LEMME SEE HIM, HUCK
THE ADVENTURES OF
TOM SAWYER
BY MARK TWAIN
-
ILLUSTRATED
NEW YORK AND LONDON
HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
1904
w
4
Popyright, 1875, 1899, 1903, by SAMUBL L. CLEMENS.
^11 rights re$ervt<t.
frl
To my Wife this book is
• affectionately dedicated
M&930S
PREFACE
MOST of the adventures recorded in this book
really occurred ; one or two were experiences of my
own, the rest those of boys who were schoolmates of
mine. Huck Finn is drawn from life ; Tom Sawyer
also, but not from an individual — he is a combina
tion of the characteristics of three boys whom I
knew, and therefore belongs to the composite order
of architecture.
The odd superstitions touched upon were all
prevalent among children and slaves in the West at
the period of this story — that is to say, thirty or
forty years ago.
Although my book is intended mainly for the
entertainment of boys and girls, I hope it will not be
shunned by men and women on that account, for
(v)
vi Preface
part of my plan has been to try to pleasantly remind
adults of what they once were themselves, and of
how they felt and thought and talked, and what
queer enterprises they sometimes engaged in.
THE AUTHOR.
HARTFORD, 1876.
ILLUSTRATIONS
"'LEMME SEE HIM, HUCK'" Frontispiece
TOM GAVE UP THE BRUSH Facing p. 32
"'I-LOVE-YOU!'" " 87
CONTENTS
CHAPTER Ie
Y-o-u-u Tom — Aunt Polly Decides Upon her Duty — Tom
Practices Music — The Challenge — A Private Entrance . . 15
CHAPTER II.
Strong Temptations — Strategic Movements — The Innocents
Beguiled 26
CHAPTER III.
Tom as a General — Triumph and Reward — Dismal Felicity —
Commission and Omission 35
CHAPTER IV,
Mental Acrobatics — Attending Sunday-school — The Superin
tendent, — " Showing off " — Tom Lionized 44
CHAPTER V.
A Useful Minister — In Church — The Climax 58
CHAPTER VI.
Self -Examination — Dentistry — The Midnight Charm — Witches
and Devils — Cautious Approaches — Happy Hours. ... 69
(ix)
Contents
CHAPTER VII.
A Treaty Entered Into— Early Lessons — A Mistake Made . . 82
CHAPTER VIII.
Tom Decides on his Course— Old Scenes Re-enacted .... 91
CHAPTER IX.
A Solemn Situation — Grave Subjects Introduced— Injun Joe
Explains 99
CHAPTER X.
The Solemn Oath — Terror Brings Repentance — Mental Punish
ment 109
CHAPTER XI.
Muff Potter Comes Himself — Tom's Conscience at Work . . .119
CHAPTER XII.
Tom Shows his Generosity — Aunt Polly Weakens 126
CHAPTER XIII.
The Young Pirates — Going to the Rendezvous — The Camp-Fire
Talk , 133
CHAPTER XIV.
Camp-Life — A Sensation — Tom Steals Away from Camp ... 144
CHAPTER XV.
Tom Reconnoiters — Learns the Situation — Reports at Camp . .153
Contents xl
CHAPTER XVI.
A Day's Amusements — Tom Reveals a Secret — The Pirates take
a Lesson — A Night Surprise — An Indian War 160
CHAPTER XVII.
Memories of the Lost Heroes — The Point in Tom's Secret . .173
CHAPTER XVIII.
Tom's Feelings Investigated — Wonderful Dream — Becky
Thatcher Overshadowed — Tom Becomes Jealous — Black
Revenge 178
CHAPTER XIX.
Tom Tells the Truth 191
CHAPTER XX.
Becky hi a Dilemma— Tom's Nobility Asserts Itself 195
CHAPTER XXI.
Youthful Eloquence — Compositions by the Young Ladies — A
Lengthy Vision — The Boy's Vengeance Satisfied . . . .202
CHAPTER XXII.
Tom's Confidence Betrayed — Expects Signal Punishment . . .211
CHAPTER XXIII.
Old Muff's Friends — Muff Potter in Court — Muff Potter Saved .216
CHAPTER XXIV.
Tom as the Village Hero — Days of Splendor and Nights of Horror
— Pursuit of Injun Joe 225
xii Contents
CHAPTER XXV.
About Kings and Diamonds — Search for the Treasure — Dead
People and Ghosts 227
CHAPTER XXVI.
The Haunted House— Sleepy Ghosts — A Box of Gold — Bitter
Luck 237
CHAPTER XXVII.
Doubts to be Settled — The Young Detectives 249
CHAPTER XXVIII.
An Attempt at No. Two — Huck Mounts Guard 254
CHAPTER XXIX.
The Picnic — Huck on Injun Joe's Track — The " Revenge" Job
— Aid for the Widow 259
CHAPTER XXX.
The Welchman Reports — Huck Under Fire — The Story Circu
lated — A New Sensation — Hope Giving Way to Despair . 270
CHAPTER XXXI.
An Exploring Expedition — Trouble Commences — Lost in the
Cave — Total Darkness — Found but not Saved 283
CHAPTER XXXII.
Tom Tells the Story of their Escape — Tom's Enemy in Safe
Quarters 296
Contents xiii
CHAPTER XXXIII.
The Fate of Injun Joe — Huck and Tom Compare Notes — An
Expedition to the Cave — Protection Against Ghosts— "An
Awful Snug Place " — A Reception at the Widow Douglas* 301
CHAPTER XXXIV.
Springing a Secret — Mr. Jones' Surprise a Failure 316
CHAPTER XXXV.
A New Order of Things— Poor Huck — New Adventures Planned 320
CONCLUSION „ 228
TOM SAWYER
CHAPTER L
No answer.
"TOM!"
No answer.
"What's gone with that boy, I wonder? You
TOM!"
No answer.
The old lady pulled her spectacles down and
looked over them about the room ; then she put
them up and looked out under them. She seldom
or never looked through them for so small a thing
as a boy ; they were her state pair, the pride of her
heart, and were built for " style," not service — she
could have seen through a pair of stove-lids just as
well. She looked perplexed for a moment, and
then said, not fiercely, but still loud enough for the
furniture to hear :
11 Well, I lay if I get hold of you I'll - "
She did not finish, for by this time she was bend
ing down and punching under the bed with the
broom, and so she needed breath to punctuate the
punches with. She resurrected nothing but the cat.
1" I never did see the beat of that boy!"
(IS)
:t$:V.4j; '%%: Tom Sawyer
She went to the open door and stood in it and
looked out among the tomato vines and " jimpson "
weeds that constituted the garden. No Tom. So
she lifted up her voice at an angle calculated for
distance, and shouted :
"Y-o-u-u Tom!"
There was a slight noise behind her and she turned
just in time to seize a small boy by the slack of his
roundabout and arrest his flight.
" There! I might 'a' thought of that closet.
What you been doing in there?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing! Look at your hands. And look at
your mouth. What is thattrupk?£
"/don't know, aunt."
"Well, 7 know. It's jam — that's what it is.
Forty times I've said if you didn't let that jam alone
I'd skin you. Hand me that switch."
The switch hovered in the air — the peril was
desperate —
" My! Look behind you, aunt!"
The old lady whirled round, and snatched her
skirts out of danger. The lad fled, on the instant,
scrambled up the high board-fence, and disappeared
over it.
His aunt Polly stood surprised a moment, and
the,n broke into a gentle laugh.
" Hang the boy, can't I never learn anything?
Ain't he played me tricks enough like that for me to
be looking out for him by this time ? But old fools
Tom Sawyer 17
is the biggest fools there is. Can't learn an old dog
new tricks, as the saying is. But my goodness, he
never plays them alike, two days, and how is a body
to know what's coming? He 'pears to know just
how long he can torment me before I get my' dander,
up, and he knows if he can make out to put me off
for a minute or make me laugh, it's all down again
and I can't hit him a lick. ^ I ain't doing my duty
by that boy, and that's the Lord's truth, goodness
knows. 3 Spare the rod and spile the child, as the
Good Book says. /I'm a laying up sin and suffering
for us both, /know. He's full of the Old Scratch,
but laws-a-me ! he's my own dead sister's boy, poor
thing, and I ain't got the heart to lash him, some
how. ^Every time I let him off, my conscience does
hurt me scy^lnd every time I hit him my old heart
most breads. Well-a-well, man that is born of
woman is of few days and full of trouble, as the
Scripture says, and I reckon it's so. He'll play
hookey this evening,* and I'll just be obleeged to
make him work, to-morrow, to punish him. It's
mighty hard to make him work Saturdays, when all
the boys is having holiday, but he hates work more
than he hates anything else, and I've got to do some
of my duty by him, or I'll be the ruination of the
child."
Tom did play hookey, and he had a very good
time. He got back home barely in season to help
Jim, the small colored boy, saw next-day's wood
* Southwestern for " afternoon."
3
18 Tom Sawyer
and split the kindlings before supper — at least he
was there in time to tell his adventures to Jim while
Jim did three-fourths of the work. Tom's younger
brother (or rather, half-brother) Sid, was already
through with his part of the work (picking up chips)
for he was a quiet boy, and had no adventurous,
troublesome ways.
While Tom was eating his supper, and stealing
sugar as opportunity offered, Aunt Polly asked him
questions that were full of guile, and very deep —
for she wanted to trap him into damaging reveal-
ments. Like many other simple-hearted souls, it
was her pet vanity to believe she was endowed with
a talent for dark and mysterious diplomacy, and she
loved to contemplate her most transparent devices
as marvels of low cunning. Said she:
"Tom, it was middling warm in school, warn't
it?"
"Yes'm."
11 Powerful warm, warn't it?"
" Yes'm."
" Didn't you want to go in a-swimming, Tom?"
A bit of a scare shot through Tom — a touch of
uncomfortable suspicion. He searched Aunt Polly's
face, but it told him nothing. So he said :
" No'm — well, not very much."
The old lady reached out her hand and felt Tom's
shirt, and said :
"But you ain't too warm now, though." And
it flattered her to reflect that she had discovered
Tom Sawyer 19
that the shirt was dry without anybody knowing
that that was what she had in her mind. But in
spite of her, Tom knew where the wind lay, now.
So he forestalled what might be the next move :
'" Some of us pumped on our heads — mine's
damp yet. See?"
Aunt Polly was vexed to think she had overlooked
that bit of circumstantial evidence, and missed a
trick. Then she had a new inspiration :
" Tom, you didn't have to undo your shirt collar
where I sewed it, to pump on your head, did you?
Unbutton your jacket ! ' '
The trouble vanished out of Tom's face. He
opened his jacket. His shirt collar was securely
sewed.
" Bother! Well, go 'long with you. I'd made
sure you'd played hookey and been a-swimming.
But I forgive ye, Tom. I reckon you're a kind of
a singed cat, as the saying is — better' n you look.
This time."
She was half sorry her sagacity had miscarried,
and half glad that Tom had stumbled into obedient
conduct for once.
But Sidney said :
" Well, now, if I didn't think you sewed his collar
with white thread, but it's black."
" Why, I did sew it with white ! Tom !"
But Tom did not wait for the rest. As he went
out at the door he said :
" Siddy, I'll lick you for that."
20 Tom Sawyer
In a safe place Tom examined two large needles
which were thrust into the lappels of his jacket, and
had thread bound about them — one needle carried
white thread and the other black. He said :
" She'd never noticed if it hadn't been for Sid.
Confound it ! sometimes she sews it with white, and
sometimes she sews it with black. I wish to gee-
miny she'd stick to one or t'other — /can't keep
the run of 'em. But I bet you I'll lam Sid for that.
I'll learn him!"
Pie was not the Model Boy of the village. He
knew the model boy very well though — and loathed
him.
Within two minutes, or even less, he had for
gotten all his troubles. Not because his troubles
were one whit less heavy and bitter to him than a
man's are to a man, but because a new and power
ful interest bore them down and drove them out of
his mind for the time — just as men's misfortunes
are forgotten in the excitement of new enterprises.
This new interest was a valued novelty in whistling,
which he had just acquired from a negro, and he
was suffering to practice it undisturbed. It con
sisted in a peculiar bird-like turn, a sort of liquid
'-warble.,-' produced by touching the tongue to the
roof of the mouth at short intervals in the midst of
the music — the reader probably remembers how to
do it, if he has ever been a boy. Diligence and
attention soon gave him the knack of it, and he
strode down the street with his mouth fuJl of har-
Tom Sawyer 21
mony and his soul full of gratitude. He felt much
as an astronomer feels who has discovered a new
planet — no doubt, as far as strong, deep, unalloyed
pleasure is concerned, the advantage was with the
boy, not the astronomer.
The summer evenings were long. It was not dark,
yet. Presently Tom checked his whistle. ^_s^ranger
y^s befoj^bim — --aJioy a shade larger than himself.
A new comer of any age or either sex was an im
pressive curiosity in the poor little shabby village of
St. Petersburg. This boy was well dressed, too —
well dressed on a week-day. This was simply as
tounding. His cap was a dainty thing, his close-
buttoned blue cloth roundabout was new and natty,
and so were his pantaloons. He had shoes on —
and it was only Friday. He even wore a necktie, a
bright bit of ribbon. He had a citified/air about
him that ate into Tom's vitals. TEe~ more Tom
stared at the splendid marvel, the higher he turned
up his nose at his finery and the shabbier and shab
bier his own outfit seemed to him to grow. Neither
boy spoke. If one moved, the other moved — but
only s:dewise, in a circle; they kept face to face
and eye to eye all the time. Finally Tom said :
"I can lick you!"
" I'd like to see you try it."
"Well, I can do it."
" No you can't, either."
"Yes I can."
" No you can't."
22 Tom Sawyer
" I can."
44 You can't.1'
"Can!"
"Can't!"
An uncomfortable pause. Then Tom said :
"What's your name?"
1 'Tisn't any of your business, maybe."
" Well I 'low I'll make it my business."
"Well why don't you?"
" If you say much, I will."
" Much — much — much. There now."
" Oh, you think you're mighty smart, don't you?
I could lick you with one hand tied behind me, if I
wanted to."
"Well why don't you do it? You say you can
do it."
"Well I will, if you fool with me."
" Oh yes — I've seen whole families in the same
fix."
" Smarty ! You think you're some, now, don't
you? Oh, what a hat!"
"You can lump that hat if you don't like it. I
dare you to knock it off — and anybody 'hat'll take
a dare will suck eggs."
"You're a liar!"
"You 're another."
" You're a fighting liar and dasn't take it up."
"Aw — take a walk!"
" Say — if you give me much more of your sass
I'll take and bounce a rock off'n your head."
Tom Sawyer 23
" Oh, of course you will."
4 'Well I will:1
"Well why don't you do it then? What do you
keep saying you will for? Why don't you do it?
It's because you're afraid."
" 1 ain't afraid."
"You are."
"I ain't."
"You are."
Another pause, and more eyeing
around each other. Presently they were shoulder
to shoulder. Tom said :
" Get away from here !"
* * Go away yourself ! ' '
"I won't."
"/won't either."
So they stood, each with a foot placed at an angle
as a brace, and both shoving with might and main,
and glowering at each other with hate. But neither
could get an advantage. After struggling till both
were hot and flushed, each relaxed his strain with
watchful caution, and Tom said :
"You're a coward and a pup. I' fl tell my big
brother on you, and he can thrash you with his little
finger, and I'll make him do it, too."
" What do I care for your big brother? I've got
a brother that's bigger than he is — and what's
more, he can throw him over that fence, too."
[Both brothers were imaginary.]
" "That's a lie."
24 Tom Sawyer
'* Your saying so don't make it so."
Tom drew a line in the dust with his big toe, and
said :
" I dare you to step over that, and I'll lick you till
you can't stand up. Anybody that'll take a dare
will steal sheep."
The new boy stepped over promptly, and said :
"Now you said you'd do it, now let's see you do it."
"Don't you crowd me now; you better look
out."
11 Well, you said you'd do it — why don't you do
it?"
' * By jingo ! for two cents I will do it. ' '
The new boy took two broad coppers out of his
pocket and held them out with derision. Tom
struck them to the ground. In an instant both
boys were rolling and tumbling in the dirt, gripped
together like cats; and for the space of a minute
they tugged and tore at each other's hair and clothes,
punched and scratched each other's noses, and
covered themselves with dust and glory. Presently
the confusion took form and through the fog of
battle Tom appeared, seated astride the new boy,
and pounding him with his fists.
"Holler 'nuff!" said he.
The boy only struggled to free himself. He was
crying, — mainly from rage.
" Holler 'miff !" — and the pounding went on.
At last the stranger got out a smothered " 'Nuff!"
and Tom let him up and said :
Tom Sawyer 25
41 Now that'll learn you. Better look out who
you're fooling with next time."
The new boy went off brushing the dust from his
clothes, sobbing, snuffling, and occasionally looking
back and shaking his head and threatening what he
would do to Tom the ' ' next time he caught him
out." To which Tom responded with jeers, and
started off in high feather, and as soon as his back
was turned the new boy snatched up a stone, threw
it and hit him between the shoulders and then
turned tail and ran like an antelope. Tom chased
the traitor home, and thus found out where he
lived. He then held a position at the gate for some
time, daring the enemy to come outside, but the
enemy only made faces at him through the window
and declined. At last the enemy's mother ap
peared, and called Tom a bad, vicious, vulgar child,
and ordered him away. So he went away ; but he
said he " 'lowed " to " lay " for that boy.
He got home pretty late, that night, and when he
climbed cautiously in at the window, he uncovered
an arnt5uj}Cj<3E£in the person of his aunt; and when
she' saw the state his clothes were in her resolution
to turn his Saturday holiday into captivity at hard
labor became adamantine in its firmness.
CHAPTER II.
CATURDAY morning was come, and all the sum-
^-J mer world was bright and fresh, and brimming
with life. There was a song in every heart; and if
the heart was young the music issued at the lips.
There was cheer in every face and a spring in
every step. The locust trees were in bloom and the
fragrance of the blossoms filled the air. Cardiff
Hill, beyond the village and above it, was green with
vegetation, and it lay just far enough away to seem
a Delectable Land, dreamy, reposeful, and inviting.
Tom appeared on the sidewalk with a bucket of
whitewash and a long-handled brush. He surveyed
the fence, and all gladness left him and a deep
melancholy settled down upon his spirit. Thirty
yards of board fence nine feet high. Life to him
seemed hollow, and existence but a burden. Sigh
ing he dipped his brush and passed it along the
topmost plank; repeated the operation; did it
again; compared the insignificant whitewashed
streak with the far-reaching continent of unwhite-
washed fence, and sat down on a tree-box dis
couraged. Jim came skipping out at the gate with
(26)
Tom Sawyer 27
a tin pail, and singing "Buffalo Gals." Bringing
water from the town pump had always been hateful
work in Tom's eyes, before, but now it did not
strike him so. He remembered that .there was com
pany at the pump. White, mulatto, and negro
boys and girls were always there waiting their turns,
resting, trading playthings, quarreling, fighting, sky
larking. And he remembered that although the
pump was only a hundred and fifty yards off, Jim
never got back with a bucket of water under an
hour — and even then somebody generally had to
go after him. Tom said :
" Say, Jim, I'll fetch the water if you'll whitewash
some."
Jim shook his head and said :
" Can't, Mars Tom. Ole missis, she tole me I
got to go an' git dis water an' not stop foopn' roun'
wid anybody. She say she spec' Mars Tbm gwine
to ax me to whitewash, an' so she tole rne go 'long
an' 'tend to my own business — she 'loVed she'd
'tend to de whitewashin'."
" Oh, never you mind what she said, J/im. That's
the way she always talks. Gimme the/ bucket — I
won't be gone only a minute. She\ won't ever
know."
'* Oh, I dasn't Mars Tom. Ole missis she'd take
an' tar de head off'n me. 'Deed she would."
" She ! She never licks anybody— I whacks 'ein
over the head with her thimble — and who cares for
that, I'd like to know. She talks awfdL but/talk
\^_- ""'
28 Tom Sawyer
don't hurt — anyways it don't if she don't cry.
Jim, I'll give you a marvel. I'll give you a white
alley!"
Jim began to waver.
" White alley, Jim ! And it's a bully taw.'1
" My! Dat's a mighty gay marvel, / tell you!
But Mars Tom I's powerful 'fraid ole missis "
" And besides, if you will I'll show you my sore
toe."
Jim was only human — this attraction was too
much for him. He put down his pail, took the
white alley, and bent over the toe with absorbing
interest while the bandage was being unwound. In
another moment he was flying down the street with
his pail and a tingling rear, Tom was whitewashing
with vigor, and Aunt Polly was retiring from the
field with a slipper in her hand and triumph in her
eye.
But Tom's energy did not last. He began to
think of the fun he had planned for this day, and
his sorrows multiplied. Soon the free boys would
come tripping along on all sorts of delicious expedi
tions, and they would make a world of fun of him
for having to work — the very thought of it burnt
him like fire. He got out his worldly wealth and
examined it — bits of toys, marbles, and trash;
enough to buy an exchange of work, maybe, but
not half enough to buy so much as half an hour
of pure freedom. So he returned his straitened
means to his pocket, and gave up the idea of trying
Tom Sawyer 29
to buy the boys. At this dark and hopeless moment
an inspiration burst upon him ! Nothing less than a
great, magnificent inspiration.
He took up his brush and went tranquilly to
work. Ben Rogers hove in sight presently — the
very boy, of all boys, whose ridicule he had been
dreading. Ben's gait was the hop-skip-and-jump —
proof enough that his heart was light and his antici
pations high. He was eating an apple, and giving
a long, melodious whoop, at intervals, followed by
a deep-toned ding-dong-dong, ding-dong-dong, for
he was personating a steamboat. As he drew near,
he slackened speed, took the middle of the street,
leaned far over to starboard and rounded to ponder
ously and with laborious pomp and circumstance —
for he was personating the "Big Missouri," and
considered himself to be drawing nine feet of water.
He was boat and captain and engine-bells combined,
so he had to imagine himself standing on his own
hurricane-deck giving the orders and executing them :
"Stop her, sir! Ting-a-ling-ling!" The head
way ran almost out and he drew up slowly toward
the sidewalk.
" Ship up to back ! Ting-a-ling-ling !" His arms
straightened and stiffened down his sides.
' ' Set her back on the stabboard ! Ting-a-ling-
ling! Chow! ch-chow-wow! Chow!" His right
hand, meantime, describing stately circles, — for it
was representing a forty-foot wheel.
* ' Let her go back on the labboard ! Ting-a-ling-
30 Tom Sawyer
ling ! Chow-ch-chow-chow ! ' ' The left hand began
to describe circles.
"Stop the stabboard ! Ting-a-ling-ling ! Stop
the labboard ! Come ahead on the stabboard ! Stop
her ! Let your outside turn over slow ! Ting-a-
ling-ling ! Chow-ow-ow ! Get out that head-line !
Lively now ! Come — out with your spring-line —
what' re you about there! Take a turn round that
stump with the bight of it ! Stand by that stage,
now — let her go! Done with the engines, sir!
Ting-a-ling-ling! Sh't! s'tit! sk't/" (trying the
gauge-cocks).
Tom went on whitewashing — paid no attention to
the steamboat. Ben stared a moment and then said :
" Hi-yi ! You're up a stump, ain't you !"
No answer. Tom surveyed his last touch with the
eye of an artist, then he gave his brush another
gentle sweep and surveyed the result, as before.
Ben ranged up alongside of him. Tom's mouth
watered for the apple, but he stuck to his work.
Ben said :
11 Hello, old chap, you got to work, hey?"
Tom wheeled suddenly and said :
" Why, it's you, Ben ! I warn't noticing."
11 gay — /'m going in a swimming, /am. Don't
you wish you could? But of course you'd druther
— wouldn't you? Course you would !"
Tom contemplated the boy a bit, and said :
" What do you call work?"
'•Why, ain't that work?"
Tom Sawyer 31
Tom resumed his whitewashing, and answered
carelessly :
"Well, maybe it is, and maybe it ain't. All I
know, is, it suits Tom Sawyer."
" Oh come, now, you don't mean to let on that
you like it?"
The brush continued to move.
" Like it? Well, I don't see why I oughtn't to
like it. Does a boy get a chance to whitewash a
fence every day?"
That put the thing in a new light. Ben stopped
nibbling his apple. Tom swept his brush daintily
back and forth — stepped back to note the effect —
added a touch here and there — criticised the effect
again — Ben watching every move and getting more
and more interested, more and more absorbed.
Presently he said :
11 Say, Tom, let me whitewash a little."
Tom considered, was about to consent; but he
altered his mind :
"No — no — I reckon it wouldn't hardly do,
Ben. You see, Aunt Polly's awful particular about
this fence — right here on the street, you know —
but if it was the back fence I wouldn't mind and
she wouldn't. Yes, she's awful particular about
this fence; it's got to be done very careful; I
reckon there ain't one boy in a thousand, maybe
two thousand, that can do it the way it's got to be
done."
9 'No — is that so? Oh come, now — lemme
32 Tom Sawyer
just try. Only just a little — I'd \z\.youy if you was
me, To.m."
""'rBen, I'd like to, honest injun; but Aunt Polly
— well, Jim wanted to do it, but she wouldn't let
him; Sid wanted to do it, and she wouldn't let Sid.
Now don't you see how I'm fixed? If you was to
tackle this fence and anything was to happen to
it "
" Oh, shucks, I'll be just as careful. Now lemme
try. Say — I'll give you the core of my apple."
"Well, here — No, Ben, now don't. I'm
afeard "
"I'll give you allot it!"
Tom gave up the brush with reluctance in his face,
but alacrity in his heart. And while the late steamer
"Big Missouri " worked and sweated in the sun,
the retired artist sat on a barrel in the shade close
by, dangled his legs, munched rnV^apple, and
planned the slaughter of more innocentsj There
was no lack of material ; boys happened along every
little while; they came to jeer, but remained to
whitewash. By the time Ben was fagged out, Tom
had traded the next chance to Billy Fisher for a
kite, in good repair; and when he played out,
Johnny Miller bought in for a dead rat and a string
to swing it with — and so on, and so on, hour after
hour. And when the middle of the afternoon came,
from being a poor poverty-stricken boy in the morn
ing, Tom was literally rolling in wealth. He had
beside the things before mentioned, twelve marbles,
Tom Sawyer 33
part of a jews-harp, a piece of blue bottle-glass to
look through, a spool cannon, a key that wouldn't
unlock anything, a fragment of chalk, a glass stop
per of a decanter, a tin soldier, a couple of tadpoles,
six fire-crackers, a kitten with only one eye, a brass
door-knob, a dog-collar — but no dog — the handle
of a knife, four pieces of orange-peel, and a dilapi
dated old window-sash.
He had had a nice, good, idle time all the while —
plenty of company — and the fence had three coats
of whitewash on it! If he hadn't run out of white
wash, he would have bankrupted every boy in ths
village.
Tom said to himself that it was not such a hollow
world, after all. He had discovered a great law of
human action, without knowing it — namely, that in
order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is
only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain.
n he had been a great and wise philosopher, like
thfi wn'fnr ftf thk. frook, he would now have compre-
hended that Work
Qr and that Play consists of whatever a
"Body is not obliged to do. And this would help~Him
"Co^understand why constructing artificial flowers or
performing on a tread-mill is work, while rolling
ten-pins or climbing Mont Blanc is only amusement.
There are wealthy gentlemen in England who drive
four-horse passenger-coaches twenty or thirty miles
on a daily line, in the summer, because the privilege
costs them considerable money; but if they were
3
34 Tom Sawyer
offered wages or the service, that would turn it into
work and then they would resign.
The boy mused a while over the substantial change
which had ta^en place in his worldly circumstances,
and th^n wend^J toward headquarters to report.
CHAPTER III.
TOM presented himself before Aunt Polly, who
was sitting by an open window in a pleasant
rearward apartment, which was bedroom, breakfast-
room, dining-room, and library, combined. The
balmy summer air, the restful quiet, the odor of the
flowers, and the drowsing murmur of the bees had
had their effect, and she was nodding over her knit
ting — for she had no company but the cat, and it
was asleep in her lap. Her spectacles were propped
up on her gray head for safety. She had thought
that of course Tom had deserted long ago, and she
wondered at seeing him place himself in her power
again in this intrepid way. He said: "Mayn't I
go and play now, aunt?"
"What, a'ready? How much have you done?"
4 'It's all done, aunt."
' Tom, don't lie to me — I can't bear it."
" I ain't, aunt; it is all done."
Aunt Polly placed small trust in such evidence.
She went out to see for herself ; and she would have
been content to find twenty per cent, of Tom's state
ment true. When she found the entire fence white-
c (35)
ibm Sawyer
>c only whitewashed but elaborately
xecoated, and even a streak added to the
.er astonishment was almost unspeakable.
A:
Well, I never! There's no getting round it,
you can work when you're a mind to, Tom." And
then she diluted the compliment by adding, "But
it's powerful seldom you're a mind to, I'm bound
to say. Well, go 'long and play; but xmind you
get back some time in a week, or I'll tan you."
She was so overcome by the splendor of his
achievement that she took him into the closet and
selected a choice apple and delivered it to him,
along with an improving lecture upon the added
value and flavor a treat took to itself when it came
without sin through virtuous effort. And while she
closed with a happy Scriptural flourish, he
" hooked " a doughnut.
Then he skipped out, and saw Sid just starting up
the outside stairway thaLjed to the back rooms on
the second floo^T Clods- were handy and the air was
full of them in aTwinkling. They raged around Sid
like a hail-storm; and before Aunt Polly could
collect her surprised faculties and sally to the rescue,
six or seven clods had taken personal effect, and
Tom was over the fence and gone. There was a
gate, but as a general thing he was too crowded for
time to make use of it. His soul was at peace, now
that he had settled with Sid for calling attention to
his black thread and getting him into trouble.
Tom Sawyer 37
Tom skirted the block, and came round into a
muddy alley that led by the back of his aunt's cow-
stable. He presently got safely beyond the reach
of capture and punishment, and hastened toward the
public square of the village, where two "military"
companies of boys had met for conflict, according
to previous appointment. Tom was General of one
of these armies, Joe Harper (a bosom friend) Gen
eral of the other. These two great commanders did
not condescend to fight in person — that being better
suited to the still smaller fry — but sat together on
an eminence and conducted the field operations by
orders delivered through aides-de-camp. Tom's
army won a great victory, after a long and hard-
fought battle. Then the dead were counted, prison
ers exchanged, the terms of the next disagreement
agreed upon, and the day for the necessary battle
appointed ; after which the armies fell into line and
marched away, and Tom turned homeward alone.
As he was passing by the house where Jeff
Thatcher lived, he saw a new girl in the garden —
a Iovdyjjtt1p hliifi-^ypH rreatnrp with yellow hair
plaitedinto twolong tails,* white summer frock and
emproidered pantalettes. The t'resh-crowned hero
fell without firing a shot. A certain Amy Lawrence
vanished out of his heart and left not even a memory
of herself behind. PJe^had thought helav£dji£rjo
distraction, he had regarcled his passionas adora-
Tom Sawyer
had confessed hardly a week ago ; he, had been the
the proud eot bov ia — tftlT world only
she
seven short days,
xme out o
hose vTsirt5~t
He worshiped this new angel with furtive eye, till
he saw that she had discovered him ; then he pre
tended he did not know she was present, and began
to " show off" in all sorts of absurd boyish ways,
in order to win her admiration. He kept up this
grotesque foolishness for some time ; but by and
by, while he was in the midst of some dangerous
gymnastic performances, he glanced aside and saw
that the little girl was wending her way toward the
house. Tom came up to the fence and leaned on it,
grieving, and hoping she would tarry yet a while
longer. She halted a moment on the steps and then
moved toward the door. Tom heaved a great sigh
as she put her foot on the threshold. But his face
lit up, right away, for she tossed a pansy over the
fence a moment before she disappeared.
The boy ran around and stopped within a foot or
two of the flower, and then shaded his eyes with his
hand and began to look down street as if he had
discovered something of interest going on in that
direction. Presently he picked up a straw and began
trying to balance it on his nose, with his head tilted
far back; and as he moved from side to side, in his
efforts, he edged nearer and nearer toward the
pansy ; finally his bare foot rested upon it, his pliant
Tom Sawyer 39
toes closed upon it, and he hopped away with the
treasure and disappeared round the corner. But
only for a minute — only while he could button the
flower inside his jacket, next his heart — or next his
stomach, possibly, for he was not much posted in
anatomy, and not hypercritical, anyway.
He returned, now, and hung about the fence till
nightfall, " showing off," as before; but the girl
never exhibited herself again, though Tom com
forted himself a little with the hope that she had
been near some window, meantime, and been aware
of his attentions. Finally he rode home reluctantly,
with his poor head full of visions.
All through supper his spirits were so high that
his aunt wondered "what had got into the child."
He took a good scolding about clodding Sid, and
did not seem to mind it in the least. He tried to
steal sugar under his aunt's very nose, and got his
knuckles rapped for it. He said :
" Aunt, you don't whack Sid when he takes it."
"Well, Sid don't torment a body the way you
do. You'd be always into that sugar if I warn't
watching you."
Presently she stepped into the kitchen, and Sid,
happy in his immunity, reached for the sugar-
bowl — a sort of glorying over Tom which was well-
nigh unbearable. But Sid's fingers slipped and the
bowl dropped and broke. Tom was in ecstasies.
In such ecstasies that he even controlled his tongue
and was silent. He said to himself that he would
40 Tom Sawyer
not speak a word, even when his aunt came in, but
would sit perfectly still till she asked who did the
mischief; and then he would tell, and there would
be nothing so good in the world as to see that pet
model " catch it." He was so brim full of exulta
tion that he could hardly hold himself when the old
lady came back and stood above the wreck discharg
ing lightnings of wrath from over her spectacles.
He said to himself, " Now it's coming!" And the
next instant he was sprawling on the floor ! The
potent palm was uplifted to strike again when Tom
cried out:
" Hold on, now, what 'er you belting me for? —
Sid broke it!"
Aunt Polly paused, perplexed, and Tom looked
for healing pity. But when she got her tongue
again, she only said:
"Umf! Well, you didn't get a lick amiss, I
reckon. You been into some other audacious mis
chief when I wasn't around, like enough."
Then her conscience reproached her, and she
yearned to say something kind and loving; but she
judged that this would be construed into a confes
sion that she had been in the wrong, and discipline
forbade that. So she kept silence, and went about
her affairs with a troubled heart. Tom sulked in a
corner and exalted his woes. He knew that in her
heart his aunt was on her knees to him, and he was
morosely gratified by the consciousness of it. He
would hang out no signals, he would take notice
Tom Sawyer
41
of none. He knew that a yearning glance fell upon
him, now and then, through a film of tears, but he
refused recognition of it. He pictured himself lying
sick unto death and his aunt bending over him be
seeching one little forgiving word, but he would
turn his face to the wall, and die with that word un
said. Ah, how would she feel thenr Aad hejinc-
fromthe river, dead,
with his curls all wet, and his sore heart at rest.
her tears would fall like rain, and her lips pray God
to give her back her boy and she would never, never
abuse him any more ! But he would lie there cold
and white and make no sign — a poor little sufferer,
whose griefs were at an end. He so worked upon
his feelings with the pathos of these dreams, that he
had to keep swallowing, he was so like to choke ^
and his eyes swam in a blur of water, which over
flowed when he winked, and ran down and trickled
from the end of his nose. And such a luxury to
him was this petting of his sorrows, that he could
not bear to have any worldly cheeriness or any
grating delight intrude upon it; it was too sacred
for such contact; and so, presently, when his cousin
Mary danced in, all alive with the joy of seeing
home again after an age-long visit of one week to
the country, he got up and moved in clouds and
darkness out at one door as she brought song and
sunshine in at the other.
He wandered far from the accustomed haunts of
42 Tom Sawyer
boys, and sought desolate places that wereinhar-
mofiy with his spirit. A log raft in the river invited
him, and he seated himself on its outeTTcIP^ and
contemplated the dreary vastness of the stream,
wishing, the while, that he could only be drowned.
all at once and unconsciously, without undergoing
tne uncomtortai^lpt'niii-inp H^yjsed by nature. Theft
he thought of his flower. He got it out, rumpled
and wilted, and it mightily increased his dismal
felicity. He wondered if she would pity him if she
knew? Would she cry, and wish that she had a
right to put her arms around his neck and comfort
him? Or would she turn coldly away like all the
hollow world? This picture brought such an agony
of pleasurable suffering that he worked it over and
over again in his mind and set it up in new and
varied lights, till he wore it threadbare. At last he
rose up sighing and departed in the darkness.
About half-past nine or ten o'clock he came along
the deserted street to where the Adored Unknown
lived; he paused a moment; no sound fell upon his
listening ear ; a candle was casting a dull glow upon
the curtain of a second-story window. Was the
sacred presence there? He climbed the fence,
threaded his stealthy way through the plants, till
he stood under that window; he looked up at it
long, and with emotion ; then he laid him down on
the ground under it, disposing himself upon his
back, with his hands clasped upon his breast and
holding his poor wilted flower. And thus he would
Tom Sawyer 43
die — out in the cold world, with no shelter over his
homeless head, no friendly hand to wipe the death-
damps from his brow, no loving face to bend pity
ingly over him when the great agony came. And
thus she would see him when she looked out upon
the glad morning, and oh ! would she drop one little
tear upon his poor, lifeless form, would she heave
one little sigh to see a bright young life so rudely
blighted, so untimely cut down?
The window went up, a maid-servant's discordant
voice profaned the holy calm, and a deluge of water
drenched the prone martyr's remains!
The strangling hero sprang up with a relieving
snorto There was a whiz as of a missile in the air,
mingled with the murmur of a curse, a sound as of
shivering glass followed, and a small, vague form
went over the fence and shot away in the gloom.
Not long after, as Tom, all undressed for bed,
was surveying his drenched garments by the light of
Er'tattow dip, Sid woke up; but if he had any dim
idea---ot making any " references to allusions," he
thought better of it and held his peace, for there
was danger in Tom's eye.
Tom turned in without the added vexation of
prayers, and Sid made mental note of the omission.
CHAPTER IV.
rHE sun rose upon a tranquil world, and beamed
down upon the peaceful village like a benedic
tion. Breakfast over, Aunt Polly had family wor
ship : it began with a prayer built from the ground
up of solid courses of Scriptural quotations, welded
together with a thin mortar of originality ; and from
the summit of this she delivered a grim chapter of
the Mosaic Law, as from Sinai.
Then Tom girded up his loins, so to speak, and
went to work to " get his verses." Sid had learned
his lesson days before. Tom bent all his energies to
the memorizing of five verses, and he chose part of
the Sermon on the Mount, because he could find no
verses that were shorter. At the end of half an
hour Tom had a vague general idea of his lesson,
but no more, for his mind was traversing the whole
field of human thought, and his hands were busy
with distracting recreations. Mary took his book to
hear him recite, and he tried to find his way through
the fog:
' ' Blessed are the — a — a — "
"Poor"—
(44)
Tom Sawyer 45
' ' Yes — poor ; blessed are the poor — a — a — ' '
* ' In spirit — "
"In spirit; blessed are the poor in spirit, for
they — they — "
«• Theirs—"
1 * For theirs. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they
that mourn, for they — they — "
"Sh — "
"For they — a—"
"S, H, A— "
" For they S, H — Oh, I don't know what it is !"
" Shall I"
"Oh, shall! for they shall — for they shall'— a
— a — shall mourn — a — a — blessed are they that
shall — they that — a — they that shall mourn, for
they shall — a — shall what? Why don't you tell
me, Mary? — what do you want to be so mean for?"
" Oh, Tom, you poor thick-headed thing, I'm
not teasing you. I wouldn't do that. You must
go and learn it again. Don't you be discouraged,
Tom, you'll manage it — and if you do, I'll give
you something ever so nice. There, now, that's a
good boy."
" All right ! What is it, Mary, tell me what it is."
" Never you mind, Tom. You know if I say it's
nice, it is nice."
"You bet you that's so, Mary. All right, I'll
tackle it again."
And he did "tackle it again" — and under the
46 Tom Sawyer
double pressure of curiosity and prospective gain,
he did it with such spirit that he accomplished a
shining success. Mary gave him a bran-new '* Bar
low ' ' knife worth twelve and a half cents ; and the
convulsion of delight that swept his system shook
him to his foundations. True, the knife would not
cut anything, but it was a "sure-enough" Barlow,
and there was inconceivable grandeur in that —
though where the Western boys ever got the idea
that such a weapon could possibly be counterfeited
to its injury, is an imposing mystery and will always
remain so, perhaps. Tom contrived to scarify the
cupboard with it, and was arranging to begin on the
bureau, when he was called off to dress for Sunday-
school.
Mary gave him a tin basin of water and a piece of
soap, and he went outside the door and set the basin
on a little bench there ; then he dipped the soap in
the water and laid it down ; turned up his sleeves ;
poured out the water on the ground, gently, and
then entered the kitchen and began to wipe his face
diligently on the towel behind the door. But Mary
removed the towel and said :
" Now ain't you ashamed, Tom. You mustn't
be so bad. Water won't hurt you."
Tom was a trifle disconcerted. The basin was
refilled, and this time he stood over it a little while,
gathering resolution; took in a big breath and
began. When he entered the kitchen presently,
with both eyes shut and groping for the towel with
Tom Sawyer 47
his hands, an honorable testimony of suds and water
was dripping from his face. But when he emerged
from the towel, he was not yet satisfactory, for the
clean territory stopped short at his chin and his
jaws, like a mask; below and beyond this line there
was a dark expanse of unirrigated soil that spread
downward in front and backward around his neck.
Mary took him in hand, and when she was done
with him he was a man and a brother, without dis
tinction of color, and his saturated hair was neatly
brushed, and its short curls wrought into a dainty
and symmetrical general effect. [He privately
smoothed out the curls, with labor and difficulty,
and plastered his hair close down to his head ; for
he held curls to be effeminate, and his own filled his
life with bitterness.] Then Mary got out a suit of
his clothing that had been used only on Sundays
during two years — they were simply called his
" other clothes " — and so by that we know the size
of his wardrobe. The girl "put him to rights"
after he had dressed himself; she buttoned his neat
roundabout up to his chin, turned his vast shirt
collar down over his shoulders, brushed him off and
crowned him with his speckled straw hat. He now
looked exceedingly improved and uncomfortable.
He was fully as uncomfortable as he looked^Jor
there was a restraint about^wJT^l£dothesand__>clej
im. TTehoped that Mary would
forget his shoes, but the hope was blighted; she
coated them thoroughly with tallow, as was the
48 Tom Sawyer
custom, and brought them out. He lost his temper
and said he was always being made to do everything
he didn't want to do. But Mary said, persuasively:
11 Please, Tom — that's a good boy."
So he got into the shoes snarling. Mary was
soon ready, and the three children set out for
Sunday-school — a place that Tom hated with his
whole heart ; but Sid and Mary were fond of it.
Sabbath-school hours were from nine to half-past
ten ; and then church service. \Two of the children
always remained for the sermon voluntarily, and the
other always remained too — for stronger reasonsTT
The church's high-backed, uncushioned pews would
seat about three hundred persons ; the edifice was
but a small, plain affair, with a sort of pine board
tree-box on top of it for a steeple. At the door
Tom dropped back a step and accosted a Sunday-
dressed comrade:
" Say, Billy, got a yaller ticket ?"
"Yes."
" What'll you take for her?"
"What'llyou give?"
" Piece of lickrish and a fish-hook."
"Less see 'em."
Tom exhibited. They were satisfactory, and the
property changed hands. Then Torn traded a
couple of white alleys for three red tickets, and
some small trifle or other for a couple of blue ones.
