Wecouldn’tstirforaminuteortwo;thenitwasgoneWetalkedaboutitinlowvoices。Tomsays:
\"They’remostlydimandsmoky,orlikethey’remadeoutoffog,butthisonewasn’t。\"
\"No,\"Isays;\"Iseenthegogglesandthewhiskersperfectlyplain。\"
\"Yes,andtheverycolorsinthemloudcountrifiedSundayclothes——plaidbreeches,greenandblack——\"
\"Cottonvelvetwestcot,fire-redandyallersquares——\"
\"Leatherstrapstothebottomsofthebreecheslegsandoneofthemhangingunbottoned——\"
\"Yes,andthathat——\"
\"Whatahatforaghosttowear!\"
Youseeitwasthefirstseasonanybodyworethatkind——ablacksitff-brimstove-pipe,veryhigh,andnotsmooth,witharoundtop——justlikeasugar-loaf。
\"Didyounoticeifitshairwasthesame,Huck?\"
\"No——seemstomeIdid,thenagainitseemstomeIdidn’t。\"
\"Ididn’teither;butithaditsbagalong,Inoticedthat。\"
\"SodidI。Howcantherebeaghost-bag,Tom?\"
\"Sho!Iwouldn’tbeasignorantasthatifIwasyou,HuckFinn。Whateveraghosthas,turnstoghost-
stuff。They’vegottohavetheirthings,likeanybodyelse。Yousee,yourself,thatitsclotheswasturnedtoghost-stuff。Well,then,what’stohenderitsbagfromturning,too?Ofcourseitdoneit。\"
Thatwasreasonable。Icouldn’tfindnofaultwithit。BillWithersandhisbrotherJackcomealongby,talking,andJacksays:
\"Whatdoyoureckonhewastoting?\"
\"Idunno;butitwasprettyheavy。\"
\"Yes,allhecouldlug。NiggerstealingcornfromoldParsonSilas,Ijudged。\"
\"SodidI。AndsoIallowedIwouldn’tletontoseehim。\"
\"That’sme,too。\"
Thentheybothlaughed,andwentonoutofhearing。
ItshowedhowunpopularoldUncleSilashadgottobenow。Theywouldn’t’a’letaniggerstealanybodyelse’scornandneverdoneanythingtohim。
Weheardsomemorevoicesmumblingalongtowardsusandgettinglouder,andsometimesacackleofalaugh。ItwasLemBeebeandJimLane。JimLanesays:
\"Who?——JubiterDunlap?\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Oh,Idon’tknow。Ireckonso。Iseenhimspad-
ingupsomegroundalongaboutanhourago,justbe-
foresundown——himandtheparson。Saidheguessedhewouldn’tgoto-night,butwecouldhavehisdogifwewantedhim。\"
\"Tootired,Ireckon。\"
\"Yes——workssohard!\"
\"Oh,youbet!\"
Theycackledatthat,andwentonby。Tomsaidwebetterjumpoutandtagalongafterthem,becausetheywasgoingourwayanditwouldn’tbecomfortabletorunacrosstheghostallbyourselves。Sowedoneit,andgothomeallright。
ThatnightwasthesecondofSeptember——aSatur-
day。Isha’n’teverforgetit。You’llseewhy,prettysoon。
CHAPTERVI。
PLANSTOSECURETHEDIAMONDS
WEtrampedalongbehindJimandLemtillwecometothebackstilewhereoldJim’scabinwasthathewascaptivatedin,thetimewesethimfree,andherecomethedogspilingaroundustosayhowdy,andtherewasthelightsofthehouse,too;sowewarn’tafeardanymore,andwasgoingtoclimbover,butTomsays:
\"Holdon;setdownhereaminute。ByGeorge!\"
\"What’sthematter?\"saysI。
\"Matterenough!\"hesays。\"Wasn’tyouexpect-
ingwewouldbethefirsttotellthefamilywhoitisthat’sbeenkilledyonderinthesycamores,andallaboutthemrapscallionsthatdoneit,andaboutthedi’mondsthey’vesmouchedoffofthecorpse,andpaintitupfine,andhavethegloryofbeingtheonesthatknowsalotmoreaboutitthananybodyelse?\"
