He got to chasing Elmira's cat cause he says it was making faces at him.

The cistern door was open, and Hank fell in.

Elmira was over to town, and I was scared.

She had always told me not to fool around there none when I was a little kid, fur if I fell in there I'd be a corpse quicker'n scatt.
So when Hank fell in, and I hearn him splash, being only a little feller, and awful scared because Elmira had always made it so strong, I hadn't no sort of unbelief but what Hank was a corpse already.

So I slams the trap door shut over that there cistern without looking in, fur I hearn Hank flopping around down in there.