He waylaid other boys as they came, and went on
buying tickets of various colors ten or fifteen minutes
Tom Sawyer 49'
longer. He entered the church, now, with a swarm
of clean and noisy boys and girls, proceeded to his
seat and started a quarrel with the first boy that
came handy. The teacher, a grave, elderly man,
interfered ; then turned his back a moment and Tom
pulled a boy's hair in the next bench, and was ab
sorbed in his book when the boy turned around ;
stuck a pin in another boy, presently, in order to
hear him say " Ouch!" and got a new reprimand
from his teacher. Tom's whole class were of a
pattern — restless, noisy, and troublesome. When
they came to recite their lessons, not one of them
knew his verses perfectly, but had to be prompted
all along. However, they worried through, and
each got his reward — in small blue tickets, each
with a passage of Scripture on it; each blue ticket was
pay for two verses of the recitation. Ten blue
tickets equaled a red one, and could be exchanged
for it ; ten red tickets equaled a yellow one ; for ten
yellow tickets the superintendent gave a very plainly
bound Bible (worth forty cents in those easy times)
to the pupil. How many of my readers would have
the industry and application to memorize two thou
sand verses, even for a Dore* Bible? And yet Mary
had acquired two Bibles in this way — it was the
patient work of two years — and a boy of German
parentage had won four or five. He once recited
three thousand verses without stopping; but the
strain upon his mental faculties was too great, and
he was little better than an idiot from that day
4
50 Tom Sawyer
forth — a grievous misfortune for the school, for on
great occasions, before company, the superintendent
(as Tom expressed it) had always made this boy
come out and "spread himself." Only the older
pupils managed to keep their tickets and stick to
their tedious work long enough to get a Bible, and
so the delivery of one of these prizes was a rare and
noteworthy circumstance; the successful pupil was
so great and conspicuous for that day that on the
spot every scholar's heart was fired with a fresh
ambition that often lasted a couple of weeks. \^It is
possible that Tom's mental stomach had never really
hungered for one of those prizes, but unquestionably
his entire being had for many a day longed for the
glory and the e"clat that came with it.)
In due course the superintendent stood up in
front of the pulpit, with a closed hymn-book in his
hand and his forefinger inserted between its leaves,
and commanded attention. When a Sunday-school
superintendent makes his customary little speech, a
hymn-book in the hand is as necessary as is the
inevitable sheet of music in the hand of a singer
who stands forward on the platform and sings a solo
at a concert — though why, is a mystery: for
neither the hymn-book nor the sheet of music is
ever referred to by the sufferer. This superintendent
was a slim creature of thirty-five, with a sandy
goatee and short sandy hair ; he wore a stiff stand
ing-collar whose upper edge almost reached his ears
and whose sharp points curved forward abreast the
Tom Sawyer 51
corners of his mouth — a fence that compelled a
straight lookout ahead, and a turning of the whole
body when a side view was required ; his chin was
propped on a spreading cravat which was as broad
and as long as a bank-note, and had fringed ends ;
his boot toes were turned sharply up, in the fashion
of the day, like sleigh-runners — an effect patiently
and laboriously produced by the young men by sitting
with their toes pressed against a wall for hours_
together. Mr. Walters was very earnest of fnien, j
and very sincere and honest at heart; andjie freid
sacred things and places in such reverence, and so
separated them from worldly matters, that uncon
sciously to himself his Sunday-school voice had ac
quired a peculiar intonation which was wholly absent
on week-daysA He began after this fashion :
" Now, children, I want you all to sit up just as
straight and pretty as you can and give me all your
attention for a minute or two. There — that is it.
That is the way good little boys and girls should do.
I see one little girl who is looking out of the window
— I am afraid she thinks I am out there some
where — perhaps up in one of the trees making a
speech to the little birds. [Applausive titter.] I
want to tell you how good it makes me feel to see
so many bright, clean little faces assembled in a
place like this, learning to do right and be good."
And so forth and so on. It is not necessary to set
down the rest of the oration. It was of a pattern
which does not vary, and so it is familiar to us all.
D
52 Tom Sawyer
The latter third of the speech was marred by the
resumption of fights and other recreations among
certain of the bad boys, and by fidgetings and
whisperings that extended far and wide, washing
even to the bases of isolated and incorruptible rocks
like Sid and Mary. But now every sound ceased
suddenly, with the subsidence of Mr. Walters' voice,
and the conclusion of the speech was received with
a burst of silent gratitude.
A good part of the whispering had been occa
sioned by an event which was more or less rare —
the entrance of visitors: lawyer Thatcher, accom
panied by a very feeble and aged man; a fine,
portly, middle-aged gentleman with iron-gray hair;
and a dignified lady who was doubtless the latter's
wife. The lady was leading a child. Tom had
been restless and full of chafings and repinings ; con
science-smitten, too — he could not meet Amy
Lawrence's eye, he could not brook her loving gaze.
But when he saw this small new-comer his soul was
all ablaze with bliss in a moment. The next moment
he was " showing off" with all his might — cuffing
boys, pulling hair, making faces — in a word, using
every art that seemed likely to fascinate a girl and
win her applause. His exaltation had but one alloy
— the memory of his humiliation in this angel's
garden — and that record in sand was fast washing
out, under the waves of happiness that were sweep
ing over it now.
The visitors were given the highest seat of honor,
Tom Sawyer 53
and as soon as Mr. Walters' speech was finished, he
introduced them to the school. The middle-aged
man turned out to be a prodigious personage — no
less a one than the county judge — altogether the
most august creation these children had ever looked
upon — and, they wondered what kind of material
he was made of — • and they half wanted to hear him
roar, and were half afraid he might, too. He was
from Constantinople, twelve miles away — so he had
traveled, and seen the world — these very eyes had
looked upon the county courthouse — which was
said to have a tin roof. The awe which these reflec
tions inspired was attested by the impressive silence
and the ranks of staring eyes. This was the great
Judge Thatcher, brother of their own lawyer. Jeff
Thatcher immediately went forward, to be familiar
with the great man and be envied by the school. It
would have been music to his soul to hear the
whisperings :
1 Look at him, Jim ! He's a going up there.
Say — look! he's a going to shake hands with him
— he is shaking hands with him! By jings, don't
you wish you was Jeff?"
Mr. Walters fell to " showing off," with all sorts!
of official bustlings and activities, giving orders,
delivering judgments, discharging directions here,
there, everywhere that he could find a target. The
librarian " showed off " — running hither and thither
with his arms full of books and making a deal of the
splutter and fuss that insect authority delights in.
54 Tom Sawyer
The young lady teachers "showed off "—bending
sweetly over pupils that were lately being boxed,
lifting pretty warning fingers at bad little boys and
patting good ones lovingly. The young gentlemen
teachers "showed off" with small scoldings and
other little displays of authority and fine attention to
discipline — and most of the teachers, of both sexes,
found business up at the library, by the pulpit ; and
it was business that frequently had to be done over
again two or three times (with much seeming vexa
tion). The little girls "showed off" in various
ways, and the little boys "showed off" with such
diligence that the air was thick with paper wads and
the murmur of scufflings. And above it all the
great man sat and beamed a majestic judicial smile
upon all the house, and warmed himself in the sun
of his own grandeur — for he was ' * showing off , " too .
There was only one thing wanting, to make Mr.
Walter's ecstasy complete, and that was a chance to
deliver a Bible-prize and exhibit a prodigy. Several
pupils had a few yellow tickets, but none had
enough — he had been around among the star pupils
inquiring. He would have given worlds, now, to
have that German lad back again with a sound mind.
And now at this moment, when hope was dead,
/Tom Sawyer came forward with nine yellow tickets,
nine red tickets, and ten blue ones, and demanded a
Bible. This was a thunderbolt out of a clear sky.
Walters was not expecting an application from this
source for the next ten years. But there was no
Tom Sawyer 55
getting around it — here were the certified checks,
and they were good for their face. Tom was there
fore elevated to a place with the Judge and the
other elect, and the great news was announced from
headquarters. It was the most stunning surprise of
the decade, and so profound was the sensation that
it lifted the new hero up to the judicial one's alti
tude, and the school had two marvels to gaze upon
in place of one. The boys were all eaten up with
envy — but those that suffered the bitterest pangs
were those who perceived too late that they them
selves had contributed to this hated splendor by
trading tickets to Tom for the wealth he had amassed
in selling whitewashing privileges. These despised
themselves, as being the dupes of a wily fraud, a
guileful snake in the grass/!
The prize was delivered to Tom with as much
effusion as the superintendent could pump up under
the circumstances; but it lacked somewhat of the
true gush, for the poor fellow's instinct taught him
that there was a mystery here that could not well
bear the light, perhaps ; it was simply preposterous
that this boy had warehoused two thousand sheaves
of Scriptural wisdom on his premises — a dozen
would strain his capacity, without a doubt.
Amy Lawrence was proud and glad, and she tried
to make Tom see it in her face — but he wouldn't
look. She wondered; then she was just a grain
troubled ; next a dim suspicion came and went —
came again ; she watched ; a furtive glance told her
56 Tom Sawyer
worlds — and then her heart broke, and she was
jealous, and angry, and the tears came and she
hated everybody. Tom most of all (she thought).
Tom was introduced to the Judge ; but his tongue
was tied, his breath would hardly come, his heart
quaked — partly because of the awful greatness of
the man, but mainly because he was her parent. He
would have liked to fall down and worship him, if it
were in the dark. The Judge put his hand on
Tom's head and called him a fine little man, and
asked him what his name was. The boy stammered,
gasped, and got it out:
44 Tom."
' * Oh, no, not Tom — it is — ' '
"Thomas."
" Ah, that's it. I thought there was more to it,
maybe. That's very well. But you've another one
I daresay, and you'll tell it to me, won't you?"
" Tell the gentleman your other name, Thomas,"
said Walters, "and say sir. You mustn't forget
your manners."
"Thomas Sawyer — sir."
"That's it! That's a good boy. Fine boy.
Fine, manly little fellow. Two thousand verses is
a great many — very, very great many. And you
never can be sorry for the trouble you took to learn
them ; for knowledge is worth more than anything
there is in the world ; it's what makes great men
and good men; you'll be a great man and a good
man yourself, some day, Thomas, and then you'll
Tom Sawyer 57
look back and say, It's all owing to the precious
Sunday-school privileges of my boyhood — it's all
owing to my dear teachers that taught me to learn
— it's all owing to the good superintendent, who
encouraged me, and watched over me, and gave me
a beautiful Bible — a splendid elegant Bible — to
keep and have it all for my own, always — it's all
owing to right bringing up ! That is what you will
say, Thomas — and you wouldn't take any money
for those two thousand verses — no indeed you
wouldn't. And now you wouldn't mind telling me
and this lady some of the things you've learned —
no, I know you wouldn't — for we are proud of little
boys that learn. Now, no doubt you know the
names of all the twelve disciples. Won't you tell us
the names of the first two that were appointed?"
Tom was tugging at a button-hole and looking
sheepish. He blushed, now, and his eyes fell. Mr.
Walters' heart sank within him. He said to himself,
it is not possible that the boy can answer the sim
plest question — why did the Judge ask him ? Yet
he felt obliged to speak up and say :
"Answer the gentleman, Thomas — don't be
afraid."
Tom still hung fire.
"Now I know you'll tell me," said the lady.
" The names of the first two disciples were — "
" DAVID AND GOLIAH !"
Let us draw the curtain of charity over the rest of
the scene.
CHAPTER V.
7YBOUT half -past ten the cracked bell of the small
•» church began to ring, and presently the people
began to gather for the morning sermon. The
Sunday-school children distributed themselves about
the house and occupied pews with their parents, so
as to be under supervision. Aunt Polly came, and
Tom and Sid and Mary sat with her — Tom being
placed next the aisle, in order that he might be as
far away from the open window and the seductive
outside summer scenes as possible. The crowd filed
up the aisles : the aged and needy postmaster, who
had seen better days ; the mayor and his wife — for
they had a mayor there, among other unnecessaries ;
the justice of the peace; the widow Douglass, fair,
smart, and forty, a generous, good-hearted soul and
well-to-do, her hill mansion the only palace in the
town, and the most hospitable and much the most
lavish in the matter of festivities that St. Petersburg
could boast; the bent and venerable Major and
Mrs. Ward; lawyer Riverson, the new notable from
a distance ; next the belle of the village, followed by
a troop of lawn-clad and ribbon-decked young heart-
breakers; then all the young clerks in town in a
(58)
Tom Sawyer 59
body — -for4they had stood in the vestibule sucking
their cane-heads, a circling wall of oiled and simper
ing admirers, till the last girl had run their gantlet;
and last of all came the Model Boy, Willie Muffer-
son, taking as heedful care of his mother as if she
were cut glass. He always brought his mother to
church, and was the pride of all the matrons. The
boys all hated him, he was so good. And besides,
he had been " thrown up to them " so much. His
white handkerchief was hanging out of his pocket
behind, as usual on Sundays — accidentally. Tom
had no handkerchief, and he looked upon boys who
had, as snobs.
The congregation being fully assembled, now, the
bell rang once more, to warn laggards and stragglers,
and then a solemn hush fell upon the church which
was only broken by the tittering and whispering of
the choir in the gallery. The choir always tittered
and whispered all through service. There was once
a church choir that was not ill-bred, but I have for
gotten where it was, now. It was a great many
years ago, and I can scarcely remember anything
about it, but I think it was in some foreign country.
The minister gave out the hymn, and read it
through with a relish, in a peculiar style which was
much admired in that part of the country. His
voice began on a medium key and climbed steadily
up till it reached a certain point, where it bore with
strong emphasis upon the topmost word and then
plunged down as if from a spring-board :
60 Tom Sawyer
.,0.-*— •••*": •'
He was regarded as a wonderful reader. At church
"sociables" he was always called upon to read
poetry ; and when he was through, the ladies would
lift up their hands and let them fall helplessly in their
laps, and "wall" their eyes, and shake their heads,
as much as to say, ' ' Words cannot express it ; it is
too beautiful, too beautiful for this mortal earth."
After the hymn had been sung, the Rev. Mr.
Sprague turned himself into a bulletin -board, and
read off ''notices" of meetings and societies and
things till it seemed that the list would stretch out to
the crack of doom — a queer custom which is still
kept up in America, even in cities, away here in this
age of abundant newspapers. Often, the less there
is to justify a traditional custom, the harder it is to
get rid of it.
And now the minister prayed. A good, generous
prayer it was, and went into details : it pleaded for
the church, and the little children of the church ; for
the other churches of the village; for the village
itself; for the county; for the State; for the State
officers ; for the United States ; for the churches of
the United States; for Congress; for the President;
for the officers of the Government ; for poor sailors,
tossed by stormy seas; for the oppressed millions
Tom Sawyer 61
groaning under the heel of European monarchies
and Oriental despotisms ; for such as have the light
and the good tidings, and yet have not eyes to see
nor ears to hear withal ; for the heathen in the far
islands of the sea; and closed with a supplication
that the words he was about to speak might find
grace and favor, and be as seed sown in fertile
ground, yielding in time a grateful harvest of good.
Amen.
There was a rustling of dresses, and the standing
congregation sat down. The boy whose history this
book relates did not enjoy the prayer, he only en
dured it — if he even did that much. He was restive
all through it; he kept tally of the details of the
prayer, unconsciously — for he was not listening, but
he knew the ground of old, and the clergyman's
regular route over it — and when a little trifle of
new matter was interlarded, his ear detected it and
his whole nature resented it; he considered additions
unfair, and scoundrelly. In the midst of the prayer
a fly had lit on the back of the pew in front of him
and tortured his spirit by calmly rubbing its hands
together, embracing its head with its arms, and
polishing it so vigorously that it seemed to almost
part company with the body, and the slender thread
of a neck was exposed to view ; scraping its wings
with its hind legs and smoothing them to its body as
if they had been coat-tails ; going through its whole
toilet as tranquilly as if it knew it was perfectly safe.
As indeed it was; for as sorely as Tom's hands
62 Tom Sawyer
itched to grab for it they did not dare — he believed
his soul would be instantly destroyed if he did such
a thing while the prayer was going on. But with
the closing sentence his hand began to curve and
steal forward; and the instant the "Amen" was
out the fly was a prisoner of war. His aunt detected
the act and made him let it go.
rThe minister gave out his text and droned along
monotonously through an argument that was so
prosy that many a head by and by began to nod —
and yet it was an argument that dealt in limitless
fire and brimstone and thinned the predestined elect
down to a company so small as to be hardly worth
the saving. Tom counted the pages of the sermon ;
after church he always knew how many pages there
had been, but, he seldom knew anything else about
the discourse. I However, this time he was really
interested for a little while. The minister made a
grand and moving picture of the assembling together
of the world's hosts at the millennium when the lion
and the lamb should lie down together and a little
child should lead them. But the pathos, the lesson,
the moral of the great spectacle were lost upon the
boy ; he only thought of the conspicuousness of the
principal character before the on-looking nations ;
his face lit with the thought, and he said to himself
that he wished he could be that child, if it was a
tame lion.
Now he lapsed into suffering again, as the dry
argument was resumed. Presently he bethought
Tom Sawyer 63
him of a treasure he had and got it out. It was a
large black beetle with formidable jaws — a " pinch-
bug," he called it. It was in a percussion-cap box.
The first thing the beetle did was to take him by the
finger. A natural fillip followed, the beetle went
floundering into the aisle and lit on its back, and the
hurt finger went into the boy's mouth. The beetle
lay there working its helpless legs, unable to turn
over. Tom eyed it, and longed for it ; but it was
safe out of his reach. Other people uninterested in
the sermon, found relief in the beetle, and they eyed
it too. Presently a vagrant poodle dog came idling
,along, sad at heart, lazy with the summer softness
and the quiet, weary of captivity, sighing for
change. He spied the beetle; the drooping tail
lifted and wagged. He surveyed the prize; walked
around it ; smelt at it from a safe distance ; walked
around it again ; grew bolder, and took a closer
smell ; then lifted his lip and made a gingerly snatch
at it, just missing it; made another, and another;
began to enjoy the diversion; subsided to his
stomach with the beetle between his paws, and con
tinued his experiments; grew weary at last, and
then indifferent and absent-minded. His head
nodded, and little by little his chin descended and
touched the enemy, who seized it. There was a
sharp yelp, a flirt of the poodle's head, and the
beetle fell a couple of yards away, and lit on its
back once more. The neighboring spectators shook
with a gentle inward joy, several faces went behind
64 Tom Sawyer
fans and handkerchiefs, and Tom was entirely
happy. The dog looked foolish, and probably felt
so ; but there was resentment in his heart, too, and
a craving for revenge. So he went to the beetle
and began a wary attack on it again ; jumping at it
from every point of a circle, lighting with his fore
paws within an inch of the creature, making even
closer snatches at it with his teeth, and jerking his
head till his ears flapped again. But he grew tired
once more, after a while; tried to amuse himself
with a fly but found no relief; followed an ant
around, with his nose close to the floor, and quickly
wearied of that; yawned, sighed, forgot the beetle
entirely, and sat down on it. Then there was a wild
yelp of agony and the poodle went sailing up the
aisle; the yelps continued, and so did the dog; he
crossed the house in front of the altar; he flew
down the other aisle ; he crossed before the doors ;
he clamored up the home-stretch ; his anguish grew
with his progress, till presently he was but a woolly
comet moving in its orbit with the gleam and the
speed of light. At last the frantic sufferer sheered
from its course, and sprang into its master's lap;
he flung it out of the window, and the voice of dis
tress quickly thinned away and died in the distance.
By this time the whole church was red-faced and
suffocating with suppressed laughter, and the sermon
had come to a dead standstill. The discourse was
resumed presently, but it went lame and halting, all
possibility of impressiveness being at an end ; for eve a
Tom Sawyer 65
the gravest sentiments were constantly being received
with a smothered burst of unholy mirth, under cover
of some remote pew-back, as if the poor parson had
said a rarely facetious thing. It was a genuine relief
to the whole congregation when the ordeal was over
and the benediction pronounced.
Tom Sawyer want home quite cheerful, thinking
to himself that there was some satisfaction aboul
divine service when there was a bit of variety in it
He had but one marring thought ; he was willing
that the dog should play with his pinchbug, but he
did not think it was upright in him to carry it off.
CHAPTER VI.
MONDAY morning found Tom Sawyer miserable.
Monday morning always found him so — be
cause it began another week's slow suffering in
school. He generally began that day with wishing
he had had no intervening holiday, it made the going
into captivity and fetters again so much more odious.
Tom lay thinking. Presently it occurred to him
that he wished he was sick; then he could stay
home from school. Here was a vague possibility.
He canvassed his system. No ailment was found,
and he investigated again. This time he thought he
could detect colicky symptoms, and he began to en
courage them with considerable hope. But they
soon grew feeble, and presently died wholly away.
He reflected further. Suddenly he discovered some
thing. One of his upper front teeth was loose.
This was lucky; he was about to begin to groan, as
a " starter," as he called it, when it occurred to
him that if he came into court with that argument,
his aunt would pull it out, and that would hurt. So
he thought he would hold the tooth in reserve for
the present, and seek further. Nothing offered for
some little time, and then he remembered hearino- the
(66) ^
Tom Sawyer 67
doctor tell about a certain thing that laid up a patient
for two or three weeks and threatened to make him
lose a finger. So the boy eagerly drew his sore toe
from under the sheet and held it up for inspection.
But new he did not know the necessary symptoms.
However, it seemed well worth while to chance it,
so he fell to groaning with considerable spirit.
But Sid slept on unconscious.
Tom groaned louder, and fancied that he began
to feel pain in the toe.
No result from Sid.
Tom was panting with his exertions by this time.
He took a rest and then swelled himself up and
fetched a succession of admirable groans.
Sid snored on.
Tom was aggravated. He said, "Sid, Sid!"
and shook him. This course worked well, and Tom
began to groan again. Sid yawned, stretched, then
brought himself up on his elbow with a snort, and
began to stare at Tom. Tom went on groaning.
Sid said :
" Tom ! Say, Tom !" [No response.] " Here,
Tom! Tom! What is the matter, Tom?" And
he shook him and looked in his face anxiously.
Tom moaned out:
11 Oh, don't, Sid. Don't joggle me."
"Why, what's the matter, Tom? I must call
auntie."
"No — never mind. It'll be over by and by,
maybe. Don't call anybody."
68 Tom Sawyer
11 But I must! Don't groan so, Tom, it's awful.
How long you been this way?"
" Hours. Ouch! Oh, don't stir so, Sid, you'll
kill me."
"Tom, why didn't you wake me sooner? Oh,
Tom, don't ! It makes my flesh crawl to hear you.
Tom, what is the matter?"
" I forgive you everything, Sid. [Groan.] Every
thing you've ever done to me. When I'm
gone "
" Oh, Tom, you ain't dying* are you? Don't,
Tom — oh, don't. Maybe "
"I forgive everybody, Sid. [Groan.] Tell 'em
so, Sid. And Sid, you give my window-sash and
my cat with one eye to that new girl that's come to
town, and tell her- — -"
But Sid had snatched his clothes and gone. Tom
was suffering in reality, now, so handsomely was his
imagination working, and so his groans had gathered
quite a genuine tone.
Sid flew down stairs and said :
" Oh, Aunt Polly, come ! Tom's dying !"
"Dying!"
" Yes'm. Don't wait — come quick!"
' ' Rubbage ! I don't believe it ! "
But she fled up stairs, nevertheless, with Sid and
Mary at her heels. And her face grew white, too,
and her lip trembled. When she reached the bed
side she gasped out:
"You, Tom! Tom, what'sthe matterwith you?"
Tom Sawyer 69
"Oh, auntie, I'm "
"What's the matter with you — what is the
matter with you, child?"
" Oh, auntie, my sore toe's mortified!"
The old lady sank down into a chair and laughed
a little, then cried a little, then did both together.
This restored her and she said :
" Tom, what a turn you did give me. Now you
shut up that nonsense and climb out of this."
The groans ceased and the pain vanished from the
toe. The boy felt a little foolish, and he said :
" Aunt Polly, it seemed mortified, and it hurt so I
never minded my tooth at all."
"Your tooth, indeed! What's the matter with
your tooth?"
"One of them's loose, and it aches perfectly
awful."
"There, there, now, don't begin that groaning
again. Open your mouth. Well — your tooth is
loose, but you're not going to die about that. Mary,
get me a silk thread, and a chunk of fire out of the
kitchen."
Tom said ;
"Oh, please auntie, don't pull it out. It don't
hurt any more. I wish I may never stir if it does.
Please don't, auntie. / don't want to stay home
from school."
"Oh, you don't, don't you? So all this row was
because you thought you'd get to stay home from
school and go a fishing? Tom, Tom, I love you
70 Tom Sawyer
so, and you seem to try every way you can to break
my old heart with your outrageousness." By this
time the dental instruments were ready. The old
lady made one end of the silk thread fast to Tom's
tooth with a loop and tied the other to the bedpost.
Then she seized the chunk of fire and suddenly
thrust it almost into the boy's face. The tooth
hung dangling by the bedpost, now.
But all trials bring their compensations. As Tom
wended to school after breakfast, he was the envy of
every boy he met because the gap in his upper row
of teeth enabled him to expectorate in a new and
admirable way. He gathered quite a following of
lads interested in the exhibition ; and one that had
cut his finger and had been a center of fascination
and homage up to this time, now found himself sud
denly without an adherent, and shorn of his glory.
His heart was heavy, and he said with a disdain
which he did not feel, that it wasn't anything to spit
like Tom Sawyer ; but another boy said ' ' Sour
grapes!" and he wandered away a dismantled hero.
/ ^Shortly Tom came upon the juvenile pariah of
the village, Huckleberry Finn, son of the town
drunkard. Huckleberry was cordially hated and
dreaded by all the mothers of the town, because he
^wasidle and lawless and vulgar and__bad^ — and
because airttleTr children admired him so, and de
lighted in his forbidden society, and wished they
dared to be like him/?1 Tom was like the rest of the
respectable boys, in that he envied Huckleberry his
Tom Sawyer 71
gaudy outcast condition, and was under strict orders
not to play with him. So he played with him every
time he got a chance. Huckleberry was always
dressed in the cast-off clothes of full-grown men,
and they were in perennial bloom and fluttering with
rags. His hat was a vast ruin with a wide crescent
lopped out of its brim ; his coat, when he wore one,
hung nearly to his heels and had the rearward but
tons far down the back; but one suspender sup
ported his trousers ; the seat of the trousers bagged
low and contained nothing ; the fringed legs dragged
in the dirt when not rolled up.
-^^Huckleberry came and went, at his own free will.
He slept on doorsteps in fine weather and in empty
hogsheads in wet ; he did not have to go to school
or to church, or call any being master or obey any
body; he could go fishing or swimming when and
where he chose, and stay as long as it suited him ;
nobody forbade him to fight; he could sit up as
late as he pleased ; he was always the first boy that
went barefoot in the spring and t"^ last to resume
leather in the fall ; he never had to wash, nor put
on clean clothes ; he could swear wonderfully. In
a word, everything that goes to make life precious,
that boy had. So thought every harassed, ham
pered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg
Tom hailed the jromantic outcast :
" Hello, Huckleberry"!7'
" Hello yourself, and see how you like it."
"What's that you got?"
72 Tom Sawyer
"Dead cat."
" Lemme see him, Huck. My, he's pretty stiff.
Where'd you get him?"
" Bought him off'n a boy."
"What did you give?"
" I give a blue ticket and a bladder that I got at
the slaughter-house."
" Where'd you get the blue ticket?"
" Bought it off'n Ben Rogers two weeks ago for a
hoop-stick."
11 Say — what is dead cats good for, Huck?"
" Good for. Cure warts with."
"No! Is that so? I know something that's
better."
" I bet you don't. What is it?"
14 Why, spunk-water."
" Spunk-water ! I wouldn't give a dern for spunk-
water."
* You wouldn't, wouldn't you? D'you ever try
it?"
" No, I hain't. But Bob Tanner did."
"Who told you so!"
" Why, he told Jeff Thatcher, and Jeff told Johnny
Baker, and Johnny told Jim Hollis, and Jim told
Ben Rogers, and Ben told a nigger, and the nigger
told me. There now!"
"Well, what of it? They'll all lie. Leastways
all but the nigger. I don't know him. But I never
see a nigger that wouldn't lie. Shucks ! Now you
tell me how Bob Tanner done it, Huck."
Tom Sawyer 73
"Why, he took and dipped his hand in a rotten
stump where the rain water was."
" In the daytime?"
" Certainly."
" With his face to the stump?"
" Yes. Least I reckon so."
" Did he say anything?"
" I don't reckon he did. I don't know."
"Aha! Talk about trying to cure warts with
spunk-water such a blame fool way as that ! Why,
that ain't a going to do any good. You got to go
all by yourself, to the middle of the woods, where
you know there's a spunk-water stump, and just as
it's midnight you back up against the stump and
jam your hand in and say :
* Barley-corn, Barley-corn, injun-meal shorts,
Spunk- water, spunk-water, swaller these warts.*
and then walk away quick, eleven steps, with your
eyes shut, and then turn around three times and
walk home without speaking to anybody. Because
if you speak the charm's busted."
"Well, that sounds like a good way; but that
ain't the way Bob Tanner done."
"No, sir, you can bet he didn't, becuz he's the
wartiest boy in this town; and he wouldn't have a
wart on him if he'd knowed how to work spunk-
water. I've took off thousands of warts off of my
hands that way, Huck. I play with frogs so much
that I've always got considerable many warts.
Sometimes I take 'em off with a bean."
74 Tom Sawyer
" Yes, bean's good. I've done that."
"Have you? What's your way?"
"You take and split the bean, and cut the wart
so as to get some blood, and then you put the blood
on one piece of the bean and take and dig a hole
and bury it 'bout midnight at the crossroads in the
dark of the moon, and then you burn up the rest
of the bean. You see that piece that's got the
blood on it will keep drawing and drawing, trying
to fetch the other piece to it, and so that helps
the blood to draw the wart, and pretty soon off she
comes."
"Yes, that's it, Huck — that's it; though when
you're burying it if you say ' Down bean; off wart;
come no more to bother me!' it's better. That's
the way Jo Harper does, and he's been nearly to
Coonville and most everywheres. But say — how
do you cure 'em with dead cats?"
" Why, you take your cat and go and get in the
graveyard 'long about midnight when somebody
that was wicked has been buried; and when it's
midnight a devil will come, or maybe two or three,
but you can't see 'em, you can only hear something
like the wind, or maybe hear 'em talk; and when
they're taking that feller away, you heave your cat
after 'em and say, ' Devil follow corpse, cat follow
devil, warts follow cat, /'m done with ye !' That'll
fetch any wart."
" Sounds right. D'you ever try it, Huck?"
" No, but old Mother Hopkins told me."
Tom Sawyer 75
"Well, I reckon it's so, then. Becuz they say
she's a witch."
" Say ! Why, Tom, I know she is. * She witched
pap. Pap says so his own self. He come along
one day, and he see she was a witching him, so he
took up a rock, and if she hadn't dodged, he'd a
got her. Well, that very night he rolled off' n a shed
wher* he was a layin drunk, and broke his arm."
" Why, that's awfuL How did he know she was
a witching him?"
^ Lord, pap can tell, easy. Pap says when they
keep looking at you right stiddy, they're a witching
you. Specially if they mumble. Becuz when they
mumble they're saying the Lord's Prayer back-
ards.'p>
" £>ay, Hucky, when you going to try the cat?"
" To-night. I reckon they'll come after old Hoss
Williams to-night."
" But they buried him Saturday. Didn't they get
him Saturday night?"
"Why, how you talk! How could their charms
work till midnight? — and then it's Sunday. Devils
don't slosh around much of a Sunday, I don't
reckon."
"I never thought of that. That's so. Lemme
go with you?"
" Of course — if you ain't afeard."
" Afeard ! 'Tain't likely. Will you meow?"
" Yes — and you meow back, if you get a chance.
Last time, you kep' me a meowing around till old
76 Tom Sawyer
Hays went to throwing rocks at me and says ' Dern
that cat ! ' and so I hove a brick through his window
— but don't you tell/ '
"I won't. I couldn't meow that night, becuz
auntie was watching me, but I'll meow this time.
Say — what's that?"
" Nothing but a tick."
" Where'd you get him?"
" Out in the woods."
11 What'll you take for him?"
" I don't know. I don't want to sell him."
"All right. It's a mighty small tick, anyway."
11 Oh, anybody can run a tick down that don't
belong to them. I'm satisfied with it. It's a good
enough tick for me."
" Sho, there's ticks a plenty. I could have a
thousand of 'em if I wanted to."
"Well, why don't you? Becuz you know mighty
well you can't. This is a pretty early tick, I reckon.
It's the first one I've seen this year."
" Say, Huck — I'll give you my tooth for him."
"Less see it."
Tom got out a bit of paper and carefully unrolled
it. Huckleberry viewed it wistfully. The tempta
tion was very strong. At last he said :
"Is it genuwyne?"
Tom lifted his lip and showed the vacancy.
"Well, all right," said Huckleberry, "it's a
trade."
Tom enclosed the tick in the percussion-cap box
Tom Sawyer 77
thaKhad lately been the
boys separated^ each feeling wealthier than before.
When Tom reached the little isolated frame
schoolhouse, he strode in briskly, with the manner
of one who had come with all honest speed. He
hung his hat on a peg and flung himself into his seat
with business-like alacrity. The master, throned on
high in his great splint-bottom arm-chair, was
dozing, lulled by the drowsy hum of study. The
interruption roused him.
1 ' Thomas Sawyer ! ' '
Tom knew that when his name was pronounced in
full, it meant trouble.
"Sir!"
"Come up here. Now, sir, why are you late
again, as usual?"
Tom was about to take refuge in a lie, when he
saw two long tails of yellow hair hanging down a
back that he recognized by the electric sympathy of
love; and by that form was the only vacant place on
the girls' side of the schoolhouse. He instantly
said:
"I STOPPED TO TALK WITH HUCKLEBERRY
FINN!"
The master's pulse stood still, and he stared help
lessly. The buzz of study ceased. The pupils
wondered if this foolhardy boy had lost his mind.
The master said :
"You — you did what?"
" Stopped to talk with Huckleberry Finn."
78 Tom Sawyer
There was no mistaking the words.
*' Thomas Sawyer, this is the most astounding
confession I have ever listened to. No mere ferule
will answer for this offence. Take off your jacket."
The master's arm performed until it was tired and
the stock of switches notably diminished. Then the
order followed :
11 Now, sir, go and sit with the girls ! And let
this be a warning to you."
The titter that rippled around the room appeared
to abash the boy, but in reality that result was caused
rather more by his worshipful awe of his unknown
idol and the dread pleasure that lay in his high
good fortune. He sat down upon the end of the
pine bench and the girl hitched herself away from
him with a toss of her head. Nudges and winks
and whispers traversed the room, but Tom sat still,
with his arms upon the long, low desk before him,
and seemed to study his book.
By and by attention ceased from him, and the
accustomed school murmur rose upon the dull air
once more. Presently the boy began to steal furtive
glances at the girl. She observed it, " made a
mouth " at him and gave him the back of her head
for the space of a minute. When she cautiously
faced around again, a peach lay before her. She
thrust it away. Tom gently put it back. She thrust
it away again, but with less animosity. Tom
patiently returned it to its place. Then she let it
remain. Tom scrawled on his slate, " Please take
Tom Sawyer 79
it — I got more." The girl glanced at the words,
but made no sign. Now the boy began to draw
something on the slate, hiding his work with his left
hand. For a time the girl refused to notice; but
her human curiosity presently began to manifest
itself by hardly perceptible signs. The boy worked
on, apparently unconscious. The girl made a sort
of non-committal attempt to see, but the boy did
not betray that he was aware of it. At last she
gave in and hesitatingly whispered :
"Let me see it."
Tom partly uncovered a dismal caricature of a
house with two gable ends to it and a corkscrew of
smoke issuing from the chimney. Then the girl's
interest began to fasten itself upon the work and she
forgot everything else. When it was finished, she
gazed a moment, then whispered :
4 * It' s nice — • make a man . ' '
The artist erected a man in the front yard, that
resembled a derrick. He could have stepped over
the house ; but the girl was not hypercritical ; she
was satisfied with the monster, and whispered :
"It's a beautiful man — now make me coming
along."
Tom drew an hourglass with a full moon and
straw limbs to it and armed the spreading fingers
with a portentous fan. The girl said:
" It's ever so nice — I wish I could draw."
"It's easy," whispered Tom, "I'll learn you."
"Oh, will you? When?"
80 Tom Sawyer
" At noon. Do you go home to dinner?"
"I'll stay if you will."
" Good, — that's a whack. What's your name?"
" Becky Thatcher. What's yours? Oh, I know.
It's Thomas Sawyer."
"That's the name they lick me by. I'm Tom
when I'm good. You call me Tom, will you?"
"Yes."
Now Tom began to scrawl something on the slate,
hiding the words from the girl. But she was not
backward this time. She begged to see. Tom said :
"Oh, it ain't anything."
"Yes it is."
" No it ain't. You don't want to see."
" Yes I do, indeed I do. Please let me.'r
"You'll tell."
** No I won't — deed and deed and double deed I
won't."
"You won't tell anybody at all? Ever, as long
as you live?"
" No, I won't ever tell anybody. Now let me."
" Oh, you don't want to see !"
"Now that you treat me so, I will see." And
she put her small hand upon his and a little scuffle
ensued, Tom pretending to resist in earnest but let
ting his hand slip by degrees till these words were
revealed : " / love you . ' '
"Oh, you bad thing!" And she hit his hand a
smart rap, but reddened and looked pleased, never
theless.
I-LOVE-YOU!' "
Tom Sawyer 81
Just at this juncture the boy felt a slow, fateful
grip closing on his ear, and a steady lifting impulse.
In that vise he was borne across the house and de
posited in his own seat, under a peppering fire of
giggles from the whole school. Then the master
stood over him during a few awful moments, and
finally moved away to his throne without saying a
word. But although Tom's ear tingled, his heart
was jubilant.
As the school quieted down Tom made an honest
effort to study, but the turmoil within him was too
great. In turn he took his place in the reading
class and made a botch of it ; then in the geography
class and turned lakes into mountains, mountains
into rivers, and rivers into continents, till chaos was
come again; then in the spelling class, and got
"turned down," by a succession of mere baby
words, till he brought up at the foot and yielded
up the pewter medal which he had worn with
ostentation for months.
CHAPTER VII.
THE harder Tom tried to fasten his mind on his
book, the more his ideas wandered. So at
last, with a sigh and a yawn, he gave it up. It
seemed to him that the noon recess would never
come. The air was utterly dead. Tnere was not a
breath stirring. It was the sleepiest of sleepy days.
The drowsing murmur of the five and twenty study
ing scholars, soothed the soul like the spell that is
in the murmur of bees. Away off in the flaming
sunshine, Cardiff Hill lifted its soft green sides
through a shimmering veil of heat, tinted with the
purple of distance ; a few birds floated on lazy wing
high in the air ; no other living thing was visible but
some cows, and they were asleep. Tom's heart
ached to be free, or else to have something of inter
est to do to pass the dreary time. His hand wan
dered into his pocket and his face lit up with a
glow of gratitude that was prayer, though he did not
know it. Then furtively the percussion-cap box
came out. He released the tick and put him on the
long flat desk. The creature probably glowed with
a gratitude that amounted to prayer, too, at this
moment, but it was premature : for when he started
C82
Tom Sawyer 83
thankfully to travel off, Tom turned him aside wi
a pin and made him take a new direction.
Tom's bosom friend sat next him, suffering just
as Tom had been, and now he was deeply and grate
fully interested in this entertainment in an instant.
This bosom friend was Joe Harper. The two boys
were sworn friends all the week, and embattled
enemies on Saturdays. Joe took a pin out of his
lappel and began to assist in exercising the prisoner.
The sport grew in interest momently. Soon Tom
said that they were interfering with each other, and
neither getting the fullest benefit of the tick. So he
put Joe's slate on the desk and drew a line down the
middle of it from top to bottom.
" Now," said he, " as long as he is on your side
you can stir him up and I'll let him alone; but if
you let him get away and get on my side, you're to
leave him alone as long as I can keep him from
crossing over."
14 All right, go ahead; start him up."
The tick escaped from Tom, presently, and
crossed the equator. Joe harassed him a while, and
then he got away and crossed back again. This
change of base occurred often. While one boy was
worrying the tick with absorbing interest, the other
would look on with interest as strong, the two heads
bowed together over the slate, and the two souls
dead to all things else. At last luck seemed to
settle and abide with Joe. The tick tried this, that,
and the other course, and got as excited and as
84 Tom Sawyer
anxious as the boys themselves, but time and again
just as he would have victory in his very grasp, so
to speak, and Tom's fingers would be twitching to
begin, Joe's pin would deftly head him off, and keep
possession. At last Tom could stand it no longer.
The temptation was too strong. So he reached out
and lent a hand with his pin. Joe was angry in a
moment. Said he:
" Tom, you let him alone."
" I only just want to stir him up a little, Joe."
" No, sir, it ain't fair; you just let him alone."
" Blame it, I ain't going to stir him much."
" Let him alone, I tell you."
" I won't!"
" You shall — he's on my side of the line."
" Look here, Joe Harper, whose is that tick?"
" /don't care whose tick he is — he's on my side
of the line, and you shan't touch him."
" Well, I'll just bet I will, though. He's my tick
and I'll do what I blame please with him, or die !"
A tremendous whack came down on Tom's shoul
ders, and its duplicate on Joe's; and for the space
of two minutes the dust continued to fly from the
two jackets and the whole school to enjoy it.
The boys had been too absorbed to notice the
hush that had stolen upon the school a while be
fore when the master came tiptoeing down the
room and stood over them. He had contemplated
a good part of the performance before he con
tributed his bit of variety to it.
Tom Sawyer 85
When school broke up at noon, Tom flew to
Becky Thatcher, and whispered in her ear :
11 Put on your bonnet and let on you're going
home; and when you get to the corner, give the
rest of 'em the slip, and turn down through the lane
and come back. I'll go the other way and come it
over 'em the same way."
So the one went off with one group of scholars,
and the other with another. In a little while the two
met at the bottom of the lane, and when they
reached the school they had it all to themselves.
Then they sat together, with a slate before them,
and Tom gave Becky the pencil and held her hand
in his, guiding it, and so created another surprising
house. When the interest in art began to wane,
the two fell to talking. Tom was swimming in bliss.
He said :
"Do you love rats?"
"No! I hate them!"
"Well, I do, too — live ones. But I mean dead
ones, to swing round your head with a string."
" No, I don't care for rats much, anyway. What
/like is chewing-gum."
" Oh, I should say so ! I wish I had some now."
" Do you? I've got some. I'll let you chew it
awhile, but you must give it back to me."
That was agreeable, so they chewed it turn about,
and dangled their legs against the bench in excess of
contentment.
*' Was you ever at a circus?" said Tom.
86 Tom Sawyer
44 Yes, and my pa's going to take me again some
time, if I'm good."
4 ' I been to the circus three or four times — lots of
times. Church ain't shucks to a circus. There's
things going on at a circus all the time. I'm going
to be a clown in a circus when I grow up."
"Oh, are you ! That will be nice. They're so
lovely, all spotted up."
" Yes, that's so. And they get slathers of money
— most a dollar a day, Ben Rogers says. Say,
Becky, was you ever engaged?"
4 'What's that?"
14 Why, engaged to be married."
44 No."
41 Would you like to?"
44 1 reckon so. I don't know. What is it
like?"
"Like? Why it ain't like anything. You only
just tell a boy you won't ever have anybody but
him, ever ever ever, and then you kiss and that's
all. Anybody can do it."
44 Kiss? What do you kiss for?"
14 Why, that, you know, is to — well, they always
do that."
4 'Everybody?"
14 Why, yes, everybody that's in love with each
other. Do you remember what I wrote on the
slate?"
"Ye— yes."
44 What was it?"
Tom Sawyer 87
"I shan't tell you."
"Shall I tellj/^?"
" Ye — yes — but some other time.1'
44 No, now."
*' No, not now — to-morrow."
11 Oh, no, now. Please, Becky — I'll whisper it,
I'll whisper it ever so easy."
Becky hesitating, Tom took silence for consent,
and passed his arm about her waist and whispered
the tale ever so softly, with his mouth close to her
ear. And then he added :
'* Now you whisper it to me — just the same."
She resisted, for a while, and then said :
" You turn your face away so you can't see, and
then I will. But you mustn't ever tell anybody —
will you, Tom? Now you won't, will you?"
" No, indeed, indeed I won't. Now, Becky."
He turned his face away. She bent timidly
around till her breath stirred his curls and whis
pered, "I — love — you!"