\"Why,ofcourse。Itwouldn’tbeyou,TomSawyer,ifyouwastoletsuchachancegoby。Ireckonitain’tgoingtosuffernoneforlackofpaint,\"Isays,\"whenyoustartintoscollopthefacts。\"
\"Well,now,\"hesays,perfectlyca’m,\"whatwouldyousayifIwastotellyouIain’tgoingtostartinatall?\"
Iwasastonishedtohearhimtalkso。Isays:
\"I’dsayit’salie。Youain’tinearnest,TomSawyer?\"
\"You’llsoonsee。Wastheghostbarefooted?\"
\"No,itwasn’t。Whatofit?\"
\"Youwait——I’llshowyouwhat。Didithaveitsbootson?\"
\"Yes。Iseenthemplain。\"
\"Swearit?\"
\"Yes,Iswearit。\"
\"SodoI。Nowdoyouknowwhatthatmeans?\"
\"No。Whatdoesitmean?\"
\"MeansthatthemthievesDIDN’TGETTHEDI’MONDS。\"
\"Jimminy!Whatmakesyouthinkthat?\"
\"Idon’tonlythinkit,Iknowit。Didn’tthebreechesandgogglesandwhiskersandhand-bagandeveryblessedthingturntoghost-stuff?Everythingithadonturned,didn’tit?Itshowsthatthereasonitsbootsturnedtoowasbecauseitstillhadthemonafteritstartedtogoha’ntingaround,andifthatain’tproofthatthemblatherskitesdidn’tgettheboots,I’dliketoknowwhatyou’dCALLproof。\"
Thinkofthatnow。Ineverseesuchaheadasthatboyhad。Why,IhadeyesandIcouldseethings,buttheynevermeantnothingtome。ButTomSawyerwasdifferent。WhenTomSawyerseenathingitjustgotuponitshindlegsandTALKEDtohim——toldhimeverythingitknowed。Ineverseesuchahead。
\"TomSawyer,\"Isays,\"I’llsayitagainasI’vesaiditamanyatimebefore:Iain’tfittentoblackyourboots。Butthat’sallright——that’sneitherherenorthere。GodAlmightymadeusall,andsomeHegiveseyesthat’sblind,andsomeHegiveseyesthatcansee,andIreckonitain’tnoneofourlookoutwhatHedoneitfor;it’sallright,orHe’d’a’fixeditsomeotherway。Goon——Iseeplentyplainenough,now,thatthemthievesdidn’tgetwaywiththedi’monds。
Whydidn’tthey,doyoureckon?\"
\"Becausetheygotchasedawaybythemothertwomenbeforetheycouldpullthebootsoffofthecorpse。\"
\"That’sso!Iseeitnow。Butlookyhere,Tom,whyain’twetogoandtellaboutit?\"
\"Oh,shucks,HuckFinn,can’tyousee?Lookatit。What’sa-goingtohappen?There’sgoingtobeaninquestinthemorning。Themtwomenwilltellhowtheyheardtheyellsandrushedtherejustintimetonotsavethestranger。Thenthejury’lltwaddleandtwaddleandtwaddle,andfinallythey’llfetchinaverdictthathegotshotorstuckorbustedovertheheadwithsomething,andcometohisdeathbythein-
spirationofGod。Andafterthey’veburiedhimthey’llauctionoffhisthingsfortopaytheexpenses,andthen’sOURchance。\"
\"How,Tom?\"
\"Buythebootsfortwodollars!\"
Well,it’mosttookmybreath。
\"Myland!Why,Tom,WE’LLgetthedi’monds!\"
\"Youbet。Somedaythere’llbeabigrewardofferedforthem——athousanddollars,sure。That’sourmoney!Nowwe’lltrotinandseethefolks。
Andmindyouwedon’tknowanythingaboutanymurder,oranydi’monds,oranythieves——don’tyouforgetthat。\"
Ihadtosighalittleoverthewayhehadgotitfixed。
I’d’a’SOLDthemdi’monds——yes,sir——fortwelvethousanddollars;butIdidn’tsayanything。Itwouldn’tdoneanygood。Isays:
\"ButwhatarewegoingtotellyourauntSallyhasmadeussolonggettingdownherefromthevillage,Tom?\"
\"Oh,I’llleavethattoyou,\"hesays。\"Ireckonyoucanexplainitsomehow。\"
Hewasalwaysjustthatstrictanddelicate。Heneverwouldtellaliehimself。
