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Moody said, “You’d best get hi, Aunt Henry”

I shifted onto my side “What do you mean?”

“The ones that hanged you gonna find you,” Moody said “Then they gonna hang you again”

Chapter 71

AUNT HENRY WAS RIGHT My knees weren’t broken But they certainly were not happy when called upon to do their job

Arlass of whiskey, I went for a late-afternoon stroll between Moody and Abrahaether by the pain into take a step, the knee shot a white-hot arrow of pain to led fingers of ht yet go gangrenous and have to come off The sweat rolled downlike fire ants

But I kept on, hobbling down the muddy board ay I kneas damned lucky to have survived, with no broken bones My pain was nothing It would be gone in a few days, or weeks at the worst I could deal with that

But inside, I felt another,pain I had been beaten and left for dead I had disappeared fro forElizabeth My father My daughters Jacob, my childhood best friend The entire town of Eudora I had ood, kind folks L J Stringer had actually visited a few times But my own father hadn’t come once

“Abraham,” I said “Could I ask a favor?”

“Ask it,” he said

“Can you stop by Maybelle’s and see if she’s got any letters for me?”

He shook his head “I went by thisfor you from the White House, either”

I kept on, but the pressure of the crutches underfro mass of bruises

“Does Maybelle knohat happened to me?” I asked

“Mr Corbett, everybody in Eudora knohat happened to you I’ll tell you soood and bad in the town of Eudora—probably in equal numbers Problem is, there’s cowards in both places That’s why the bullies can have their way, Mr Corbett”