Then she sprang away and ran around and around
the desks and benches, with Tom after her, and
took refuge in a corner at last, with her little white
apron to her face. Tom clasped her about her neck
and pleaded :
"Now, Becky, it's all done — all over but the
kiss. Don't you be afraid of that — it ain't any
thing at all. Please, Becky." And he tugged at
her apron and the hands.
By and by she gave up, and let her hands drop ;
88 Tom Sawyer
her face, all glowing with the struggle, came up and
submitted. Tom kissed the red lips and said :
"Now it's all done, Becky. And always after
this, you know, you ain't ever to love anybody but
me, and you ain't ever to marry anybody but me,
never never and forever. Will you?"
" No, I'll never love anybody but you, Tom, and
I'll never marry anybody but you — and you ain't
to ever marry anybody but me, either."
" Certainly. Of course. That's part of it. And
always coming to school or when we're going home,
you're to walk with me, when there ain't anybody
looking — and you choose me and I choose you at
parties, because that's the way you do when you're
engaged."
" It's so nice. I never heard of it before."
" Oh, it's ever so gay! Why, me and Amy
Lawrence ' '
The big eyes told Tom his blunder and he
stopped, confused.
"Oh, Tom! Then I ain't the first you've ever
been engaged to!"
The child began to cry. Tom said :
41 Oh, don't cry, Becky, I don't care for her any
more."
11 Yes, you do, Tom, — you know you do."
Tom tried to put his arm about her neck, but she
pushed him away and turned her face to the wall,
and went on crying. Tom tried again, with sooth
ing words in his mouth, and was repulsed again.
Tom Sawyer 89
Then his pride was up, and he strode away and went
outside. He stood about, restless and uneasy, for a
while, glancing at the door, every now and then,
hoping she would repent and come to find him.
But she did not. Then he began to feel badly and
fear that he was in the wrong. It was a hard strug
gle with him to make new advances, now, but he
nerved himself to it and entered. She was still
standing back there in the corner, sobbing, with her
face to the wall. Tom's heart smote him. He
went to her and stood a moment, not knowing
exactly how to proceed. Then he said hesitatingly:
" Becky, I — I don't care for anybody but you."
No reply — but sobs.
" Becky, "—pleadingly. " Becky, won't you say
something?"
More sobs.
Tom got out his chief est jewel, a brass knob from
the top of an andiron, and passed it around her so
that she could see it, and said :
" Please, Becky, won't you take it?"
She struck it to the floor. Then Tom marched
out of the house and over the hills and far away, to
return to school no more that day. Presently Becky
began to suspect. She ran to the door; he was not
in sight ; she flew around to the play-yard ; he was
not there. Then she called :
" Tom ! Come back, Tom !"
She listened intently, but there was no answer.
She had no companions but silence and loneliness.
90 Tom Sawyer
So she sat down to cry again and upbraid herself;
and by this time the scholars began to gather again,
and she had to hide her griefs and still her broken
heart and take up the cross of a long, dreary, aching
afternoon, with none among the strangers about her
to exchange sorrows with.
CHAPTER VIII.
TOM dodged hither and thither through lanes
until he was well out of the track of returning
scholars, and then fell into a moody jog. He
crossed a small "branch" two or three times, be
cause of a prevailing juvenile superstition that to
cross water baffled pursuit. Half an hour later he
was disappearing behind the Douglas mansion on the
summit of Cardiff Hill, and the schoolhouse was hardly
distinguishable away off in the valley behind him.
He entered a dense wood, picked his pathless way to
the center of it, and sat down on a mossy spot under
a spreading oak. There was not even a zephyr
stirring; the dead noonday heat had even stilled the
songs of the birds ; nature lay in a trance that was
broken by no sound but the occasional far-off ham
mering of a woodpecker, and this seemed to render
the pervading silence and sense of loneliness the
more profound. The boy's soul was steeped in
melancholy ; his feelings were in happy accord with
his surroundings. He sat long with his elbows on
his knees and his chin in his hands, meditating. It
seemed to him that life was but a trouble, at best,
92 Tom Sawyer
and he more than half envied Jimmy Hodges, so
lately released ; it must be very peaceful, he
thought, to lie and slumber and dream forever and
ever, with the wind whispering through the trees and
caressing the grass and the flowers over the grave,
and nothing to bother and grieve about, ever any
more. If he only had a clean Sunday-school record
he could be willing to go, and be done with it all.
Now as to this girl. What had he done? Nothing.
He had meant the best in the world, and been
treated like a dog — like a very dog. She would be
sorry some day — maybe when it was too late. Ah,
if he could only die temporarily !
But the elastic heart of youth cannot be com
pressed into one constrained shape long at a time.
Tom presently began to drift insensibly back into
the concerns of this life again. What if he turned
his back, now, and disappeared mysteriously? What
if he went away — ever so far away, into unknown
countries beyond the seas — -and never came back
any more ! How would she feel then ! The idea of
being a clown recurred to him now, only to fill him
with disgust. For frivolity and jokes and spotted
tights were an offense, when they intruded them
selves upon a spirit that was exalted into the vague
august realm of the romantic. No, he would be a
soldier, and return after long years, all war-worn
and illustrious. No — better still, he would join the
Indians, and hunt buffaloes and go on the warpath in
the mountain ranges and the trackless great plains of
Tom Sawyer 93
the Far West, and away in the future come back a
great chief, bristling with feathers, hideous with
paint, and prance into Sunday-school, some drowsy
summer morning, with a blood-curdling war-whoop,
and sear the eyeballs of all his companions with
unappeasable envy. But no, there was something
gaudier even than this. He would be a pirate !
That was it ! Now his future lay plain before him,
and glowing with unimaginable splendor. How his
name would fill the world, and make people shudder !
How gloriously he would go plowing the dancing
seas, in his long, low, black-hulled racer, the
11 Spirit of the Storm," with his grisly flag flying at
the fore ! And at the zenith of his fame, how he
would suddenly appear at the old village and stalk
into church, brown and weather-beaten, in his black
velvet doublet and trunks, his great jack-boots, his
crimson sash, his belt bristling with horse-pistols,
his crime-rusted cutlass at his side, his slouch hat
with waving plumes, his black flag unfurled, with the
skull and crossbones on it, and hear with swelling
ecstasy the whisperings, " It's Tom Sawyer the
Pirate ! — the Black Avenger of the Spanish Main 1"
Yes, it was settled; his career was determined.
He would run away from home and enter upon it.
He would start the very next morning. Therefore
he must now begin to get ready. He would collect
his resources together. He went to a rotten log
near at hand and began to dig under one end of it
with his Barlow knife. He soon struck wood that
94 Tom Sawyer
sounded hollow. He put his hand there and uttered
this incantation impressively:
"What hasn't come here, come! What's here,
stay here!'1
Then he scraped away the dirt, and exposed a
pine shingle. He took it up and disclosed a shapely
little treasure-house whose bottom and sides were of
shingles. In it lay a marble. Tom's astonishment
was boundless ! He scratched his head with a per
plexed air, and said :
11 Well, that beats anything !"
Then he tossed the marble away pettishly, and
stood cogitating. The truth was, that a superstition
of his had failed, here, which he and all his comrades
had always looked upon as infallible. If you buried
a marble with certain necessary incantations, and
left it alone a fortnight, and then opened the place
with the incantation he had just used, you would find
that all the marbles you had ever lost had gathered
themselves together there, meantime, no matter how
widely they had been separated. But now, this
thing had actually and unquestionably failed. Tom's
whole structure of faith was shaken to its founda
tions. He had many a time heard of this thing suc
ceeding, but never of its failing before. It did not
occur to him that he had tried it several times be
fore, himself, but could never find the hiding-places
afterward. He puzzled over the matter some time,
and finally decided that some witch had interfered
and broken the charm. He thought he would satisfy
Tom Sawyer 95
himself on that point ; so he searched around till he
found a small sandy spot with a little funnel-shaped
depression in it. He laid himself down and put his
mouth close to this depression and called :
" Doodle-bug, doodle-bug, tell me what I want to
know ! Doodle-bug, doodle-bug, tell me what I want
to know!"
The sand began to work, and presently a small
black bug appeared for a second and then darted
under again in a fright.
" He dasn't tell ! So it was a witch that done it.
I just knowed it."
He well knew the futility of trying to contend
against witches, so he gave up discouraged. But it
occurred to him that he might as well have the mar
ble he had just thrown away, and therefore he went
and made a patient search for it. But he could not
find it. Now he went back to his treasure-house
and carefully placed himself just as he had been
standing when he tossed the marble away ; then he
took another marble from his pocket and tossed it in
the same way, saying :
" Brother, go find your brother!"
He watched where it stopped, and went there and
looked. But it must have fallen short or gone too
far; so he tried twice more. The last repetition
was successful. The two marbles lay within a foot
of each other.
Just here the blast of a toy tin trumpet came
faintly down the green aisles of the forest. Tom
96 Tom Sawyer
flung off his jacket and trousers, turned a suspender
into a belt, raked away some brush behind the rotten
log, disclosing a rude bow and arrow, a lath sword
and a tin trumpet, and in a moment had seized these
things and bounded away, barelegged, with flutter
ing shirt. He presently halted under a great elm,
blew an answering blast, and then began to tiptoe
and look warily out, this way and that. He said
cautiously — to an imaginary company :
" Hold, my merry men! Keep hid till I blow."
Now appeared Joe Harper, as airily clad and
elaborately armed as Tom. Tom called:
11 Hold! Who comes here into Sherwood Forest
without my pass?"
11 Guy of Guisborne wants no man's pass. Who
art thou that — that "
"Dares to hold such language," said Tom,
prompting — for they talked "by the book," from
memory.
" Who art thou that dares to hold such language?"
"I, indeed! I am Robin Hood, as thy caitiff
carcase soon shall know."
"Then art thou indeed that famous outlaw?
Right gladly will I dispute with thee the passes of
the merry wood. Have at thee !"
They took their lath swords, dumped their other
traps on the ground, struck a fencing attitude, foot
to foot, and began a grave, careful combat, "two
up and two down." Presently Tom said:
'* Now, if you've got the hang, go it lively!"
Tom Sawyer 9?
So they " went it lively," panting and perspiring
with the work. By and by Tom shouted :
1 ' Fall ! fall ! Why don't you f all ?"
" I shan't! Why don't you fall yourself? You're
getting the worst of it."
"Why, that ain't anything. / can't fall; that
ain't the way it is in the book. The book says,
* Then with one back-handed stroke he slew poor
Guy of Guisborne.' You're to turn around and let
me hit you in the back."
There was no getting around the authorities, so
Joe turned, received the whack and fell.
"Now," said Joe, getting up, "You got to let
me \d\lyou. That's fair."
" Why, I can't do that, it ain't in the book."
"Well, it's blamed mean,— that's all."
" Well, say, Joe, you can be Friar Tuck or Much
the miller's son, and lam me with a quarter-staff; or
I'll be the Sheriff of Nottingham and you be Robin
Hood a little while and kill me."
This was satisfactory, and so these adventures
were carried out. Then Tom became Robin Hood
again, and was allowed by the treacherous nun to
bleed his strength away through his neglected
wound. And at last Joe, representing a whole tribe
of weeping outlaws, dragged him sadly forth, gave
his bow into his feeble hands, and Tom said,
"Where this arrow falls, there bury poor Robin
Hood under the greenwood tree." Then he shot
the arrow and fell back and would have died, but he
7
98 Tom Sawyer
lit on a nettle and sprang up too gaily for a
corpse.
The boys dressed themselves, hid their accouter-
ments, and went off grieving that there were no out
laws any more, and wondering what modern civiliza
tion could claim to have done to compensate for
their loss. They said they would rather be outlaws
a year in Sherwood Forest than President of the
United States forever.
CHAPTER IX.
AT half-past nine, that night, Tom and Sid were
sent to bed, as usual. They said their prayers,
and Sid was soon asleep. Tom lay awake and
waited, in restless impatience. When it seemed to
him that it must be nearly daylight, he heard the
clock strike ten ! This was despair. He would
have tossed and fidgeted, as his nerves demanded,
but he was afraid he might w^ke Sid. So he lay
still, and stared up into the dark. Everything was
dismally still. By and by, out of the stillness, little,
scarcely preceptible noises began to emphasize them
selves. The ticking of the clock began to bring it
self into notice. Old beams began to crack mysteri
ously. The stairs creaked faintly. Evidently spirits
were abroad. A measured, muffled snore issued
from Aunt Polly's chamber. And now the tiresome
chirping of a cricket that no human ingenuity could
locate, began. Next the ghastly ticking of a death-
watch in the wall at the bed's head made Tom
shudder — it meant that somebody's days were num
bered. Then the howl of a far-off dog rose on the
e (99)
100 Tom Sawyer
night air, and was answered by a fainter howl from
a remoter distance. Tom was in an agony. At
last he was satisfied that time had ceased and eternity
begun; he began to doze, in spite of himself; the
clock chimed eleven, but he did not hear it. And
then there came, mingling with his half-formed
dreams, a most melancholy caterwauling. The
raising of a neighboring window disturbed him. A
cry of * * Scat ! you devil ! ' ' and the crash of an
empty bottle against the back of his aunt's woodshed
brought him wide awake, and a single minute later
he was dressed and out of the window and creeping
along the roof of the "ell" on all fours. He
" meow'd " with caution once or twice, as he went;
then jumped to the roof of the woodshed and thence
to the ground. Huckleberry Finn was there, with
his dead cat. The boys moved off and disappeared
in the gloom. At the end of half an hour they
were wading through the tall grass of the grave
yard.
It was a graveyard of the old-fashioned Western
kind. It was on a hill, about a mile and a half from
the village. It had a crazy board fence around it,
which leaned inward in places, and outward the rest
of the time, but stood upright nowhere. Grass and
weeds grew rank over the whole cemetery. All the
old graves were sunken in, there was not a tombstone
on the place; round-topped, worm-eaten boards
staggered over the graves, leaning for support and
finding none. " Sacred to the memory of" So-
Tom Sawyer 103
and-So had been painted on them once, but it could
no longer have been read, on the most of them, now,
even if there had been light.
A faint wind moaned through the trees, and Tom
feared it might be the spirits of the dead, complain
ing at being disturbed. The boys talked little, and
only under their breath, for the time and the place
and the pervading solemnity and silence oppressed
their spirits. They found the sharp new heap they
were seeking, and enconsced themselves within the
protection of three great elms that grew in a bunch
within a few feet of the grave.
Then they waited in silence for what seemed a long
time. The hooting of a distant owl was all the
sound that troubled the dead stillness. Tom's re
flections grew oppressive. He must force some talk.
So he said in a whisper :
" Hucky, do you believe the dead people like it
for us to be here? "
Huckleberry whispered :
"I wisht I knowed. It's awful solemn like, ain't
it?"
14 1 bet it is."
There was a considerable pause, while the boys
canvassed this matter inwardly. Then Tom
whispered :
"Say, Hucky — do you reckon Hoss Williams
hears us talking? "
" O' course he does. Least his sperrit does."
Tom, after a pause :
10T Tom Sawyer
"I wish I'd said Mister Williams. But I never
meant any harm. Everybody calls him Hoss."
"A body can't be too partic'lar how they talk
'bout these-yer dead people, Tom."
This was a damper, and conversation died again.
Presently Tom seized his comrade's arm and said:
"Sh!"
' ' What is it, Tom ? ' ' And the two clung together
with beating hearts.
" Sh ! There 'tis again ! Didn't you hear it? "
( ( T > >
' ' There ! Now you hear it. ' '
'* Lord, Tom, they're coming! They're coming,
sure. What'll we do? "
" I dono. Think they'll see us? "
11 Oh, Tom, they can see in the dark, same as cats.
I wisht I hadn't come."
"Oh, don't be afeard. / don't believe they'll
bother us. We ain't doing any harm. If we keep
perfectly still, maybe they won't notice us at all."
11 I'll try to, Tom, but Lord, I'm all of a shiver."
" Listen!"
The boys bent their heads together and scarcely
breathed. A muffled sound of voices floated up
from the far end of the graveyard.
' ' Look ! See there ! ' ' whispered Tom. ' ' What
is it?"
; " It's devil-fire. Oh, Tom, this is awful."
Some vague figures approached through the gloom,
swinging an old-fashioned tin lantern that freckled
Tom Sawyer 103
the ground with innumerable little spangles of light.
Presently Huckleberry whispered with a shudder:
"It's the devils sure enough. Three of 'em!
Lordy, Tom, we're goners! Can you pray?'*
" I'll try, but don't you be afeard. They ain't
going to hurt us. Now I lay me down to sleep,
I—"
" Sh!"
"What is it, Huck?"
"They're humans! One of 'em is, anyway.
One ot 'em's old Muff Potter's voice."
"No — tain't so, is it?"
" I bet I know it. Don't you stir nor budge.
He ain't sharp enough to notice us. Drunk, the
same as usual, likely — blamed old rip!"
"All right, I'll keep still. Now they're stuck.
Can't find it. Here they come again. Now they're
hot. Cold again. Hot again. Red hot S They're
p'inted right, this time. Say, Huck, I know
another o' them voices; it's Injun Joe."
"That's so — that murderin' half-breed! I'd
druther they was devils a dern sight. What kin
they be up to ? "
The whisper died wholly out, now, for the three
men had reached the grave and stood within a few
feet of the boys' hiding-place.
" Here it is," said the third voice; and the owner
of it held the lantern up and revealed the face of
young Dr. Robinson.
Potter and Injun Joe were carrying a handbarrow
104 Tom Sawyer
with a rope and a couple of shovels on it. They
cast down their load and began to open the grave.
The doctor put the lantern at the head of the grave
and came and sat down with his back against one of
the elm trees. He was so close the boys could
have touched him.
" Hurry, men!" he said in a low vofce; " the
moon might come out at any moment."
They growled a response and went on digging.
For some time there was no noise but the grating
sound of the spades discharging their freight of
mould and gravel. It was very monotonous.
Finally a spade struck upon the coffin with a dull
woody accent, and within another minute or two the
men had hoisted it out on the ground. They pried
off the lid with their shovels, got out the body and
dumped it rudely on the ground. The moon drifted
from behind the clouds and exposed the pallid face.
'"The barrow was got ready and the corpse placed on
it, covered with a blanket, and bound to its place
with the rope. Potter took out a large spring-knife
and cut off the dangling end of the rope and then
said:
"Now the cussed thing's ready, Sawbones, and
you'll just out with another five, or here she stays."
" That's the talk ! " said Injun Joe.
**Look here, what does this mean?" said the
doctor. "You required your pay in advance, and
I've paid you."
" Yes, and you done more than that," said Injun
Tom Sawyer 105
Joe, approaching the doctor, who was now standing.
"Five years ago you drove me away from your
father's kitchen one night, when I come to ask for
something to eat, and you said I warn't there for
any good; and when I swore I'd get even with you
if it took a hundred years, your father had me jailed
for a vagrant. Did you think I'd forget? The
Injun blood ain't in me for nothing. And now I've
got you, and you got to settle, you know! "
He was threatening the doctor, with his fist in his
face, by this time. The doctor struck out suddenly
and stretched the ruffian on the ground. Potter
dropped his knife, and exclaimed :
" Here, now, don't you hit my pard ! " and the
next moment he had grappled with the doctor and
the tv/o were struggling with might and main, tramp
ling the grass and tearing the ground with their heels.
Injun Joe sprang to his feet, his eyes flaming with
passion, snatched up Potter's knife, and went creep
ing, catlike and stooping, round and round about the
combatants, seeking an opportunity. All at once
the doctor flung himself free, seized the heavy head
board of Williams' grave and felled Potter to the
earth with it — and in the same instant the half-breed
saw his chance and drove the knife to the hilt in the
young man's breast. He reeled and fell partly upon
Potter, flooding him with his blood, and in the same
moment the clouds blotted out the dreadful spectacle
and the two frightened boys went speeding away in
the dark.
106 Tom Sawyer
Presently, when the moon emerged again, Injun
Joe was standing over the two forms, contemplating
them. The doctor murmured inarticulately, gave a
long gasp or two and was still. The half-breed
muttered :
" That score is settled — damn you."
Then he robbed the body. After which he put
the fatal knife in Potter's open right hand, and sat
down on the dismantled coffin. Three — four — five
minutes passed, and then Potter began to stir and
moan. His hand closed upon the knife ; he raised
it, glanced at it, and let it fall, with a shudder.
Then he sat up, pushing the body from him, and
gazed at it, and then around him, confusedly. His
eyes met Joe's.
" Lord, how is this, Joe? " he said.
*' It's a dirty business," said Joe, without moving.
"What did you do it for?"
"I! I never done it! "
" Look here ! That kind of talk won't wash."
Potter trembled and grew white.
" I thought I'd got sober. I'd no business to
drink to-night. But it's in my head yet — worse'n
when we started here. I'm all in a muddle; can't
recollect anything of it, hardly. Tell me, Joe —
honesty now, old feller — did I do it? Joe, I never
meant to — 'pon my soul and honor, I never meant
to, Joe. Tell me how it was, Joe. Oh, it's awful
— and him so young and promising."
*' Why, you two was scuffling, and he fetched you
Tom Sawyer 107
one with the headboard and you fell flat; and then
up you come, all reeling and staggering, like, and
snatched the knife and jammed it into him, just as he
fetched you another awful clip — and here you've
laid, as dead as a wedge till now."
" Oh, I didn't know what I was a-doing. I wish
I may die this minute if I did. It was all on ac
count of the whisky; and the excitement, I reckon.
I never used a weepon in my life before, Joe.
I've fought, but never with weepons. They'll all
say that. Joe, don't tell! Say you won't tell, Joe
— that's a good feller. I always liked you, Joe,
and stood up for you, too. Don't you remember?
You won't tell, will you Joe?" And the poor
creature dropped on his knees before the stolid
murderer, and clasped his appealing hands.
"No, you've always been fair and square with
me, Muff Potter, and I won't go back on you.
There, now, that's as fair as a man can say."
" Oh, Joe, you're an angel. I'll bless you for this
the longest day I live." And Potter began to cry.
"Come, now, that's enough of that. This ain't
any time for blubbering. You be off yonder way
and I'll go this. Move, now, and don't leave any
tracks behind you."
Potter started on a trot that quickly increased to a
run. The half-breed stood looking' after him. He
muttered :
" If he's as much stunned with the lick and fud
dled with the rum as he had the look of being, he
108 Tom Sawyer
won't think of the knife till he's gone so far he'll be
afraid to come back after it to such a place by him
self — chicken-heart ! ' '
Two or three minutes later the murdered man, the
blanketed corpse, the lidless coffin, and the open grave
were under no inspection but the moon's. The still
ness was complete again, too.
CHAPTER X.
THE two boys flew on and on, toward the village,
speechless with horror. They glanced back
ward over their shoulders from time to time, appre
hensively, as if they feared they might be followed.
Every stump that started up in their path seemed a
man and an enemy, and made them catch their
breath ; and as they sped by some outlying cottages
that lay near the village, the barking of the aroused
watch-dogs seemed to give wings to their feet.
' ' If we can only get to the old tannery before we
break down! " whispered Tom, in short catches be
tween breaths, '* I can't stand it much longer."
Huckleberry's hard pantings were his only reply,
and the boys fixed their eyes on the goal of their
hopes and bent to their work to win it. They gained
steadily on it, and at last, breast to breast, they burst
through the open door and fell grateful and exhausted
in the sheltering shadows beyond. By and by their
pulses slowed down, and Tom whispered :
" Huckleberry, what do you reckon '11 come of
this?"
(109)
110 Tom Sawyer
" If Dr. Robinson dies, I reckon hanging '11 come
of it."
"Do you though?"
"Why, I know it, Torn."
Tom thought a while, then he said:
"Who'll tell? We?"
" What are you talking about? S'pose something
happened and Injun Joe didn't hang? Why he'd
kill us some time or other, just as dead sure as we're
a laying here."
' That's just what I was thinking to myself,
Huck."
"If anybody tells, let Muff Potter do it, if he's
fool enough. He's generally drunk enough."
Tom said nothing — went on thinking. Presently
he whispered :
" Huck, Muff Potter don't know it. How can he
tell?"
" What's the reason he don't know it? "
"Because he'd just got that whack when Injun
Joe done it. D' you reckon he could see anything?
D' you reckon he knowed anything? "
" By hokey, that's so, Tom ! "
"And besides, look-a-here — maybe that whack
done for him / ' '
" No, 'taint likely, Tom. He had liquor in him;
I could see that; and besides, he always has. Well,
when pap's full, you might take and belt him over
the head with a church and you couldn't phase him.
He says so, his own self. So it's the same with
Tom Sawyer 111
Muff Potter, of course. But if a man was dead
sober, I reckon maybe that whack might fetch him ;
I dono."
After another reflective silence, Tom said :
" Hucky, you sure you can keep mum? "
' Tom, we got to keep mum. You know that.
That Injun devil wouldn't make any more of drownd-
ing us than a couple of cats, if we was to squeak
'bout this and they didn't hang him. Now, look-a-
here, Tom, less take and swear to one another —
that's what we got to do — swear to keep mum."
"I'm agreed. It's the best thing. Would you
just hold hands and swear that we — "
"Oh, no, that wouldn't do for this. That's good
enough for little rubbishy common things — specially
with gals, cuz they go back on you anyway, and blab
if they get in a huff — but there orter be writing
'bout a big thing like this. And blood."
Tom's whole being applauded this idea. It was
deep, and dark, and awful; the hour, the circum
stances, the surroundings, were in keeping with it.
He picked up a clean pine shingle that lay in the
moonlight, took a little fragment of " red keel " out
of his pocket, got the moon on his work, and pain
fully scrawled these lines, emphasizing each slow
down-stroke by clamping his tongue between his
teeth, and letting up the pressure on the up
strokes. [See next page.]
Huckleberry was filled with admiration of Tom's
facility in writing, and the sublimity of his language.
112
Tom Sawyer
He at once took a pin from his lappel and was going
to prick his flesh, but Tom said :
" Hold on! Don't do that. A pin's brass. It
might have verdigrease on it."
" What's rerdigrease?"
*' It's p'ison. That's what it is. You just swaller
some of it once — you'll see."
So Tom unwound the thread from one of his nee
dles, and each boy pricked the ball of his thumb and
squeezed out a drop of blood. In time, after many
squeezes, Tom managed to sign his initials, using
Tom Sawyer 113
the ball of his little finger for a pen. Then he showed
Huckleberry how to make an H and an F, and the
oath was complete. They buried the shingle close to
the wall, with some dismal ceremonies and incanta
tions, and the fetters that bound their tongues were
considered to be locked and the key thrown away.
A figure crept stealthily through a break in the
other end of the ruined building, now, but they did
not notice it.
" Tom," whispered Huckleberry, " does this keep
us from ever telling — always ? "
" Of course it does. It don't make any difference
what happens, we got to keep mum. We'd drop
down dead — don't you know that? "
" Yes, I reckon that's so."
They continued to whisper for some little time.
Presently a dog set up a long, lugubrious howl just
outside — within ten feet of them. The boys clasped
each other suddenly, in an agony of fright.
"Which of us does he mean? " gasped Huckle
berry.
" I dono — -peep through the crack. Quick! "
"No,^«, Tom!"
"I can't — I can't do it, Huck!"
" Please, Tom. There 'tis again ! "
" Oh, lordy, I'm thankful!" whispered Tom.
" I know his voice. It's Bull Harbison."*
* If Mr. Harbison had owned a slave named Bull, Tom would have
spoken of him as " Harbison's Bull," but a son or a dog of that name
was "Bull Harbison,"
8
114 Tom Sawyer
" Oh, that's good — I tell you, Tom, I was most
scared to death; I'd a bet anything it was a stray
dog."
The dog howled again. The boys' hearts sank
once more.
"Oh, my! that ain't no Bull Harbison!"
whispered Huckleberry. '* Do, Tom!"
Tom, quaking with fear, yielded, and put his eye
to the crack. His whisper was hardly audible when
he said :
" Oh, Huck, IT'S A STRAY DOG! "
" Quick, Tom, quick! Who does he mean? "
"Huck, he must mean us both — we're right
together."
" Oh, Tom, I reckon we're goners. I reckon there
ain't no mistake 'bout where /'// go to. I been so
wicked."
"Dad fetch it! This comes of playing hookey
and doing everything a feller's told not to do. I
might a been good, like Sid, if I'd a tried — but no,
I wouldn't, of course. But if ever I get off this
time, I lay I'll just waller in Sunday-schools!"
And Tom began to snuffle a little.
"You bad!" and Huckleberry began to snuffle
too. " Consound it, Tom Sawyer, you're just old
pie, 'longside o'what / am. Oh, lordy, lordy,
lordy, I wisht I only had half your chance."
Tom choked off and whispered :
11 Look, Hucky, look ! He's got his back to us ! "
Hucky looked, with joy in his heart.
Tom Sawyer 115
ts Well, he has, by jingoes ! Did he before? "
" Yes, he did. But I, like a fool, never thought.
Oh, this is bully, you know. Now who can he
mean ? "
The howling stopped. Tom pricked up his ears.
" Sh ! What's that? " he whispered.
"Sounds like — like hogs grunting. No — it's
somebody snoring, Tom."
" That is it ! Where 'bouts is it, Huck? "
" I bleeve it's down at 'tother end. Sounds so,
anyway. Pap used to sleep there, sometimes, 'long
with the hogs, but laws bless you, he just lifts things
when he snores. Besides, I reckon he ain't ever
coming back to this town any more."
The spirit of adventure rose in the boys' souls
once more.
54 Hucky, do you das't to go if I lead? "
"I don't like to, much. Tom, s'pose it's Injun
Joe!"
Tom quailed. But presently the temptation rose
up strong again and the boys agreed to try, with the
understanding that they would take to their heels
if the snoring stopped. So they went tiptoeing
stealthily down, the one behind the other. When
they had got to within five steps of the snorer, Tom
stepped on a stick, and it broke with a sharp snap.
The man moaned, writhed a little, and his face came
into the moonlight. It was Muff Potter. The boys'
hearts had stood still, and their hopes too, when the
man moved, but their fears passed away now. They
116 Tom Sawyer
tiptoed out, through the broken weather-boarding,
and stopped at a little distance to exchange a parting
word. That long, lugubrious howl rose on the
night air again ! They turned and saw the strange
dog standing within a few feet of where Potter was
lying, and facing Potter, with his nose pointing
heavenward.
" Oh, geeminy, it's him ! " exclaimed both boys,
in a breath.
" Say, Tom — they say a stray dog come howling
around Johnny Miller's house, 'bout midnight, as
much as two weeks ago ; and a whippoorwill come
in and lit on the banisters and sung, the very same
evening; and there ain't anybody dead there yet."
"Well, I know that. And suppose there ain't.
Didn't Gracie Miller fall in the kitchen fire and
burn herself terrible the very next Saturday ? ' '
"Yes, but she ain't dead. And what's more,
she's getting better, too."
"All right, you wait and see. She's a goner, just
as dead sure as Muff Potter's a goner. That's what
the niggers say, and they know all about these kind
of things, Huck."
Then they separated, cogitating. When Tom
crept in at his bedroom window the night was almost
spent. He undressed with excessive caution, and
fell asleep congratulating himself that nobody knew
of his escapade. He was not aware that the gently-
snoring Sid was awake, and had been so for an hour.
When Tom awoke, Sid was dressed and gone.
Tom Sawyer 117
There was a late look in the light, a late sense in the
atmosphere. He was startled. Why had he not
been called — persecuted till he was up, as usual?
The thought filled him with bodings. Within five
minutes he was dressed and down stairs, feeling sore
and drowsy. The family were still at table, but
they had finished breakfast. There was no voice of
rebuke; but there were averted eyes; there was a
silence and an air of solemnity that struck a chill to
the culprit's heart. He sat down and tried to seem
gay, but it was up-hill work ; it roused no smile, no
response, and he lapsed into silence and let his heart
sink down to the depths.
After breakfast his aunt took him aside, and Tom
almost brightened in the hope that he was going to
be flogged; but it was not so. His aunt wept over
him and asked him how he could go and break her
old heart so; and finally told him to go on, and ruin
himself and bring her gray hairs with sorrow to the
grave, for it was no use for her to try any more.
This was worse than a thousand whippings, and
Tom's heart was sorer now than his body. He
cried, he pleadecf for forgiveness, promised to reform
over and over again, and then received his dismissal,
feeling that he had won but an imperfect forgiveness
and established but a feeble confidence.
He left the presence too miserable to even feel
revengeful toward Sid; and so the latter 's prompt
retreat through the back gate was unnecessary. He
moped to school gloomy and sad, and took his flog-
118 Tom Sawyer
ging, along with Joe Harper, for playing hookey the
day before, with the air of one whose heart was
busy with heavier woes and wholly dead to trifles.
Then he betook himself to his seat, rested his elbows
on his desk and his jaws in his hands, and stared at
the wall with the stony stare of suffering that has
reached the limit and can no further go. His elbow
was pressing against some hard substance. After a
long time he slowly and sadly changed his position,
and took up this object with a sigh. It was in a
paper. He unrolled it. A long, lingering, colossal
sigh followed, and his heart broke. It was his
brass andiron knob !
This final feather broke the camel's back.
CHAPTER XL
CLOSE upon the hour of noon the whole village
was suddenly electrified with the ghastly news.
No need of the as yet undreamed-of telegraph ; the
tale flew from man to man, from group to group,
from house to house, with little less than telegraphic
speed. Of course the schoolmaster gave holiday for
that afternoon; the town would have thought
strangely of him if he had not.
A gory knife had been found close to the mur
dered man, and it had been recognized by somebody
as belonging to Muff Potter — so the story ran.
And it was said that a belated citizen had come upon
Potter washing himself in the ' ' branch ' ' about one
or two o'clock in the morning, and that Potter had
at once sneaked off — suspicious circumstances,
especially the washing, which was not a habit with
Potter. It was also said that the town had been
ransacked for this "murderer" (the public are not
slow in the matter of sifting evidence and arriving at
a verdict), but that he could not be found. Horse
men had departed down all the roads in every direc
tion, and the Sheriff " was confident " that he would
be captured before night.
("9)
120 Tom Sawyer
All the town was drifting toward the graveyard.
Tom's heartbreak vanished and he joined the pro
cession, not because he would not a thousand times
rather go anywhere else, but because an awful, un
accountable fascination drew him on. Arrived at the
dreadful place, he wormed his small body through
the crowd and saw the dismal spectacle. It seemed
to him an age since he was there before. Some
body pinched his arm. He turned, and his eyes
met Huckleberry's. Then both looked elsewhere at
once, and wondered if anybody had noticed anything
in their mutual glance. But everybody was talking,
and intent upon the grisly spectacle before them.
' ( Poor fellow ! ' ' 4 ' Poor young fellow ! " " This
ought to be a lesson to grave robbers!" " Muff
Potter '11 hang for this if they catch him!" This
was the drift of remark; and the minister said, " It
was a judgment; His hand is here."
Now Tom shivered from head to heel; for his
eye fell upon the stolid face of Injun Joe. At this
moment the crowd began to sway and struggle, and
voices shouted, "It's him! it's him! he's coming
himself!"
' ' Who ? Who ? ' ' from twenty voices.
"Muff Potter!"
" Hallo, he's stopped ! — Look out, he's turning !
Don't let him get away ! "
People in the branches of the trees over Tom's
head said he wasn't trying to get away — he only
looked doubtful and perplexed.
Tom Sawyer 121
"Infernal impudence!" said a bystander;
"wanted to come and take a quiet look at his
work, I reckon — didn't expect any company."
The crowd fell apart, now, and the Sheriff came
through, ostentatiously leading Potter by the arm.
The poor fellow's face was haggard, and his eyes
showed the fear that was upon him. When he stood
before the murdered man. he shook as with a palsy,
and he put his face in his hands and burst into tears.
11 1 didn't do it, friends," he sobbed; " 'pon my
word and honor I never done it."
" Who's accused you? " shouted a voice.
This shot seemed to carry home. Potter lifted his
face and looked around him with a pathetic hope
lessness in his eyes. He saw Injun Joe, and ex
claimed :
" Oh, Injun Joe, you promised me you'd never — "
' ' Is that your knife ? ' ' and it was thrust before
him by the Sheriff.
Potter would have fallen if they had not caught him
and eased him to the ground. Then he said :
" Something told me 't if I didn't come back and
get — " He shuddered; then waved his nerveless
hand with a vanquished gesture and said, *' Tell 'em,
Joe, tell 'em — it ain't any use any more."
Then Huckleberry and Tom stood dumb and star
ing, and heard the stony-hearted liar reel off his
serene statement, they expecting every moment that
the clear sky would deliver God's lightnings upon
his head, and wondering to see how long the stroke
122 Tom Sawyer
was delayed. And when he had finished and still
stood alive and whole, their wavering impulse to break
their oath and save the poor betrayed prisoner's life
faded and vanished away, for plainly this miscreant
had sold himself to Satan and it would be fatal to
meddle with the property of such a power as that.
11 Why didn't you leave? What did you want to
come here for? " somebody said.
" I couldn't help it — I couldn't help it," Potter
moaned. " I wanted to run away, but I couldn't
seem to come anywhere but here." And he fell to
sobbing again.
Injun Joe repeated his statement, just as calmly,
a few minutes afterward on the inquest, under oath ;
and the boys, seeing that the lightnings were still
withheld, were confirmed in their belief that Joe had
sold himself to the devil. He was now become, to
them, the most balefully interesting object they had
ever looked upon, and they could not take their
fascinated eyes from his face.
They inwardly resolved to watch him, nights, when
opportunity should offer, in the hope of getting a
glimpse of his dread master.
Injun Joe helped to raise the body of the murdered
man and put it in a wagon for removal ; and it was
whispered through the shuddering crowd that the
wound bled a little ! The boys thought that this
happy circumstance-would turn suspicion in the right
direction ; but they were disappointed, for more than
one villager remarked :
Tom Sawyer 123
" It was within three feet of Muff Potter when it
done it."
Tom's fearful secret and gnawing conscience dis
turbed his sleep for as much as a week after this;
and at breakfast one morning Sid said :
" Tom, you pitch around and talk in your sleep so
much that you keep me awake half the time."
Tom blanched and dropped his eyes.
"It's a bad sign," said Aunt Polly, gravely.
"What you got on your mind, Tom? "
"Nothing. Nothing 't I know of." But the
boy's hand shook so that he spilled his coffee.
"And you do talk such stuff," Sid said. " Last
night you said 4 it's blood, it's blood, that's what it
is ! ' You said that over and over. And you said,
'Don't torment me so — I'll tell!' Tell what?
What is it you'll tell?"
Everything was swimming before Tom. There is
no telling what might have happened, now, but
luckily the concern passed out of Aunt Polly's face
and she came to Tom's relief without knowing it.
She said :
"Sho! It's that dreadful murder. I dream
about it most every night myself. Sometimes I
dream it's me that done it."
Mary said she had been affected much the same
way. Sid seemed satisfied. Tom got out of the
presence as quick as he plausibly could, and after
that he complained of toothache for a week, and tied
up his jaws every night. He never knew that Sid lay
124 Tom Sawyer
nightly watching, and frequently slipped the bandage
free and then leaned on his elbow listening a good while
at a time, and afterward slipped the bandage back to I
its place again. Tom's distress of mind wore off
gradually and the toothache grew irksome and was
discarded. If Sid really managed to make anything
out of Tom's disjointed mutterings, he kept it to
himself.
It seemed to Tom that his schoolmates never would
get done ^holding inquests on dead cats, and thus
keeping his trouble present to his mind. Sid noticed
that Tom never was coroner at one of these inquiries,
though it had been his habit to take the lead in all
new enterprises; he noticed, too, that Tom never
acted as a witness, — and that was strange ; and Sid
did not overlook the fact that Tom even showed a
marked aversion to these inquests, and always
avoided them when he could. Sid marveled, but
said nothing. However, even inquests went out of
vogue at last, and ceased to torture Tom's conscience.
Every day or two, during this time of sorrow, Tom
watched his opportunity and went to the little grated
jail-window and smuggled such small comforts
through to the " murderer " as he could get hold of.
The jail was a trifling little brick den that stood in a
marsh at the edge of the village, and no guards
were afforded for it ; indeed it was seldom occupied.
These offerings greatly helped to ease Tom's con
science.
The villagers had a strong desire to tar-and-feather
Tom Sawyer 125
Injun Joe and ride him on a rail, for body-snatching,
but so formidable was his character that nobody could
be found who was willing to take the lead in the
matter, so it was dropped. He had been careful to
begin both of his inquest-statements with che fight,
without confessing the grave-robbery that preceded
it ; therefore it was deemed wisest not to try the case
in the courts at present.
CHAPTER XII.
ONE of the reasons why Tom's mind had drifted
away from its secret troubles was, that it had
found a new and weighty matter to interest itself
about. Becky Thatcher had stopped coming to
school. Tom had struggled with his pride a few
days, and tried to "whistle her down the wind,"
but failed. He began to find himself hanging around
her father's house, nights, and feeling very miserable.
She was ill. What if she should die! There was
distraction in the thought. He no longer took an
interest in war, nor even in piracy. The charm of
life was gone ; there was nothing but dreariness left.
He put his hoop away, and his bat; there was no
joy in them any more. His aunt was concerned.
She began to try all manner of remedies on him.
She was one of those people who are infatuated with
patent medicines and all new-fangled methods of pro
ducing health or mending it. She was an inveterate
experimenter in these things. When something
fresh in this line came out she was in a fever, right
away, to try it ; not on herself, for she was never
ailing, but on anybody else that came handy. She
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Tom Sawyer 127
was a subscriber for all the "Health" periodicals
and phrenological frauds ; and the solemn ignorance
they were inflated with was breath to her nostrils.
All the " rot " they contained about ventilation, and
how to go to bed, and how to get up, and what to
eat, and what to drink, and how much exercise to
take, and what frame of mind to keep one's self in,
and what sort of clothing to wear, was all gospel to
her, and she never observed that her health-journals
of the current month customarily upset everything
they had recommended the month before. She was
as simple-hearted and honest as the day was long,
and so she was an easy victim. She gathered
together her quack periodicals and her quack
medicines, and thus armed with death, went about
on her pale horse, metaphorically speaking, with
"hell following after." But she never suspected
that she was not an angel of healing and the balm of
Gilead in disguise, to the suffering neighbors.
The water treatment was new, now, and Tom's low
condition was a windfall to her. She had him out at
daylight every morning, stood him up in the wood
shed and drowned him with a deluge of cold water;
then she scrubbed him down with a towel like a file,
and so brought him to ; then she rolled him up in
a wet sheet and put him away under blankets till she
sweated his soul clean and ' ' the yellow stains of it
came through his pores " — as Tom said.
Yet notwithstanding all this, the boy grew more
and more melancholy and pale and dejected. She
128 Tom Sawyer
added hot baths, sitz baths, shower baths, and
plunges. The boy remained as dismal as a hearse.
She began to assist the water with a slim oatmeal
diet and blister-plasters. She calculated his capacity
as she would a jug's, and filled him up every day
with quack cure-alls.
Tom had become indifferent to persecution by this
time. This phase filled the old lady's heart with
consternation. This indifference must be broken up
at any cost. Now she heard of Pain-killer for the
first time. She ordered a lot at once. She tasted
it and was filled with gratitude. It was simply fire
in a liquid form. She dropped the water treatment
and everything else, and pinned her faith to Pain
killer. She gave Tom a teaspoonful and watched
with the deepest anxiety for the result. Her
troubles were instantly at rest, her soul at peace
again; for the ** indifference " was broken up. The
boy could not have shown a wilder, heartier interest,
if she had built a fire under him.
Tom felt that it was time to wake up ; this sort of
life might be romantic enough, in his blighted con
dition, but it was getting to have too little sentiment
and too much distracting variety about it. So he
thought over various plans for relief, and finally hit
upon that of professing to be fond of Pain-killer.
He asked for it so often that he became a nuisance,
and his aunt ended by telling him to help himself
and quit bothering her. If it had been Sid, she
would have had no misgivings to alloy her delight;
Tom Sawyer 129
but since it was Tom, she watched the bottle
clandestinely. She found that the medicine did
really diminish, but it did not occur to her that the
boy was mending the health of a crack in the sitting-
room floor with it.