Westruckacrossthebigyard,noticingthis,that,andt’otherthingthatwassofamiliar,andwesogladtoseeitagain,andwhenwegottotheroofedbigpassagewaybetwixtthedoubleloghouseandthekitchenpart,therewaseverythinghangingonthewalljustasitusedtowas,eventoUncleSilas’soldfadedgreenbaizeworking-gownwiththehoodtoit,andrag-
gedywhitepatchbetweentheshouldersthatalwayslookedlikesomebodyhadhithimwithasnowball;andthenweliftedthelatchandwalkedin。AuntSallyshewasjusta-rippinganda-tearingaround,andthechildrenwashuddledinonecorner,andtheoldmanhewashuddledintheotherandprayingforhelpintimeofneed。Shejumpedforuswithjoyandtearsrunningdownherfaceandgiveusawhackingboxontheear,andthenhuggedusandkissedusandboxedusagain,andjustcouldn’tseemtogetenoughofit,shewassogladtoseeus;andshesays:
\"WhereHAVEyoubeena-loafingto,yougood-for-
nothingtrash!I’vebeenthatworriedaboutyouI
didn’tknowwhattodo。Yourtrapshasbeenhereeversolong,andI’vehadsuppercookedfreshaboutfourtimessoastohaveithotandgoodwhenyoucome,tillatlastmypatienceisjustplumbworeout,andIdeclareI——I——whyIcouldskinyoualive!Youmustbestarving,poorthings!——setdown,setdown,everybody;don’tlosenomoretime。\"
Itwasgoodtobethereagainbehindallthatnoblecorn-poneandspareribs,andeverythingthatyoucouldeverwantinthisworld。OldUncleSilashepeeledoffoneofhisbulliestold-timeblessings,withasmanylayerstoitasanonion,andwhilsttheangelswashaul-
ingintheslackofitIwastryingtostudyupwhattosayaboutwhatkeptussolong。Whenourplateswasallloadenedandwe’dgota-going,sheaskedme,andIsays:
\"Well,yousee,——er——Mizzes——\"
\"HuckFinn!SincewhenamIMizzestoyou?
HaveIeverbeenstingyofcuffsorkissesforyousincethedayyoustoodinthisroomandItookyouforTomSawyerandblessedGodforsendingyoutome,thoughyoutoldmefourthousandliesandIbelievedeveryoneofthemlikeasimpleton?CallmeAuntSally——
likeyoualwaysdone。\"
SoIdoneit。AndIsays:
\"Well,meandTomallowedwewouldcomealongafootandtakeasmellofthewoods,andwerunacrossLemBeebeandJimLane,andtheyaskedustogowiththemblackberryingto-night,andsaidtheycouldbor-
rowJubiterDunlap’sdog,becausehehadtoldthemjustthatminute——\"
\"Wheredidtheyseehim?\"saystheoldman;andwhenIlookeduptoseehowHEcometotakeanintrustinalittlethinglikethat,hiseyeswasjustburningintome,hewasthateager。Itsurprisedmesoitkindofthrowedmeoff,butIpulledmyselftogetheragainandsays:
\"Itwaswhenhewasspadingupsomegroundalongwithyou,towardssundownoralongthere。\"
Heonlysaid,\"Um,\"inakindofadisappointedway,anddidn’ttakenomoreintrust。SoIwenton。
Isays:
\"Well,then,asIwasa-saying——\"
\"That’lldo,youneedn’tgonofurder。\"ItwasAuntSally。Shewasboringrightintomewithhereyes,andveryindignant。\"HuckFinn,\"shesays,\"how’dthemmencometotalkaboutgoinga-black-
berryinginSeptember——inTHISregion?\"
IseeIhadslippedup,andIcouldn’tsayaword。
Shewaited,stilla-gazingatme,thenshesays:
\"Andhow’dtheycometostrikethatidiotideaofgoinga-blackberryinginthenight?\"
\"Well,m’m,they——er——theytoldustheyhadalantern,and——\"
\"Oh,SHETup——do!Lookyhere;whatwastheygoingtodowithadog?——huntblackberrieswithit?\"
\"Ithink,m’m,they——\"
\"Now,TomSawyer,whatkindofalieareyoufix-
ingYOURmouthtocontribittothismessofrubbage?
