‘I never heared of him,’ Jonas said. ‘He was a strong man, I reckon.’

‘Strongest man I ever see and I’ve travelled a right smart,’ Henry said. ‘I see him lift four ploughshares at once and never lose his wind either. He took a right smart risk too when he married Josie Tinnie. Josie, it was said, hated him afore a year was out and tried to put spite in his victuals, parisgreen it was said, but they lived on together off and on in quarrel and had ten youngones. Well, Wilks he tied Uncle Billy’s hands and tied his feet and made fast a rope around his middle, tried not to hurt old Billy no more’n he could help and he and two more hoisted Uncle Billy down as easy as if he’d been a bale of shingles. Then we all set to and reroofed the house for Aunt Plez, poor old Aunt Plez, and Uncle Billy got so bad they had to send for two doctors and finally the county took him over and he was sent on somewheres, but I see him just afore he went and he was all foam at the mouth and wild in his eyes. That was the last anybody ever see of Uncle Billy in our parts because he died pretty soon after they took him, and Aunt Plez sold out and went to live with her sister. She seen a sight of trouble with her youngones not bright and Uncle Billy the way he was. That was when I was seventeen, I reckon, when Uncle Billy died and Aunt Plez sold out.’

‘For God’s sake!’ Nellie said, turning again in her bed. ‘Can’t you get shed of him in no way or how, Ellen? To blab the enduren night long!’

‘A body takes a heap of risks in a lifetime, from first to last,’ Henry said. ‘Next year I was eighteen and then I was nineteen, I recollect. I recollect that was the year Newt got horse-throwed and got his shoulder busted. Saturday it was. A wild critter he traded for, bay I recollect, a critter nobody could gentle, as it turned out. I recall how Newt was throwed a Saturday. Then come Sunday. I recall as well as ’twas yester. Then a Monday. Tuesday. I recollect Wednesday Doc Marks set Newt’s arm bone and Newt he suffered a right smart with a misery in his side. Thursday I recollect, then Friday Newt was up and about and come Sunday he was about near all over it but except his arm and that took a pretty considerable time to knit. Newt said he’d vow he’d ride that critter inside a month but I don’t recollect he had any luck with that-there nag. He traded finally for a light bay colt. That was fall. Then I recollect spring. Yes I recall. Then come fall and warm politics on. I recollect the barbecue on the creek and old man Hardin on the stump for office. Spring then I recall. I went off that spring and lived with old Mr John Lucas that next year. I recollect what heavy crops there was. Prices down to the bottom. Six cents for fair good burley or even four. Bad that was. Then I lived over on Tick Creek a spell. Then I went down in Taylor County and I recollect Minnie, a right puny child, sickly from the start. Then we had Edd and Lue. Bright youngones enough. Then Harp and Corey. I thought I was a Taylor County man for good. All the youngones died. Bad luck Nellie had with her youngones. I recollect Harp. Bright as a new dollar. But I recollect plainest the time Newt was horse-throwed. It comes back in head somehow. I don’t know when I ever think of Newt since a right smart while. I don’t know for sure where Newt lives now. He may be in Taylor and again he may be somewheres else. That’s the story of my life now, and you wanted to hear it. A body takes a heap of risks from first to last. I recollect how mad Newt was when that-there bay busted his shoulder. I recall how Newt cussed when we fetched him home and how he said he’d break that-there critter or he’d be busted wide open. But I don’t recollect he had any luck outen that nag after all. I recall Sunday. Then a Monday. Then a Tuesday and Doc Marks come and set Newt’s arm over. Or was that Wednesday? Seems like it was Tuesday. Again seems like it was maybe a Wednesday. I recollect how Newt groaned and yelled when Doc Marks set his arm over. It must ’a’ been a Monday after all. Seems like Doc Marks wouldn’t let it go till Tuesday. I recollect he didn’t get over to set it right away after Newt was horse-throwed because he was busy with Sookie Harmon and Newt had to wait his turn, but I don’t recollect whe’r he had to wait till Tuesday or a Monday. Some ways it seems like it was Monday and again it seems Tuesday. I’d have to study that out. Seems right enough to call it Monday, and yet I can’t satisfy myself it wasn’t a Tuesday. Monday though I reckon it was. Maybe Newt was throwed a Sunday. Someways that seems correct. Then come a Monday. I don’t know. Tuesday it seems nohow. I ain’t satisfied in my mind it was Tuesday more than Monday…’