One day Tom was in the act of dosing the crack
when his aunt's yellow cat came along, purring, eye
ing the teaspoon avariciously, and begging for a
taste. Tom said :
" Don't ask for it unless you want it, Peter."
But Peter signified that he did want it.
' You better make sure."
Peter was sure.
" Now you've asked for it, and I'll give it to you,
because there ain't anything mean about me; but
if you find you don't like it, you musn't blame any
body but your own self."
Peter was agreeable. So Tom pried his mouth
open and poured down the Pain-killer. Peter sprang
/a couple of yards in the air, and then delivered a
war-whoop and set off round and round the room,
banging against furniture, upsetting flower-pots, and
making general havoc. Next he rose on his hind
feet and pranced around, in a frenzy of enjoyment,
with his head over his shoulder and his voice pro
claiming his unappeasable happiness. Then he went
tearing around the house again spreading chaos and
destruction in his path. Aunt Polly entered in time
to see him throw a few double summersets, deliver a
final mighty hurrah, and sail through the open
9
130 Tom Sawyer
window, carrying the rest of the flower-pots with
him. The old lady stood petrified with astonish
ment, peering over her glasses ; Tom lay on the floor
expiring with laughter.
" Tom, what on earth ails that cat? "
" /don't know, aunt," gasped the boy.
"Why, I never see anything like it. What did
make him act so? "
" Deed I don't know, Aunt Polly; cats always act
so when they're having a good time."
"They do, do they?" There was something in
the tone that made Tom apprehensive.
" Yes'm. That is, I believe they do."
"Yotufcf"
"Yes'm."
The old lady was bending down, Tom watching,
with interest emphasized by anxiety. Too late he
divined her "drift." The handle of the telltale
teaspoon was visible under the bed-valance. Aunt
Polly took it, held it up. Tom winced, and dropped
his eyes. Aunt Polly raised him by the usual
handle — his ear — and cracked his head soundly
with her thimble.
" Now, sir, what did you want to treat that poor
dumb beast so, for?"
"I done it out of pity for him — because he
hadn't any aunt."
"Hadn't any aunt! — you numscull. What has
that got to do with it?"
" Heaps. Because if he'd a had one she'd a burnt
Tom Sawyer 131
him out herself ! She'd a roasted his bowels out of
him 'thout any more feeling than if he was a human ! "
Aunt Polly felt a sudden pang of remorse. This
was putting the thing in a new light; what was
cruelty to a cat might be cruelty to a boy, too. She
began to soften ; she felt sorry. Her eyes watered
a little, and she put her hand on Tom's head and
said gently:
" I was meaning for the best, Tom. And Tom,
it did do you good."
Tom looked up in her face with just a perceptible
twinkle peeping through his gravity :
"I know you was meaning for the best, aunty,
and so was I with Peter. It done him good, too. I
never see him get around so since — "
"Oh, go 'long with you, Tom, before you
aggravate me again. And you try and see if you
can't be a good boy, for once, and you needn't take
any more medicine."
Tom reached school ahead of time. It was noticed
that this strange thing had been occurring every day
latterly. And now, as usual of late, he hung about
the gate of the schoolyard instead of playing with his
comrades. He was sick, he said, and he looked it.
He tried to seem to be looking everywhere but
whither he really was looking — down the road.
Presently Jeff Thatcher hove insight, and Tom's face
lighted; he gazed a moment, and then turned sor
rowfully away. When Jeff arrived, Tom accosted
him, and "led up" warily to opportunities for re-
132 Tom Sawyer
mark about Becky, but the giddy lad never could see
the bait. Tom watched and watched, hoping when
ever a frisking frock came in sight, and hating the
owner of it as soon as he saw she was not the right
one. At last frocks ceased to appear, and he
dropped hopelessly into the dumps ; he entered the
empty schoolhouse and sat down to suffer. Then
one more frock passed in at the gate, and Tom's
heart gave a great bound. The next instant he was
out, and '* going on" like an Indian; yelling, laugh
ing, chasing boys, jumping over the fence at risk
of life and limb, throwing hand-springs, standing on
his head — doing all the heroic things he could con
ceive of, and keeping a furtive eye out, all the while,
to see if Becky Thatcher was noticing. But she
seemed to be unconscious of it all ; she never looked.
Could it be possible that she was not aware that he
was there? He carried his exploits to her immediate
vicinity; came war- whooping around, snatched a
boy's cap, hurled it to the roof of the schoolhouse,
broke through a group of boys, tumbling them in
every direction, and fell sprawling, himself, under
Becky's nose, almost upsetting her — and she turned,
with her nose in the air, and he heard her say : ' ' Mf !
some people think they're mighty smart — always
showing off ! "
Tom's cheeks burned. He gathered himself up
and sneaked off, crushed and crestfallen.
CHAPTER XIII.
"T^OM'S mind was made up now. He was gloomy
• and desperate. He was a forsaken, friendless
boy, he said ; nobody loved him ; when they found
out what they had driven him to, perhaps they
would be sorry; he had tried to do right and get
along, but they would not let him; since nothing
would do them but to be rid of him, let it be so ;
and let them blame him for the consequences — why
shouldn't they? What right had the friendless to
complain? Yes, they had forced him to it at last:
he would lead a life of crime. There was no choice.
By this time he was far down Meadow Lane, and
the bell for school to " take up " tinkled faintly
upon his ear. He sobbed, now, to think he should
never, never hear that old familiar sound any more
— it was very hard, but it was forced on him; since
he was driven out into the cold world, he must sub
mit — but he forgave them. Then the sobs came
thick and fast.
Just at this point he met his soul's sworn comrade,
Joe Harper — hard-eyed, and with evidently a great
and dismal purpose in his heart. Plainly here were
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134 Tom Sawyer
"two souls with but a single thought." Tom,
wiping his eyes with his sleeve, began to blubber out
something about a resolution to escape from hard
usage and lack of sympathy at home by roaming
abroad into the great world never to return ; and
ended by hoping that Joe would not forget him.
But it transpired that this was a request which Joe
had just been going to make of Tom, and had come
to hunt him up for that purpose. His mother had
whipped him for drinking some cream which he had
never tasted and knew nothing about ; it was plain
that she was tired of him and wished him to go ; if
she felt that way, there was nothing for him to do
but succumb; he hoped she would be happy, and
never regret having driven her poor boy out into the
unfeeling world to suffer and die.
As the two boys walked sorrowing along, they
made a new compact to stand by each other and be
brothers and never separate till death relieved them
of their troubles. Then they began to lay their
plans. Joe was for being a hermit, and living on
crusts in a remote cave, and dying, some time, of
cold and want and grief; but after listening to Tom,
he conceded that there were some conspicuous ad
vantages about a life of crime, and so he consented
to be a pirate.
Three miles below St. Petersburg, at a point where
the Mississippi River was a trifle over a mile wide,
there was 9, long* narrow, wooded island, with a
shallow bar at the head of it, and this offered well
Tom Sawyer 135
as a rendezvous. It was not inhabited ; it lay far
over toward the further shore, abreast a dense and
almost wholly unpeopled forest. So Jackson's
Island was chosen. Who were to be the subjects of
their piracies, was a matter that did not occur to
them. Then they hunted up Huckleberry Finn,
and he joined them promptly, for all careers were
one to him; he was indifferent. They presently
separated to meet at a lonely spot on the river bank
two miles above the village at the favorite hour —
which was midnight. There was a small log raft
there which they meant to capture. Each would
bring hooks and lines, and such provision as he
could steal in the most dark and mysterious way —
as became outlaws. And before the afternoon was
done, they had all managed to enjoy the sweet glory
of spreading the fact that pretty soon the town
would " hear something." All who got this vague
hint were cautioned to "be mum and wait."
About midnight Tom arrived with a boiled ham
and a few trifles, and stopped in a dense under
growth on a small bluff overlooking the meeting-
place. It was starlight, and very still. The mighty
river lay like an ocean at rest. Tom listened a
moment, but no sound disturbed the quiet. Then
he gave a low, distinct whistle. It was answered
from under the bluff. Tom whistled twice more;
these signals were answered in the same way. Then
a guarded voice said :
"Who goes there?"
136 Tom Sawyer
' * Tom Sawyer, the Black Avenger of the Spanish
Main. Name your names."
" Huck Finn the Red-Handed, and Joe Harper
the Terror of the Seas." Tom had furnished these
titles, from his favorite literature.
'* 'Tis well. Give the countersign.'*
Two hoarse whispers delivered the same awful
word simultaneously to the brooding night :
"BLOOD!"
Then Tom tumbled his ham over the bluff and let
himself down after it, tearing both skin and clothes
to some extent in .the effort. There was an easy,
comfortable path along the shore under the bluff,
but it lacked the advantages of difficulty and danger
so valued by a pirate.
The Terror of the Seas had brought a side of
bacon, and had about worn himself out with getting
it there. Finn the Red-Handed had stolen a skillet
and a quantity of half-cured leaf tobacco, and had
also brought a few corn-cobs to make pipes with.
But none of the pirates smoked or "chewed" but
himself. The Black Avenger of the Spanish Main
said it would never do to start without some fire.
That was a wise thought; matches were hardly
known there in that day. They saw a fire smoulder
ing upon a great raft a hundred yards above, and
they went stealthily thither and helped themselves to
a chunk. They made an imposing adventure of it,
saying, " Hist!" every now and then, and suddenly
halting with finger on lip; moving with hands on
Tom Sawyer 137
imaginary dagger-hilts ; and giving orders in dismal
whispers that if "the foe" stirred, to "let him
have it to the hilt," because "dead men tell no
tales." They knew well enough that the raftsmen
were all down at the village laying in stores or having
a spree, but still that was no excuse for their con
ducting this thing in an unpiratical way.
They shoved off, presently, Tom in command,
Huck at the after oar and Joe at the forward. Tom
stood amidships, gloomy-browed, and with folded
arms, and gave his orders in a low, stern whisper:
" Luff, and bring her to the wind !"
" Aye-aye, sir!"
" Steady, steady-y-y-y ! "
"Steady it is, sir!"
" Let her go off a point!"
"Point it is, sir!"
As the boys steadily and monotonously drove the
raft toward mid-stream it was no doubt understood
that these orders were given only for " style," and
were not intended to mean anything in particular.
" What sail's she carrying?"
" Courses, tops'ls, and flying-jib, sir.'1
" Send the r'yals up ! Lay out aloft, there, half
a dozen of ye, — foretopmaststuns'l ! Lively, now !"
"Aye-aye, sir!"
"Shake out that maintogalans'l ! Sheets and
braces! Now, my hearties !"
" Aye-aye, sir!"
" Hellum-a-lee — hard a port! Stand by to meet
138 Tom Sawyer
her when she comes! Port, port! Now, men!
With a will ! Stead-y-y-y ! ' '
" Steady it is, sir!"
The raft drew beyond the middle of the river ; the
boys pointed her head right, and then lay on their
oars. The river was not high, so there was not
more than a two or three-mile current. Hardly a
word was said during the next three-quarters of an
hour. Now the raft was passing before the distant
town. Two or three glimmering lights showed
where it lay, peacefully sleeping, beyond the vague
vast sweep of star-gemmed water, unconscious of
the tremendous event that was happening. The
Black Avenger stood still with folded arms, "look
ing his last " upon the scene of his former joys and
his later sufferings, and wishing "she" could see
him now, abroad on the wild sea, facing peril and
death with dauntless heart, going to his doom with a
grim smile on his lips. It was but a small strain on
his imagination to remove Jackson's Island beyond
eye-shot of the village, and so he " looked his last "
with a broken and satisfied heart. The other pirates
were looking their last, too ; and they all looked so
long that they came near letting the current drift
them out of the range of the island. But they dis
covered the danger in time, and made shift to avert
it. About two o'clock in the morning the raft
grounded on the bar two hundred yards above the
head of the island, and they waded back and forth
until they had landed their freight. Part of the little
Tom Sawyer 139
raft's belongings consisted of an old sail, and this
they spread over a nook in the bushes for a tent to
shelter their provisions ; but they themselves would
sleep in the open air in good weather, as became
outlaws.
They built a fire against the side of a great log
twenty or thirty steps within the somber depths of
the forest, and then cooked some bacon in the
frying-pan for supper, and used up half of the corn
" pone " stock they had brought. It seemed glori
ous sport to be feasting in that wild free way in the
virgin forest of an unexplored and uninhabited
island, far from the haunts of men, and they said
they never would return to civilization. The climb
ing fire lit up their faces and threw its ruddy glare
upon the pillared tree-trunks of their forest temple,
and upon the varnished foliage and festooning
vines.
When the last crisp slice of bacon was gone, and
the last allowance of corn pone devoured, the boys
stretched themselves out on the grass, filled with
contentment. They could have found a cooler
place, but they would not deny themselves such a
romantic feature as the roasting campfire.
"Ain't it gay?" said Joe.
" It's nuts /" said Tom. " What would the boys
say if they could see us?"
"Say? Well, they'd just die to be here — hey,
Hucky!"
"I reckon so," said Huckleberry; " anyways
140 Tom Sawyer
/'m suited. I don't want nothing better 'n this. I
don't ever get enough to eat, gen'ally — and here
they can't come and pick at a feller and bullyrag
him so."
"It's just the life for me," said Tom, "You
don't have to get up, mornings, and you don't have
to go to school, and wash, and all that blame fool
ishness. You see a pirate don't have to do any
thing, Joe, when he's ashore, but a hermit he has to
be praying considerable, and then he don't have any
fun, anyway, all by himself that way."
"Oh, yes, that's so," said Joe, "but I hadn't
thought much about it, you know. I'd a good deal
rather be a pirate, now that I've tried it."
"You see," said Tom, " people don't go much
on hermits, nowadays, like they used to in old times,
but a pirate's always respected. And a hermit's
got to sleep on the hardest place he can find, and
put sackcloth and ashes on his head, and stand out
in the rain, and- — -"
"What does he put sackcloth and ashes on his
head for?" inquired Huck.
"/ dono. But they've got to do it. Hermits
always do. You'd have to do that if you was a
hermit."
" Dern'd if I would," said Huck.
" Well, what would you do?"
" I dono. But I wouldn't do that."
"Why, Huck, you'd have to. How'd you get
around it?"
Tom Sawyer 141
" Why, I just wouldn't stand it. I'd run away."
"Run away! Well, you would be a nice old
slouch of a hermit. You'd be a disgrace."
The Red-Handed made no response, being better
employed. He had finished gouging out a cob, and
now he fitted a weed stem to it, loaded it with
tobacco, and was pressing a coal to the charge and
blowing a cloud of fragrant smoke — he was in the
full bloom of luxurious contentment. The other
pirates envied him this majestic vice, and secretly
resolved to acquire it shortly. Presently Huck said :
^ "What does pirates have to do?^
Tom said :
"Oh, they have just a bully time — take ships
and burn them, and get the money and bury it in
awful places in their island where there's ghosts and
things to watch it, and kill everybody in the ships — -
make 'em walk a plank."
" And they carry the women to the island," said
Joe; " they don't kill the women."
"No," assented Tom, "they don't kill* the
women — they're too noble. And the women's
always beautiful, too."
" And don't they wear the bulliest clothes ! Oh,
no! All gold and silver and di'monds," said
Joe, with enthusiasm,
"Who?" said Huck.
"Why, the pirates."
Huck scanned his own clothing forlornly.
4: 1 reckon I ain't dressed fitten for a pirate," said
142 Tom Sawyer
he, with a regretful pathos in his voice; "but I
ain't got none but these."
But the other boys told him the fine clothes would
come fast enough, after they should have begun their
adventures. They made him understand that his
poor rags would do to begin with, though it was
customary for wealthy pirates to start with a proper
wardrobe.
Gradually their talk died out and drowsiness began
to steal upon the eyelids of the little waifs. The
pipe dropped from the fingers of the Red-Handed,
and he slept the sleep of the conscience-free and the
weary. The Terror of the Seas and the Black
Avenger of the Spanish Main had more difficulty in
getting to sleep. They said their prayers inwardly,
and lying down, since there was nobody there with
authority to make them kneel and recite aloud ; in
truth, they had a mind not to say them at all, but
they wrere afraid to proceed to such lengths at that,
lest they might call down a sudden and special
thunderbolt from Heaven. , Then at once they
reached and hovered upon the imminent verge of
sleep — but an intruder came, now, that would not
" down." 'It was conscience^ They began to feel
a vague fear that they had been doing wrong to run
away ; and next they thought of the stolen meat,
and then the real torture came. They tried to argue
it away by reminding conscience that they had pur
loined sweetmeats and apples scores of times ; but
conscience was not to be appeased by such thin
Tom Sawyer 143
plausibilities; it seemed to them, in the end, that
there was no getting around the stubborn fact that
taking sweetmeats was only *' hooking," while taking
bacon and hams and such valuables was plain simple
stealing — and there was a command against that in
the Bible. So they inwardly resolved that so long
as they remained in the business, their piracies
should not again be sullied with the crime of steal
ing. Then conscience granted a truce, and these
curiously inconsistent pirates fell peacefully to sleep.
CHAPTER XIV.
WHEN Tom awoke in the morning, he wondered
where he was, He sat up and rubbed his
eyes and looked around. Then he comprehended.
It was the cool gray dawn, and there was a delicious
sense of repose and peace in the deep pervading calm
and silence of the woods. Not a leaf stirred ; not a
sound obtruded upon great Nature's meditation.
Beaded dewdrops stood upon the leaves and
grasses. A white layer of ashes covered the fire,
and a thin blue breath of smoke rose straight into
the air. Joe and Huck still slept.
Now, far away in the woods a bird called ; another
answered ; presently the hammering of a wood
pecker was heard. Gradually the cool dim gray of
the morning whitened, and as gradually sounds
multiplied and life manifested itself. The marvel of
Nature shaking off sleep and going to work unfolded
itself to the musing boy. A little green worm came
crawling over a dewy leaf, lifting two-thirds of his
body into the air from time to time and "sniffing
around," then proceeding again — for he was meas
uring, Tom said ; and when the worm approached
(i44)
torn Sawyer 145
him, of its own accord, he sat as still as a stone,
with his hopes rising and falling, by turns, as the
creature still came toward him or seemed inclined to
go elsewhere ; and when at last it considered a pain
ful moment with its curved body in the air and then
came decisively down upon Tom's leg and began a
journey over him, his whole heart was glad — for
that meant that he was going to have a new suit of
clothes — without the shadow of a doubt a gaudy
piratical uniform. Now a procession of ants ap
peared, from nowhere in particular, and went about
their labors ; one struggled manfully by with a dead
spider five times as big as itself in its arms, and
lugged it straight up a tree-trunk. A brown spotted
lady-bug climbed the dizy height of a grass blade,
and Tom bent down close to it and said, "Lady-
bug, lady-bug, fly away home, your house is on
fire, your children's alone," and she took wing and
went off to see about it — which did not surprise the
boy, for he knew of old that this insect was credu
lous about conflagrations, and he had practiced upon .
its simplicity more than once. A tumblebug came
next, heaving sturdily at its ball, and Tom touched
the creature, to see it shut its legs against its body
and pretend to be dead. The birds were fairly riot
ing by this time. A catbird, the northern mocker,
lit in a tree over Tom's head, and trilled out her
imitations of her neighbors in a rapture of enjoy
ment; then a shrill jay swept down, a flash of blue
flame, and stopped on a twig almost within the boy's
10
146 Tom Sawyer
-reach, cocked his head to one side and eyed the
strangers with a consuming curiosity ; a gray squirrel
and a big fellow of the ** fox " kind came skurrying
along, sitting up at intervals to inspect and chatter
at the boys, for the wild things had probably never
seen a human being before and scarcely knew
whether to be afraid or not. All Nature was wide
awake and stirring, now; long lances of sunlight
pierced down through the dense foliage far and near,
and a few butterflies came fluttering upon the scene.
Tom stirred up the other pirates and they all
clattered away with a shout, and in a minute or two
were stripped and chasing after and tumbling over
each other in the shallow limpid water of the white
sandbar. They felt no longing for the little village
sleeping in the distance beyond the majestic waste of
water. A vagrant current or a slight rise in the
river had carried off their raft, but this only gratified
them, sinceyts going was something like burning the
bridge between them and civilization^
They came back to camp wonderfully refreshed,
glad-hearted, and ravenous; and they soon had the
campfire blazing up again. Huck found a spring
of clear cold water close by, and the boys made
cups of broad oak or hickory leaves, and felt that
water, sweetened with such a wildwood charm as
that, would be a good enough substitute for coffee.
While Joe was slicing bacon for breakfast, Tom and
Huck asked him to hold on a minute ; they stepped
to a promising nook in the river-bank and threw in
Tom Sawyer 147
their lines; almost immediately they had reward.
Joe had not had time to get impatient before they
were back again with some handsome bass, a couple
of sun-perch and a small catfish — provisions enough
for quite a family. They fried the fish with the
bacon and were astonished; for no fish had ever
seemed so delicious before. They did not know that
the quicker a freshwater fish is on the fire after he
is caught the better he is ; and they reflected little
upon what a sauce open air sleeping, open air exer
cise, bathing, and a large ingredient of hunger
makes, too.
They lay around in the shade, after breakfast,
while Huck had a smoke, and then went off through
the woods on an exploring expedition. They
tramped gaily along, over decaying logs, through
tangled underbrush, among solemn monarchs of the
forest, hung from their crowns to the ground with a
drooping regalia of grapevines. Now and then they
came upon snug nooks carpeted with grass and
jeweled with flowers.
They found plenty of things to be delighted with,
but nothing to be astonished at. They discovered
that the island was about three miles long and a
quarter of a mile wide, and that the shore it lay
closest to was only separated from it by a narrow
channel hardly two hundred yards wide. They took
a swim about every hour, so it was close upon the
middle of the afternoon when they got back to
camp. They were too hungry to stop to fish, but
148 Tom Sawyer
they fared sumptuously upon cold ham, and then
threw themselves down in the shade to talk. But
the talk soon began to drag, and then died. The
stillness, the solemnity that brooded in the woods,
and the sense of loneliness, began to tell upon the
spirits of the boys. They fell to thinking. A sort
of undefined longing crept upon them. This took
dim shape, presently — it was budding homesickness.
Eyen Finn the Red-Handed was dreaming of his
doorsteps and empty hogsheads. But they were
all ashamed of their weakness, and none was brave
enough to speak his thought.
For some time, now, the boys had been dully
conscious of a peculiar sound in the distance, just as
one sometimes is of the ticking of a clock which he
takes no distinct note of. But now this mysterious
sound became more pronounced, and forced a rec
ognition. The boys started, glanced at each other,
and then each assumed a listening attitude. There
was a long silence, profound and unbroken; then
a deep, sullen boom came floating down out of the
distance.
" What is it!" exclaimed Joe, under his breath.
*' I wonder," said Tom in a whisper.
" 'Tain't thunder," said Huckleberry, in an awed
tone, " becuz thunder "
" Hark!" said Tom. " Listen — don't talk."
They waited a time that seemed an age, and then
the same muffled boom troubled the solemn hush.
4 'Let's go and see."
Tom Sawyer 149
They sprang to their feet and hurried to the shore
toward the town. They parted the bushes on the
bank and peered out over the water. The little
steam ferryboat was about a mile below the village,
drifting with the current. Her broad deck seemed
crowded with people. There were a great many
skiffs rowing about or floating with the stream in the
neighborhood of the ferryboat, but the boys could
not determine what the men in them were doing.
Presently a great jet of white smoke burst from the
ferryboat's side, and as it expanded and rose in a
lazy cloud, that same dull throb of sound was borne
to the listeners again.
"I know now!" exclaimed Tom; "somebody's
drownded !"
"That's it!" said Huck; "they done that last
summer, when Bill Turner got drownded ; they
shoot a cannon over the water, and that makes him
come up to the top. Yes, and they take loaves ~of
bread and put quicksilver in 'em and set 'em afloat,
and wherever there's anybody that's drcwnded,
they'll float right there and stop."
" Yes, I've heard about that," said Joe. "I won
der what makes the bread do that."
4 'Oh, it ain't the bread, so much," said Tom;
41 I reckon it's mostly what they say over it before
they start it out."
"But they don't say anything over it," said
Huck. " I've seen 'em and they don't."
"Well, that's funny," said Tom. "But maybe
150 Tom Sawyer
they say it to themselves. Of course they do.
Anybody might know that."
The other boys agreed that there was reason in
what Tom said, because an ignorant lump of bread,
uninstructed by an incantation, could not be ex
pected to act very intelligently when sent upon an
errand of such gravity.
"By jings, I wish I was over there, now," said
Joe.
"I do too," said Huck. "I'd give heaps to
know who it is."
The boys still listened and wratched. Presently a
revealing thought flashed through Tom's mind, and
he exclaimed :
"Boys, I know who's drownded — it's us!"
They felt like heroes in an instant. Here was a
gorgeous triumph ; they were missed ; they were
mourned; hearts were breaking on their account;
tears were being shed ; accusing memories of un-
kindnesses to these poor lost lads were rising up,
and unavailing regrets and remorse were being in
dulged : and best of all, the departed were the talk
of the whole town, and the envy of all the boys, as
far as this dazzling notoriety was concerned. This
was fine. It was worth while to be a pirate, after all.
As twilight drew on, the ferryboat went back to
her accustomed business and the skiffs disappeared.
The pirates returned to camp. They were jubilant
with vanity over their new grandeur and the illus
trious trouble they were making. They caught fish,
Tom Sawyer 151
cooked supper and ate it, and then fell to guessing
at what the village was thinking and saying about
them ; and the pictures they drew of the public dis
tress on their account were gratifying to look upon
— from their point of view. But when the shadows
of night closed them in, they gradually ceased to
talk, and sat gazing into the fire, with their minds
evidently wandering elsewhere. The excitement was
gone, now, and Tom and Joe could not keep back
thoughts of certain persons at home who were not
enjoying this fine frolic as much as they were.
Misgivings came ; they grew troubled and unhappy ;
a sigh or two escaped, unawares. By and by Joe
timidly ventured upon a roundabout "feeler" as
to how the others might look upon a return to
civilization — not right now, but
Tom withered him with derision ! Huck, being
uncommitted as yet, joined in with Tom, and the
waverer quickly " explained," and was glad to get
out of the scrape with as little taint of chicken-
hearted homesickness clinging to his garments as he
could. Mutiny was effectually laid to rest for the
moment.
As the night deepened, Huck began to nod, and
presently to snore. Joe followed next. Tom lay
upon his elbow motionless, for some time, watching
the two intently. At last he got up cautiously, on
his knees, and went searching among the grass and
the flickering reflections flung by the camp-fire. He
picked up and inspected several large semi-cylinders
152 Tom Sawyer
of the thin white bark of a sycamore, and finally
chose two which seemed to suit him. Then he
knelt by the fire and painfully wrote something
upon each of these with his "red keel"; one he
rolled up and put in his jacket pocket, and the other
he put in Joe's hat and removed it to a little dis
tance from the owner. And he also put into the hat
certain schoolboy treasures of almost inestimable
value — among them a lump of chalk, an India-
rubber ball, three fishhooks, and one of that kind
of marbles known as a "sure 'nough crystal."
Then he tip-toed his way cautiously among the trees
till he felt that he was out of hearing, and straight
way broke into a keen run in the direction of the
sandbar.
CHAPTER XV.
SFEW minutes later Tom was in the shoal water
of the bar, wading toward the Illinois shore.
Before the depth reached his middle he was half
way over ; the current would permit no more wading,
noW, so he struck out confidently to swim the re
maining hundred yards. He swam quartering up
stream, but still was swept downward rather faster
than he had expected. However, he reached the
shore finally, and drifted along till he found a low
place and drew himself out. He put his hand on
his jacket pocket, found his piece of bark safe, and
then struck through the woods, following the shore,
with streaming garments. Shortly before ten o'clock
he came out into an open place opposite the village,
and saw the ferryboat lying in the shadow of the
trees and the high bank. Everything was quiet
under the blinking stars. He crept down the bank,
watching with all his eyes, slipped into the water,
swam three or four strokes and climbed into the
skiff that did " yawl " duty at the boat's stern. He
laid himself down under the thwarts and waited,
panting.
(153)
154 Tom Sawyer
Presently the cracked bell tapped and a voice
gave the order to ' ' cast off. ' ' A minute or two
later the skiff's head was standing high up, against
the boat's swell, and the voyage was begun. Tom
felt happy in his success, for he knew it was the
boat's last trip for the night. At the end of a long
twelve or fifteen minutes the wheels stopped, and
Tom slipped overboard and swam ashore in the
dusk, landing fifty yards down stream, out of danger
of possible stragglers.
He flew along unfrequented alleys, and shortly
found himself at his aunt's back fence. He climbed
over, approached the "ell" and looked in at the
sitting-room window, for a light was burning there.
There sat Aunt Polly, Sid, Mary, and Joe Harper's
mother, grouped together, talking. They were by
the bed, and the bed was between them and the
door. Tom went to the door and began to softly
lift the latch ; then he pressed gently and the door
yielded a crack; he continued pushing cautiously,
and quaking every time it creaked, till he judged he
might squeeze through on his knees ; so he put his
head through and began, warily.
"What makes the candle blow so?" said Aunt
Polly. Tom hurried up. " Why that door's open,
I believe. Why of course it is. No end of strange
things now. Go 'long and shut it, Sid."
Tom disappeared under the bed just in time. He
lay and "breathed" himself for a time, and then
crept to where he could almost touch his aunt's foot.
Tom Sawyer 155
"But as I was saying," said Aunt Polly, "he
warn't bad, so to say — only misch^vous. Only
just giddy, and harum-scarum, you know. He
warn't any more responsible than a colt. He never
meant any harm, and he was the best-hearted boy
that ever was " — and she began to cry.
" It was just so with my Joe— -always full of his
devilment, and up to every kind of mischief, but he
was just as unselfish and kind as he could be — and
laws bless me, to think I went and whipped him for
taking that cream, never once recollecting that I
throwed it out myself because it was sour, and I
never to see him again in this world, never, never,
never, poor abused boy !" And Mrs. Harper sobbed
as if her heart would break.
" I hope Tom's better off where he is," said Sid,
11 but if he'd been better in some ways — "
"Sid!" Tom felt the glare of the old lady's
eye, though he could not see it. "Not a word
against my Tom, now that he's gone ! God '11 take
care of him — never you trouble j/<?z/rself, sir! Oh,
Mrs. Harper, I don't know how to give him up !
I don't know how to give him up ! He was such a
comfort to me, although he tormented my old heart
out of me, 'most."
' ' The Lord giveth and the Lord hath taken away,
— Blessed be the name of the Lord! But it's so
hard — Oh, it's so hard! Only last Saturday my
Joe busted a firecracker right under my nose and I
knocked him sprawling. Little did I know then,
156 Tom Sawyer
how soon — Oh, if it was to do over again I'd hug
him and bless him for it."
" Yes, yes, yes, I know just how you feel, Mrs.
Harper, I know just exactly how you feel. No
longer ago than yesterday noon, my Tom took and
filled the cat full of Pain-killer, and I did think the
cretur would tear the house down. And God for
give me, I cracked Tom's head with my thimble,
poor boy, poor dead boy. But he's out of all his
troubles now. And the last words I ever heard him
say was to reproach "
But this memory was too much for the old lady,
and she broke entirely down. Tom was snuffling,
now, himself — and more in pity of himself than
anybody else. He could hear Mary crying, and
putting in a kindly word for him from time to time.
He began to have a nobler opinion of himself than
ever before. Still, he was sufficiently touched by his
aunt's grief to long to rush out from under the bed
and overwhelm her with joy — and the theatrical
gorgeousness of the thing appealed strongly to his
nature, too, but he resisted and lay still.
He went on listening, and gathered by odds and
ends that it was conjectured at first that the boys
had got drowned while taking a swim; then the
small raft had been missed ; next, certain boys said
the missing lads had promised that the village should
"hear something" soon; the wise-heads had "put
this and that together ' ' and decided that the lads
had gone off on that raft and would turn up at the
Tom Sawyer 157
next town below, presently; but toward noon the
raft had been found, lodged against the Missouri
shore some five or six miles below the village, — and
then hope perished; they must be drowned, else
hunger would have driven them home by nightfall if
not sooner. It was believed that the search for the
bodies had been a fruitless effort merely because the
drowning must have occurred in mid-channel, since
the boys, being good swimmers, would otherwise
have escaped to shore. This was Wednesday night.
If the bodies continued missing until Sunday, ail
hope would be given over, and the funerals would
be preached on that morning. Tom shuddered.
Mrs. Harper gave a sobbing good-night and turned
to go. Then with a mutual impulse the two be
reaved women flung themselves into each other's
arms and had a good, consoling cry, and then
parted. Aunt Polly was tender far beyond her
wont, in her good-night to Sid and Mary. Sid
snuffled a bit and Mary went off crying with all her
heart.
Aunt Polly knelt down and prayed for Tom so
touchingly, so appealingly, and with such measure
less love in her words and her old trembling voice,
that he was weltering in tears again, long before she
was through.
He had to keep still long after she went to bed,
for she kept making broken-hearted ejaculations
from time to time, tossing unrestfully, and turning
over. But at last she was still, only moaning a
158 Tom Sawyer
little in her sleep. Now the boy stole out, rose
gradually by the bedside, shaded the candle-light
with his hand, and stood regarding her. His heart
was full of pity for her. He took out his sycamore
scroll and placed it by the candle. But something
occurred to him, and he lingered considering. His
face lighted with a happy solution of his thought;
he put the bark hastily in his pocket. Then he bent
over and kissed the faded lips, and straightway made
his stealthy exit, latching the door behind him.
He threaded his way back to the ferry landing,
found nobody at large there, and walked boldly on
board the boat, for he knew she was tenantless except
that there was a watchman, who always turned in
and slept like a graven image. He untied the skiff
at the stern, slipped into it, and was soon rowing
cautiously up stream. When he had pulled a mile
above the village, he started quartering across and
bent himself stoutly to his work. He hit the landing
on the other side neatly, for this was a familiar bit
of work to him. He was moved to capture the skiff,
arguing that it might be considered a ship and there
fore legitimate prey for a pirate, but he knew a
thorough search would be made for it and that might
end in revelations. So he stepped ashore and en
tered the wood.
He sat down and took a long rest, torturing him
self meantime to keep awake, and then started warily
down the home-stretch. The night was far spent.
Jt was broad daylight before he found himself fairly
Tom Sawyer 159
abreast the island bar. He rested again until the
sun was well up and gilding the great river with its
splendor, and then he plunged into the stream. A
little later he paused, dripping, upon the threshold
of the camp, and heard Joe say:
"No, Tom's true-blue, Huck, and he'll come
back. He won't desert. He knows that would be
a disgrace to a pirate, and Tom's too proud for that
sort of thing. He's up to something or other.
Now I wonder what?"
" Well, the things is ours, anyway, ain't they?"
" Pretty near, but not yet, Huck. The writing
says they are if he ain't back here to breakfast."
"Which he is!" exclaimed Tom, with fine
dramatic effect, stepping grandly into camp.
A sumptuous breakfast of bacon and fish was
shortly provided, and as the boys set to work upon
it, Tom recounted (and adorned) his adventures.
They were a vain and boastful company of heroes
when the tale was done. Then Tom hid himself
away in a shady nook to sleep till noon, and the
other pirates got ready to fish and explore.
CHAPTER XVI.
AFTER dinner all the gang turned out to hunt for
turtle eggs on the bar. They went about
poking sticks into the sand, and when they found a
soft place they went down on their knees and dug
with their hands. Sometimes they would take fifty
or sixty eggs out of one hole. They were perfectly
round white things a trifle smaller than an English
walnut. They had a famous fried-egg feast that
night, and another on Friday morning.
After breakfast they went whooping and prancing
out on the bar, and chased each other round and
round, shedding clothes as they went, until they
were naked, and then continued the frolic far away
up the shoal water of the bar, against the stiff
current, which latter tripped their legs from under
them from time to time and greatly increased the
fun. And now and then they stooped in a group
and splashed water in each other's faces with
their palms, gradually approaching each other, with
averted faces to avoid the strangling sprays, and
finally gripping and struggling till the best man
ducked his neighbor, and then they all went under
(160)
Tom Sawyer 161
in a tangle of white legs and arms and came up
blowing, sputtering, laughing, and gasping for breath
at one and the same time.
When they were well exhausted, they would run
out and sprawl on the dry, hot sand, and lie there
and cover themselves up with it, and by and by
break for the water again and go through the original
performance once more. Finally it occurred to
them that their naked skin represented flesh-colored
" tights" very fairly; so they drew a ring in the
sand and had a circus — with three clowns in it, for
none would yield this proudest post to his neighbor.
Next they got their marbles and played ' ' knucks ' '
and "ring-taw" and "keeps" till that amusement
grew stale. Then Joe and Huck had another swim,
but Tom would not venture, because he found that
in kicking off his trousers he had kicked his string
of rattlesnake rattles off his ankle, and he wondered
how he had escaped cramp so long without the pro
tection of this mysterious charm. He did not ven
ture again until he had found it, and by that time
the other boys were tired and ready to rest. They
gradually wandered apart, dropped into the
"dumps," and fell to gazing longingly across the
wide river to where the village lay drowsing in the
sun. Tom found himself writing " BECKY " in the
sand with his big toe ; he scratched it out, and was
angry with himself for his weakness. But he wrote
it again, nevertheless; he could not help it. He
erased it once more and then took himself out of
11
I
162 Tom Sawyer
temptation by driving the other boys together and
joining them.
But Joe's spirits had gone down almost beyond
resurrection. He was so homesick that he could
hardly endure the misery of it. The tears lay very
near the surface. Huck was melancholy, too. Tom
was downhearted, but tried hard not to show it.
He had a secret which he was not ready to tell, yet,
but if this mutinous depression was not broken up
soon, he would have to bring it out. He said, with
a great show of cheerfulness :
<c I bet there's been pirates on this island before,
boys. We'll explore it again. They've hid treas
ures here somewhere. How'd you feel to light on a
rotten chest full of gold and silver — hey?"
But it roused only a faint enthusiasm, which faded
out, with no reply. Tom tried one or two other
seductions; but they failed, too. It was discourag
ing work. Joe sat poking up the sand wi-th a stick
and looking very gloomy. Finally he said :
" Oh, boys, let's give it up. I want to go home.
It's so lonesome."
" Oh, no, Joe, you'll feel better by and by," said
Tom. " Just think of the fishing that's here."
11 1 don't care for fishing. I want to go home."
"But, Joe, there ain't such another swimming
place anywhere."
" Swimming's no good. I don't seem to care for
it, somehow, Vhen there ain't anybody to say I
shan't go inj I mean to go home."
Tom Sawyer 163
"Oh, shucks! Baby! You want to see your
mother, I reckon."
"Yes, I do want to see my mother — and you
would, too, if you had one. I ain't any more baby
than you are.'* And Joe snuffled a little.
"Well, we'll let the cry-baby go home to his
mother, won'tvte Huck? Poor thing — does it want
to see its mother? And so it shall. You like it
here, don't you, Huck? We'll stay, won't we?"
Huck said " Y-e-s " — without any heart in it.
"I'll never speak to you again as long as I live,"
said Joe, rising. "There now!" And he moved
moodily away and began to dress himself.
'* Who cares!" said Tom. " Nobody wants you
to. Go 'long home and get laughed at. Oh, you're
a nice pirate. Huck and me ain't cry-babies. We'll
stay, won't we Huck? Let him go if he wants to.
I reckon we can get along without him, per'aps."
But Tom was uneasy, nevertheless, and was
alarmed to see Joe go sullenly on with his dressing.
And then it was discomforting to see Huck eyeing
Joe's preparations so wistfully, and keeping up such
an ominous silence. Presently, without a parting
word, Joe began to wade off toward the Illinois
shore. Tom's heart began to sink. He glanced at
Huck. Huck could not bear the look, and dropped
his eyes. Then he said :
" I want to go, too, Tom. It was getting so
lonesome anyway, and now it'll be worse. Let's us
go, too, Tom."
164 Tom Sawyer
"I won't! You can all go, if you want to. I
mean to stay."
"Tom, I better go.'*
" Well, go 'long — who's Rendering you.'1
Huck began to pick up his scattered clothes. He
said:
" Tom, I wisht you'd come, too. Now you think
it over. We'll wait for you when we get to shore."
" Well, you'll wait a blame long time, that's all."
Huck started sorrowfully away, and Tom stood
looking after him, with a strong desire tugging at his
heart to yield his pride and go along too. He hoped
the boys would stop, but they still waded slowly on.
It suddenly dawned on Tom that it was become very
lonely and still. He made one final struggle with
his pride, and then darted after his comrades,
yelling :
' ' Wait ! Wait ! I want to tell you something ! ' '
They presently stopped and turned around. When
he got to where they were, he began unfolding his
secret, and they listened moodily till at last they saw
the ' * point ' ' he was driving at, and then they set
up a war-whoop of applause and said it was " splen
did!" and said if he had told them at first, they
wouldn't have started away. He made a plausible
excuse ; but his real reason had been the fear that
not even the secret would keep them with him any
very great length of time, and so he had meant to
hold it in reserve as a last seduction.
The lads came gayly back and went at their sports
Tom Sawyer 165
again with a will, chattering all the time about Tom's
stupendous plan and admiring the genius of it.
After a dainty egg and fish dinner, Tom said he
wanted to learn to smoke, now. Joe caught at the
idea and said he would like to try, too. So Huck
made pipes and filled them. These novices had
never smoked anything before but cigars made of
grapevine, and they " bit " the tongue, and were not
considered manly anyway.
Now they stretched themselves out on their elbows
and began to puff, charily, and with slender confi
dence. The smoke had an unpleasant taste, and
they gagged a little, but Tom said :
14 Why, it's just as easy! If I'd a knowed this
was all, I'd a learnt long ago."
" So would I," said Joe. " It's just nothing."
" Why, many a time I've looked at people
smoking, and thought well I wish I could do that;
but I never thought I could," said Tom.
' That's just the way with me, hain't it, Huck?
You've heard me talk just that way — -haven't you,
Huck? I'll leave it to Huck if I haven't."
" Yes — heaps of times," said Huck.
"Well, I have too," said Tom; "oh, hundreds
of times. Once down by the slaughter-house.
Don't you remember, Huck? Bob Tanner was
there, and Johnny Miller, and Jeff Thatcher, when
I said it. Don't you remember, Huck, 'bout me
saying that?"
"Yes, that's so," said Huck. "That was the
166 Tom Sawyer
day after I lost a white alley. No, 'twas the day
before."
"There — I told you so," said Tom. " Huck
recollects it."
*>*
" I bleeve I could smoke this pipe all day," said
Joe. "/ don't feel sick."
" Neither do I," said Tom. "/could smoke it
all day. But I bet you Jeff Thatcher couldn't."
"Jeff Thatcher! Why, he'd keel over just with
two draws. Just let him try it once. He'd see !"
" I bet he would. And Johnny Miller— -I wish I
could see Johnny Miller tackle it once."
"Oh, don't //" said Joe. "Why, I bet you
Johnny Miller couldn't any more do this than noth
ing. Just one little snifter would fetch him"
"'Deed it would, Joe. Say — I wish the boys
could see us now."
"So do I."
"Say — boys, don't say anything about it, and
some time when they're around, I'll come up to you
and say 'Joe, got a pipe? I want a smoke/ And
you'll say, kind of careless like, as if it warn't any
thing, you'll say, ' Yes, I got my old pipe, and
another one, but my tobacker ain't very good.'
And I'll say, ' Oh, that's all right, if it's strong
enough.1 And then you'll out with the pipes, and
we'll light up just as ca'm, and then just see 'em
look!"
" By jings, that'll be gay, Tom ! I wish it was
now /"
Tom Sawyer 167
" So do I ! And when we tell 'em we learned
when we was off pirating, won't they wish they'd
been along?"
" Oh, I reckon not ! I'll just bet they will !"
So the talk ran on. But presently it began to
flag a trifle, and grow disjointed. The silences
widened; the expectoration marvelously increased.
Every pore inside the boys' cheeks became a spout
ing fountain ; they could scarcely bail out the cellars
under their tongues fast enough to prevent an inun
dation; little overflowings down their throats oc
curred in spite of all they could do, and sudden
retchings followed every time. Both boys were
looking very pale and miserable, now. Joe's pipe
dropped from his nerveless fingers. Tom's followed.