Speakout——andIwarnyoubeforeyoubegin,thatIdon’tbelieveawordofit。YouandHuck’sbeenuptosomethingyounobusinessto——Iknowitperfectlywell;Iknowyou,BOTHofyou。Nowyouexplainthatdog,andthemblackberries,andthelantern,andtherestofthatrot——andmindyoutalkasstraightasastring——doyouhear?\"
Tomhelookedconsiderablehurt,andsays,verydignified:
\"ItisapityifHuckistobetalkedtothatway,justformakingalittlebitofamistakethatanybodycouldmake。\"
\"Whatmistakehashemade?\"
\"Why,onlythemistakeofsayingblackberrieswhenofcoursehemeantstrawberries。\"
\"TomSawyer,Ilayifyouaggravatemealittlemore,I’ll——\"
\"AuntSally,withoutknowingit——andofcoursewithoutintendingit——youareinthewrong。Ifyou’d’a’studiednaturalhistorythewayyouought,youwouldknowthatallovertheworldexceptjusthereinArkansawtheyALWAYShuntstrawberrieswithadog——
andalantern——\"
Butshebustedinonhimthereandjustpiledintohimandsnowedhimunder。Shewassomadshecouldn’tgetthewordsoutfastenough,andshegushedthemoutinoneeverlastingfreshet。ThatwaswhatTomSawyerwasafter。Heallowedtoworkherupandgetherstartedandthenleaveheraloneandletherburnherselfout。Thenshewouldbesoaggravatedwiththatsubjectthatshewouldn’tsayanotherwordaboutit,norletanybodyelse。Well,ithappenedjustso。Whenshewastuckeredoutandhadtoholdup,hesays,quiteca’m:
\"Andyet,allthesame,AuntSally——\"
\"Shetup!\"shesays,\"Idon’twanttohearanotherwordoutofyou。\"
Sowewasperfectlysafe,then,anddidn’thavenomoretroubleaboutthatdelay。Tomdoneitelegant。
CHAPTERVII。
ANIGHT’SVIGIL
BENNYshewaslookingprettysober,andshesighedsome,nowandthen;butprettysoonshegottoaskingaboutMary,andSid,andTom’sauntPolly,andthenAuntSally’scloudsclearedoffandshegotinagoodhumorandjoinedinonthequestionsandwasherlovingestbestself,andsotherestofthesupperwentalonggayandpleasant。Buttheoldmanhedidn’ttakeanyhandhardly,andwasabsent-mindedandrestless,anddoneaconsiderableamountofsigh-
ing;anditwaskindofheart-breakingtoseehimsosadandtroubledandworried。
Byandby,aspellaftersupper,comeaniggerandknockedonthedoorandputhisheadinwithhisoldstrawhatinhishandbowingandscraping,andsaidhisMarseBracewasoutatthestileandwantedhisbrother,andwasgettingtiredwaitingsupperforhim,andwouldMarseSilaspleasetellhimwherehewas?
