He was rolling about, and seemed very bad.

I stood a-looking at him, wondering what were best to do, when sudden he gave a sort of yell, and rolled over, and he was dead.

I thought it was no good telling you about it till this morning; and thinking it over, and seeing how sudden like it was, I come to the 'pinion as how he had been poisoned; and naturally thinking that, as he had bit Reuben, and as how Reuben said he ought to be killed, and seeing as I had met the boy a quarter an hour afore the dog was took bad, it came to me as how he had done it.
"This morning I knew for certain as the dog had been poisoned, for just outside of the reach of his chain there was that piece of paper a-lying, as you have got before you." It was a piece of blue paper, about four inches square, on which was printed: "Rat poison." "You hear that, Reuben?
What have you to say ?" the squire asked.
"I have got nothing to say, sir," Reuben answered, "except that whoever the boy was, it wasn't me, and that I know nothing about it." "Well, Reuben, it will be easy for you to clear yourself, by saying where you were at the time.
"What o'clock was it, Robert, that you saw the boy ?" "It was just a quarter past eight, squire.

The quarter struck just as I opened the gate." "Were you out or at home at that hour, Reuben ?" "I was out, sir.

I went to the schoolmaster's." "What time did you leave there ?" "I left at eight, sir." "Then if you got in just after eight, it is clear that you were not the boy," the squire said.