Both fountains were going furiously and both pumps
bailing with might and main. Joe said feebly:
" I've lost my knife. I reckon I better go and
find it."
Tom said, with quivering lips and halting utterance :
"I'll help you. You go over that way and I'll
hunt around by the spring. No, you needn't come,
Huck — we can find it."
So Huck sat down again, and waited an hour.
Then he found it lonesome, and went to find his
comrades. They were wide apart in the woods,
both very pale, both fast asleep. But something
informed him that if they had had any trouble they
had got rid of it.
They were not talkative at supper that night.
168 Tom Sawyer
They had a humble look, and when Huck prepared his
pipe after the meal and was going to prepare theirs,
they said no, they were not feeling very well — some
thing they ate at dinner had disagreed with them.
About midnight Joe awoke, and called the boys.
There was a brooding oppressiveness in the air that
seemed to bode something. The boys huddled
themselves together and sought the friendly com
panionship of the fire, though the dull dead heat of
the breathless atmosphere was stifling. They sat
still, intent and waiting. The solemn hush con
tinued. Beyond the light of the fire everything was
swallowed up in the blackness of darkness. Presently
there came a quivering glow that vaguely revealed
the foliage for a moment and then vanished. By
and by another came, a little stronger. Then
another. Then a faint moan came sighing through
the branches of the forest and the boys felt a fleet
ing breath upon their cheeks, and shuddered with
the fancy that the Spirit of the Night had gone by.
There was a pause. Now a weird flash turned night
into day and showed every little grass-blade, separate
and distinct, that grew about their feet. And it
showed three white, startled faces, too. A deep
peal of thunder went rolling and tumbling down the
heavens and lost itself in sullen rumblings in the
distance. A sweep of chilly air passed by, rustling
all the leaves and snowing the flaky ashes broadcast
about the fire. Another fierce glare lit up the forest
and an instant crash followed that seemed to rend
Tom Sawyer 169
the treetops right over the boys' heads. They
clung together in terror, in the thick gloom that
followed. A few big raindrops fell pattering upon
the leaves.
" Quick ! boys, go for the tent !" exclaimed Torn.
They sprang away, stumbling over roots and
among vines in the dark, no two plunging in the
same direction. A furious blast roared through the
trees, making everything sing as it went. One
blinding flash after another came, and peal on peal
of deafening thunder. And now a drenching rain
poured down and the rising hurricane drove it in
sheets along the ground. The boys cried out to
each other, but the roaring wind and the booming
thunder-blasts drowned their voices utterly. How
ever, one by one they straggled in at last and took
shelter under the tent, cold, scared, and streaming
with water; but to have company in misery seemed
something to -be grateful for. They could not talk,
the old sail flapped so furiously, even if the other
noises would have allowed them. The tempest rose
higher and higher, and presently the sail tore loose
from its fastenings and went winging away on the
blast. The boys seized each others' hands and fled,
with many tumblings and bruises, to the shelter of a
great oak that stood upon the river-bank. Now the
battle was at its highest. Under the ceaseless con
flagration of lightning that flamed in the skies,
everything below stood out in clean-cut and shadow-
less distinctness: the bending trees, the billowy
170 Tom Sawyer
river, white with foam, the driving spray of spume-
flakes, the dim outlines of the high bluffs on the
other side, glimpsed through the drifting cloud-rack
and the slanting veil of rain. Every little while
some giant tree yielded the fight and fell crashing
through the younger growth ; and the unflagging
thunder-peals came now in ear-splitting explosive
bursts, keen and sharp, and unspeakably appalling.
The storm culminated in one matchless effort that
seemed likely to tear the island to pieces, burn it up,
drown it to the treetops, blow it away, and deafen
every creature in it, all at one and the same moment.
It was a wild night for homeless young heads to be
out in.
But at last the battle was done, and the forces
retired with weaker and weaker threatenings and
grumblings, and peace resumed her sway. The
boys went back to camp, a good deal awed; but
they found there was still something to be thankful
for, because the great sycamore, the shelter of their
beds, was a ruin, now, blasted by the lightnings,
and they were not under it when the catastrophe
happened.
Everything in camp was drenched, the camp-fire
as well; for they were but heedless lads, like their
generation, and had made no provision against rain.
Here was matter for dismay, for they were soaked
through and chilled. They were eloquent in their
distress ; but they presently discovered that the fire
had eaten so far up under the great log it had been
Tom Sawyer 171
built against (where it curved upward and separated
itself from the ground), that a handbreadth or so of
it had escaped wetting; so they patiently wrought
until, with shreds and bark gathered from the under
sides of sheltered logs, they coaxed the fire to burn
again. Then they piled on great dead boughs till
they had a roaring furnace, and were glad-hearted
once more. They dried their boiled ham and had a
feast, and after that they sat by the fire and ex
panded and glorified their midnight adventure until
morning, for there was not a dry spot to sleep on,
anywhere around.
As the sun began to steal in upon the boys,
drowsiness came over them and they went out on
the sandbar and lay down to sleep. They got
scorched out by and by, and drearily set about get
ting breakfast. After the meal they felt rusty, and
stiff-jointed, and a little homesick once more. Tom
saw the signs, and fell to cheering up the pirates as
well as he could. But they cared nothing for mar
bles, or circus, or swimming, or anything. He re
minded them of the imposing secret, and raised a
ray of cheer. While it lasted, he got them interested
in a new device. This was to knock off being
pirates, for a while, and be Indians for a change.
They were attracted by this idea; so it was not long
before they were stripped, and striped from head to
heel with black mud, like so many zebras, — all of
them chiefs, of course, — and then they went tearing
through the woods to attack an English settlement.
172 Tom Sawyer
By and by they separated into three hostile tribes,
and darted upon each other from ambush with
dreadful war-whoops, and killed and scalped each
other by thousands. It was a gory day. Conse
quently it was an extremely satisfactory one.
They assembled in camp toward supper time,
hungry and happy; but now a difficulty arose —
hostile Indians could not break the bread of hospi
tality together without first making peace, and this
was a simple impossibility without smoking a pipe of
peace. There was no other process that ever they had
heard of. Two of the savages almost wished they
had remained pirates. However, there was no other
way; so with such show of cheerfulness as they
could muster they called for the pipe and took their
whiff as it passed, in due form.
And behold, they were glad they had gone into
savagery, for they had gained something; they
found that they could now smoke a little without
having to go and hunt for a lost knife ; they did not
get sick enough to be seriously uncomfortable.
They were not likely to fool away this high promise
for lack of effort. No, they practiced cautiously,
after supper, with right fair success, and so they
spent a jubilant evening. They were prouder and
happier in their new acquirement than they would
have been in the scalping and skinning of the Six
Nations. We will leave them to smoke and chatter
and brag, since we have no further use for them at
present.
CHAPTER XVII.
BUT there was no hilarity in the little town that
same tranquil Saturday afternoon. The Har
pers, and Aunt Polly's family, were being put into
mourning, with great grief and many tears. An
unusual quiet possessed the village, although it was
ordinarily quiet enough, in all conscience. The
villagers conducted their concerns with an absent
air, and talked little; but they sighed often. The
Saturday holiday seemed a burden to the children.
They had no heart in their sports, and gradually
gave them up.
In the afternoon Becky Thatcher found herself
moping about the deserted schoolhouse yard, and
feeling very melancholy. But she found nothing
there to comfort her. She soliloquized :
" Oh, if I only had a brass andiron-knob again!
But I haven't got anything now to remember him
by." And she choked back a little sob.
Presently she stopped, and said to herself:
" It was right here. Oh, if it was to do over
again, I wouldn't say that — I wouldn't say it for the
whole world. But he's gone now; I'll never never
never see him any more."
(i73)
174 Tom Sawyer
This thought broke her down and she wandered
away, with the tears rolling down her cheeks. Then
quite a group of boys and girls — playmates of
Tom's and Joe's — came by, and stood looking over
the paling fence and talking in reverent tones of how
Tom did so-and-so, the last time they saw him, and
how Joe said this and that small trifle (pregnant with
awful prophecy, as they could easily see now!) —
and each speaker pointed out the exact spot where
the lost lads stood at the time, and then added some
thing like "and I was a standing just so — just as
I am now, and as if you was him — I was as
close as that — and he smiled, just this way — and
then something seemed to go all over me, like —
awful, you know — and I never thought what it
meant, of course, but I can see now ! "
Then there was a dispute about who saw the dead
boys last in life, and many claimed that dismal dis
tinction, and offered evidences, more or less tampered
with by the witness ; and wrhen it was ultimately de
cided who did see the departed last, and exchanged
the last words with them, the lucky parties took
upon themselves a sort of sacred importance,
and were gaped at and envied by all the rest.
One poor chap, who had no other grandeur to
offer, said with tolerably manifest pride in the re
membrance :
"Well, Tom Sawyer he licked me once."
But that bid for glory was a failure. Most of the
boys could say that, and so that cheapened the
Tom Sawyer 175
distinction too much. The group loitered away,
still recalling memories of the lost heroes, in awed
voices.
When the Sunday-school hour was finished, the
next morning, the bell began to toll, instead of ring
ing in the usual way. It was a very still Sabbath,
and the mournful sound seemed in keeping with the
musing hush that lay upon nature. The villagers
began to gather, loitering a moment in the vestibule
to converse in whispers about the sad event. But
there was no whispering in the house; only the
funereal rustling of dresses as the women gathered to
their seats, disturbed the silence there. None could
remember when the little church had been so full
before. There was finally a waiting pause, an ex
pectant dumbness, and then Aunt Polly entered, fol
lowed by Sid and Mary, and they by the Harper
family, all in deep black, and the whole congrega
tion, the old minister as well, rose reverently and
stood, until the mourners were seated in the front
pew. There was another communing silence, broken
at intervals by muffled sobs, and then the minister
spread his hands abroad and prayed. A moving
hymn was sung, and the text followed : " I am the
Resurrection and the Life."
As the service proceeded, the clergyman drew
such pictures of the graces, the winning ways, and
the rare promise of the lost lads, that every soul
there, thinking he recognized these pictures, felt a
pang in remembering that he had persistently blinded
176 Tom Sawyer
himself to them, always before, and had as persist
ently seen only faults and flaws in the poor boys.
The minister related many a touching incident in the
lives of the departed, too, which illustrated their
sweet, generous natures, and the people could easily
see, now, how noble and beautiful those episodes
were, and remembered with grief that at the time
they occurred they had seemed rank rascalities, well
deserving of the cowhide. The congregation became
more and more moved, as the pathetic tale went on,
till at last the whole company broke down and joined
the weeping mourners in a chorus of anguished sobs,
the preacher himself giving way to his feelings, and
crying in the pulpit.
There was a rustle in the gallery, which nobody
noticed ; a moment later the church door creaked ;
the minister raised his streaming eyes above his
handkerchief, and stood transfixed ! First one and
then another pair of eyes followed the minister's, and
then almost with one impulse the congregation rose
and stared while the three dead boys came marching
up the aisle, Tom in the lead, Joe next, and Huck,
a ruin of drooping rags, sneaking sheepishly in the
rear ! They had been hid in the unused gallery
listening to their own funeral sermon !
Aunt Polly, Mary, and the Harpers threw them
selves upon their restored ones, smothered them with
kisses and poured out thanksgivings, while poor
Huck stood abashed and uncomfortable, not knowing
exactly what to do or where to hide from so many
Tom Sawyer 177
unwelcoming eyes. He wavered, and started to
slink away, but Tom seized him and said :
"Aunt Polly, it ain't fair. Somebody's got to be
glad to see Huck."
"And so they shall. 7'm glad to see him, poor
motherless thing ! " And the loving attentions
Aunt Polly lavished upon him were the one thing
capable of making him more uncomfortable than he
was before.
Suddenly the minister shouted at the top of his
voice: "Praise God from whom all blessings flow
— SlNG ! — and put your hearts in it ! "
And they did. Old Hundred swelled up with a
triumphant burst, and while it shook the rafters Tom
Sawyer the Pirate looked around upon the envying
juveniles about him and confessed in his heart that
this was the proudest moment of his life.
As the *' sold " congregation trooped out they said
they would almost be willing to be made ridiculous
again to hear Old Hundred sung like that once more.
Tom got more cuffs and kisses that day — accord
ing to Aunt Polly's varying moods — than he had
earned before in a year ; and he hardly knew which
expressed the most gratefulness to God and affection
for himself.
CHAPTER XVIII.
THAT was Tom's great secret — the scheme to re
turn home with his brother pirates and attend
their own funerals. They had paddled over to the
Missouri shore on a log, at dusk on Saturday, land
ing five or six miles below the village ; they had slept
in the woods at the edge of the town till nearly day
light, and had then crept through back lanes and
alleys and finished their sleep in the gallery of the
church among a chaos of invalided benches.
At breakfast, Monday morning, Aunt Polly and
Mary were very loving to Tom, and very attentive
to his wants. There was an unusual amount of talk.
In the course of it Aunt Folly said:
11 Well, I don't say it wasn't a fine joke, Tom, to
keep everybody suffering 'most a week so you boys
had a good time, but it is a pity you could be so
hard-hearted as to let me suffer so. If you could
come over on a log to go to your funeral, you could
have come over and give me a hint some way that
you warn't dead, but only run off."
"Yes, you could have done that, Tom," said
Mary; '* and I believe you would if you had thought
of it."
Tom Sawyer 179
"Would you, Tom?" said Aunt Polly, her face
lighting wistfully. " Say, now, would you, if you'd
thought of it?"
"I — well, I don't know. 'Twould a spoiled
everything. ' '
'Tom, I hoped you loved me that much," said
Aunt Polly, with a grieved tone that discomforted
the boy. " It would have been something if you'd
cared enough to think of it, even if you didn't do
it.-
"Now auntie, that ain't any harm," pleaded
Mary; " it's only Tom's giddy way — he is always
in such a rush that he never thinks of anything."
" More's the pity. Sid would have thought.
And Sid would have come and done it, too. Tom,
you'll look back, some day, when it's too late, and
wish you'd cared a little more for me when it would
have cost you so little."
" Now auntie, you know I do care for you," said
Tom.
"I'd know it better if you acted more like it."
" I wish now I'd thought," said Tom, with a re
pentant tone; "but I dreamed about you, anyway.
That's something, ain't it?"
" It ain't much — a cat does that much — but it's
better than nothing. What did you dream? "
4 ' Why, Wednesday night I dreamt that you was
sitting over there by the bed, and Sid was sitting
by the woodbox, and Mary next to him."
"Well, so we did. So we always do. I'm glad
&
180 Tom Sawyer
your dreams could take even that much trouble
about us."
"And I dreamt that Joe Harper's mother was
here."
4 ' Why, she was here ! Did you dream any
more?"
" Oh, lots. But it's so dim, now."
" Well, try to recollect — can't you?"
* * Somehow it seems to me that the wind — the
wind blowed the — the — "
"Try harder, Tom! The wind did blow some
thing. Come ! "
Tom pressed his fingers on his forehead an anxious
minute, and then said :
11 I've got it now! I've got it now! It blowed
the candle ! "
11 Mercy on us ! Go on, Tom — go on ! "
"And it seems to me that you said, * Wliy, I be
lieve that that door — ' "
"Go*«, Tom!"
" Just let me study a moment — just a moment.
Oh, yes — you said you believed the door was
open."
"As I'm sitting here, I did! Didn't I, Mary!
Goon!"
"And then — and then — well I won't be certain,
but it seems like as if you made Sid go and —
and — "
" Well? Well? What did I make him do, Tom?
What did I make him do? "
Tom Sawyer 181
44 You made him — you — Oh, you made him shut
it.-
''Well, for the land's sake! I never heard the
beat of that in all my days ! Don't tell me there
ain't anything in dreams, any more. Sereny Harper
shall know of this before I'm an hour older. I'd
like to see her get around this with her rubbage 'bout
superstition. Go on, Tom! "
44 Oh, it's all getting just as bright as day, now.
Next you said I warn't bad, only mischeevous and
harum-scarum, and not any more responsible than —
than — -I think it was a colt, or something."
"And so it was ! Well, goodness gracious! Go
on, Tom ! "
4 'And then you began to cry."
44 So I did. So I did. Not the first time, neither.
And then — "
' Then Mrs. Harper she began to cry, and said
Joe was just the same, and she wished she hadn't
whipped him for taking cream when she'd throwed it
out her own self — "
4 Tom ! The sperrit was upon you ! You was a
prophesying — that's what you was doing! Land
alive, go on, Tom! "
4 'Then Sid he said — he said—"
44 1 don't think I said anything," said Sid.
44 Yes you did, Sid," said Mary.
44 Shut your heads and let Tom go on J What did
he say, Tom? "
44 He said — I think he said he hoped I was better
182 Tom Sawyer
off where I was gone to, but if I'd been better some
times — "
* ' There, d 'you hear that ! It was his very words ! ' '
"And you shut him up sharp."
44 1 lay I did ! There must a been an angel there.
There was an angel there, somewheres!"
"And Mrs. Harper told about Joe scaring her
with a firecracker, and you told about Peter and the
Pain-killer—'1
"Just as true as 1 live!"
"And then there was a whole lot of talk 'bout
dragging the river for us, and 'bout having the
funeral Sunday, and then you and old Miss Harper
hugged and cried, and she went."
"It happened just so! It happened just so, as
sure as I'm a sitting in these very tracks. Tom, you
couldn't told it more like, if you'd a seen it! And
then what? Go on, Tom? "
1 ' Then I thought you prayed for me — and I could
see you and hear every word you said. And you
went to bed, and I was so sorry, that I took and
wrote on a piece of sycamore bark, * We ain't dead
— we are only off being pirates ,' and put it on the
table by the candle; and then you looked so good,
laying there asleep, that I thought I went and leaned
over and kissed you on the lips."
"Did you, Tom, did you! I just forgive you
everything for that!" And she seized the boy in a
crushing embrace that made him feel like the guiltiest
of villains.
Tom Sawyer 183
" It was very kind, even though it was only a —
dream," Sid soliloquised just audibly.
" Shut up, Sid ! A body does just the same in a
dream as he'd do if he was awake. Here's a big
Milum apple I've been saving for you, Tom, if you
was ever found again — now go 'long to school.
I'm thankful to the good God and Father of us all
I've got you back, that's long-suffering and merciful
to them that believe on Him and keep His word,
though goodness knows I'm unworthy of it, but if
only the worthy ones got His blessings and had His
hand to help them over the rough places, there's few
enough would smile here or ever enter into His rest
when the long night comes. Go 'long Sid, Mary,
Tom — take yourselves off — you've hendered me
long enough."
The children left for school, and the old lady to
call on Mrs. Harper and vanquish her realism with
Tom's marvelous dream. Sid had better judgment
than to utter the thought that was in his mind as he
left the house. It was this : " Pretty thin — as long
a dream as that, without any mistakes in it! "
What a hero Tom was become, now ! He did not
go skipping and prancing, but moved with a dignified
swagger as became a pirate who felt that the public
eye was on him. And indeed it was; he tried not
to seem to see the looks or hear the remarks as he
passed along, but they were food and drink to him.
Smaller boys than himself flocked at his heels, as
proud to be seen with him, and tolerated by him, as
184 Tom Sawyer
if he had been the drummer at the head of a proces
sion or the elephant leading a menagerie into town.
Boys of his own size pretended not to know he had
been away at all ; but they were consuming with
envy, nevertheless. They would have given anything
to have that swarthy sun-tanned skin of his, and his
glittering notoriety ; and Tom would not have parted
with either for a circus.
At school the children made so much of him and of
Joe, and delivered such eloquent admiration from
their eyes, that the two heroes were not long in be
coming insufferably " stuck-up." They began to
tell their adventures to hungry listeners — but they
only began ; it was not a thing likely to have an end,
with imaginations like theirs to furnish material.
And finally, when they got out their pipes and went
serenely purring around, the very summit of glory
was reached.
Tom decided that he could be independent of
Becky Thatcher now. Glory was sufficient. x He
would live for glory. Now that he was distinguished,
maybe she would be wanting to " make up ". Well,
let her — she should see that he could be as indiffer
ent as some other people. Presently she arrived.
Tom pretended not to see her. He moved away
and joined a group of boys and girls and began to
talk. Soon he observed that she was tripping gayly
back and forth with flushed face and dancing eyes,
pretending to be busy chasing schoolmates, and
screaming with laughter when she made a capture ;
Tom Sawyer 185
but he noticed that she always made her captures
in his vicinity, and that she seemed to cast a con
scious eye in his direction at such times, too. It
gratified all the vicious vanity that was in him ; and
so, instead of winning him it only " set him up"
the more and made him the more diligent to avoid
betraying that he knew she was about. Presently
she gave over skylarking, and moved irresolutely
about, sighing once or twice and glancing furtively
and wistfully toward Tom. Then she observed that
now Tom was talking more particularly to Amy
Lawrence than to any one else. She felt a sharp
pang and grew disturbed and uneasy at once. She
tried to go away, but her feet were treacherous, and
carried her to the group instead. She said to a giri
almost at Tom's elbow — with sham vivacity:
"Why, Mary Austin! you bad girl, why didn't
you come to Sunday-school?"
" I did come — didn't you see me?"
" Why, no ! Did you? Where did you sit?"
" I was in Miss Peters' class, where I always go.
" Did you? Why, it's funny I didn't see you. I
wanted to tell you about the picnic."
" Oh, that's jolly. Who's going to give it?"
" My ma's going to let me have one."
*' Oh, goody; I hope she'll let me come."
" Well, she will. The picnic's for me. She'll let
anybody come that I want, and I want you."
" That's ever so nice. When is it going to be?"
186 Tom Sawyer
" By and by. Maybe about vacation."
" Oh, won't it be fun ! You going to have all the
girls and boys?"
" Yes, every one that's friends to me — or wants
to be;" and she glanced ever so furtively at Tom,
but he talked right along to Amy Lawrence about
the terrible storm on the island, and how the light
ning tore the great sycamore tree " all to flinders "
while he was " standing within three feet of it."
" Oh, may I come?" said Gracie Miller.
"Yes."
"And me?" said Sally Rogers.
"Yes."
"And me, too?" said Susy Harper. "And Joe?"
"Yes."
And so on, with clapping of joyful hands till all
the group had begged for* invitations but Tom and
Amy. Then Tom turned coolly away, still talking,
and took Amy with him. Becky's lips trembled and
the tears came to her eyes ; she hid these signs with
a forced gayety and went on chattering, but the life
had gone out of the picnic, now, and out of every
thing else ; she got away as soon as she could and
hid herself and had what her sex call " a good cry."
Then she sat moody, with wounded pride, till the
bell rang. She roused up, now, with a vindictive
cast in her eye, and gave her plaited tails a shake
and said she knew what she'd do.
At recess Tom continued his flirtation with Amy
with jubilant self-satisfaction. And he kept drifting
Tom Sawyer 187
about to find Becky and lacerate her with the per
formance. At last he spied her, but there was a
sudden falling of his mercury. She was sitting
cosily on a little bench behind the schoolhouse look
ing at a picture-book with Alfred Temple — and so
absorbed were they, and their heads so close together
over the book, that they did not seem to be con
scious of anything in the world besides. Jealousy
ran red-hot through Tom's veins. He began to
hate himself for throwing away the chance Becky
had offered for a reconciliation. He called himself
a fool, and all the hard names he could think of.
He wanted to cry with vexation. Amy chatted
happily along, as they walked, for her heart was
singing, but Tom's tongue had lost its function.
He did not hear what Amy was saying, and when
ever she paused expectantly he could only stammer
an awkward assent, which was as often misplaced as
otherwise. He kept drifting to the rear of the
schoolhouse, again and again, to sear his eyeballs
with the hateful spectacle there. He could not help
it. And it maddened him to see, as he thought he
saw, that Becky Thatcher never once suspected that
he was even in the land of the living. But she did
see, nevertheless; and she knew she was winning
her fight, too, and was glad to see him suffer as she
had suffered.
Amy's happy prattle became intolerable. Tom
hinted at things he had to attend to; things that
must be done ; and time was fleeting. But in vain
188 Tom Sawyer
• — the girl chirped on. Tom thought, *4 Oh, hang
her, ain't I ever going to get rid of her?" At last
he must be attending to those things — and she said
artlessly that she would be "around" when school
let out. And he hastened away, hating her for it.
"Any other boy!" Tom thought, grating his
teeth. "Any boy in the whole town but that Saint
Louis smarty that thinks he dresses so fine and is
aristocracy ! Oh, all right, I licked you the first
day you ever saw this town, mister, and I'll lick you
again! You just wait till I catch you out! I'll
just take and — "
And he went through the motions of thrashing an
imaginary boy — pummeling the air, and kicking
and gouging. " Oh, you do, do you? You holler
'nough, do you? Now, then, let that learn you!"
And so the imaginary flogging was finished to his
satisfaction.
Tom fled home at noon. His conscience could
not endure any more of Amy's grateful happiness,
and his jealousy could bear no more of the other
distress. Becky resumed her picture inspections with
Alfred, but as the minutes dragged along and no
Tom came to suffer, her triumph began to cloud and
she lost interest; gravity and absent-mindedness fol
lowed, and then melancholy; two or three times she
pricked up her ear at a footstep, but it was a false
hope; no Tom came. At last she grew entirely
miserable and wished she hadn't carried it so far.
When poor Alfred, seeing that he was losing her,
Tom Sawyer 189
he did not know how, kept exclaiming: "Oh,
here's a jolly one ! look at this!" she lost patience
at last, and said, "Oh, don't bother me! I don't
care for them!" and burst into tears, and got up
and walked away.
Alfred dropped alongside and was going to try to
comfort her, but she said :
" Go away and leave me alone, can't you ! I hate
you!"
So the boy halted, wondering what he could have
done — for she had said she would look at pictures
all through the nooning — and she walked on, crying.
Then Alfred went musing into the deserted school-
house. He was humiliated and angry. He easily
guessed his way to the truth — the girl had simply
made a convenience of him to vent her spite upon
Tom Sawyer. He was far from hating Tom the less
when this thought occurred to him. He wished
there was some way to get that boy into trouble
without much risk to himself. Tom's spelling-book
fell under his eye. Here was his opportunity. He
gratefully opened to the lesson for the afternoon and
poured ink upon the page.
Becky, glancing in at a window behind him at
the moment, saw the act, and moved on, without
discovering herself. She started homeward, now,
intending to find Tom and tell him ; Tom would be
thankful and their troubles would be healed. Before
she was half way home, however, she had changed
her mind. The thought of Tom's treatment of her
190 Tom Sawyer
when she was talking about her picnic came scorch
ing back and filled her with shame. She resolved
to let him get whipped on the damaged spelling-
book's account, and to hate him forever, into the
bargain.
CHAPTER XIX.
TOM arrived at home in a dreary mood, and the
first thing his aunt said to him showed him that
he had brought his sorrows to an unpromising
market : •
' Tom, I've a notion to skin you alive !"
11 Auntie, what have I done?"
' Well, you've done enough. Here I go over to
Sereny Harper, like an old softy, expecting I'm go
ing to make her believe all that rubbage about that
dream, when lo and behold you she'd found out from
Joe that you was over here and heard all the talk
we had that night. Tom, I don't know what is to
become of a boy that will act like that. It makes
me feel so bad to think you could let me go to Sereny
Harper and make such a fool of myself and never
say a word."
This was a new aspect of the thing. His smart
ness of the morning had seemed to Tom a good
joke before, and very ingenious. It merely looked
mean and shabby now. He hung his head and could
not think of anything to say for a moment. Then
he said :
192 - Tom Sawyer
"Auntie, I wish I hadn't done it — but I didn't
think."
11 Oh, child, you never think. You never think of
anything but your own selfishness. You could
think to come all the way over here from Jackson's
island in the night to laugh at our troubles, and you
could think to fool me with a lie about a dream ; but
you couldn't ever think to pity us and save us from
sorrow/*
"Auntie, I know now it was mean, but I didn't
mean to be mean. I didn't, honest. And besides,
I didn't come over here to laugh at you that night."
" What did you come for, then?"
" It was to tell you not to be uneasy about us, be
cause we hadn't got drowned."
" Tom, Tom, I would be the thankfullest soul in
this world if I could believe you ever had as good a
thought as that, but you know you never did — and
/know it, Tom."
" Indeed and 'deed I did, auntie — I wish I may
never stir if I didn't."
"Oh, Tom, don't lie — don't do it. It only
makes things a hundred times worse."
" It ain't a lie, auntie, it's the truth. I wanted to
keep you from grieving — that was all that made me
come."
"I'd give the whole world to believe that — it
would cover up a power of sins, Tom. I'd 'most be
glad you'd run off and acted so bad. But it ain't
reasonable; because, why didn't you tell me, child?"
Tom Sawyer 193
14 Why, you see, when you got to talking about
the funeral, I just got all full of the idea of our com
ing and hiding in the church, and I couldn't some
how bear to spoil it. So I just put the bark back in
my pocket and kept mum."
4 'What bark?"
" The bark I had wrote on to tell you we'd gone
pirating. I wish, now, you'd waked up when I
kissed you — -I do, honest."
The hard lines in his aunt's face relaxed and a
sudden tenderness dawned in her eyes.
" Did you kiss me, Tom?"
"Why, yes, I did."
"Are you sure you did, Tom?"
" Why, yes, I did, auntie — certain sure."
lt What did you kiss me for, Tom?"
"Because I loved you so, and you laid there
moaning and I was so sorry."
The words sounded like truth. The old lady could
not hide a tremor in her voice when she said :
" Kiss me again, Tom ! — and be off with you to
school, now, and don't bother me any more."
The moment he was gone, she ran to a closet and
got out the ruin of a jacket which Tom had gone
pirating in. Then she stopped, with it in her hand,
and said to herself :
" No, I don't dare. Poor boy, I reckon he's lied
about it — but it's a blessed, blessed lie, there's
such a comfort come from it. I hope the Lord — I
know the Lord will forgive him, because it was such
13
194 Tom Sawyer
goodheartedness in him to tell it. But I don't want
to find out it's a lie. I won't look."
She put the jacket away, and stood by musing a
minute. Twice she put out her hand to take the
garment again, and twice she refrained. Once more
she ventured, and this time she fortified herself with
the thought: " It's a good lie — it's a good lie — I
won't let it grieve me." So she sought the jacket
pocket. A moment later she was reading Tom's
piece of bark through flowing tears and saying: " I
could forgive the boy, now, if he'd committed a
million sins!"
CHAPTER XX.
THERE was something about Aunt Polly's man
ner, when she kissed Tom, that swept away his
low spirits and made him light-hearted and happy
again. He started to school and had the luck of
coming upon Becky Thatcher at the head of Meadow
Lane. His mood always determined his manner.
Without a moment's hesitation he ran to her and
said :
" I acted mighty mean to-day, Becky, and I'm so
sorry. I won't ever, ever do that way again, as long
as ever I live — please make up, won't you?"
The girl stopped and looked him scornfully in the
face:
"I'll thank you to keep yourself to yourself, Mr.
Thomas Sawyer. I'll never speak to you again."
She tossed her head and passed on. Tom was so
stunned that he had not even presence of mind
enough to say "Who cares, Miss Smarty?" until
the right time to say it had gone by. So he said
nothing. But he was in a fine rage, nevertheless.
He moped into the schoolyard wishing she were a
boy, and imagining how he; would trounce her if she
M (195)
196 Tom Sawyer
were. He presently encountered her and delivered
a stinging remark as he passed. She hurled one in
return, and the angry breach was complete. It
seemed to Becky, in her hot resentment, that she could
hardly wait for school to ** take in," she was so im
patient to see Tom flogged for the injured spelling-
book. If she had had any lingering notion of ex
posing Alfred Temple, Tom's offensive fling had
driven it entirely away.
Poor girl, she did not know how fast she was
nearing trouble herself. The master, Mr. Dobbins,
had reached middle age with an unsatisfied ambition.
The darling of his desires was, to be a doctor, but
poverty had decreed that he should be nothing
higher than a village schoolmaster. Every day he
took a mysterious book out of his desk and absorbed
himself in it at times when no classes were reciting.
He kept that book under lock and key. There was
not an urchin in school but was perishing to have a
glimpse of it, but the chance never came. Every
boy and girl had a theory about the nature of that
book ; but no two theories were alike, and there was
no way of getting at the facts in the case. Now, as
Becky was passing by the desk, which stood near
the door, she noticed that the key was in the lock !
It was a precious moment. She glanced around ;
found herself alone, and the next instant she had
the book in her hands. The title-page — Professor
Somebody's "Anatomy" — carried no information
to her mind; so she began to turn the leaves. She
Tom Sawyer ' 197
came at once upon a handsomely engraved and
colored frontispiece — a human figure, stark naked.
At that moment a shadow fell on the page and Tom
Sawyer stepped in at the door, and caught a glimpse
of the picture. Becky snatched at the book to close
it, and had the hard luck to tear the pictured page
half down the middle. She thrust the volume into
the desk, turned the key, and burst out crying with
shame and vexation.
" Tom Sawyer, you are just as mean as you can
be, to sneak up on a person and look at what
they're looking at."
41 How could / know you was looking at any
thing?"
"You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Tom
Sawyer; you know you're going to tell on me, and
oh, what shall I do, what shall I do! I'll be
whipped, and I never was whipped in school."
Then she stamped her little foot and said :
*' Be so mean if you want to ! I know something
that's going to happen. You just wait and you'll
see! Hateful, hateful, hateful!" — and she flung
out of the house with a new explosion of crying.
Tom stood still, rather flustered by this onslaught.
Presently he said to himself :
" What a curious kind of a fool a girl is. Never
been licked in school! Shucks. What's a licking!
That's just like a girl — they're so thin-skinned and
chicken-hearted. Well, of course / ain't going to
tell old Dobbins on this little fool, because there's
198 Tom Sawyer
other ways of getting even on her, that ain't so
mean; but what of it? Old Dobbins will ask wrho
it was tore his book. Nobody'll answer. Then
he'll do just the way he always does — ask first one
and then t'other, and when he comes to the right
girl he'll know it, without any telling. Girls' faces
always tell on them. They ain't got any backbone.
She'll get licked. Well, it's a kind of a tight place
for Becky Thatcher, because there ain't any way out
of it." Tom conned the thing a moment longer
and then added: " All right, though ; she'd like to
see me in just such a fix — let her sweat it out!"
Tom joined the mob of skylarking scholars out
side. In a few moments the master arrived and
school "took in." Tom did not feel a strong
interest in his studies. Every time he stole a glance
at the girls' side of the room Becky's face troubled
him. Considering all things, he did not want to
pity her, and yet it was all he could do to help it.
He could get up no exultation that was really worthy
the name. Presently the spelling-book discovery
was made, and Tom's mind was entirely full of his
own matters for a while after that. Becky roused
up from her lethargy of distress and showed good
interest in the proceedings. She did not expect
that Tom could get out of his trouble by denying
that he spilt the ink on the book himself; and she
was right. The denial only seemed to make the
thing worse for Tom. Becky supposed she would
be glad of that, and she tried to believe she was glad
Tom Sawyer 199
of it, but she found she was not certain. When the
worst came to the worst, she had an impulse to get
up and tell on Alfred Temple, but she made an
effort and forced herself to keep still — because, said
she to herself, " he'll tell about me tearing the pic
ture sure. I wouldn't say a word, not to save his
life!"
Tom took his whipping and went back to his seat
not at all broken-hearted, for he thought it was pos
sible that he had unknowingly upset the ink on the
spelling-book himself, in some skylarking bout — he
had denied it for form's sake and because it was
custom, and had stuck to the denial from principle.
A whole hour drifted by, the master sat nodding
in his throne, the air was drowsy with the hum of
study. By and by, Mr. Dobbins straightened him
self up, yawned, then unlocked his desk, and reached
for his book, but seemed undecided whether to take
it out or leave it. Most of the pupils glanced up
languidly, but there were two among them that
watched his movements with intent eyes. Mr. Dob
bins fingered his book absently for a while, then
took it out and settled himself in his chair to read !
Tom shot a glance at Becky. He had seen a hunted
and helpless rabbit look as she did, with a gun
leveled at its head. Instantly he forgot his quarrel
with her. Quick — something must be done! done
in a flash, too ! But the very imminence of the
emergency paralyzed his invention. Good! — he
had an inspiration ! He would run and snatch the
200 Tom Sawyer
book, spring through the door and fly. But his
resolution shook for one little instant, and the
chance was lost — the master opened the volume.
If Tom only had the wasted opportunity back again !
Too late. There was no help for Becky now, he
said. The next moment the master faced the
school. Every eye sunk under his gaze. There
was that in it which smote even the innocent with
fear. There was silence while one might count ten,
the master was gathering his wrath. Then he spoke :
"Who tore this book?"
There was not a sound. One could have heard a
pin drop. The stillness continued; the master
searched face after face for signs of guilt.
" Benjamin Rogers, did you tear this book?"
A denial. Another pause.
"Joseph Harper, did you?"
Another denial. Tom's uneasiness grew more
and more intense under the slow torture of these
proceedings. The master scanned the ranks of boys
— considered a while, then turned to the girls :
" Amy Lawrence?"
A shake of the head.
" Gracie Miller?"
The same sign.
" Susan Harper, did you do this?"
Another negative. The next girl was Becky
Thatcher. Tom was trembling from head to foot
with excitement and a sense of the hopelessness of
the situation.
Tom Sawyer 201
" Rebecca Thatcher" [Tom glanced at her face
— it was white with terror] — "did you tear — no,
look me in the face ' ' [her hands rose in appeal] —
11 did you tear this book?"
A thought shot like lightning through Tom's
brain. He sprang to his feet and shouted — "/
done it!"
The school stared in perplexity at this incredible
folly. Tom stood a moment, to gather his dismem
bered faculties ; and when he stepped forward to go
to his punishment the surprise, the gratitude, the
adoration that shone upon him out of poor Becky's
eyes seemed pay enough for a hundred floggings.
Inspired by the splendor of his own act, he took
without an outcry the most merciless flaying that
even Mr. Dobbins had ever administered ; and also
received with indifference the added cruelty of a
command to remain two hours after school should
be dismissed — for he knew who would wait for him
outside till his captivity was done, and not count
the tedious time as loss, either.
Tom went to bed that night planning vengeance
against Alfred Temple ; for with shame and repent
ance Becky had told him all, not forgetting her own
treachery ; but even the longing for vengeance had
to give way, soon, to pleasanter musings, and he
fell asleep at last, with Becky's latest words linger
ing dreamily in his ear —
" Tom, how could you be so noble 1"
CHAPTER XXI.
VACATION was approaching. The schoolmaster,
always severe, grew severer and more exacting
than ever, for he wanted the school to make a good
showing on *' Examination" day. His rod and his
ferule were seldom idle now — at least among the
smaller pupils. Only the biggest boys, and young
ladies of eighteen and twenty, escaped lashing. Mr.
Dobbins' lashings were very vigorous ones, too; for
although he carried, under his wig, a perfectly bald
and shiny head, he had only reached middle age and
there was no sign of feebleness in his muscle. As
the great day approached, all the tyranny that was
in him came to the surface ; he seemed to take a
vindictive pleasure in punishing the least short
comings. The consequence was, that the smaller
boys spent their days in terror and suffering and
their nights in plotting revenge. They threw away
no opportunity to do the master a mischief. But
he kept ahead all the time. The retribution that
followed every vengeful success was so sweeping
and majestic that the boys always retired from the
field badly worsted. At last they conspired together
(202)
Tom Sawyer 203
and hit upon a plan that promised a dazzling vic
tory. They swore in the sign-painter's boy, told
him the scheme, and asked his help. He had his
own reasons for being delighted, for the master
boarded in his father's family and had given the boy
ample cause to hate him. The master's wife would
go on a visit to the country in a few days, and there
would be nothing to interfere with the plan; the
master always prepared himself for great occasions
by getting pretty well fuddled, and the sign-painter's
boy said that when the dominie had reached the
proper condition on Examination Evening he would
" manage the thing" while he napped in his chair;
then he would have him awakened at the right time
and hurried away to school.
In the fullness of time the interesting occasion
arrived. At eight in the evening the schoolhouse
was brilliantly lighted, and adorned with wreaths
and festoons of foliage and flowers. The master sat
throned in his great chair upon a raised platform,
with his blackboard behind him. He was looking
tolerably mellow. Three rows of benches on each
side and six rows in front of him were occupied by
the dignitaries of the town and by the parents of the
pupils. To his left, back of the rows of citizens,
was a spacious temporary platform upon which were
seated the scholars who were to take part in the
exercises of the evening; rows of small boys,
washed and dressed to an intolerable state of dis
comfort; rows of gawky big boys; snowbanks of
204 Tom Sawyer
girls and young ladies clad in lawn and muslin and
conspicuously conscious of their bare arms, their
grandmothers' ancient trinkets, their bits of pink
and blue ribbon and the flowers in their hair. All
the rest of the house was filled with non-participating
scholars.
The exercises began. A very little boy stood up
and sheepishly recited, " You'd scarce expect one of
my age to speak in public on the stage," etc. — ac
companying himself with the painfully exact and
spasmodic gestures which a machine might have
used — supposing the machine to be a trifle out of
order. But he got through safely, though cruelly
scared, and got a fine round of applause when he
made his manufactured bow and retired.
A little shamefaced girl lisped " Mary had a little
lamb," etc., performed a compassion-inspiring
curtsy, got her meed of applause, and sat down
flushed and happy.
Tom Sawyer stepped forward with conceited con
fidence and soared into the unquenchable and inde
structible ' c Give me liberty or give me death ' '
speech, with fine fury and frantic gesticulation, and
broke down in the middle of it. A ghastly stage-
fright seized him, his legs quaked under him and he
was like to choke. True, he had the manifest sym
pathy of the house — but he had the house's silence,
too, which was even worse than its sympathy. The
master frowned, and this completed the disaster.
Tom struggled a while and then retired, utterly
Tom Sawyer 205
defeated. There was a weak attempt at applause,
but it died early.
"The Boy Stood on the Burning Deck" fol
lowed; also "The Assyrian Came Down," and
other declamatory gems. Then there were reading
exercises, and a spelling fight. The meager Latin
class recited with honor. The prime feature of the
evening was in order, now — -original "composi
tions" by the young ladies. Each in her turn
stepped forward to the edge of the platform, cleared
her throat, held up her manuscript (tied with dainty
ribbon), and proceeded to read, with labored atten
tion to " expression " and punctuation. The themes
were the same that had been illuminated upon similar
occasions by their mothers before them, their grand
mothers, and doubtless all their ancestors in the
female line clear back to the Crusades. "Friend
ship ' ' was one ; ' ' Memories of Other Days ; ' '
"Religion in History;" "Dream Land;" "The
Advantages of Culture ; " " Forms of Political
Government Compared and Contrasted ; " " Melan
choly;" "Filial Love;" "Heart Longings," etc.,
etc.
A prevalent feature in these compositions was
a nursed and petted melancholy; another was a
wasteful and opulent gush of "fine language";
another was a tendency to lug in by the ears par.
ticularly prized words and phrases until they were
worn entirely out; and a peculiarity that conspicu
ously marked and marred them was the inveterate
206 Tom Sawyer
and intolerable sermon that wagged its crippled tail
at the end of each and every one of them. No
matter what the subject might be, a brain-racking
effort was made to squirm it into some aspect or
other that the moral and religious mind could con
template with edification. The glaring insincerity
of these sermons was not sufficient to compass the
banishment of the fashion from the schools, and it is
not sufficient to-day ; it never will be sufficient while
the world stands, perhaps. There is no school in
all our land where the young ladies do not feel
obliged to close their compositions with a sermon ;
and you will find that the sermon of the most
frivolous and the least religious girl in the school is
always the longest and the most relentlessly pious.
But enough of this. Homely truth is unpalatable.
Let us return to the "Examination." The first
composition that was read was one entitled ' ' Is
this, then, Life?" Perhaps the reader can endure
an extract from it :
" In the common walks of life, with what delightful emotions does
the youthful mind look forward to some anticipated scene of festivity !
Imagination is busy sketching rose-tinted pictures of joy. In fancy, the
voluptuous votary of fashion sees herself amid the festive throng, ' the
observed of all observers.' Her graceful form, arrayed in snowy robes,
is whirling through the mazes of the joyous dance; her eye is brightest,
her step is lightest in the gay assembly.