IneverseeUncleSilasspeakupsosharpandfractiousbefore。Hesays:
\"AmIhisbrother’skeeper?\"Andthenhekindofwiltedtogether,andlookedlikehewishedhehadn’tspokenso,andthenhesays,verygentle:\"Butyouneedn’tsaythat,Billy;Iwastooksuddenandirritable,andIain’tverywellthesedays,andnothardlyrespon-
sible。Tellhimheain’there。\"
Andwhentheniggerwasgonehegotupandwalkedthefloor,backwardsandforwards,mumblingandmutteringtohimselfandplowinghishandsthroughhishair。Itwasrealpitifultoseehim。AuntSallyshewhisperedtousandtoldusnottotakenoticeofhim,itembarrassedhim。Shesaidhewasalwaysthinkingandthinking,sincethesetroublescomeon,andsheallowedhedidn’tmore’nabouthalfknowwhathewasaboutwhenthethinkingspellswasonhim;andshesaidhewalkedinhissleepconsiderablemorenowthanheusedto,andsometimeswanderedaroundoverthehouseandevenoutdoorsinhissleep,andifwecatchedhimatitwemustlethimaloneandnotdisturbhim。
Shesaidshereckoneditdidn’tdohimnoharm,andmaybeitdonehimgood。ShesaidBennywastheonlyonethatwasmuchhelptohimthesedays。SaidBennyappearedtoknowjustwhentotrytosoothehimandwhentoleavehimalone。
Sohekeptontrampingupanddownthefloorandmuttering,tillbyandbyhebeguntolookprettytired;
thenBennyshewentandsnuggleduptohissideandputonehandinhisandonearmaroundhiswaistandwalkedwithhim;andhesmileddownonher,andreacheddownandkissedher;andso,littlebylittlethetroublewentoutofhisfaceandshepersuadedhimofftohisroom。Theyhadverypettingwaystogether,anditwasuncommonprettytosee。
AuntSallyshewasbusygettingthechildrenreadyforbed;sobyandbyitgotdullandtedious,andmeandTomtookaturninthemoonlight,andfetchedupinthewatermelon-patchandetone,andhadagooddealoftalk。AndTomsaidhe’dbetthequarrelingwasallJubiter’sfault,andhewasgoingtobeonhandthefirsttimehegotachance,andsee;andifitwasso,hewasgoingtodohislevelbesttogetUncleSilastoturnhimoff。
Andsowetalkedandsmokedandstuffedwater-
melonsmuchastwohours,andthenitwasprettylate,andwhenwegotbackthehousewasquietanddark,andeverybodygonetobed。
Tomhealwaysseeneverything,andnowheseethattheoldgreenbaizework-gownwasgone,andsaiditwasn’tgonewhenhewentout;sohealloweditwascurious,andthenwewentuptobed。
WecouldhearBennystirringaroundinherroom,whichwasnexttoourn,andjudgedshewasworriedagooddealaboutherfatherandcouldn’tsleep。Wefoundwecouldn’t,neither。Sowesetupalongtime,andsmokedandtalkedinalowvoice,andfeltprettydullanddown-hearted。Wetalkedthemurderandtheghostoverandoveragain,andgotsocreepyandcrawlywecouldn’tgetsleepynohowandnoway。
Byandby,whenitwasawaylateinthenightandallthesoundswaslatesoundsandsolemn,Tomnudgedmeandwhisperstometolook,andIdoneit,andthereweseeamanpokingaroundintheyardlikehedidn’tknowjustwhathewantedtodo,butitwasprettydimandwecouldn’tseehimgood。Thenhestartedforthestile,andashewentoveritthemooncameoutstrong,andhehadalong-handledshoveloverhisshoulder,andweseethewhitepatchontheoldwork-
gown。SoTomsays:
\"He’sa-walkinginhissleep。Iwishwewasallowedtofollowhimandseewherehe’sgoingto。
There,he’sturneddownbythetobacker-field。Outofsightnow。It’sadreadfulpityhecan’trestnobetter。\"
Wewaitedalongtime,buthedidn’tcomebackanymore,orifhedidhecomearoundtheotherway;soatlastwewastuckeredoutandwenttosleepandhadnightmares,amillionofthem。Butbeforedawnwewasawakeagain,becausemeantimeastormhadcomeupandbeenraging,andthethunderandlightningwasawful,andthewindwasa-thrashingthetreesaround,andtherainwasdrivingdowninslantingsheets,andthegullieswasrunningrivers。Tomsays:
\"Lookyhere,Huck,I’lltellyouonethingthat’smightycurious。Uptothetimewewentoutlastnightthefamilyhadn’theardaboutJakeDunlapbeingmur-
dered。NowthementhatchasedHalClaytonandBudDixonawaywouldspreadthethingaroundinahalfanhour,andeveryneighborthathearditwouldshinoutandflyaroundfromonefarmtot’otherandtrytobethefirsttotellthenews。Land,theydon’thavesuchabigthingasthattotelltwiceinthirtyyear!
