“Now, that just ain’t so,” I said. “You know it ain’t so, Zeke.”

“The hell—the heck it ain’t!”

I said, no, sir it sure wasn’t and he knew it as well as I did. “I leave it to anyone here,” I said, “if they ever knew me to do a man dirty or even say so much as an unkind word about another fella as long as they’ve lived. Just ask anyone. I’ll leave it up to them.”

Zeke scowled and muttered something under his breath. Cuss words, it sounded like. I asked Sam if he thought I was out to harm him, and he scuffled his feet and looked embarrassed.

“Well, uh, I’m sure you wouldn’t, uh, do so—uh—”

“Right,” I said. “I wouldn’t. In the first place, it just ain’t my nature to hurt another fella, an’ in the second place I know it wouldn’t do no good. Because I figure you can’t be hurt, Sam. The way I see it, you’re as good as elected right now.”

Sam’s head snapped up. He kind of waved his hands, helplesslike, like he didn’t know whether to pee or go blind. And if he was surprised, he sure had plenty of company. Everyone was staring at me, their eyes popped open. Even Zeke Carlton was struck dumb for a moment.

“Now, see here, Nick—” he spoke up at last. “Now, let’s get this straight. Are you saying that you’re concedin’ the election to Sam?”

“I’m saying that I’m going to,” I said, raising my voice. “I’m concedin’ to Sam just as soon as he answers one question.”

Zeke asked what kind of question. I said a very simple question, stalling a minute to get as big a crowd as I could.

“A very simple question,” I repeated. “One that’s already on everyone’s lips, you might say, and that Sam would have to answer sooner or later.”

“Well, come on!” Zeke scowled impatiently. “Ask it! Sam don’t mind answering questions, do you, Sam? Sam’s life is an open book!”

“How about that, Sam?” I said. “I’d like to hear you speak for youself.”

Sam said, “Well, uh, yes. I mean I’ll be glad to answer your question. Uh, anything I can, that is.”

“Well, this is about them dirty stories people are tellin’ on you,” I said. “Now, wait a minute! Wait a minute, Zeke, Sam,”—I held up my hand—” I know them stories ain’t true. I know Sam wouldn’t rape a little colored baby or steal the gold teeth out of his grandma’s mouth or beat his pappy to death with a stick of cordwood or rob a widder woman of her life’s savings or feed his wife to the hawgs. I know a fine fella like Sam wouldn’t do nothing like that. So all I’m asking is this; this is my question ..

I paused again, gettin’ everyone on their toes. I waited until you could have heard a weevil crapping on a cotton boll, and then I asked my question.