" In such delicious fancies time quickly glides by, and the welcome
hour arrives for her entrance into the elysian world, of which she has had
such bright dreams. How fairy-like does everything appear to her
enchanted vision ! Each new scene is more charming than the last.
But after a while she finds that beneath this goodly exterior, all is vanity:
Tom Sawyer 207
the flattery which once charmed her soul, now grates harshly upon her
ear; the ball-room has lost its charms; and with wasted health and im-
bittered heart, she turns away with the conviction that earthly pleasures
cannot satisfy the longings of the soul ! "
And so forth and so on. There was a buzz of
gratification from time to time during the reading,
accompanied by whispered ejaculations of " How
sweet!" "How eloquent!" "So true!" etc., and
after the thing had closed with a peculiarly afflicting
sermon the applause was enthusiastic.
Then arose a slim, melancholy girl, whose face
had the "interesting" paleness that comes of pills
and indigestion, and read a " poem." Two stanzas
of it will do :
A MISSOURI MAIDEN'S FAREWELL TO ALABAMA
Alabama, good-bye ! I love thee well !
But yet for awhile do I leave thee now!
Sad, yes, sad thoughts of thee my heart doth swell,
And burning recollections throng my brow!
For I have wandered through thy flowery woods;
Have roamed and read near Tallapoosa's stream;
Have listened to Tallassee's warring floods,
And wooed on Coosa's side Aurora's beam.
Yet shame I not to bear an o'er-full heart,
Nor blush to turn behind my tearful eyes;
'Tis from no stranger land I now must part,
'Tis to no strangers left I yield these sighs.
Welcome and home were mine within this State,
Whose vales I leave — whose spires fade fast from me;
And cold must be mine eyes, and heart, and tete,
When, dear Alabama! they turn cold on thee!
There were very few the^e who knew what " tete "
208 Tom Sawyer
meant, but the poem was very satisfactory, never
theless.
Next appeared a dark-complexioned, black-eyed,
black-haired young lady, who paused an impressive
moment, assumed a tragic expression, and began to
read in a measured, solemn tone.
A VISION
Dark and tempestuous was night. Around the throne on high
not a single star quivered; but the deep intonations of the heavy thunder
constantly vibrated upon the ear; whilst the terrific lightning revelled in
angry mood through the cloudy chambers of heaven, seeming to scorn
the power exerted over its terror by the illustrious Franklin ! Even the
boisterous winds unanimously came forth from their mystic homes, and
blustered about as if to enhance by their aid the wildness of the scene.
At such a time, so dark, so dreary, for human sympathy my very
spirit sighed; but instead thereof,
"My dearest friend, my counsellor, my comforter and guide —
My joy in grief, my second bliss in joy," came to my side.
She moved like one of those bright beings pictured in the sunny walks
of fancy's Eden by the romantic and young, a queen of beauty unadorned
save by her own transcendent loveliness. So soft was her step, it failed
to make even a sound, and but for the magical thrill imparted by her
genial touch, as other unobtrusive beauties, she would have glided away
unperceived — unsought. A strange sadness rested upon her features,
like icy tears upon the robe of December, as she pointed to the contend
ing elements without, and bade me contemplate the two beings pre
sented.
This nightmare occupied some ten pages of manu
script and wound up with a sermon so destructive of
all hope to non-Presbyterians that it took the first
prize. This composition was considered to be the
very finest effort of the evening. The mayor of the
village, in delivering the prize to the author of it,
Tom Sawyer 209
made a warm speech in which he said that it was by
far the most " eloquent " thing he had ever listened
to, and that Daniel Webster himself might well be
proud of it.
It may be remarked, in passing, that the number
of compositions in which the word "beauteous"
was over-fondled, and human experience referred to
as " life's page/' was up to the usual average.
Now the master, mellow almost to the verge of
geniality, put his chair aside, turned his back to the
audience, and began to draw a map of America on
the blackboard, to exercise the geography class
upon. But he made a sad business of it with his
unsteady hand, and a smothered titter rippled over
the house. He knew what the matter was and set
himself to right it. He sponged out lines and re
made them ; but he only distorted them more than
ever, and the tittering was more pronounced. He
threw his entire attention upon his work, now, as if
determined not to be put down, by the mirth. He
felt that all eyes were fastened upon him; he
imagined he was succeeding, and yet the tittering
continued; it even manifestly increased. And well
it might. There was a garret above, pierced with a
scuttle over his head ; and down through this scuttle
came a cat, suspended around the haunches by a
string ; she had a rag tied about her head and jaws
to keep her from mewing; as she slowly descended
she curved upward and clawed at the string, she
swung downward and clawed at the intangible air.
14
210 Tom Sawyer
The tittering rose higher and higher — the cat was
within six inches of the absorbed teacher's head —
down, down, a little lower, and she grabbed his wig
with her desperate claws, clung to it, and was
snatched up into the garret in an instant with her
trophy still in her possession ! And how the light
did blaze abroad from the master's bald pate — for
the sign-painter's boy had gilded it !
That broke up the meeting. The boys were
avenged. Vacation had come.
NOTE. — The pretended "compositions" quoted in this chapter are
taken without alteration from a volume entitled " Prose and Poetry, by a
Western Lady" — but they are exactly and precisely after the school
girl pattern, and hence are much happier than any mere imitations
could be.
CHAPTER XXII.
TOM joined the new order of Cadets of Temper
ance, being attracted by the showy character
of their "regalia." He promised to abstain from
smoking, chewing, and profanity as long as he re
mained a member. Now he found out a new thing
— namely, that to promise not to do a thing is the
surest way in the world to make a body want to go
and do that very thing. Tom soon found himself
tormented with a desire to drink and swear; the
desire grew to be so intense that nothing but the
hope of a chance to display himself in his red sash
kept him from withdrawing from the order. Fourth
of July was coming ; but he soon gave that up — -
gave it up before he had worn his shackles over
forty-eight hours — and fixed his hopes upon old
Judge Frazer, justice of the peace, who was ap
parently on his deathbed and would have a big
public funeral, since he was so high an official.
During three days Tom was deeply concerned about
the Judge's condition and hungry for news of it.
Sometimes his hopes ran high — so high that he
would venture to get out his regalia and practice
before the looking-glass But the Judge had a most
H (211)
212 Tom Sawyer
discouraging way of fluctuating. At last he was
pronounced upon the mend — and then convalescent.
Tom was disgusted ; and felt a sense of injury, too.
He handed in his resignation at once — and that
night the Judge suffered a relapse and died, Tom
resolved that he would never trust a man like that
again.
The funeral was a fine thing. The Cadets paraded
in a style calculated to kill the late member with
envy. Tom was a free boy again, however — there
was something in that. He could drink and swear,
now — but found to his surprise that he did not want
to. The simple fact that he could, took the desire
away, and the charm of it.
Tom presently wondered to find that his coveted
vacation was beginning to hang a little heavily on his
hands.
He attempted a diary — but nothing happened
during three days, and so he abandoned it.
The first of all the negro minstrel shows came to
town, and made a sensation. Tom and Joe Harper
got up a band of performers and were happy for two
days.
Even the Glorious Fourth was in some sense a
failure, for it rained hard, there was no procession
in consequence, and the greatest rr»-n in the world
(as Tom supposed) Mr. Benton, an actual United
States Senator, proved an ovei whelming disap
pointment — for he was not twenty-five feet high,
nor even anywhere in the neighborhood of it.
Tom Sawyer 213
A circus came. The boys played circus for three
days afterward in tents made of rag carpeting — ad
mission, three pins for boys, two for girls — and
then circusing was abandoned.
A phrenologist and a mesmerizer came — and
went again and left the village duller and drearier
than ever.
There were some boys-and-girls' parties, but they
were so few and so delightful that they only made
the aching voids between ache the harder.
Becky Thatcher was gone to her Constantinople
home to stay with her parents during vacation — so
there was no bright side to life anywhere.
The dreadful secret of the murder was a chronic
misery. It was a very cancer for permanency and
pain.
Then came the measles.
During two long weeks Tom lay a prisoner, dead
to the world and its happenings. He was very ill,
he was interested in nothing. When he got upon
his feet at last and moved feebly down town, a
melancholy change had come over everything and
every creature. There had been a " revival," and
everybody had " got religion," not only the adults,
but even the boys and girls. Tom went about,
hoping against hope for the sight of one blessed
sinful face, but disappointment crossed him every
where. He found Joe Harper studying a Testament,
and turned sadly away from the depressing spectacle.
He sought Ben Rogers, and found him visiting the
214 Tom Sawyer
poor with a basket of tracts. He hunted up Jim
Hollis, who called his attention to the precious bless
ing of his late measles as a warning. Every boy he
encountered added another ton to his depression ;
and when, in desperation, he flew for refuge at last
to the bosom of Huckleberry Finn and was received
with a Scriptural quotation, his heart broke and he
crept home and to bed realizing that he alone of all
the town was lost, forever and forever.
And that night there came on a terrific storm,
with driving rain, awful claps of thunder and blind
ing sheets of lightning. He covered his head with
the bedclothes and waited in a horror of suspense
for his doom ; for he had not the shadow of a doubt
that all this hubbub was about him. He believed he
had taxed the forbearance of the powers above to
the extremity of endurance and that this was the
result. It might have seemed to him a waste of
pomp and ammunition to kill a bug with a battery
of artillery, but there seemed nothing incongruous
about the getting up such an expensive thunder
storm as this to knock the turf from under an insect
like himself.
By and by the tempest spent itself and died with
out accomplishing its object. The boy's first im
pulse was to be grateful, and reform. His second
was to wait — for there might not be any more
storms.
The next day the doctors were back ; Tom had
relapsed. The three weeks he spent on his back
Tom Sawyer 215
time seemed an entire age. When he got abroad
at last he was hardly grateful that he had been
spared, remembering how lonely was his estate, how
companionless and forlorn he was. He drifted list
lessly down the street and found Jim Hollis acting as
judge in a juvenile court that was trying a cat for
murder, in the presence of her victim, a bird. He
found Joe Harper and Huck Finn up an alley eating
a stolen melon. Poor lads! they — like Tom — had
suffered a relapse.
CHAPTER XXIII.
AT last the sleepy atmosphere was stk'ted — and
vigorously: the murder trial came on in the
court. It became the absorbing topic of village
talk immediately. Tom could not get away from it.
Every reference to the murder sent a shudder to his
heart, for his troubled conscience and fears almost
persuaded him that these remarks were put forth in
his hearing as "feelers"; he did not see how he
could be suspected of knowing anything about the
murder, but still he could not be comfortable in the
midst of this gossip. It kept him in a cold shiver
all the time. He took Huck to a lonely place to
have a talk with him. It would be some relief to
unseal his tongue for a little while; to divide his
burden of distress with another sufferer. Moreover,
he wanted to assure himself that Huck had remained
discreet.
"Huck, have you ever told anybody about —
that?"
" 'Bout what?"
"You know what."
*• oh — 'course I haven't.0
(216)
Tom Sawyer 217
"Never a word?"
.... "Never a solitary word, so help me. What
makes you ask?"
"Well, I wasafeard."
"Why, Tom Sawyer, we wouldn't be alive two
days if that got found out. You know that."
Tom felt more comfortable. After a pause:
" Huck, they couldn't anybody get you to tell,
could they?"
"Get me to tell? Why, if I wanted that half-
breed devil to drownd me they could get me to tell.
They ain't no different way."
"Well, that's all right, then. I reckon we're
safe as long as we keep mum. But let's swear
again, anyway. It's more surer."
"I'm agreed."
So they swore again with dread solemnities.
"What is the talk around, Huck? I've heard a
power of it."
" Talk? Well, it's just Muff Potter, Muff Potter,
Muff Potter all the time. It keeps me in a sweat,
constant, so's I want to hide som'ers."
' That's just the same way they go on round me.
I reckon he's a goner. Don't you feel sorry for
him, sometimes?"
"Most always — most always. He ain't no ac
count; but then he hain't ever done anything to
hurt anybody. Just fishes a little, to get money to
get drunk on — and loafs around considerable ; but
lord, we all do that — leastways most of us, —
218 Tom Sawyer
preachers and such like. But he's kind of good —
he give me half a fish, once, when there warn't
enough for two; and lots of times he's kind of
stood by me when I was out of luck."
4 'Well, he's mended kites for me, Huck, and
knitted hooks on to my line. I wish we could get
him out of there."
"My! we couldn't get him out, Tom. And
besides, 'twouldn't do any good; they'd ketch him
again."
"Yes — so they would. But I hate to hear 'em
abuse him so like the dickens when he never done —
that."
" I do too, Tom. Lord, I hear 'em say he's the
bloodiest looking villain in this country, and they
wonder he wasn't ever hung before."
"Yes, they talk like that, all the time. I've
heard 'em say that if he was to get free they'd
lynch him."
"And they'd do it, too."
The boys had a long talk, but it brought them
little comfort. As the twilight drew on, they found
themselves hanging about the neighborhood of the
little isolated jail, perhaps with an undefined hope
that something would happen that might clear away
their difficulties. But nothing happened ; there
seemed to be no angels or fairies interested in this
luckless captive.
The boys did as they had often done before —
went to the cell grating and gave Potter some tobacco
Tom Sawyer 219
and matches. He was on the ground floor and there
were no guards.
His gratitude for their gifts had always smote their
consciences before — it cut deeper than ever, this
time. They felt cowardly and treacherous to the
last degree when Potter said :
"You've been mighty good to me, boys — -
better'n anybody else in this town. And I don't
forget it, I don't. Often I says to myself, says I, ' I
used to mend all the boys' kites and things, and
show 'em where the good fishin' places was, and
befriend 'em what I could, and now they've all for
got old Muff when he's in trouble; but Tom don't,
and Huck don't — they don't forget him,' says I,
'and I don't forget them.' Well, boys, I done an
awful thing — drunk and crazy at the time — that's
the only way I account for it — and now I got to
swing for it, and it's right. Right, and best, too, I
reckon — hope so, anyway. Well, we won't talk
about that. I don't want to make you feel bad;
you've befriended me. But what I want to say, is,
don't you ever get drunk — then you won't ever get
here. Stand a litter furder west — so — that's it;
it's a prime comfort to see faces that's friendly when
a body's in such a muck of trouble, and there don't
none come here but yourn. Good friendly faces — -
good friendly faces. Git up on one another's backs
and let me touch 'em. That's it. Shake hands —
yourn'll come through the bars, but mine's too big.
Little hands, and weak — but they've helped Muff
220 Tom Sawyer
Potter a power, and they'd help him more if they
could."
Tom went home miserable, and his dreams that
night were full of horrors. The next day and the
day after, he hung about the court-room, drawn by
an almost irresistible impulse to go in, but forcing
himself to stay out. Huck was having the same
experience. They studiously avoided each other.
Each wandered away, from time to time, but the same
dismal fascination always brought them back pres
ently. Tom kept his ears open when idlers saun
tered out of the court-room, but invariably heard
distressing news — the toils were closing more and
more relentlessly around poor Potter. At the end
of the second day the village talk was to the effect
that Injun Joe's evidence stood firm and unshaken,
and that there was not the slightest question as to
what the jury's verdict would be.
Tom was out late, that night, and came to bed
through the window. He was in a tremendous state
of excitement. It was hours before he got to sleep.
All the village flocked to the court-house the next
morning, for this was to be the great day. Both
sexes were about equally represented in the packed
audience. After a long wait the jury filed in and
took their places; shortly afterward, Potter, pale
and haggard, timid and hopeless, was brought in,
with chains upon him, and seated where all the
curious eyes could stare at him ; no less conspicuous
was Injun Joe, stolid as ever. There was another
Tom Sawyer 221
pause, and then the judge arrived and the sheriff
proclaimed the opening of the court. The usual
whisperings among the lawyers and gathering to
gether of papers followed. These details and ac
companying delays worked up an atmosphere of
preparation that was as .impressive as it was fasci
nating.
Now a witness was called who testified that he
found Muff Potter washing in the brook, at an early
hour of the morning that the murder was discovered,
and that he immediately sneaked away. After some
further questioning, counsel for the prosecution said :
" Take the witness.''
The prisoner raised his eyes for a moment, but
dropped them again when his own counsel said :
" I have no questions to ask him."
The next witness proved the finding of the knife
near the corpse. Counsel for the prosecution said :
"Take the witness."
"I have no questions to ask him," Potter's lawyer
replied.
A third witness swore he had often seen the knife
in Potter's possession.
"Take the witness."
Counsel for Potter declined to question him. The
faces of the audience began to betray annoyance.
Did this attorney mean to throw away his client's
life without an effort ?
Several witnesses deposed concerning Potter's
guilty behavior when brought to the scene of the
222 Tom Sawyer
murder. They were allowed to leave the stand with
out being cross-questioned.
Every detail of the damaging circumstances that
occurred in the graveyard upon that morning which
all present remembered so well, was brought out by
credible witnesses, but none of them were cross-
examined by Potter's lawyer. The perplexity and
dissatisfaction of the house expressed itself in mur
murs and provoked a reproof from the bench.
Counsel for the prosecution now said :
' ' By the oaths of citizens whose simple word is
above suspicion, we have fastened this awful crime,
beyond all possibility of question, upon the unhappy
prisoner at the bar. We rest our case here."
A groan escaped from poor Potter, and he put his
face in his hands and rocked his body softly to and
fro, while a painful silence reigned in the court
room. Many men were moved, and many women's
compassion testified itself in tears. Counsel for the
defense rose and said :
" Your honor, in our remarks at the opening of
this trial, we foreshadowed our purpose to prove
that our client did this fearful deed while under the
influence of a blind and irresponsible delirium pro
duced by drink. We have changed our mind. We
shall not offer that plea." [Then to the clerk:]
"Call Thomas Sawyer!"
A puzzled amazement awoke in every face in the
house, not even excepting Potter's. Every eye fas
tened itself with wondering interest upon Tom as he
Tom Sawyer 223
rose and took his place upon the stand. The boy
looked wild enough, for he was badly scared. The
oath was administered.
" Thomas Sawyer, where were you on the seven
teenth of June, about the hour of midnight?"
Tom glanced at Injun Joe's iron face and his
tongue failed him. The audience listened breath
less, but the words refused to come. After a few
moments, however, the boy got a little of his
strength back, and managed to put enough of it
into his voice to make part of the house hear :
" In the graveyard !"
"A little bit louder, please. Don't be afraid.
You were "
" In the graveyard."
A contemptuous smile flitted across Injun Joe's
face.
' ' Were you anywhere near Horse Williams'
grave?"
"Yes, sir."
"Speak up — just a trifle louder. How near
were you?"
" Near as I am to you."
" Were you hidden, or not?"
"I was hid."
"Where?"
"Behind the elms that's on the edge of the
grave."
Injun Joe gave a barely perceptible start.
" Any one with you?"
224 Tom Sawyer
" Yes, sir. I went there with "
"Wait — wait a moment. Never mind mention
ing your companion's name. We will produce him
at the proper time. Did you carry anything there
with you."
Tom hesitated and looked confused.
"Speak out, my boy — don't be diffident. The
truth is always respectable. What did you take
there?"
Only a — a — dead cat."
There was a ripple of mirth, which the court
checked.
" We will produce the skeleton of that cat. Now,
my boy, tell us everything that occurred — tell it in
your own way — don't skip anything, and don't be
afraid."
Tom began — hesitatingly at first, but as he
warmed to his subject his words flowed more and
more easily; in a little while every sound ceased
but his own voice ; every eye fixed itself upon him ;
with parted lips and bated breath the audience hung
upon his words, taking no note of time, rapt in the
ghastly fascinations of the tale. The strain upon
pent emotion reached its climax when the boy said :
11 — and as the doctor fetched the board around
and Muff Potter fell, Injun Joe jumped with the
knife and "
Crash ! Quick as lightning the half-breed sprang
for a window, tore his way through all opposers,
and was gone !
CHAPTER XXIV.
TOM was a glittering hero once more — - the pet of
the old, the envy of the young. His name
even went into immortal print, for the village paper
magnified him. There were some that believed he
would be President, yet, if he escaped hanging.
As usual, the fickle, unreasoning world took Muff
Potter to its bosom and fondled him as lavishly as it
had abused him before. But that sort of conduct is
to the world's credit; therefore it is not well to find
fault with it.
Tom's days were days of splendor and exultation
to him, but his nights were seasons of horror. Injun
Joe infested all his dreams, and always with doom
in his eye. Hardly any temptation could persuade
the boy to stir abroad after nightfall. Poor Huck
was in the same state of wretchedness and terror, for
Tom had told the whole story to the lawyer the night
before the great day of the trial, and Huck was sore
afraid that his share in the business might leak out,
yet, notwithstanding Injun Joe's flight had saved
him the suffering of testifying in court. The poor
fellow had got the attorney to promise secrecy, but
15 (225)
226 Tom Sawyer
what of that? Since Tom's harassed conscience
had managed to drive him to the lawyer's house by
night and wring a dread tale from lips that had been
sealed with the dismalest and most formidable of
f
oaths, Huck's confidence in the human race was
well nigh obliterated.
Daily Muff Potter's gratitude made Tom glad he
had • spoken ; but nightly he wished he had sealed
up his tongue.
Half the time Tom was afraid Injun Joe would
never be captured ; the other half he was afraid he
would be. He felt sure he never could draw7 a safe
breath again until that man was dead and he had
seen the corpse.
Rewards had been offered, the country had been
scoured, but no Injun Joe was found. One of those
omniscient 'and awe-inspiring marvels, a detective,
came up from St. Louis, moused around, shook his
head, looked wise, and made that sort of astounding
success which members of that craft usually achieve.
That is to say, he " found a clew." But you can't
hang a " clew " for murder, and so after that detec
tive had got through and gone home, Tom felt just
as insecure as he was before.
The slow days drifted on, and each left behind it
a slightly lightened weight of apprehension.
CHAPTER XXV.
THERE comes a time in every rightly-constructed
boy's life when he has a raging desire to go
somewhere and dig for hidden treasure. This desire
suddenly came upon Tom one day. He sallied out
to find Joe Harper, but failed of success. Next he
sought Ben Rogers; he had gone fishing. Presently
he stumbled upon Huck Finn the Red-Handed.
Huck would answer. Tom took him to a private
place and opened the matter to him confidentially.
Huck was willing. Huck was always willing to take
a hand in any enterprise that offered entertainment
and required no capital, for he had a troublesome
superabundance of that sort of time which is not
money. " Where'll we dig?" said Huck.
" Oh, most anywhere."
"Why, is it hid all around?"
"No indeed it ain't. It's hid in mighty parties
lar places, Huck — sometimes on islands, sometimes
in rotten chests under the end of a limb of an old
dead tree, just where the shadow falls at midnight;
but mostly under the floor in ha'nted houses."
4 'Who hides it?"
o (227)
228 Tom Sawyer
"Why, robbers, of course — who'd you reckon?
Sunday-school sup'rintendents?"
" I don't know. If 'twas mine I wouldn't hide
it; I'd spend it and have a good time."
" So would I. But robbers don't do that way.
They always hide it and leave it there."
11 Don't they come after it any more?"
"No, they think they will, but they generally
forget the marks, or else they die. Anyway, it lays
there a long time and gets rusty; and by and by
somebody finds an old yellow paper that tells how
to find the marks — a paper that's got to be ciphered
over about a week because it's mostly signs and
hy'roglyphics."
"Hyro — which?"
" Hy'roglyphics — pictures and things, you know,
that don't seem to mean anything."
" Have you got one of them papers, Tom?"
"No."
" Well then, how you going to find the marks?"
"I don't want any marks. They always bury it
under a ha'nted house or on an island, or under a
dead tree that's got one limb sticking out. Well,
we've tried Jackson's Island a little, and we can try
it again some time; and there's the old ha'nted
house up the Still-House branch, and there's lots of
dead-limb trees — dead loads of *em."
"Is it under all of them?"
"How you talk! No!"
' * Then how you going to know which one to go f or ?"
Tom Sawyer
229
'Go for all of 'em!"
' Why, Tom, it'll take all summer."
* Well, what of that? Suppose you find a brass
pot with a hundred dollars in it, all rusty and gay,
or a rotten chest full of di'monds. How's that?"
Huck's eyes glowed.
" That's bully. Plenty bully enough for me.
Just you gimme the hundred dollars and I don't
want no di'monds."
8 All right. But I bet you / ain't going to throw
off on di'monds. Some of 'em's worth twenty dol
lars apiece — there ain't any, hardly, but's worth
six bits or a dollar."
'No! Is that so?"
' Cert'nly — anybody'll tell you so. Hain't you
ever seen one, Huck?"
" Not as I remember."
" Oh, kings have slathers of them."
"Well, I don't know no kings, Tom."
" I reckon you don't. But if you was to go to
Europe you'd see a raft of 'em hopping around."
'Do they hop?"
'Hop? — your granny! No!"
' Well, what did you say they did, for?"
1 Shucks, I only meant you'd see 'em — not hop
ping, of course — what do they want to hop for? —
but I mean you'd just see 'em — scattered around,
you know, in a kind of a general way. Like that
old humpbacked Richard."
" Richard? What's his other name?"
230 Tom Sawyer
" He didn't have any other name. Kings don't
have any but a given name."
"No?"
"But they don't."
14 Well, if they like it, Tom, all right; but I don't
want to be a king and have only just a given name,
like a nigger. But say — where you going to dig
first?"
11 Well, I don't know. S'pose we tackle that old
dead-limb tree on the hill t'other side of Still-House
branch?"
"I'm agreed."
So they got a crippled pick and a shovel, and set
out on their three-mile tramp. They arrived hot
and panting, and threw themselves down in the
shade of a neighboring elm to rest and have a
smoke.
" I like this," said Tom.
"So do I."
" Say, Huck, if we find a treasure here, what you
going to do with your share?"
"Well, I'll have pie and a glass of soda every
day, and I'll go to every circus that comes along. I
bet I'll have a gay time."
" Well, ain't you going to save any of it?"
"Save it? What for?"
"Why, so as to have something to live on, by
and by."
" Oh, that ain't any use. Pap would come back
to thish-yer town some day and get h;s claws on it
Tom Sawyer 231
if I didn't hurry up, and I tell you he'd clean it out
pretty quick. What you going to do with yourn,
Tom-?"
"I'm going to buy a new drum, and a sure-
'nough sword, and a red necktie and a bull pup, and
get married."
"Married!"
"That 'sit."
" Tom, you — why, you ain't in your right mind."
"Wait — you '11 see."
"Well, that's the foolishest thing you could do.
Look at pap and my mother. Fight ! Why, they
used to fight all the time. I remember, mighty
well."
"That ain't anything. The girl I'm going to
marry won't fight."
"Tom, I reckon they're all alike. They'll all
comb a body. Now you better think 'bout this a
while, I tell you you better. What's the name of
the gal?"
" It ain't a gal at all — it's a girl."
" It's all the same, I reckon; some says gal, some
says girl — both's right, like enough. Anyway,
what's her name, Tom?"
"I'll tell you some time — • not now."
" All right — that'll do. Only if you get married
I'll be more lonesomer than ever."
" No you won't. You'll come and live with me.
Now stir out of this and we'll go to digging."
They worked and sweated for half an hour. No
232 Tom Sawyer
result. They toiled another half hour. Still no
result. Huck said :
" Do they always bury it as deep as this?"
"Sometimes — not always. Not generally. I
reckon we haven't got the right place."
So they chose a new spot and began again. The
labor dragged a little, but still they made progress.
They pegged away in silence for some time. Finally
Huck leaned on his shovel, swabbed the beaded
drops from his brow with his sleeve, and said :
** Where you going to dig next, after we get this
one?"
11 I reckon maybe we'll tackle the old tree that's
over yonder on Cardiff Hill back of the widow's."
11 I reckon that'll be a good one. But won't the
widow take it away from us, Tom? It's on her
land."
"She take it away ! Maybe she'd like to try it
once. Whoever finds one of these hid treasures, it
belongs to him. It don't make any difference whose
land it's on."
That was satisfactory. The work went on. By
and by Huck said :
" Blame it, we must be in the wrong place again.
What do you think?"
" It is mighty curious, Huck. I don't understand
it. Sometimes witches interfere. I reckon maybe
that's what's the trouble now."
11 Shucks, witches ain't got no power in the day
time."
Tom Sawyer 233
" Well, that's so. I didn't think of that. Oh, /
know what the matter is ! What a blamed lot of
fools we are ! You got to find out where the shadow of
the limb falls at midnight, and that's where you dig !"
"Then consound it, we've fooled away all this
work for nothing. Now hang it all, we got to come
back in the night. It's an awful long way. Can
you get out?"
" I bet I will. We've got to do it to-night, too,
because if somebody sees these holes they'll know
in a minute what's here and they'll go for it."
" Well, I'll come around and maow to-night."
" All right. Let's hide the tools in the bushes."
The boys were there that night, about the ap
pointed time. They sat in the shadow waiting. It"
was a lonely place, and an hour made solemn by old
traditions. Spirits whispered in the rustling leaves,
ghosts lurked in the murky nooks, the deep baying
of a hound floated up out of the distance, an owl
answered with his sepulchral note. The boys were
subdued by these solemnities, and talked little. By
and by they judged that twelve had come; they
marked where the shadow fell, and began to dig.
Their hopes commenced to rise. Their interest
grew stronger, and their industry kept pace with
it. The hole deepened and still deepened, but every
time their hearts jumped to hear the pick strike
upon something, they only suffered a new disap
pointment. It was only a stone or a chunk. At
last Tom said :
234 Tom Sawyer
" It ain't any use, Huck, we're wrong again."
"Well, but we can't be wrong. We spotted the
shadder to a dot."
11 1 know it, but then there's another thing."
"What's that?"
"Why, we only guessed at the time. Like
enough it was too late or too early."
Huck dropped his shovel.
" That's it," said he. " That's the very trouble.
We got to give this one up. We can't ever tell the
right time, and besides this kind of thing's too
awful, here this time of night with witches and
ghosts a fluttering around so. I feel as if some
thing's behind me ail the time; and I'm afeard to
turn around, becuz maybe there's others in front
a-waiting for a chance. I been creeping all over,
ever since I got here,"
"Well, I've been pretty much so, too, Huck.
They most always put in a dead man when they
bury a treasure under a tree, to look out for it."
"Lordy!"
" Yes, they do. I've always heard that."
' Tom, I don't like to fool around much where
there's dead people. A body's bound to get into
trouble with 'em, sure."
' ' I don't like to stir 'em up, either. S'pose this one
here was to stick his skull out and say something!"
"Don't, Tom! It's awful."
" Well, it just is. Huck, I don't feel comfortable
a bit."
Tom Sawyer 235
" Say, Tom, let's give this place up, and try
somewheres else."
" All right, I reckon we better."
"What'llitbe?"
Tom considered a while ; and then said :
" The ha'nted house. That's it!"
"Blame it, I don't like ha'nted houses, Tom.
Why, they're a dern sight worse'n dead people.
Dead people might talk, maybe, but they don't
come sliding around in a shroud, when you ain't
noticing, and peep over your shoulder all of a sud
den and grit their teeth, the way a ghost does. I
couldn't stand such a thing as that, Tom — nobody
could."
" Yes, but Huck, ghosts don't travel around only
at night. They won't hender us from digging there
in the daytime."
"Well, that's so. But you know mighty well
people don't go about that ha'nted house in the day
nor the night."
"Well, that's mostly because they don't like to
go where a man's been murdered, anyway — but
nothing's ever been seen around that house except
in the night — just some blue lights slipping by the
windows — no regular ghosts."
"Well, where you see one of them blue lights
flickering around, Tom, you can bet there's a ghost
mighty close behind it. It stands to reason. Becuz
you know that they don't anybody but ghosts use
'em."
236 Tom Sawyer
" Yes, that's so. But anyway they don't come
around in the daytime, so what's the use of our
being afeard?"
" Well, all right. We'll tackle the ha'nted house
if you say so — but I reckon it's taking chances."
They had started down the hill by this time.
There in the middle of the moonlit valley below
them stood the " ha'nted " house, utterly isolated, its
fences gone long ago, rank weeds smothering the
very doorsteps, the chimney crumbled to ruin, the
window-sashes vacant, a corner of the roof caved in.
The boys gazed a while, half expecting to see a blue
light flit past a window; then talking in a low tone,
as befitted the time and the circumstances, they
struck far off to the right, to give the haunted house
a wide berth, and took their way homeward through
the woods that adorned the rearward side of Cardiff
Hill.
CHAPTER XXVI.
TV BOUT noon the next play the boys arrived at the
• » dead tree; they had come for their tools.
Tom was impatient to go to the haunted house;
Huck was measurably so, also — but suddenly said:
" Lookyhere, Tom, do you know what day it is?"
Tom mentally ran over the days of the week, and
then quickly lifted his eyes with a startled look in
them —
11 My ! I never once thought of it, Huck !"
" Well, I didn't neither, but all at once it popped
onto me that it was Friday."
"Blame it, a body can't be too careful, Huck.
We might a got into an awful scrape, tackling such
a thing on a Friday."
"Might! Better say we would ! There's some
lucky days, maybe, but Friday ain't."
44 Any fool knows that. I don't reckon you was
the first that found it out, Huck."
44 Well, I never said I was, did I? And Friday
ain't all, neither. I had a rotten bad dream last
night — dreampt about rats . ' '
44 No! Sure sign of trouble. Did they fight?"
44 No."
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238 Tom Sawyer
"Well, that's good, Huck. When they don't
fight it's only a sign that there's trouble around,
you know. All we got to do is to look mighty
sharp and keep out of it. We'll drop this thing for
to-day, and play. Do you know Robin Hood,
Huck?"
"No. Who's Robin Hood?"
' ' Why, he was one of • the greatest men that was
ever in England — and the best. He was a robber."
" Cracky, I wisht I was. Who did he rob?"
1 ' Only sheriffs and bishops and rich people and
kings, and such like. But he never bothered the
poor. He loved 'em. He always divided up with
'em perfectly square."
" Well, he must 'a' been a brick."
"I bet you he was, Huck. Oh, he was the
noblest man that ever was. They ain't any such
men now, I can tell you. He could lick any man
in England, with one hand tied behind him; and he
could take his yew bow and plug a ten cent piece
every time, a mile and a half."
"What's a yew bow?"
"/ don't know. It's some kind of a bow, of
course. And if he hit that dime only on the edge
he would set down and cry — and curse. But we'll
play Robin Hood — it's nobby fun. I'll learn you."
"I'm agreed."
So they played Robin Hood all the afternoon,
now and then casting a yearning eye down upon the
haunted house and passing a remark about the
Tom Sawyer 239
morrow's prospects and possibilities there. As the
sun began to sink into the west they took their way
homeward athwart the long shadows of the trees and
soon were buried from sight in the forests of Cardiff
Hill.
On Saturday, shortly after noon, the boys were
at the dead tree again. They had a smoke and a
chat in the shade, and then dug a little in their last
hole, not with great hope, but merely because Tom
said there were so many cases where people had
given up a treasure after getting down within six
inches of it, and then somebody else had come along
and turned it up with a single thrust of a shovel.
The thing failed this time, however, so the boys
shouldered their tools and went away feeling that
they had not trifled with fortune, but had fulfilled all
the requirements that belong to the business of
treasure-hunting.
When they reached the haunted house there was
something so weird and grisly about the dead silence
that reigned there under the baking sun, and some
thing so depressing about the loneliness and desola
tion of the place, that they were afraid, for a mo
ment, to venture in. Then they crept to the door
and took a trembling peep. They t saw a weed-
grown, floorless room, unplastered, an ancient fire
place, vacant windows, a ruinous staircase; and
here, there, and everywhere, hung ragged and aban
doned cobwebs. They presently entered, softly,
with quickened pulses, talking in whispers, ears alert
240 Tom Sawyer
to catch the slightest sound, and muscles tense and
ready for instant retreat.
In a little while familiarity modified their fears and
they gave the place a critical and interested exam
ination, rather admiring their own boldness, and
wondering at it, too. Next they wanted to look up
stairs. This was something like cutting off retreat,
but they got to daring each other, and of course
there could be but one result — they threw their
tools into a corner and made the ascent. Up there
were the same signs of decay. In one corner they
found a closet that promised mystery, but the
promise was a fraud — there was nothing in it.
Their courage was up now and well in hand. They
were about to go down and begin work when —
"Sh!" said Tom.
"What is it?" whispered Huck, blanching with
fright.
"Sh!.0 There! Hear it?'1
"Yes! Oh, my! Let's run!"
" Keep still ! Don't you budge ! They're coming
right toward the door."
The boys stretched themselves upon the floor with
their eyes to knot holes in the planking, and lay
waiting, in a misery of fear.
"They've stopped No — coming
Here they are. Don't whisper another wordy Huck.
My goodness, I wish I was out of this !"
Two men entered. Each boy said to himself:
"There's the old deaf and dumb Spaniard that's
Tom Sawyer 241
been about town once or twice lately — never saw
t'other man before."
"T'other" was a ragged, unkempt creature, with
nothing very pleasant in his face. The Spaniard
was wrapped in a seraph; he had bushy white
whiskers; long white hair flowed from under his
sombrero, and he wore green goggles. When they
came in, "t'other" was talking in a low voice;
they sat down on the ground, facing the door, with
their backs to the wall, and the speaker continued
his remarks. His manner became less guarded and
his words more distinct as he proceeded :
" No," said he, " I've thought it all over, and I
don't like it. It's dangerous."
"Dangerous!" grunted the "deaf and dumb"
Spaniard, — to the vast surprise of the boys. " Milk
sop!"
This voice made the boys gasp and quake. It
was Injun Joe's ! There was silence for some time.
Then Joe said :
"What's anymore dangerous than that job up
yonder — but nothing's come of it."
'That's different. Away up the river so, and
not another house about. 'Twon't ever be known
that we tried, anyway, long as we didn't succeed."
'* Well, what's more dangerous than coming here
in the daytime ! — anybody would suspicion us that
saw us."
" / know that. But there warn't any other place
as handy after that fool of a job. I want to quit
16
242 Tom Sawyer
this shanty. I wanted to yesterday, only it warn't
any use trying to stir out of here, with those infernal
boys playing over there on the hill right in full
view."
1 ' Those infernal boys ' ' quaked again under the
inspiration of this remark, and thought how lucky it
was that they had remembered it was Friday and
concluded to wait a day. They wished in their
hearts they had waited a year.
The two men got out some food and made a
luncheon. After a long and thoughtful silence,
Injun Joe said :
"Look here, lad — you go back up the river
where you belong. Wait there till you hear from
me. I'll take the chances on dropping into this
town just once more, for a look. We'll do that
' dangerous ' job after I've spied around a little and
think things look well for it. Then for Texas !
We'll legit together!"
This was satisfactory. Both men presently fell to
yawning, and Injun Joe said :
"I'm dead for sleep ! It's your turn to watch."
He curled down in the weeds and soon began to
snore. His comrade stirred him once or twice and
he became quiet. Presently the watcher began to
nod ; his head drooped lower and lower, both men
began to snore now.
The boys drew a long, grateful breath. Tom
whispered :
' ' Now' s our chance — come ! * '
Tom Sawyer 243
Huck said:
•' I can't — I'd die if they was to wake."
Tom urged — Huck held back. At last Tom rose
slowly and softly, and started alone. But the first
step he made wrung such a hideous creak from the
crazy floor that he sank down almost dead with
fright. He never made a second attempt. The
boys lay there counting the dragging moments till it
seemed to them that time must be done and eternity
growing gray ; and then they were grateful to note
that at last the sun was setting.
Now one snore ceased. Injun Joe sat up, stared
around — smiled grimly upon his comrade, whose
head was drooping upon his knees — stirred him up
with his foot and said :
"Here! You're a watchman, ain't you! All
right, though — nothing's happened."
"My! have I been asleep?"
" Oh, partly, partly. Nearly time for us to be
moving, pard. What' 11 we do with what little swag
we've got left?"
"I don't know — leave it here as we've always
done, I reckon. No use to take it away till we start
south. Six hundred and fifty in silver's something
to carry."
" Well — all right — it won't matter to come here
once more."
4* No — but I'd say come in the night as we used
to do — it's better."
* ' Yes : but look here ; it may be a good while
244 Tom Sawyer
before I get the right chance at that job ; accidents
might happen; 'tain't in such a very good place;
we'll just regularly bury it — and bury it deep."
*c Good idea," said the comrade, who walked
across the room, knelt down, raised one of the rear
ward hearthstones and took out a bag that jingled
pleasantly. He subtracted from it twenty or thirty
dollars for himself and as much for Injun Joe
and passed the bag to the latter, who was on
his knees in the corner, now, digging with his bowie-
knife.
The boys forgot all their fears, all their miseries in
an instant. With gloating eyes they watched every
movement. Luck ! — the splendor of it was beyond
all imagination ! Six hundred dollars was money
enough to make half a dozen boys rich ! Here was
treasure-hunting under the happiest auspices — • there
would not be any bothersome uncertainty as to
where to dig. They nudged each other every mo
ment — eloquent nudges and easily understood, for
they simply meant — " Oh, but ain't you glad now
we' re here!"
Joe's knife struck upon something.
" Hello!" said he.
" What is it? " said his comrade.
" Half-rotten plank — no, it's a box, I believe.
Here — bear a hand and we'll see what it's here for.
Never mind, I've broke a hole.'*
He reached his hand in and drew it out —
"Man, it's money!"
Tom Sawyer 245
The two men examined the handful of coins.
They were gold. The boys above were as excited
as themselves, and as delighted.
Joe's comrade said :
" We'll make quick work of this. There's an old
rusty pick over amongst the weeds in the corner the
other side of the fireplace — I saw it a minute
ago."
He ran and brought the boys' pick and shovel.
Injun Joe took the pick, looked it over critically,
shook his head, muttered something to himself, and
then began to use it. The box was soon unearthed.
It was not very large ; it was iron bound and had
been very strong before the slow years had injured
it. The men contemplated the treasure a while in
blissful silence.
" Pard, there's thousands of dollars here," said
Injun Joe.
" 'Twas always said that Murrel's gang used to be
around here one summer," the stranger observed.
"I know it," said Injun Joe; "and this looks
like it, I should say."
" Now you won't need to do that job."
The half-breed frowned. Said he:
"You don't know me. Least you don't know
all about that thing. 'Tain't robbery altogether —
it's revenge /" and a wicked light flamed in his eyes.
"I'll need your help in it. When it's finished —
then Texas. Go home to your Nance and your
kids, and stand by till you hear from me."
246 Tom Sawyer
" Well — if you say so, what' 11 we do with this —
bury it again?"
"Yes. [Ravishing delight overhead.] No! by
the great Sachem, no ! [Profound distress over
head.] I'd nearly forgot. That pick had fresh
earth on it ! [The boys were sick with terror in a
moment.] What business has a pick and a shovel
here? What business with fresh earth on them?
Who brought them here — and where are they gone?
Have you heard anybody? — seen anybody? What!
bury it again and leave them to come and see the
ground disturbed? Not exactly — not exactly. WV11
take it to my den."
" Why, of course ! Might have thought of that
before. You mean Number One?"
"No — Number Two — under the cross. The
other place is bad — too common."
" All right. It's nearly dark enough to start."
Injun Joe got up and went about from window to
window cautiously peeping out. Presently he said :
11 Who could have brought those tools here? Do
you reckon they can be up stairs?"
The boys' breath forsook them. Injun Joe put
his hand on his knife, halted a moment, undecided,
and then turned toward the stairway. The boys
thought of the closet, but their strength was gone.
The steps came creaking up the stairs — the intoler
able distress of the situation woke the stricken reso
lution of the lads — they were about to spring for
the closet, when there was a crash of rotten timbers
Tom Sawyer 247
and Injun Joe landed on the ground amid the ctibris
of the ruined stairway. He gathered himself up
cursing, and his comrade said :
*8 Now what's the use of all that? If it's any
body, and they're up there, let them stay there —
who cares? If they want to jump down, now, and
get into trouble, who objects? It will be dark in
fifteen minutes — and then let them follow us if they
want to. I'm willing. In my opinion, whoever
hove those things in here caught a sight of us and
took us for ghosts or devils or something. I'll bet
they're running yet."