Huck,it’smightystrange;Idon’tunderstandit。\"
Sothenhewasinafidgetfortheraintoletup,sowecouldturnoutandrunacrosssomeofthepeopleandseeiftheywouldsayanythingaboutittous。
Andhesaidiftheydidwemustbehorriblysurprisedandshocked。
Wewasoutandgonetheminutetherainstopped。
Itwasjustbroaddaythen。Weloafedalonguptheroad,andnowandthenmetapersonandstoppedandsaidhowdy,andtoldthemwhenwecome,andhowweleftthefolksathome,andhowlongwewasgoingtostay,andallthat,butnoneofthemsaidawordaboutthatthing;whichwasjustastonishing,andnomistake。
Tomsaidhebelievedifwewenttothesycamoreswewouldfindthatbodylayingtheresolitaryandalone,andnotasoularound。Saidhebelievedthemenchasedthethievessofarintothewoodsthatthethievesprob’lyseenagoodchanceandturnedonthematlast,andmaybetheyallkilledeachother,andsotherewasn’tanybodylefttotell。
Firstweknowed,gabblingalongthataway,wewasrightatthesycamores。ThecoldchillstrickleddownmybackandIwouldn’tbudgeanotherstep,forallTom’spersuading。Buthecouldn’tholdin;he’dGOT
toseeifthebootswassafeonthatbodyyet。Sohecropein——andthenextminuteouthecomeagainwithhiseyesbulginghewassoexcited,andsays:
\"Huck,it’sgone!\"
IWASastonished!Isays:
\"Tom,youdon’tmeanit。\"
\"It’sgone,sure。Thereain’tasignofit。Thegroundistrampledsome,butiftherewasanybloodit’sallwashedawaybythestorm,forit’sallpuddlesandslushinthere。\"
AtlastIgivein,andwentandtookalookmyself;
anditwasjustasTomsaid——therewasn’tasignofacorpse。
\"Dernit,\"Isays,\"thedi’mondsisgone。Don’tyoureckonthethievesslunkbackandluggedhimoff,Tom?\"
\"Lookslikeit。Itjustdoes。Nowwhere’dtheyhidehim,doyoureckon?\"
\"Idon’tknow,\"Isays,disgusted,\"andwhat’smoreIdon’tcare。They’vegottheboots,andthat’sallIcaredabout。He’lllayaroundthesewoodsalongtimebeforeIhunthimup。\"
Tomdidn’tfeelnomoreintrustinhimneither,onlycuriositytoknowwhatcomeofhim;buthesaidwe’dlaylowandkeepdarkanditwouldn’tbelongtillthedogsorsomebodyroustedhimout。
Wewentbackhometobreakfasteversobotheredandputoutanddisappointedandswindled。Iwarn’teversodownonacorpsebefore。
CHAPTERVIII。
TALKINGWITHTHEGHOST
ITwarn’tverycheerfulatbreakfast。AuntSallyshelookedoldandtiredandletthechildrensnarlandfussatoneanotheranddidn’tseemtonoticeitwasgoingon,whichwasn’therusualstyle;meandTomhadaplentytothinkaboutwithouttalking;Bennyshelookedlikeshehadn’thadmuchsleep,andwhenevershe’dliftherheadalittleandstealalooktowardsherfatheryoucouldseetherewastearsinhereyes;andasfortheoldman,histhingsstayedonhisplateandgotcoldwithouthimknowingtheywasthere,Ireckon,forhewasthinkingandthinkingallthetime,andneversaidawordandneveretabite。
Byandbywhenitwasstillest,thatnigger’sheadwaspokedinatthedooragain,andhesaidhisMarseBracewasgettingpowerfuluneasyaboutMarseJubiter,whichhadn’tcomehomeyet,andwouldMarseSilasplease——
HewaslookingatUncleSilas,andhestoppedthere,liketherestofhiswordswasfroze;forUncleSilasheroseupshakyandsteadiedhimselfleaninghisfingersonthetable,andhewaspanting,andhiseyeswassetonthenigger,andhekeptswallowing,andputhisotherhanduptohisthroatacoupleoftimes,andatlasthegothiswordsstarted,andsays:
\"Doeshe——doeshe——think——WHATdoeshethink!
