two listened with palpitating hearts. They

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caught one another's hand in a hoarse
whisper. The mother exclaimed, what's that?

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The End of the Well by Julian
Kilman.