Joe grumbled a while; then he agreed with his
friend that what daylight was left ought to be
economized in getting things ready for leaving.
Shortly afterward they slipped out of the house in
the deepening twilight, and moved toward the river
with their precious box.
Tom and Huck rose up, weak but vastly relieved,
and stared after them through the chinks between
the logs of the house. Follow? Not they. They
were content to reach ground again without broken
necks, and take the townward track over the hill.
They did not talk much. They were too much
absorbed in hating themselves — hating the ill luck
that made them take the spade and the pick there.
But for that, Injun Joe never would have suspected.
He would have hidden the silver wi£h the gold to
wait there till his " revenge " was satisfied, and then
he would have had the misfortune to find that
248 Tom Sawyer
money turn up missing. Bitter, bitter luck that the
tools were ever brought there !
They resolved to keep a lookout for that Spaniard
when he should come to town spying out for chances
to do his revengeful job, and follow him to " Num
ber Two," wherever that might be. Then a ghastly
thought occurred to Tom :
" Revenge? What if he means us, Huck!"
" Oh, don't!" said Huck, nearly fainting.
They talked it all over, and as they entered town
they agreed to believe that he might possibly mean
somebody else — at least that he might at least mean
nobody but Tom, since only Tom had testified.
Very, very small comfort it was to Tom to be
alone in danger ! Company would be a palpable
improvement, he thought.
CHAPTER XXVII.
THE adventure of the day mightily tormented
Tom's dreams that night. Four times he had
his hands on that rich treasure and four times it
wasted to nothingness in his fingers as sleep forsook
him and wakefulness brought back the hard reality
of his misfortune. As he lay in the early morning
recalling the incidents of his great adventure, he
noticed that they seemed curiously subdued and far
away — somewhat as if they had happened in
another world, or in a time long gone by. Then it
occurred to him that the great adventure itself must
be a dream ! There was one very strong argument
in favor of this idea — namely, that the quantity of
coin he had seen was too vast to be real. He had
never seen as much as fifty dollars in one mass
before, and he was like all boys of his age and
station in life, in that he imagined that all references
to " hundreds " and " thousands " were mere fanci
ful forms of speech, and that no such sums really
existed in the world. He never had supposed for a
moment that so large a sum as a hundred dollars
was to be found in actual money in any one's pos
session. If his notions of hidden treasure had been
(249)
250 Tom Sawyer
analyzed, they would have been found to consist of
a handful of real dimes and a bushel of vague,
splendid, ungraspable dollars.
But the incidents of his adventure grew sensibly
sharper and clearer under the attrition of thinking
them over, and so he presently found himself lean
ing to the impression that the thing might not have
been a dream, after all. This uncertainty must be
swept away. He would snatch a hurried breakfast
and go and find Huck.
Huck was sitting on the gunwale of a flatboat,
listlessly dangling his feet in the water and looking
very melancholy. Tom concluded to let Huck lead
up to the subject. If he did not do it, then the ad
venture would be proved to have been only a dream.
"Hello, Huck!"
"Hello, yourself."
Silence, for a minute.
' Tom, if we'd 'a' left the blame tools at the dead
tree, we'd 'a' got the money. Oh, ain't it awful!"
'Tain't a dream, then, 'taint a dream ! Some
how I most wish it was. Dog'd if I don't, Huck."
"What ain't a dream?"
" Oh, that thing yesterday. I been half thinking
it was."
"Dream! If them stairs hadn't broke down
you'd 'a' seen how much dream it was! I've had
dreams enough all night — with that patch-eyed
Spanish devil going for me all through 'em — rot
him!"
Tom Sawyer 251
"No, not rot him. Find him! Track the
money!"
" Tom, we'll never find him. A feller don't have
only one chance for such a pile — and that one's
lost. I'd feel mighty shaky if I was to see him,
anyway."
" Well, so'd I ; but I'd like to see him, anyway —
and track him out — to his Number Two."
"Number Two — yes, that's it. I ben thinking
'bout that. But I can't make nothing out of it.
What do you reckon it is?"
"I dono. It's too deep. Say, Huck — maybe
it's the number of a house !"
" Goody! No, Tom, that ain't it. If it is,
it ain't in this one-horse town. They ain't no num
bers here."
" Well, that's so. Lemme think a minute. Here
— it's the number of a room — in a tavern, you
know!"
"Oh, that's the trick! They ain't only two
taverns. We can find out quick."
1 You stay here, Huck, till I come."
Tom was off at once. He did not care to have
Huck's company in public places. He was gone
half an hour. He found that in the best tavern,
No. 2 had long been occupied by a young lawyer,
and was still so occupied. In the less ostentatious
house No. 2 was a mystery. The tavern-keeper's
young son said it was kept locked all the time, and
he never saw anybody go into it or come out of it
252 Tom Sawyer
except at night; he did not know any particular
reason for this state of things ; had had some little
curiosity, but it was rather feeble ; had made the
most of the mystery by entertaining himself with the
idea that that room was "ha'nted"; had noticed
that there was a light in there the night before.
'That's what I've found out, Huck. I reckon
that's the very No. 2 we're after."
11 1 reckon it is, Tom. Now what you going to
do?"
"Lemme think."
Tom thought a long time. Then he said :
" I'll tell you. The back door of that No. 2 is
the door that comes out into that little close alley
between the tavern and the old rattletrap of a brick
store. Now you get hold of all the doorkeys you
can find, and I'll nip all of Auntie's, and the first
dark night we'll go there and try 'em. And mind
you, keep a lookout for Injun Joe, because he said
he was going to drop into town and spy around
once more for a chance to get his revenge. If you
see him, you just follow him; and if he don't go to
that No. 2, that ain't the place."
11 Lordy, I don't want to foller him by myself!"
"Why, it'll be night, sure. He mightn't ever
see you — and if he did, maybe he'd never think
anything. ' '
" Well, if it's pretty dark I reckon I'll track him.
I dono — I dono. I'll try."
4'You bet 7'11 follow him, if it's dark, Huck.
Tom Sawyer 253
Why, he might V found out he couldn't get his
revenge, and be going right after that money."
"It's so, Tom, it's so. I'll foller him; I will,
by jingoes ! ' '
11 Now you're talking! Don't you ever weaken,
Huck, and I won't"
CHAPTER XXVIII.
"T"HAT night Tom and Huck were ready for their
• adventure. They hung about the neighbor
hood of the tavern until after nine, one watching
the alley at a distance and the other the tavern door,
Nobody entered the alley or left it ; nobody resem
bling the Spaniard entered or left the tavern door.
The night promised to be a fair one ; so Tom went
home with the understanding that if a considerable
degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and
" maow," whereupon he would slip out and try the
keys. But the night remained clear, and Huck
closed his watch and retired to bed in an empty
sugar hogshead about twelve.
Tuesday the boys had the same ill luck. Also
Wednesday. But Thursday night promised better.
Tom slipped out in good season with his aunt's old
tin lantern, and a large towel to blindfold it with.
He hid the lantern in Huck's sugar hogshead and
the watch began. An hour before midnight the
tavern closed up and its lights (the only ones
thereabouts) were put out. No Spaniard had been
seen. Nobody had entered or left the alley. Every-
(254)
Tom Sawyer 255
thing was auspicious. The blackness of darkness
reigned, the perfect stillness was interrupted only by
occasional mutterings of distant thunder.
Tom got his lantern, lit it in the hogshead,
wrapped it closely in the towel, and the two adven
turers crept in the gloom toward the tavern. Huck
stood sentry and Tom felt his way into the alley.
Then there was a season of waiting anxiety that
weighed upon Huck's spirits like a mountain. He
began to wish he could see a flash from the lantern —
— it would frighten him, but it would at least tell him
that Tom was alive yet. It seemed hours since Tom
had disappeared. Surely he must have fainted;
maybe he was dead ; maybe his heart had burst
under terror and excitement. In his uneasiness
Huck found himself drawing closer and closer to
the alley; fearing all sorts of dreadful things, and
momentarily expecting some catastrophe to happen
that would take away his breath. There was not
much to take away, for he seemed only able to
inhale it by thimblefuls, and his heart would soon
wear itself out, the way it was beating. Suddenly
there was a flash of light and Tom came tearing by
him:
"Run!" said he; " run, for your life!"
He needn't have repeated it; once was enough ;
Huck was making thirty or forty miles an hour
before the repetition was uttered. The boys never
stopped till they reached the shed of a deserted
slaughter-house at the lower end of the village. Just
256 Tom Sawyer
as they got within its shelter the storm burst and the
rain poured down. As soon as Tom got his breath
he said :
" Huck, it was awful ! I tried two of the keys,
just as soft as I could ; but they seemed to make
such a power of racket that I couldn't hardly get
my breath I was so scared. They wouldn't turn in
the lock, either. Well, without noticing what I was
doing, I took hold of the knob, and open comes the
door! It warn' t locked! I hopped in, and shook
off the towel, and, great Cczsar's ghost /"
" What!— -what' d you see, Tom!"
" Huck, I most stepped onto Injun Joe's hand !"
"No!"
"Yes! He was laying there, sound asleep on
the floor, with his old patch on his eye and his arms
spread out."
" Lordy, what did you do? Did he wake up?"
"No, never budged. Drunk, I reckon. I just
grabbed that towel and started ! ' '
" I'd never 'a' thought of the towel, I bet!"
"Well, 7 would. My aunt would make me
mighty sick if I lost it."
" Say, Tom, did you see that box?"
" Huck, I didn't wait to look around. I didn't
see the box, I didn't see the cross. I didn't see
anything but a bottle and a tin cup on the floor by
Injun Joe ; yes, and I saw two barrels and lots more
bottles in the room. Don't you see, now, what's
the matter with that ha'nted room?"
Tom Sawyer 257
"How?"
" Why, it's ha'nted with whisky ! Maybe all the
Temperance Taverns have got a ha'nted room, hey,
Huck?"
"Well, I reckon maybe that's so. Who'd V
thought such a thing? But say, Tom, now's a
mighty good time to get that box, if Injun Joe's
drunk."
41 It is, that! You try it!"
Huck shuddered.
"Well, no — I reckon not."
"And / reckon not, Huck. Only one bottle
alongside of Injun Joe ain't enough. If there'd
been three, he'd be drunk enough and I'd do it."
There was a long pause for reflection, and then
Tom said :
" Lookyhere, Huck, less not try that thing any
more till we know Injun Joe's not in there. It's too
scary. Now, if we watch every night, we'll be dead
sure to see him go out, some time or other, and
then we'll snatch that box quicker' n lightning."
"Well, I'm agreed. I'll watch the whole night
long, and I'll do it every night, too, if you'll do the
other part of the job."
" All right, I will. All you got to do is to trot up
Hooper street a block and maow — and if I'm
asleep, you throw some gravel at the window and
that'll fetch me."
" Agreed, and good as wheat!"
"Now, Huck, the storm's over, and I'll go
n
258 Tom Sawyer
home. It'll begin to be daylight in a couple of
hours. You go back and watch that long, will
you?"
" I said I would, Tom, and I will. I'll ha'nt that
tavern every night for a year ! I'll sleep all day and
I'll stand watch all night."
" That's all right. Now, where you going to
sleep?"
" In Ben Rogers' hayloft. He lets me, and so
does his pap's nigger man, Uncle Jake. I tote
water for Uncle Jake whenever he wants me to5 and
any time I ask him he gives me a little something to
eat if he can spare it. That's a mighty good nigger,
Torn. He likes me, becuz I don't ever act as if I
was above him. Sometimes I've set right down and
eat with him. But you needn't tell that. A body's
got to do things when he's awful hungry he wouldn't
want to do as a steady thing."
"Well, if I don't want you in the daytime, I'll let
you sleep. I won't come bothering around. Any
time you see something's up, in the night, just skip
right around and maow."
CHAPTER XXIX.
HPHE first thing Tom heard on Friday morning
• was a glad piece of news — Judge Thatcher's
family had come back to town the night before.
Both Injun Joe and the treasure sunk into secondary
importance for a moment, and Becky took the chief
place in the boy's interest. He saw her and they
had an exhausting good time playing " hi-spy " and
" gully-keeper" with a crowd of their schoolmates.
The day was completed and crowned in a peculiarly
satisfactory way: Becky teased her mother to ap
point the next day for the long-promised and long-
delayed picnic, and she consented. The child's
delight was boundless; and Tom's not more moder
ate. The invitations were sent out before sunset,
and straightway the young folks of the village were
thrown into a fever of preparation and pleasurable
anticipation. Tom's excitement enabled him to
keep awake until a pretty late hour, and he had
good hopes of hearing Huck's " maow," and of
having his treasure to astonish Becky and the pic
nickers with, next day; but he was disappointed.
No signal came, that night.
Q (259)
260 Tom Sawyer
Morning came, eventually, and by ten or eleven
o'clock a giddy and rollicking company were gath
ered at Judge Thatcher's, and everything was ready
for a start. It was not the custom for elderly peo
ple to mar picnics with their presence. The children
were considered safe enough under the wings of a
few young ladies of eighteen and a few young gen
tlemen of twenty- three or thereabouts. The old
steam ferryboat was chartered for the occasion;
presently the gay throng filed up the main street
laden with provision-baskets. Sid was sick and had
to miss the fun ; Mary remained at home to enter
tain him. The last thing Mrs. Thatcher said to
Becky, was:
"You'll not get back till late. Perhaps you'd
better stay all night with some of the girls that live
near the ferry landing, child."
"Then I'll stay with Susy Harper, mamma."
** Very well. And mind and behave yourself and
don't be any trouble."
Presently, as they tripped along, Tom said to
Becky :
"Say — I'll tell you what we'll do. 'Stead of
going to Joe Harper's we'll climb right up the hill
and stop at the Widow Douglas'. She'll have ice
cream ! She has it most every day — dead loads of
it. And she'll be awful glad to have us."
"Oh, that will be fun!"
Then Becky reflected a moment and said:
" But what will mamma say?"
Tom Sawyer 261
" How'll she ever know?"
*The girl turned the idea over in her mind, and
said reluctantly:
" I reckon it's wrong — but "
" But shucks ! Your mother won't know, and so
what's the harm? All she wants is that you'll be
safe; and I bet you she'd 'a' said go there if she'd
'a' thought of it. I know she would !"
The Widow Douglas' splendid hospitality was a
tempting bait. It and Tom's persuasions presently
carried the day. So it was decided to say nothing
to anybody about the night's programme. Presently
it occurred to Tom that maybe Huck might come
this very night and give the signal. The thought
took a deal of the spirit out of his anticipations.
Still he could not bear to give up the fun at Widow
Douglas'. And why should he give it up, he
reasoned — the signal did not come the night before,
so why should it be any more likely to come to
night? The sure fun of the evening outweighed the
uncertain treasure ; and boy like, he determined to
yield to the stronger inclination and not allow him
self to think of the box of money another time that
day.
Three miles below town the ferryboat stopped at
the mouth of a woody hollow and tied up. The
crowd swarmed ashore and soon the forest distances
and craggy heights echoed far and near with shout
ings and laughter. All the different ways of getting
hot and tired were gone through with, and by and
262 Tom Sawyer
by the rovers straggled back to camp fortified with
responsible appetites, and then the destruction of
the good things began. After the feast there was a
refreshing season of rest and chat in the shade of
spreading oaks. By and by somebody shouted :
"Who's ready for the cave?"
Everybody was. Bundles of candles were pro
cured, and straightway there was a general scamper
up the hill. The mouth of the cave was up the
hillside — an opening shaped like a letter A. Its
massive oaken door stood unbarred. Within was a
small chamber, chilly as an ice-house, and walled by
Nature with solid limestone that was dewy with a
cold sweat. It was romantic and mysterious to
stand here in the deep gloom and look out upon the
green valley shining in the sun. But the impressive-
ness of the situation quickly wore off, and the romp
ing began again. The moment a candle was lighted
there was a general rush upon the owner of it; a
struggle and a gallant defense followed, but the
candle was soon knocked down or blown out, and
then there was a glad clamor of laughter and a new
chase. But all things have an end. By and by the
procession went filing down the steep descent of the
main avenue, the flickering rank of lights dimly
revealing the lofty walls of rock almost to their
point of junction sixty feet overhead. This main
avenue was not more than eight or ten feet wide.
Every few steps other lofty and still narrower
crevices branched from it on either hand — for Me-
Tom Sawyer 263
Dougal's cave was but a vast labyrinth of crooked
aisles that ran into each other and out again and led
nowhere. It was said that one might wander days
and nights together through its intricate tangle of
rifts and chasms, and never find the end of the
cave; and that he might go down, and down, and
still down, into the earth, and it was just the same —
labyrinth underneath labyrinth, and no end to any
of them. No man "knew" the cave. That was
an impossible thing. Most of the young men knew
a portion of it, and it was not customary to venture
much beyond this known portion. Tom Sawyer
knew as much of the cave as any one.
The procession moved along the main avenue
some three-quarters of a mile, and then groups and
couples began to slip aside into branch avenues, fly
along the dismal corridors, and take each other by
surprise at points where the corridors joined again.
Parties were able to elude each other for the space
of half an hour without going beyond the " known "
ground.
By and by, one group after another came strag
gling back to the mouth of the cave, panting, hilari
ous, smeared from head to foot with tallow drip
pings, daubed with clay, and entirely delighted with
the success of the day. Then they were astonished
to find that they had been taking no note of time
and that night was about at hand. The clanging
bell had been calling for half an hour. How
ever, this sort of close to the day's adventures was
264 Tom Sawyer
romantic and therefore satisfactory. When the
ferryboat with her wild freight pushed into the
stream, nobody cared sixpence for the wasted time
but the captain of the craft.
Huck was already upon his watch when the ferry
boat's Hghts went glinting past the wharf. He heard
no noise on board, for the young people were as
subdued and still as people usually are who are
nearly tired to death. He wondered what boat it
was, and why she did not stop at the wharf — and
then he dropped her out of his mind and put his
attention upon his business. The night was grow
ing cloudy and dark. Ten o'clock came, and the
noise of vehicles ceased, scattered lights began to
wink out, all straggling foot passengers disappeared,
the village betook itself to its slumbers and left the
small watcher alone with the silence and the ghosts.
Eleven o'clock came, and the tavern lights were put
out ; darkness everywhere, now. Huck waited what
seemed a weary long time, but nothing happened.
His faith was weakening. Was there any use?
Was there really any use? Why not give it up and
turn in?
A noise fell upon his ear. He was all attention
in an instant. The alley door closed softly. He
sprang to the corner of the brick store. The next
moment two men brushed by him, and one seemed
to have something under his arm. It must be that
box ! So they were going to remove the treasure.
Why call Tom now? It would be absurd — the
Tom Sawyer 265
men would get away with the box and never be
found again. No, he would stick to their wake and
follow them; he would trust to the darkness for
security from discovery. So communing with him
self, Huck stepped out and glided along behind the
men, cat-like, with bare feet, allowing them to keep
just far enough ahead not to be invisible.
They moved up the river street three blocks, then
turned to the left up a cross street. They went
straight ahead, then, until they came to the path
that led up Cardiff Hill; this they took. They
passed by the old Welshman's house, half way up
the hill, without hesitating, and still climbed upward.
Good, thought Huck, they will bury it in the old
quarry. But they never stopped at the quarry.
They passed on, up the summit. They plunged
into the narrow path between the tall sumach bushes,
and were at once hidden in the gloom. Huck
closed up and shortened his distance, now, for they
would never be able to see him. He trotted along
a while; then slackened his pace, fearing he was
gaining too fast; moved on a piece, then stopped
altogether; listened; no sound; none, save that he
seemed to hear the beating of his own heart, The
hooting of an owl came from over the hill — ominous
sound ! But no footsteps. Heavens, was every
thing lost! He was about to spring with winged
feet, when a man cleared his throat not four feet
from him! Huck's heart shot into his throat, but
he swallowed it again; and then he stood there
266 Tom Sawyer
shaking as if a dozen agues had taken charge of him
at once, and so weak that he thought he must surely
fall to the ground. He knew where he was. He
knew he was within five steps of the stile leading
into Widow Douglas' grounds. Very well, he
thought, let them bury it there; it won't be hard
to find.
Now there was a voice — a very low voice —
Injun Joe's:
" Damn her, maybe she's got company — there's
lights, late as it is/'
" I can't see any."
This was that stranger's voice — the stranger of
the haunted house. A deadly chill went to Huck's
heart — this, then, was the "revenge" job! His
thought was, to fly. Then he remembered that the
Widow Douglas had been kind to him more than
once, and maybe these men were going to murder
her. He wished he dared venture to warn her; but
he knew he didn't dare — they might come and
catch him. He thought all this and more in the
moment that elapsed between the stranger's remark
and Injun Joe's next — which was —
4 'Because the bush is in your way. Now — this
way — now you see, don't you?"
"Yes. WTell, there is company there, I reckon.
Better give it up."
" Give it up, and I just leaving this country for
ever! Give it up and maybe never have another
chance. I tell you again, as I've told you before, I
Tom Sawyer 267
don't care for her swag — you may have it. But
her husband was rough on me — many times he
was rough on me — and mainly he was the justice
of the peace that jugged me for a vagrant. And
that ain't all. It ain't a millionth part of it ! He
had me horsewhipped ! — horsewhipped in front of
the jail, like a nigger ! — with all the town looking
on! HORSEWHIPPED! — do you understand? He
took advantage of me and died. But I'll take it
out of her. ' '
11 Oh, don't kill her! Don't do that!"
"Kill? Who said anything about killing? I
would kill him if he was here ; but not her. When
you want to get revenge on a woman you don't kill
her — bosh! you go for her looks. You slit her
nostrils — you notch her ears like a sow!"
" By God, that's "
"Keep your opinion to yourself! It will be
safest for you, I'll tie her to the bed. If she
bleeds to death, is that my fault? I'll not cry, if
she does. My friend, you'll help in this thing —
for my sake — that's why you're here — I mightn't
be able alone. If you flinch, I'll kill you. Do you
understand that? And if I have to kill you, I'll kill
her — and then I reckon nobody '11 ever know much
about who done this business."
11 Well, if it's got to be done, let's get at it. The
quicker the better — I'm all in a shiver."
" Do it now f And company there? Look here
— I'll get suspicious of you, first thing you know.
268 Tom Sawyer
No — we'll wait till the lights are out — there's no
hurry."
Huck felt that a silence was going to ensue — a
thing still more awful than any amount of murderous
talk; so he held his breath and stepped gingerly
back; planted his foot carefully and firmly, after
balancing, one-legged, in a precarious way and
almost toppling over, first on one side and then on
the otheijj, He took another step back, with the
same elaboration and the same risks ; then another
and another, and — a twig snapped under his foot !
His breath stopped and he listened. There was no
sound — the stillness was perfect. His gratitude
was measureless. Now he turned in his tracks, be
tween the walls of sumach bushes — turned himself
as carefully as if he were a ship — and then stepped
quickly but cautiously along. When he emerged
at the quarry he felt secure, and so he picked up
his nimble heels and flew. Down, down he sped, till
he reached the Welshman's. He banged at the
door, and presently the heads of the old man and
his two stalwart sons were thrust from windows.
" What's the row there? Wrho's banging? What
do you want?"
11 Let me in — - quick ! I'll tell everything."
" Why, who are you?"
" Huckleberry Finn — quick, let me in!"
" Huckleberry Finn, indeed ! It ain't a name to
open many doors, I judge ! But let him in, lads,
and let's see what's the trouble."
* Tom Sawyer 269
" Please don't ever tell /told you," were Huck's
first words when he got in. " Please don't — I'd
be killed, sure — but the widow's been good friends
to me sometimes, and I want to tell — I will tell if
you'll promise you won't ever say it was me.'*
" By George, he has got something to tell, or he
wouldn't act so!" exclaimed the old man; "out
with it and nobody here '11 ever tell, lad."
Three minutes later the old man and his sons,
well armed, were up the hill, and just entering the
sumach path on tiptoe, their weapons in their hands.
Huck accompanied them no further. Fie hid be
hind a great bowlder and fell to listening. There
was a lagging, anxious silence, and then all of a
sudden there was an explosion of firearms and a
cry.
Huck waited for no particulars. He sprang away
and sped down the hill as fast as his legs could carry
him.
CHAPTER XXX.
AS the earliest suspicion of dawn appeared on
Sunday morning, Huck came groping up the
hill and rapped gently at the old Welshman's door.
The inmates were asleep, but it was a sleep that was
set on a hair-trigger, on account of the exciting
episode of the night. A call came from a window :
" Who's there!"
Huck's scared voice answered in a low tone:
" Please let me in ! It's only Huck Finn !"
"It's a name that can open this door night or
day, lad ! — and welcome!"
These were strange words to the vagabond boy's
ears, and the pleasantest he had ever heard. He
could not recollect that the closing word had ever
been applied in his case before. The door was
quickly unlocked, and he entered. Huck was given
a seat and the old man and his brace of tall sons
speedily dressed themselves.
" Now, my boy, I hope you're good and hungry,
because breakfast will be ready as soon as the sun's,
up, and we'll have a piping hot one, too — make
yourself easy about that ! I and the boys hoped
you'd turn up and stop here last night."
(270)
Tom Sawyer 271
"I was awful scared," said Huck, "and I run.
I took out when the pistols went off, and I didn't
stop for three mile. I've come now becuz I wanted
to know about it, you know; and I come before
daylight becuz I didn't want to run acrost them
devils, even if they was dead."
" Well, poor chap, you do look as if you'd had a
hard night of it — but there's a bed here for you
when you've had your breakfast. No, they ain't
dead, lad — we are sorry enough for that. You see
we knew right where to put our hands on them, by
your description ; so we crept along on tiptoe till we
got within fifteen feet of them — dark as a cellar
that sumach path was — and just then I found I was
going to sneeze. It was the meanest kind of luck !
I tried to keep it back, but no use — 'twas bound to
come, and it did come ! I was in the lead with my
pistol raised, and when the sneeze started those
scoundrels a-rustling to get out of the path, I sung
out, 'Fire, boys!' and blazed away at the place
where the rustling was. So did the boys. But
they were off in a jiffy, those villains, and we after
them, down through the woods. I judge we never
touched them. They fired a shot apiece as they
started, but their bullets whizzed by and didn't do
us any harm. As soon as we lost the sound of their
feet we quit chasing, and went down and stirred up
the constables. They got a posse together, and
went off to guard the river bank, and as soon as it is
light the sheriff and a gang are going to beat up the
272 Tom Sawyer
woods. My boys will be with them presently. I
wish we had some sort of description of those ras
cals — 'twould help a good deal. But you couldn't
see what they were like, in the dark, lad, I sup
pose?"
" Oh, yes, I saw them down town and follered
them."
" Splendid! Describe them — describe them, my
boy!"
"One's the old deaf and dumb Spaniard that's
ben around here once or twice, and t' other's a mean
looking ragged "
'That's enough, lad, we know the men! Hap
pened on them in the woods back of the widow's
one day, and they slunk away. Off with you, boys,
and tell the sheriff — get your breakfast to-morrow
morning!"
The Welshman's sons departed at once. As they
were leaving the room Huck sprang up and ex
claimed :
" Oh, please don't tell anybody it was me that
blowed on them ! Oh, please !"
" All right if you say it, Huck, but you ought to
have the credit of what you did."
"Oh, no, no! Please don't tell!"
When the young men were gone, the old Welsh
man said :
" They won't tell — and I won't. But why don't
you want it known?"
Huck would not explain, further than to say that
Tom Sawyer 273
he already knew too much about one of those men
and would not have the man know that he knew
anything against him for the whole world — he would
be killed for knowing it, sure.
The old man promised secrecy once more, and
said:
"How did you come to follow these fellows,
lad? Were they looking suspicious?"
Huck was silent while he framed a duly cautious
reply. Then he said :
" Well, you see, I'm a kind of a hard lot, — least
everybody says so, and I don't see nothing agin it —
and sometimes I can't sleep much, on accounts of
thinking about it and sort of trying to strike out a
new way of doing. That was the way of it last
night. I couldn't sleep, and so I come along up
street 'bout midnight, a-turning it all tover, and
when I got to that old shackly brick store by the
Temperance Tavern, I backed up agin the wall to
have another think. Well, just then along comes
these two chaps slipping along close by me, with
something under their arm and I reckoned they'd
stole it. One was a-smoking, and t'other one
wanted a light; so they stopped right before me
and the cigars lit up their faces and I see that the
big one was the deaf and dumb Spaniard, by his
white whiskers and the patch on his eye, and t'other
one was a rusty, ragged looking devil."
" Could you see the rags by the light of the
cigars?"
18
274 Tom Sawyer
This staggered Huck for a moment. Then he
said:
l< Well, I don't know — but somehow it seems as
if I did."
" Then they went on, and you "
" Follered 'em — yes. That was it. I wanted to
see what was up — they sneaked along so. I
dogged 'em to the widder's stile, and stood in the
dark and heard the ragged one beg for the widder,
and the Spaniard swear he'd spile her looks just as
I told you and your two "
' ' What ! The deaf and dumb man said all that ! ' '
Huck had made another terrible mistake ! He
was trying his best to keep the old man from getting
the faintest hint of who the Spaniard might be, and
yet his tongue seemed determined to get him into
trouble in spite of all he could do. He made
several efforts to creep out of his scrape, but the
old man's eye was upon him and he made blunder
after blunder. Presently the Welshman said :
11 My boy, don't be afraid of me. I wouldn't
hurt a hair of your head for all the world. No —
I'd protect you — I'd protect you. This Spaniard
is not deaf and dumb; you've let that slip without
intending it; you can't cover that up now. You
know something about that Spaniard that you want
to keep dark. Now trust me — tell me what it is,
and trust me — I won't betray you."
Huck looked into the old man's honest eyes a
moment, then bent over and whispered in his ear:
Tom Sawyer 275
" Tain't a Spaniard — it's Injun Joe!"
The Welshman almost jumped out of his chair.
In a moment he said :
" It's all plain enough, now. When you talked
about notching ears and slitting noses I judged that
that was your own embellishment, because white
men don't take that sort of revenge. But an Injun !
That's a different matter altogether."
During breakfast the talk went on, and in the
course of it the old man said that the last thing
which he and his sons had done, before going to
bed, was to get a lantern and examine the stile and
its vicinity for marks of blood. They found none,
but captured a bulky bundle of —
" Of WHAT?"
If the words had been lightning they could not
have leaped with a more stunning suddenness from
Huck's blanched lips. His eyes were staring wide,
now, and his breath suspended — waiting for the
answer. The Welshman started — stared in return
— three seconds — five seconds — ten — then re
plied :
"Of burglar's tools. Why, what's the matter
with you?"
Huck sank back, panting gently, but deeply, un
utterably grateful. The Welshman eyed him gravely,
curiously — and presently said:
"Yes, burglar's tools. That appears to relieve
you a good deal. But what did give you that turn ?
What were^0# expecting we'd found?"
B
276 Tom Sawyer
Huck was in a close place — the inquiring eye
was upon him — he would have given anything for
material for a plausible answer — nothing suggested
itself — the inquiring eye was boring deeper and
deeper — a senseless reply offered — there was no
time to weigh it, so at a venture he uttered it —
feebly:
" Sunday-school books, maybe."
Poor Huck was too distressed to smile, but the
old man laughed loud and joyously, shook up the
details of his anatomy from head to foot, and ended
by saying that such a laugh was money in a man's
pocket, because it cut down the doctor's bills like
everything. Then he added :
"Poor old chap, you're white and jaded — you
ain't well a bit — no wonder you're a little flighty
and off your balance. But you'll come out of it.
Rest and sleep will fetch you out all right, I hope."
Huck was irritated to think he had been such a
goose and betrayed such a suspicious excitement, for
he had dropped the idea that the parcel brought from
the tavern was the treasure, as soon as he had heard
the talk at the widow's stile. He had only thought
it was not the treasure, however — he had not
known that it wasn't — and so the suggestion of a
captured bundle was too much for his self-posses
sion. But on the whole he felt glad the little
episode had happened, for now he knew beyond all
question that that bundle was not the bundle, and so
his mind was at rest and exceedingly comfortable.
Tom Sawyer 277
In fact, everything seemed to be drifting just in the
right direction, now; the treasure must be still in
No. 2, the men would be captured and jailed that
day, and he and Tom could seize the gold that night
without any trouble or any fear of interruption.
Just as breakfast was completed there was a knock
at the door. Huck jumped for a hiding-place, for
he had no mind to be connected even remotely with
the late event. The Welshman admitted several
ladies and gentlemen, among them the Widow
Douglas, and noticed that groups of citizens were
climbing up the hill — to stare at the stile. So the
news had spread.
The Welshman had to tell the story of the night
to the visitors. The widow* s gratitude for her
preservation was outspoken.
"Don't say a word about it, madam. There's
another that you're more beholden to than you are
to me and my boys, maybe, but he don't allow me
to tell his name. We wouldn't have been there but
for him."
Of course this excited a curiosity so vast that it
almost belittled the main matter — but the Welshman
allowed it to eat into the vitals of his visitors, and
through them be transmitted to the whole town, for
he refused to part with his secret. When all else
had been learned, the widow said:
" I went to sleep reading in bed and slept straight
through all that noise. Why didn't you come and
wake me?'1
278 Tom Sawyer
"We judged it warn't worth while. Those fel
lows warn't likely to come again — they hadn't any
tools left to work with, and what was the use of
waking you up and scaring you to death ? My three
negro men stood guard at your house all the rest of
the night. They've just come back."
More visitors came, and the story had to be told
and re-told for a couple of hours more.
There was no Sabbath-school during day-school
vacation, but everybody was early at church. The
stirring event was well canvassed. News came that
not a sign of the two villains had been yet dis
covered. When the sermon was finished, Judge
Thatcher's wife dropped alongside of Mrs. Harper
as she moved down the aisle with the crowd and
said:
"Is my Becky going to sleep all day? I just
expected she would be tired to death."
4 'Your Becky?"
"Yes," with a startled look, — " didn't she stay
with you last night?"
"Why, no."
Mrs. Thatcher turned pale, and sank into a pew,
just as Aunt Polly, talking briskly with a friend,
passed by. Aunt Polly said :
" Good morning, Mrs. Thatcher. Good morning,
Mrs. Harper. I've got a boy that's turned up
missing. I reckon my Tom stayed at your house
last night — one of you. And now he's afraid to
come to church. I've got to settle with him."
Tom Sawyer 279
Mrs. Thatcher shook her head feebly and turned
paler than ever.
"He didn't stay with us," said Mrs. Harper,
beginning to look uneasy. A marked anxiety came
into Aunt Polly's face.
* ' Joe Harper, have you seen my Tom this morn-
ing?"
"No'm."
" When did you see him last?"
Joe tried to remember, but was not sure he could
say. The people had stopped moving out of
church. Whispers passed along, and a boding un
easiness took possession of every countenance.
Children were anxiously questioned, and young
teachers. They all said they had not noticed
whether Tom and Becky were on board the ferry
boat on the homeward trip ; it was dark ; no one
thought of inquiring if any one was missing. One
young man finally blurted out his fear that they were
still in the cave ! Mrs. Thatcher swooned away.
Aunt Polly fell to crying and wringing her hands.
The alarm swept from lip to lip, from group to
group, from street to street, and within five minutes
the bells were wildly clanging and the whole town
was up ! The Cardiff Hill episode sank into instant
insignificance, the burglars were forgotten, horses
were saddled, skiffs were manned, the ferryboat
ordered out, and before the horror was half an hour
old, two hundred men were pouring down highroad
and river toward the cave.
280 Tom Sawyer
All the long afternoon the village seemed empty
and dead. Many women visited Aunt Polly and
Mrs. Thatcher and tried to comfort them. They
cried with them, too, and that was still better than
words. All the tedious night the town waited for
news ; but when the morning dawned at last, all the
word that came was, "Send more candles — and
send food." Mrs. Thatcher was almost crazed ; and
Aunt Polly, also. Judge Thatcher sent messages of
hope and encouragement from the cave, but they
conveyed no real cheer.
The old Welshman came home toward daylight,
spattered with candle grease, smeared with clay, and
almost worn out. He found Huck still in the bed
that had been provided for him, and delirious with
fever. The physicians were all at the cave, so the
Widow Douglas came and took charge of the
patient. She said she would do her best by him,
because, whether he was good, bad, or indifferent, he
was the Lord's, and nothing that was the Lord's was
a thing to be neglected. The Welshman said Huck
had good spots in him, and the widow said:
"You can depend on it. That's the Lord's
mark. He don't leave it off. He never does.
Puts it somewhere on every creature that comes
from his hands."
Early in the forenoon parties of jaded men began
to straggle into the village, but the strongest of the
citizens continued searching. All the news that
could be gained was that remotenesses of the cavern
Tom Sawyer 281
were being ransacked that had never been visited
before ; that every corner and crevice was going to
be thoroughly searched; that wherever one wan
dered through the maze of passages, lights were to
be seen flitting hither and thither in the distance,
and shoutings and pistol-shots sent their hollow
reverberations to the ear down the somber aisles. In
one place, far from the section usually traversed by
tourists, the names "BECKY & TOM" had been
found traced upon the rocky wall with candle-smoke,
and near at hand a grease-soiled bit of ribbon. Mrs.
Thatcher recognized the ribbon and cried over it.
She said it was the last relic she should ever have of
her child ; and that no other memorial of her could
ever be so precious, because this one parted latest
from the living body before the awful death came.
Some said that now and then, in the cave, a far
away speck of light would glimmer, and then a
glorious shout would burst forth and a score of men
go trooping down the echoing aisle — and then a
sickening disappointment always followed ; the chil
dren were not there; it was only a searcher's light.
Three dreadful days and nights dragged their
tedious hours along, and the village sank into a
hopeless stupor. Nc one had heart for anything.
The accidental discovery, just made, that the pro
prietor of the Temperance Tavern kept liquor on his
premises, scarcely fluttered the public pulse, tre
mendous as the fact was. In a lucid interval, Huck
feebly led up to the subject of taverns, and finally
282 Tom Sawyer
asked — dimly dreading the worst — if anything had
been discovered at the Temperance Tavern since he
had been ill.
" Yes," said the widow.
Huck started up in bed, wild-eyed:
"What! What was it?"
" Liquor ! — and the place has been shut up. Lie
down, child — what a turn you did give me!"
" Only tell me just one thing — only just one —
please ! Was it Tom Sawyer that found it?"
The widow burst into tears. " Hush, hush, child,
hush ! I've told you before, you must not talk.
You are very, very sick ! ' '
Then nothing but liquor had been found ; there
would have been a great powwow if it had been the
gold. So the treasure was gone forever — gone
forever! But what could she be crying about?
Curious that she should cry.
These thoughts worked their dim way through
Huck's mind, and under the weariness they gave
him he fell asleep. The widow said to herself:
" There — he's asleep, poor wreck. Tom Sawyer
find it ! Pity but somebody could find Tom Saw
yer ! Ah, there ain't many left, now, that's got
hope enough, or strength enough, either, to go on
searching."
CHAPTER XXXI.
NOW to return to Tom and Becky's share in the
picnic. They tripped along the murky aisles
with the rest of the company, visiting the familiar
wonders of the cave — wonders dubbed with rather
over-descriptive names, such as "The Drawing-
Room," "The Cathedral," "Aladdin's Palace,"
and so on. Presently the hide-and-seek frolicking
began, and Tom and Becky engaged in it with zeal
until the exertion began to grow a trifle wearisome;
then they wandered down a sinuous avenue holding
their candles aloft and reading the tangled web-
work of names, dates, post-office addresses, and mot
toes with which the rocky walls had been frescoed
(in candle-smoke). Still drifting along and talking,
they scarcely noticed that they were now in a part
of the cave whose walls were not frescoed. They
smoked their own names under an overhanging shelf
and moved on. Presently they came to a place
where a little stream of water, trickling over a ledge
and carrying a limestone sediment with it, had, in
the slow-dragging ages, formed a laced and ruffled
Niagara in gleaming and imperishable stone. Tom
squeezed his small body behind it in order to illumi-
(283)
284 Tom Sawyer
nate it for Becky's gratification. He found that it
curtained a sort of steep natural stairway which was
enclosed between narrow walls, and at once the
ambition to be a discoverer seized him. Becky re
sponded to his call, and they made a smoke-mark
for future guidance, and started upon their quest.
They wound this way and that, far down into the
secret depths of the cave, made another mark, and
branched off in search of novelties to tell the upper
world about. In one place they found a spacious
cavern, from whose ceiling depended a multitude of
shining stalactites of the length and circumference of
a man's leg; they walked all about it, wondering
and admiring, and presently left it by one of the
numerous passages that opened into it. This shortly
brought them to a bewitching spring, whose basin
was encrusted with a frostwork of glittering crystals ;
it was in the midst of a cavern whose walls were
supported by many fantastic pillars which had been
formed by the joining of great stalactites and stalag
mites together, the result of the ceaseless water-drip
of centuries. Under the roof vast knots of bats had
packed themselves together, thousands in a bunch ;
the lights disturbed the creatures and they came
flocking down by hundreds, squeaking and darting
furiously at the candles. Tom knew their ways and
the danger of this sort of conduct. He seized
Becky's hand and hurried her into the first corridor
that offered; and none too soon, for a bat struck
Becky's light out with its wing while she was passing
Tom Sawyer 285
out of the cavern. The bats chased the children a
good distance ; but the fugitives plunged into every
new passage that offered, and at last got rid of the
perilous things. Tom found a subterranean lake,
shortly, which stretched its dim length away until its
shape was lost in the shadows. He wanted to ex
plore its borders, but concluded that it would be
best to sit down and rest a while, first. Now, for
the first time, the deep stillness of the place laid a
clammy hand upon the spirits of the children.
Becky said :
" Why, I didn't notice, but it seems ever so long
since I heard any of the others."
" Come to think, Becky, we are away down be
low them — and I don't know how far away north,
or south, or east, or whichever it is. We couldn't
hear them here."
Becky grew apprehensive.
" I wonder how long we've been down here, Tom.
We better start back."
" Yes, I reckon we better. P'raps we better."
" Can you find the way, Tom? It's all a mixed-
up crookedness to me."
" 1 reckon I could find it — but then the bats. If
they put both our candles out it will be an awful
fix. Let's try some other way, so as not to go
through there."
" Well. But I hope we won't get lost. It would
be so awful ! ' ' and the girl shuddered at the thought
of the dreadful possibilities.
286 Tom Sawyer
They started through a corridor, and traversed it
in silence a long way, glancing at each new opening,
to see if there was anything familiar about the look
of it; but they were all strange. Every time Tom
made an examination, Becky would watch his face
for an encouraging sign, and he would say cheerily :
" Oh, it's all right. This ain't the one, but we'll
come to it right away ! ' '
But he felt less and less hopeful with each failure,
and presently began to turn off into diverging ave
nues at sheer random, in desperate hope of finding
the one that was wanted. He still said it was " all
right," but there was such a leaden dread at his
heart, that the words had lost their ring and sounded
just as if he had said, "All is lost!" Becky clung
to his side in an anguish of fear, and tried hard to
keep back the tears, but they would come. At last
she said:
" Oh, Tom, never mind the bats, let's go back
that way ! We seem to get worse and worse off all
the time."
Tom stopped.
"Listen!" said he.
Profound silence ; silence so deep that even their
breathings were conspicuous in the hush. Tom
shouted. The call went echoing down the empty
aisles and died out in the distance in a faint sound
that resembled a ripple of mocking laughter.
" Oh, don't do it again, Tom, it is too horrid,"
said Becky.
Tom Sawyer 287
"It is horrid, but I better, Becky; they might
hear us, you know,'* and he shouted again.
The * ' might ' ' was even a chillier horror than the
ghostly laughter, it so confessed a perishing hope.
The children stood still and listened ; but there was
no result. Tom turned upon the back track at once,
and hurried his steps. It was but a little while be
fore a certain indecision in his manner revealed an
other fearful fact to Becky — he could not find his
way back !
" Oh, Tom, you didn't make any marks!"
"Becky, I was such a fool! Such a fool! I
never thought we might want to come back ! No —
I can't find the way. It's all mixed up."
"Tom, Tom, we're lost! we're lost! We never
can get out of this awful place ! Oh, why did we
ever leave the others ! ' '
She sank to the ground and burst into such a
frenzy of crying that Tom was appalled with the
idea that she might die, or lose her reason. He sat
down by her and put his arms around her; she
buried her face in his bosom, she clung to him, she
poured out her terrors, her unavailing regrets, and
the far echoes turned them all to jeering laughter.
Tom begged her to pluck up hope again, and she
said she could not. He fell to blaming and abusing
himself for getting her into this miserable situation ;
this had a better effect. She said she would try to
hope again, she would get up and follow wherever
he might lead if only he would not talk like that any
288 Tom Sawyer
more. For he was no more to blame than she, she
said.
So they moved on, again — aimlessly — simply at
random — all they could do was to move, keep
moving. For a little while, hope made a show of
reviving — not with any reason to back it, but only
because it is its nature to revive when the spring has
not been taken out of it by age and familiarity with
failure.
By and by Tom took Becky's candle and blew it
out. This economy meant so much ! Words were
not needed. Becky understood, and her hope died
again. She knew that Tom had a whole candle and
three or four pieces in his pockets — yet he must
economize.
By and by, fatigue began to assert its claims ; the
children tried to pay no attention, for it was dread
ful to think of sitting down when time was grown to
be so precious; moving, in some direction, in any
direction, was at least progress and might bear
fruit; but to sit down was to invite death and
shorten its pursuit.
At last Becky's frail limbs refused to carry her
farther. She sat down. Tom rested with her, and
they talked of home, and the friends there, and the
comfortable beds and, above all, the light! Becky
cried, and Tom tried to think of some way of com
forting her, but all his encouragements were grown
threadbare with use, and sounded like sarcasms.
Fatigue bore so heavily upon Becky that she drowsed
Tom Sawyer 289
off to sleep. Tom was grateful. He sat looking
into her drawn face and saw it grow smooth and
natural under the influence of pleasant dreams ; and
by and by a smile dawned and rested there. The
peaceful face reflected somewhat of peace and heal
ing into his own spirit, and his thoughts wandered
away to bygone times and dreamy memories. While
he was deep in his musings, Becky woke up with a
breezy little laugh — but it was stricken dead upon
her lips, and a groan followed it.
" Oh, how could I sleep ! I wish I never, never
had waked ! No ! No, I don't, Tom ! Don't look
so ! I won't say it again."
"I'm glad you've slept, Becky; you'll feel
rested, now, and we'll find the way out."
" We can try, Tom; but I've seen such a beauti
ful country in my dream. I reckon we are going
there."
" Maybe not, maybe not. Cheer up, Becky, and
let's go on trying."
They rose up and wandered along, hand in hand
and hopeless. They tried to estimate how long they
had been in the cave, but all they knew was that it
seemed days and weeks, and yet it was plain that
this could not be, for their candles were not gone
yet. A long time after this — they could not tell
how long — Tom said they must go softly and listen
for dripping water — they must find a spring. They
found one presently, and Tom said it was time to
rest again. Both were cruelly tired, yet Becky said
19
290 Tom Sawyer
she thought she could go on a little farther. She
was surprised to hear Tom dissent. She could not
understand it. They sat down, and Tom fastened
his candle to the wall in front of them with some
clay. Thought was soon busy; nothing was said
for some time. Then Becky broke the silence :
"Tom, I am so hungry!'*
Tom took something out of his pocket.
" Do you remember this?" said he.
Becky almost smiled.
"It's our wedding-cake, Tom."
"Yes — I wish it was as big as a barrel, for it's
all we've got."
" I saved it from the picnic for us to dream on,
Tom, the way grown-up people do with wedding-
cake — but it'll be our "
She dropped the sentence where it was. Tom
divided the cake and Becky ate with good appetite,
while Tom nibbled at his moiety. There was
abundance of cold water to finish the feast with.
By and by Becky suggested that they move on
again. Tom was silent a moment. Then he said :
" Becky, can you bear it if I tell you something?"
Becky's face paled, but she thought she could.
"Well, then, Becky, we must stay here, where
there's water to drink. That little piece is our last
candle!"
Becky gave loose to tears and wailings. Tom did
what he could to comfort her, but with little effect.
At length Becky said :
Tom Sawyer 291
"Tom!"
"Well, Becky?"
" They'll miss us and hunt for us !"
"Yes, they will ! Certainly they will ! ' '
" Maybe they're hunting for us now, Tom."
" Why, I reckon maybe they are. I hope they
are."
" When would they miss us, Tom?"
" When they get back to the boat, I reckon."
" Tom, it might be dark then — would they notice
we hadn't come?"
" I don't know. But anyway, your mother would
miss you as soon as they got home."
A frightened look in Becky's face brought Tom to
his senses and he saw that he had made a blunder.
Becky was not to have gone home that night ! The
children became silent and thoughtful. In a mo
ment a new burst of grief from Becky showed Tom
that the thing in his mind had struck hers also —
that the Sabbath morning might be half spent before
Mrs. Thatcher discovered that Becky was not at
Mrs, Harper's.
The children fastened their eyes upon their bit of
candle and watched it melt slowly and pitilessly
away ; saw the half inch of wick stand alone at last ;
saw the feeble flame rise and fall, climb the thin
column of smoke, linger at its top a moment, and
then — the horror of utter darkness reigned !
How long afterward it was that Becky came to a
slow consciousness that she was crying in Tom's
292 Tom Sawyer
arms, neither could tell. All that they knew was,
that after what seemed a mighty stretch of time,
both awoke out of a dead stupor of sleep and re
sumed their miseries once more. Tom said it might
be Sunday, now — -maybe Monday. He tried to
get Becky to talk, but her sorrows were too oppres
sive, all her hopes were gone. Tom said that they
must have been missed long ago, and no doubt the
search was going on. He would shout and maybe
some one would come. He tried it; but in the
darkness the distant echoes sounded so hideously
that he tried it no more.
The hours wasted away, and hunger came to tor
ment the captives again. A portion of Tom's half
of the cake was left; they divided and ate it. But
they seemed hungrier than before. The poor morsel
of food only whetted desire.
By and by Tom said :
" Sh ! Did you hear that?"
Both held their breath and listened. There was a
sound like the faintest, far-off shout. Instantly
Tom answered it, and leading Becky by the hand,
started groping down the corridor in its direction.
Presently he listened again; again the sound was
heard, and apparently a little nearer.
"It's them!" said Tom; " they 're coming!
Come along, Becky — we're all right now!"
The joy of the prisoners was almost overwhelm
ing. Their speed was slow, however, because pit
falls were somewhat common, and had to be guarded
Tom Sawyer 293
against. They shortly came to one and had to stop.
It might be three feet deep, it might be a hundred —
there was no passing it at any rate. Tom got down
on his breast and reached as far down as he could.
No bottom. They must stay there and wait until
the searchers came. They listened; evidently the
distant shoutings were growing more distant! a
moment or two more and they had gone altogether.
The heart-sinking misery of it! Tom whooped
until he was hoarse, but it was of no use. He
talked hopefully to Becky ; but an age of anxious
waiting passed and no sounds came again.
The children groped their way back to the spring.
The weary time dragged on; they slept again, and
awoke famished and woe-stricken. Tom believed it
must be Tuesday by this time.
Now an idea struck him. There were some side
passages near at hand. It would be better to ex
plore some of these than bear the weight of the
heavy time in idleness. He took a kite-line from
his pocket, tied it to a projection, and he and Becky
started, Tom in the lead, unwinding the line as he
groped along. At the end of twenty steps the
corridor ended in a " jumping-off place." Tom got
down on his knees and felt below, and then as far
around the corner as he could reach with his hands
conveniently; he made an effort to stretch yet a
little further to the right, and at that moment, not
twenty yards away, a human hand, holding a candle,
appeared from behind a rock! Tom lifted up a
294 Tom Sawyer
glorious shout, and instantly that hand was followed
by the body it belonged to — Injun Joe's ! Tom was
paralyzed; he could not move. He was vastly
gratified the next moment, to see the ' ' Spaniard ' '
take to his heels and get himself out of sight. Tom
wondered that Joe had not recognized his voice and
come over and killed him for testifying in court.
But the echoes must have disguised the voice.
Without doubt, that was it, he reasoned. Tom's
fright weakened every muscle in his body. He said
to himself that if he had strength enough to get
back to the spring he would stay there, and nothing
should tempt him to run the risk of meeting Injun
Joe again. He was careful to keep from Becky
what it was he had seen. He told her he had only
shouted "for luck."
But hunger and wretchedness rise superior to fears
in the long run. Another tedious wait at the spring
and another long sleep brought changes. The chil
dren awoke tortured with a raging hunger. Tom
believed that it must be Wednesday or Thursday or
even Friday or Saturday, now, and that the search
had been given over. He proposed to explore
another passage. He felt willing to risk Injun Joe
and all other terrors. But Becky was very weak.
She had sunk into a dreary apathy and would not
be roused. She said she would wait, now, where
she was, and die — it would not be long. She told
Tom to go with the kite-line and explore if he
chose; but she implored him to come back every
Tom Sawyer 295
little while and speak to her; and she made him
promise that when the awful time came, he would
stay by her and hold her hand until all was over.
Tom kissed her, with a choking sensation in his
throat, and made a show of being confident of find
ing the searchers or an escape from the cave ; then
he took the kite-line in his hand and went groping
down one of the passages on his hands and knees,
distressed with hunger and sick with bodings of
coming doom.
CHAPTER XXXII.
""TUESDAY afternoon came, and waned to the
I twilight. The village of St, Petersburg still
mourned. The lost children had not been found.
Public prayers had been offered up for them, and
many and many a private prayer that had the peti
tioner's whole heart in it; but still no good news
came from the cave. The majority of the searchers
had given up the quest and gone back to their daily
avocations, saying that it was plain the children
could never be found. Mrs. Thatcher was very ill,
and a great part of the time delirious. People said
it was heartbreaking to hear her call her child, and
raise her head and listen a whole minute at a time,
then lay it wearily down again with a moan. Aunt
Polly had drooped into a settled melancholy, and
her gray hair had grown almost white. The village
went to its rest on Tuesday night, sad and forlorn.
Away in the middle of the night a wild peal burst
from the village bells, and in a moment the streets
were swarming with frantic half-clad people, who
shouted, "Turn out! turn out! they're found!
they're found !" Tin pans and horns were added
(296)
Tom Sawyer 297
to the din, the population massed itself and moved
toward the river, met the children coming in an open
carriage drawn by shouting citizens, thronged around
it, joined its homeward march, and swept magnifi
cently up the main street roaring huzzah after
huzzah !
The village was illuminated ; nobody went to bed
again; 'it was the greatest night the little town had
ever seen. During the first half-hour a procession
of villagers filed through Judge Thatcher's house,
seized the saved ones and kissed them, squeezed
Mrs. Thatcher's hand, tried to speak but couldn't —
and drifted out raining tears all over the place.
Aunt Polly's happiness was complete, and Mrs.
Thatcher's nearly so. It would be complete, how
ever, as soon as the messenger dispatched with the
great news to the cave should get the word to her
husband. Tom lay upon a sofa with an eager audi
tory about him and told the history of the wonder
ful adventure, putting in many striking additions
to adorn it withal; and closed with a description
of how he left Becky and went on an exploring
expedition; how he followed two avenues as far
as his kite-line would reach; how he followed a
third to the fullest stretch of the kite-line, and was
about to turn back when he glimpsed a far-off speck
that looked like daylight; dropped the line and
groped toward it, pushed his head and shoulders
through a small hole and saw the broad Mississippi
rolling by! And if it had only happened to be
298 Tom Sawyer
night he would not have seen that speck of daylight
and would not have explored that passage any
more ! He told how he went back for Becky and
broke the good news and she told him not to fret
her with such stuff, for she was tired, and knew she
was going to die, and wanted to. He described
how he labored with her and convinced her; and
how she almost died for joy when she had groped to
where .she actually saw the blue speck of daylight;
how he pushed his way out at the hole and then
helped her out ; how they sat there and cried for
gladness ; how some men came along in a skiff and
Tom hailed them and told them their situation and
their famished condition; how the men didn't be
lieve the wild tale at first, "because," said they,
" you are five miles down the river below the valley
the cave is in " — then took them aboard, rowed to
a house, gave them supper, made them rest till two
or three hours after dark and then brought them
home.
Before day-dawn, Judge Thatcher and the handful
of searchers with him were tracked out, in the cave,
by the twine clews they had strung behind them,
and informed of the great news.
Three days and nights of toil and hunger in the
cave were not to be shaken off at once, as Tom and
Becky soon discovered. They were bedridden all of
Wednesday and Thursday, and seemed to grow more
and more tired and worn, all the time. Tom got
about, a little, on Thursday, was down town Friday,
Tom Sawyer 299
and nearly as whole as ever Saturday ; but Becky
did not leave her room until Sunday, and then she
looked as if she had passed through a waiting
illness.
Tom learned of Huck's sickness and went to see
him on Friday, but could not be admitted to the
bedroom ; neither could he on Saturday or Sunday.
He was admitted daily after that, but was warned to
keep still about his adventure and introduce no
exciting topic. The Widow Douglas stayed by to
see that he obeyed. At home Tom learned of the
Cardiff Hill event; also that the "ragged man's"
body had eventually been found in the river near the
ferry landing ; he had been drowned while trying to
escape, perhaps.
About a fortnight after Tom's rescue from the
cave, he started off to visit Huck, who had grown
plenty strong enough, now, to hear exciting talk,
and Tom had some that would interest him, he
thought. Judge Thatcher's house was on Tom's
way, and he stopped to see Becky. The Judge and
some friends set Tom to talking, and some one
asked him ironically if he wouldn't like to go to the
cave again. Tom said he thought he wouldn't mind
it. The Judge said :
"Well, there are others just like you, Tom, I've
not the least doubt. But we have taken care of
that. Nobody will get lost in that cave any more."
"Why?"
" Because I had its big door sheathed with boiler
300 Tom Sawyer
iron two weeks ago, and triple-locked — and I've
got the keys."
Tom turned as white as a sheet.
"What's the matter, boy! Here, run, some
body ! Fetch a glass of water ! ' '
The water was brought and thrown into Tom's
face.
" Ah, now you're all right. What was the matter
with you, Tom?"
" Oh, Judge, Injun Joe's in the cave!"
CHAPTER XXXIII.
WITHIN a few minutes the news had spread, and
a dozen skiff-loads of men were on their way
to McDougal's cave, and the ferryboat, well filled
with passengers, soon followed. Tom Sawyer was
in the skiff that bore Judge Thatcher.
When the cave door was unlocked, a sorrowful
sight presented itself in the dim twilight of the
place. Injun Joe lay stretched upon the ground,
dead, with his face close to the crack of the door, as
if his longing eyes had been fixed, to the latest mo
ment, upon the light and the cheer of the free world
outside. Tom was touched, for he knew by his own
experience how this wretch had suffered. His pity
was moved, but nevertheless he felt an abounding
sense of relief and security, now, which revealed to
him in a degree which he had not fully appreciated
before how vast a weight of dread had been lying
upon him since the day he lifted his voice against
this bloody-minded outcast.
Injun Joe's bowie-knife lay close by, its blade
broken in two. The great foundation-beam of the
door had been chipped and hacked through, with
(301)
302 Tom Sawyer
tedious labor; useless labor, too, it was, for the
native rock formed a sill outside it, and upon that
stubborn material the knife had wrought no effect;
the only damage done was to the knife itself. But if
there had been no stony obstruction there the labor
would have been useless still, for if the beam had
been wholly cut away Injun Joe could not have
squeezed his body under the door, and he knew it.
So he had only hacked that place in order to be
doing something — in order to pass the weary time
— in order to employ his tortured faculties. Ordi
narily one could find half a dozen bits of candle
stuck around in the crevices of this vestibule, left
there by tourists ; but there were none now. The
prisoner had searched them out and eaten them.
He had also contrived to catch a few bats, and
these, also, he had eaten, leaving only their claws.
The poor unfortunate had starved to death. In one
place near at hand, a stalagmite had been slowly
growing up from the ground for ages, builded by
the water-drip from a stalactite overhead. The
captive had broken off the stalagmite, and upon the
stump had placed a stone, wherein he had scooped
a shallow hollow to catch the precious drop that fell
once in every three minutes with the dreary regu
larity of a clock-tick — a dessertspoonful once in
four and twenty hours. That drop was falling
when the Pyramids were new; when Troy fell;
when the foundations of Rome were laid ; when
Christ was crucified; when the Conqueror created
Tom Sawyer 303
the British empire; when Columbus sailed; when
the massacre at Lexington was *' news." It is fall
ing now ; it will still be falling when all these things
shall have sunk down the afternoon of history, and
the twilight of tradition, and been swallowed up in
the thick night of oblivion. Has everything a pur
pose and a mission? Did this drop fall patiently
during five thousand years to be ready for this flit
ting human insect's need? and has it another im
portant object to accomplish ten thousand years to
come? No matter. It is many and many a year
since the hapless half-breed scooped out the stone
to catch the priceless drops, but to this day the
tourist stares longest at that pathetic stone and that
slow-dropping water when he comes to see the won
ders of McDougal's cave. Injun Joe's cup stands
first in the list of the cavern's marvels; even
"Aladdin's Palace" cannot rival it.
Injun Joe was buried near the mouth of the cave ;
and people flocked there in boats and wagons from
the towns and from all the farms and hamlets for
seven miles around; they brought their children,
and all sorts of provisions, and confessed that they
had had almost as satisfactory a time at the funeral
as they could have had at the hanging.
This funeral stopped the further growth of one
thing — the petition to the Governor for Injun Joe's
pardon. The petition had been largely signed;
many tearful and eloquent meetings had been held,
and a committee of sappy women been appointed to
304 Tom Sawyer
go in deep mourning and wail around the governor,
and implore him to be a merciful ass and trample
his duty under foot. Injun Joe was believed to
have killed five citizens of the village, but what of
that? If he had been Satan himself there wrould
have been plenty of weaklings ready to scribble their
names to a pardon-petition, and drip a tear on it
from their permanently impaired and leaky water
works.
The morning after the funeral Tom took Huck to
a private place to have an important talk. Huck
had learned all about Tom's adventure from the
Welshman and the Widow Douglas, by this time,
but Tom said he reckoned there was one thing they
had not told him; that thing was what he wanted
to talk about now. Huck's face saddened. He
said:
"I know what it is. You got into No. 2 and
never found anything but whisky. Nobody told me
it was you; but I just knowed it must 'a' ben you,
soon as I heard 'bout that whisky business; and I
knowed you hadn't got the money becuz you'd V
got at me some way or other and told me even if
you was mum to everybody else. Tom, something's
always told me we'd never get holt of that swag."
11 Why, Huck, 7 never told on that tavern-keeper.
You know his tavern was all right the Saturday I
went to the picnic. Don't you remember you was
to watch there that night?"
*' Oh, yes! Why, it seems 'bout a year ago. It
Tom Sawyer 305
was that very night that I follered Injun Joe to the
widder's."
" You followed him?"
"Yes — but you keep mum. I reckon Injun
Joe's left friends behind him, and I don't want 'em
souring on me and doing me mean tricks. If it
hadn't ben for me he'd be down in Texas now, all
right."
Then Huck told his entire adventure in confidence
to Tom, who had only heard of the Welshmen's
part of it before.
"Well," said Huck, presently, coming back to
the main question, "whoever nipped the whisky in
No. 2, nipped the money, too, I reckon — anyways
it's a goner for us, Tom."
" Huck, that money wasn't ever in No. 2 !"
"What!" Huck searched his comrade's face
keenly. " Tom, have you got on the track of that
money again?"
"Huck, it' sin the cave!"
Huck's eyes blazed.
" Say it again, Tom."
" The money's in the cave !"
"Tom, — honest injun, now — is it fun, or ear
nest?"
" Earnest, Huck — just as earnest as ever I was in
my life. Will you go in there with me and help get
it out?"
" I bet I will! I will if it's where we can blaze
our way to it and not get lost."
20
306 Tom Sawyer
" Huck, we can do that without the least little bit
of trouble in the world."
"Good as wheat! What makes you think the
money's "
11 Huck, you just wait till we get in there. If we
don't find it I'll agree to give you my drum and
everything I've got in the world. I will, by jings."
" All right — it's a whiz. When do you say?"
" Right now, if you say it. Are you strong
enough?"
" Is it far in the cave? I ben on my pins a little,
three or four days, now, but I can't walk more'n a
mile, Tom — least I don't think I could."
" It's about five mile into there the way anybody
but me would go, Huck, but there's a mighty short
cut that they don't anybody but me know about.
Huck, I'll take you right to it in a skiff. I'll float
the skiff down there, and I'll pull it back again all
by myself. You needn't ever turn your hand over."
" Less start right off, Tom."
" All right. We want some bread and meat, and
our pipes, and a little bag or two, and two or three
kite-strings, and some of these new-fangled things
they call lucifer matches. I tell you, many's the
time I wished I had some when I was in there be
fore."
A trifle after noon the boys borrowed a small skiff
from, a citizen who was absent, and got under way
at once. When they were several miles below " Cave
Hollow," Tom said:
Tom Sawyer 307
" Now you see this bluff here looks all alike all
the way down from the cave hollow — no houses, no
woodyards, bushes all alike. But do you see that
white place up yonder where there's been a land
slide? Well, that's one of my marks. We'll get
ashore, now."
They landed.
"Now, Huck, where we're a-standing you could
touch that hole I got out of with a fishing-pole. See
if you can find it."
Huck searched all the place about, and found
nothing. Tom proudly marched into a thick clump
of sumach bushes and said :
" Here you are ! Look at it, Huck; it's the snug
gest hole in this country. You just keep mum about
it. All along I've been wanting to be a robber, but
I knew I'd got to have a thing like this, and where
to run across it was the bother. We've got it now,
and we'll keep it quiet, only we'll let Joe Harper and
Ben Rogers in — because of course there ^ got to be
a Gang, or else there wouldn't be any style about
it. Tom Sawyer's Gang — it sounds splendid, don't
it, Huck?"
41 Well, it just does, Tom. And who'll we rob?"
"Oh, most anybody. Waylay people — that's
mostly the way."
"And kill them?"
" No, not always. Hive them in the cave till they
raise a ransom."
"What's a ransom?"
T
308 Tom Sawyer
14 Money. You make them raise all they can,
off'n their friends; and after you've kept them a
year, if it ain't raised then you kill them. That's
the general way. Only you don't kill the women.
You shut up the women, but you don't kill them.
They're always beautiful and rich, and awfully
scared. You take their watches and things, but you
always take your hat off and talk polite. They ain't
anybody as polite as robbers — you'll see that in
any book. Well, the women get to loving you,
and after they've been in the cave a week or two
weeks they stop crying and after that you couldn't
get them to leave. If you drove them out they'd
turn right around and come back. It's so in all the
books."
44 Why, it's real bully, Tom. I b'lieve it's better'n
to be a pirate."
44 Yes, it's better in some ways, because it's close
to home and circuses and all that."
By this time everything was ready and the boys
entered the hole, Tom in the lead. They toiled their
way to the farther end of the tunnel, then made their
spliced kite-strings fast and moved on. A few steps
brought them to the spring, and Tom felt a shudder
quiver all through him. He showed Huck the frag
ment of candle-wick perched on a lump of clay
against the wall, and described how he and Becky
had watched the flame struggle and expire.
The boys began to quiet down to whispers, now,
for the stillness and gloom of the place oppressed
Tom Sawyer 309
their spirits. They went on, and presently entered
and followed Tom's other corridor until they reached
the " jumping-off place." The candles revealed the
fact that it was not really a precipice, but only a
steep clay hill twenty or thirty feet high. Tom
whispered :
'* Now I'll show you something, Huck."
He held his candle aloft and said :
" Look as far around the corner as you can. Do
you see that? There — on the big rock over yonder
— done with candle smoke."
4 'Tom, it's a cross /"
" Now where's your Number Two? ' Under the
cross ^ hey? Right yonder 's where I saw Injun Joe
poke up his candle, Huck!"
Huck stared at the mystic sign a while, and then
said with a shaky voice :
" Tom, less git out of here !"
" What! and leave the treasure?"
"Yes — leave it. Injun Joe's ghost is round
about there, certain."
"No it ain't, Huck, no it ain't. It would ha'nt
the place where he died — away out at the mouth
of the cave — five mile from here."
"No, Tom, it wouldn't. It would hang round
the money. I know the ways of ghosts, and so do
you."
Tom began to fear that Huck was right. Mis
givings gathered in his mind. But presently an idea
occurred to him —
310 Tom Sawyer
" Looky here, Huck, what fools we're making of
ourselves! Injun Joe's ghost ain't a going to come
around where there's a cross!"
The point was well taken. It had its effect.
"Tom, I didn't think of that. But that's so.
It's luck for us, that cross is. I reckon we'll climb
down there and have a hunt for that box."
Tom went first, cutting rude steps in the clay hill
as he descended. Huck followed. Four avenues
opened out of the small cavern which the great rock
stood in. The boys examined three of them with
no result. They found a small recess in the one
nearest the base of the rock, with a pallet of blan
kets spread down in it; also an old suspender,
some bacon rind, and the well-gnawed bones of
two or three fowls. But there was no money
box. The lads searched and re-searched this place,
but in vain. Tom said :
" He said* under the cross. Well, this comes
nearest to being under the cross. It can't be under
the rock itself, because that sets solid on the
ground."
They searched everywhere once more, and then
sat down discouraged. Huck could suggest noth
ing. By and by Tom said :
" Looky here, Huck, there's footprints and some
candle-grease on the clay about one side of this
rock, but not on the other sides. Now, what's
that for? I bet you the money is under the rock.
I'm going to dig in the clay."
Tom Sawyer 311
"That ain't no bad notion, Tom!'* said Huck
with animation.
Tom's "real Barlow" was out at once, and he
had not dug four inches before he struck wood.
" Hey, Huck! —you hear that?"
Huck began to dig and scratch now. Some
boards were soon uncovered and removed. They
had concealed a natural chasm which led under the
rock. Tom got into this and held his candle as
far under the rock as he could, but said he could
not see to the end of the rift. He proposed to ex
plore. He stooped and passed under; the narrow
way descended gradually. He followed its winding
course, first to the right, then to the left, Huck at
his heels. Tom turned a short curve, by and by,
and exclaimed :
" My goodness, Huck, looky here!"
It was the treasure box, sure enough, occupying
a snug little cavern, along with an empty powder-
keg, a couple of guns in leather cases, two or three
pairs of old moccasins, a leather belt, and some
other rubbish well soaked with the water-drip.
" Got it at last!" said Huck, plowing among the
tarnished coins with his hand. "My, but we're
rich, Tom!"
" Huck, I always reckoned we'd get it. It's just
too good to believe, but we have got it, sure !
Say — let's not fool around here. Let's snake it
out. Lemme see if I can lift the box."
It weighed about fifty pounds. Tom could lift
312 Tom Sawyer
it, after an awkward fashion, but could not carry it
conveniently.
** I thought so," he said; " they carried it like it
was heavy, that day at the ha'nted house. I noticed
that. I reckon I was right to think of fetching the
little bags along."
The money was soon in the bags and the boys
took it up to the cross rock.
"Now less fetch the guns and things," said
Huck.
"No, Huck — leave them there. They're just
the tricks to have when we go to robbing. We'll
keep them there all the time, and we'll hold our
orgies there, too. It's an awful snug place for
orgies."
"What's orgies?"
" 7 dono. But robbers always have orgies, and
of course we've got to have them, too. Come
along, Huck, we've been in here a long time. It's
getting late, I reckon. I'm hungry, too. We'll
eat and smoke when we get to the skiff."
They presently emerged into the clump of sumach
bushes, looked warily out, found the coast clear,
and were soon lunching and smoking in the skiff.
As the sun dipped toward the horizon they pushed
out and got under way. Tom skimmed up the
shore through the long twilight, chatting cheerily
with Huck, and landed shortly after dark.
" Now, Huck," said Tom, " we'll hide the money
in the loft of the widow's woodshed, and I'll come
Tom Sawyer 313
up in the morning and we'll count it and divide, and
then we'll hunt up a place out in the woods for it
where it will be safe. Just you lay quiet here and
watch the stuff till I run and hook Benny Taylor's
little wagon; I won't be gone a minute."
He disappeared, and presently returned with the
wagon, put the two small sacks into it, threw some
old rags on top of them, and started off, dragging
his cargo behind him. When the boys reached the
Welshman's house, they stopped to rest. Just as
they were about to move on, the Welshman stepped
out and said :
"Hallo, who's that?"
" Huck and Tom Sawyer."
"Good! Come along with me, boys, you are
keeping everybody waiting. Here — hurry up, trot
ahead — I'll haul the wagon for you. Why, it's
not as light as it might be. Got bricks in it? — or
old metal?"
"Old metal," said Tom.
"I judged so; the boys in this town will take
more trouble and fool away more time, hunting up
six bits' worth of old iron to sell to the foundry
than they would to make twice the money at regular
work. But that's human nature — hurry along,
hurry along ! ' '
The boys wanted to know what the hurry was
about.
"Never mind; you'll see, when we get to the
Widow Douglas'."
314 Tom Sawyer
Huck said with some apprehension — for he was
long used to being falsely accused :
" Mr. Jones, we haven't been doing nothing."
The Welshman laughed.
44 Well, I don't know, Huck, my boy. I don't
know about that. Ain't you and the widow good
friends?"
" Yes. Well, she's ben good friends to me, any
ways."
" All right, then. What do you want to be afraid
for?"
This question was not entirely answered in Huck's
slow mind before he found himself pushed, along
with Tom, into Mrs. Douglas' drawing-room. Mr.
Jones left the wagon near the door and followed.
The place was grandly lighted, and everybody
that was of any consequence in the village was there.
The Thatchers were there, the Harpers, the Rogerses,
Aunt Polly, Sid, Mary, the minister, the editor, and
a great many more, and all dressed in their best.
The widow received the boys as heartily as any one
could well receive two such looking beings. They
were covered with clay and candle-grease. Aunt
Polly blushed crimson with humiliation, and frowned
and shook her head at Tom. Nobody suffered half
as much as the two boys did, however. Mr. Jones
said:
"Tom wasn't at home, yet, so I gave him up;
but I stumbled on him and Huck right at my door,
and so I just brought them along in a hurry."
Tom Sawyer 315
"And you did just right," said the widow.
11 Come with me, boys."
She took them to a bedchamber and said :
" Now wash and dress yourselves. Here are two
new suits of clothes — shirts, socks, everything com
plete. They're Huck's — no, no thanks, Huck-
Mr. Jones bought one and I the other. But they'll
fit both of you. Get into them. We'll wait —
come down when you are slicked up enough."
Then she left
CHAPTER XXXIV.
HUCK said: " Tom, we can slope, if we can find
a rope. The window ain't high from the
ground."
" Shucks, what do you want to slope for?"
"Well, I ain't used to that kind of a crowd. I
can't stand it. I ain't going down there, Tom."
"Oh, bother! It ain't anything. I don't mind
it a bit. I'll take care of you."
Sid appeared.
"Tom," said he, "Auntie has been waiting for
you all the afternoon. Mary got your Sunday
clothes ready, and everybody's been fretting about
you. Say — ain't this grease and clay, on your
clothes?"
" Now, Mr. Siddy, you jist 'tend to your own
business. What's all this blow-out about, anyway?"
" It's one of the widow's parties that she's always
having. This time it's for the Welshman and his
sons, on account of that scrape they helped her out
of the other night. And say — I can tell you some
thing, if you want to know."
"Well, what?"
(316)
h Tom Sawyer 317
"Why, old Mr. Jones is going to try to spring
something on the people here to-night, but I over
heard him tell auntie to-day about it, as a secret, but
I reckon it's not much of a secret now. Everybody
knows — the widow, too, for all she tries to let on
she don't. Mr. Jones was bound Huck should be
here — -couldn't get along with his grand secret with
out Huck, you know!"
" Secret about what, Sid?"
' ' About Huck tracking the robbers to the
widow's. I reckon Mr. Jones was going to make
a grand time over his surprise, but I bet you it will
drop pretty flat."
Sid chuckled in a very contented and satisfied
way,
" Sid, was it you that told?"
" Oh, never mind who it was. Somebody told —
that's enough."
" Sid, there's only one person in this town mean
enough to do that, and that's you. If you had been
in Huck's place you'd 'a' sneaked down the hill
and never told anybody on the robbers. You can't
do any but mean things, and you can't bear to see
anybody praised for doing good ones. There — no
thanks, as the widow says " — and Tom cuffed Sid's
ears and helped him to the door with several kicks.
"Now go and tell auntie if you dare — and to
morrow you'll catch it!"
Some minutes later the widow's guests were at the
supper-table, and a dozen children were propped up
318 Tom Sawyer
at little side tables in the same room, after the
fashion of that country and that day. At the proper
time Mr. Jones made his little speech, in which he
thanked the widow for the honor she was doing
himself and his sons, but said that there was another
person whose modesty —
And so forth and so on. He sprung his secret
about Huck's share in the adventure in the finest
dramatic manner he was master of, but the surprise
it occasioned was largely counterfeit and not as
clamorous and effusive as it might have been under
happier circumstances. However, the widow made
a pretty fair show of astonishment, and heaped so
many compliments and so much gratitude upon
Huck that he almost forgot the nearly intolerable
discomfort of his new clothes in the entirely intoler
able discomfort of being set up as a target for every
body's gaze and everybody's laudations.
The widow said she meant to give Huck a home
under her roof and have him educated ; and that
when she could spare the money she would start him
in business in a modest way. Tom's chance was
come. He said :
" Huck don't need it. Huck's rich."
Nothing but a heavy strain upon the good man
ners of the company kept back the due and proper
complimentary laugh at this pleasant joke. But the
silence was a little awkward. Tom broke it:
" Huck's got money. Maybe you don't believe
it, but he's got lots of it. Oh, you needn't smile
Tom Sawyer 319
• — I reckon I can show you. You just wait a
minute."
Tom ran out of doors. The company looked at
each other with a perplexed interest— and inquir
ingly at Huck, who was tongue-tied.
"Sid, what ails Tom?" said Aunt Polly. " He
— well, there ain't ever any making of that boy out.
I never — "
Tom entered, struggling with the weight of his
sacks, and Aunt Polly did not finish her sentence.
Tom poured the mass of yellow coin upon the table
and said :
11 There — what did I tell you? Half of it's
Huck's and half of it's mine !"
The spectacle took the general breath away. All
gazed, nobody spoke for a moment. Then there
was a unanimous call for an explanation. Tom
said he could furnish it, and he did. The tale was
long, but brim full of interest. There was scarcely
an interruption from any one to break the charm of
its flow. When he had finished, Mr. Jones said:
"I thought I had fixed up a little surprise for
this occasion, but it don't amount to anything now.
This one makes it sing mighty small, I'm willing to
allow."
The money was counted. The sum amounted to
a little over twelve thousand dollars. It was more
than any one present had ever seen at one time
before, though several persons were there who were
worth considerably more than that in property.
CHAPTER XXXV.
TTHE reader may rest satisfied that Tom's and
I Huck's windfall made a mighty stir in the
poor little village of St. Petersburg. So vast a sum,
all in actual cash, seemed next to incredible. It was
talked about, gloated over, glorified, until the reason
of many of the citizens tottered under the strain of
the unhealthy excitement. Every " haunted " house
in St. Petersburg and the neighboring villages was
dissected, plank by plank, and its foundations dug
up and ransacked for hidden treasure — and not by
boys, but men — pretty grave, unromantic men, too,
some of them. Wherever Tom and Huck appeared
they were courted, admired, stared at. The boys
were not able to remember that their remarks had
possessed weight before ; but now their sayings were
treasured and repeated ; everything they did seemed
somehow to be regarded as remarkable; they had
evidently lost the power of doing and saying com
monplace things; moreover, their past history was
raked up and discovered to bear marks of conspicu
ous originality. The village paper published bio
graphical sketches of the boys.
(320)
Tom Sawyer 321
The Widow Douglas put Huck's money out at six
per cent., and Judge Thatcher did the same with
Tom's at Aunt Polly's request. Each lad had an
income, now, that was simply prodigious — a dollar
for every week-day in the year and half of the
Sundays. It was just what the minister got — no,
it was what he was promised — he generally couldn't
collect it. A dollar and a quarter a week would
board, lodge, and school a boy in those old simple
days — and clothe him and wash him, too, for that
matter.
Judge Thatcher had conceived a great opinion of
Tom. He said that no commonplace boy would
ever have got his daughter out of the cave. When
Becky told her father, in strict confidence, how Tom
had taken her whipping at school, the Judge was
visibly moved ; and when she pleaded grace for the
mighty lie which Tom had told in order to shift that
whipping from her shoulders to his own, the Judge
said with a fine outburst that it was a noble, a gener
ous, a magnanimous lie — a lie that was worthy to
hold up its head and march down through history
breast to breast with George Washington's lauded
Truth about the hatchet ! Becky thought her father
had never looked so tall and so superb as when he
walked the floor and stamped his foot and said that.
She went straight off and told Tom about it.
Judge Thatcher hoped to see Tom a great lawyer
or a great soldier some day. He said he meant to
look to it that Tom should be admitted to the
21
322 Tom Sawyer
National Military Academy and afterward trained in
the best law school in the country, in order that he
might be ready for either career or both.
Huck Finn's wealth and the fact that he was now
under the Widow Douglas' protection introduced
him into society — no, dragged him into it, hurled
him into it — and his sufferings were almost more
than he could bear. The widow's servants kept him
clean and neat, combed and brushed, and they
bedded him nightly in unsympathetic sheets that
had not one little spot or stain which he could press
to his heart and know for a friend. He had to eat
with knife and fork; he had to use napkin, cup, and
plate; he had to learn his book, he had to go to
church ; he had to talk so properly that speech was
become insipid in his mouth; whithersoever he
turned, the bars and shackles of civilization shut
him in and bound him hand and foot.
He bravely bore his miseries three weeks, and
then one day turned up missing. For forty-eight
hours the widow hunted for him everywhere in great
distress. The public were profoundly concerned ;
they searched high and low, they dragged the river
for his body. Early the third morning Tom Sawyer
wisely went poking among some old empty hogs
heads down behind the abandoned slaughter-house,
and in one of them he found the refugee. Huck
had slept there ; he had just breakfasted upon some
stolen odds and ends of food, and was lying off,
now, in comfort, with his pipe. He was unkempt,
Tom Sawyer 323
uncombed, and clad in the same old ruin of rags
that had made him picturesque in the days when he
was free and happy. Tom routed him out, told him
the trouble he had been causing, and urged him to
go home. Huck's face lost its tranquil content, and
took a melancholy cast. He said :
" Don't talk about it, Tom. I've tried it, and it
don't work; it don't work, Tom. It ain't for me;
I ain't used to it. The widder's good to me, and
friendly ; but I can't stand them ways. She makes
me git up just at the same time every morning ; she
makes me wash, they comb me all to thunder; she
won't let me sleep in the woodshed ; I got to wear
them blamed clothes that just smothers me, Tom;
they don't seem to any air git through 'em, some
how; and they're so rotten nice that I can't set
down, nor lay dowrn, nor roll around anywher's; I
hain't slid on a cellar-door for — well, it 'pears to
be years ; I got to go to church and sweat and sweat
— I hate them ornery sermons ! I can't ketch a
fly in there, I can't chaw. I got to wear shoes all
Sunday. The widder eats by a bell; she goes to
bed by a bell; she gits up by a bell — everything's
so awful reg'lar a body can't stand it."
" Well, everybody does that way, Huck."
"Tom, it don't make no difference. I ain't
everybody, and I can't stand it. It's awful to be
tied up so. And grub comes too easy — I don't
take no interest in vittles, that way. I got to ask
to go a-fi shing ; I got to ask to go in a-swimming —
T
324 Tom Sawyer
dern'd if I hain't got to ask to do everything.
Well, I'd got to talk so nice it wasn't no comfort —
I'd got to go up in the attic and rip out a while,
every day, to git a taste in my mouth, or I'd a died,
Tom. The widder wouldn't let me smoke; she
wouldn't let me yell, she wouldn't let me gape, nor
stretch, nor scratch, before folks — " [Then with a
spasm of special irritation and injury] — "And dad
fetch it, she prayed all the time ! I never see such
a woman ! I had to shove, Torn — I just had to.
And besides, that school's going to open, and I'd a
had to go to it — well, I wouldn't stand that, Tom.
Lookyhere, Tom, being rich ain't what it's cracked
up to be. It's just worry and worry, and sweat and
sweat, and a-wishing you was dead all the time.
Now these clothes suits me, and this bar'l suits me,
and I ain't ever going to shake 'em any more.
Tom, I wouldn't ever got into all this trouble if it
hadn't 'a' been for that money; now you just take
my sheer of it along with your'n, and gimme a ten-
center sometimes — not many times, becuz I don't
give a dern for a thing 'thout it's tollable hard to
git — and you go and beg off for me with the
widder."
" Oh, Huck, you know I can't do that. 'Tain't
fair; and besides if you'll try this thing just a while
longer you'll come to like it."
" Like it! Yes — the way I'd like a hot stove if
I was to set on it long enough. No, Tom, I won't
be rich, and I won't live in them cussed smothery
Tom Sawyer 325
houses. I like the woods, and the river, and hogs
heads, and I'll stick to 'em, too. Blame it all! just
as we'd got guns, and a cave, and all just fixed to
rob, here this dern foolishness has got to come up
and spile it all!"
Tom saw his opportunity — •
" Lookyhere, Huck, being rich ain't going to
keep me back from turning robber."
" No ! Oh, good-licks, are you in real dead-wood
earnest, Tom?"
" Just as dead earnest as I'm a sitting here. But
Huck, we can't let you into the gang if you ain't
respectable, you know."
Huck's joy was quenched.
"Can't let me in, Tom? Didn't you let me go
for a pirate?"
"Yes, but that's different. A robber is more
high-toned than what a pirate is — as a general
thing. In most countries they're awful high up in
the nobility — dukes and such."
"Now, Tom, hain't you always ben friendly to
me? You wouldn't shet me out, would you, Tom?
You wouldn't do that, now, would you, Tom?"
" Huck, I wouldn't want to, and I don't want
to — but what would people say? Why, they'd
say, ' Mph! Tom Sawyer's Gang! pretty low char
acters in it!' They'd mean you, Huck. You
wouldn't like that, and I wouldn't."
Huck was silent for some time, engaged in a
mental struggle. Finally he said :
326 Tom Sawyer
"Well, I'll go back to the widder for a month
and tackle it and see if I can come to stand it, if
you'll let me b'long to the gang, Tom."
44 All right, Huck, it's a whiz! Come along, old
chap, and I'll ask the widow to let up on you a
little, Huck."
"Will you, Tom — -now will you? That's good.
If she'll let up on some of the roughest things, I'll
smoke private and cuss private, and crowd through
or bust. When you going to start the gang and
turn robbers?"
" Oh, right off. We'll get the boys together and
have the initiation to-night, maybe."
" Have the which?"
" Have the initiation."
"What's that?"
"It's to swear to stand by one another, and never
tell the gang's secrets, even if you're chopped all to
flinders, and kill anybody and all his family that
hurts one of the gang. ' '
"That's gay — that's mighty gay, Tom, I tell
you."
"Well, I bet it is. And all that swearing's got
to be done at midnight, in the lonesomest, awfulest
place you can find — a ha'nted house is the best,
but they're all ripped up now."
"Well, midnight's good, anyway, Tom."
"Yes, so it is. And you've got to swear on a
coffin, and sign it with blood."
"Now, that's something like! Why, it's a
Tom Sawyer 327
million times bullier than pirating. I'll stick to
the widder till I rot, Tom; and if I git to be a
reg'lar ripper of a robber, and everybody talking
'bout it, I reckon she'll be proud she snaked me in
out of the wet"
CONCLUSION
SO endeth this chronicle. It being strictly a his
tory of a boy, it must stop here; the story
could not go much further without becoming the
history of a man. When one writes a novel about
grown people, he knows exactly where to stop —
that is, with a marriage; but when he writes of
juveniles, he must stop where he best can.
Most of the characters that perform in this book
still live, and are prosperous and happy. Some
day it may s^em worth while to take up the story
of the younger ones again and see what sort of men
and women they turned out to be ; therefore it will
be wisest not to reveal any of that part of their lives
at present.
THE END.
(328)
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