Tellhim——tellhim——\"Thenhesunkdowninhischairlimpandweak,andsays,soasyoucouldhardlyhearhim:\"Goaway——goaway!\"
Theniggerlookedscaredandclearedout,andweallfelt——well,Idon’tknowhowwefelt,butitwasawful,withtheoldmanpantingthere,andhiseyessetandlookinglikeapersonthatwasdying。Noneofuscouldbudge;butBennysheslidaroundsoft,withhertearsrunningdown,andstoodbyhisside,andnestledhisoldgrayheadupagainstherandbeguntostrokeitandpetitwithherhands,andnoddedtoustogoaway,andwedoneit,goingoutveryquiet,likethedeadwasthere。
MeandTomstruckoutforthewoodsmightysolemn,andsayinghowdifferentitwasnowtowhatitwaslastsummerwhenwewashereandeverythingwassopeacefulandhappyandeverybodythoughtsomuchofUncleSilas,andhewassocheerfulandsimple-
heartedandpudd’n-headedandgood——andnowlookathim。Ifhehadn’tlosthismindhewasn’tmuckshortofit。Thatwaswhatweallowed。
Itwasamostlovelydaynow,andbrightandsun。
shiny;andthefurtherandfurtherwewentoverthehillstowardstheprairiethelovelierandlovelierthetreesandflowersgottobeandthemoreitseemedstrangeandsomehowwrongthattherehadtobetroubleinsuchaworldasthis。AndthenallofasuddenIcatchedmybreathandgrabbedTom’sarm,andallmyliversandlungsandthingsfelldownintomylegs。
\"Thereitis!\"Isays。Wejumpedbackbehindabushshivering,andTomsays:
\"’Sh!——don’tmakeanoise。\"
Itwassettingonalogrightintheedgeofalittleprairie,thinking。ItriedtogetTomtocomeaway,buthewouldn’t,andIdasn’tbudgebymyself。Hesaidwemightn’tevergetanotherchancetoseeone,andhewasgoingtolookhisfillatthisoneifhediedforit。SoIlookedtoo,thoughitgivemethefan-
todstodoit。TomheHADtotalk,buthetalkedlow。
Hesays:
\"PoorJakey,it’sgotallitsthingson,justashesaidhewould。NOWyouseewhatwewasn’tcertainabout——itshair。It’snotlongnowthewayitwas:
it’sgotitcroppedclosetoitshead,thewayhesaidhewould。Huck,IneverseeanythinglookanymorenaturalerthanwhatItdoes。\"
\"NorIneither,\"Isays;\"I’drecognizeitany-
wheres。\"
\"SowouldI。Itlooksperfectlysolidandgenu-
wyne,justthewayitdonebeforeitdied。\"
Sowekepta-gazing。PrettysoonTomsays:
\"Huck,there’ssomethingmightycuriousaboutthisone,don’tyouknow?IToughtn’ttobegoingaroundinthedaytime。\"
\"That’sso,Tom——Ineverheardthelikeofitbefore。\"
\"No,sir,theydon’tevercomeoutonlyatnight——
andthennottillaftertwelve。There’ssomethingwrongaboutthisone,nowyoumarkmywords。I
don’tbelieveit’sgotanyrighttobearoundinthedaytime。Butdon’titlooknatural!Jakewasgoingtoplaydeefanddumbhere,sotheneighborswouldn’tknowhisvoice。Doyoureckonitwoulddothatifwewastoholleratit?\"
\"Lordy,Tom,don’ttalkso!IfyouwastoholleratitI’ddieinmytracks。\"
\"Don’tyouworry,Iain’tgoingtoholleratit。
Look,Huck,it’sa-scratchingitshead——don’tyousee?\"
\"Well,whatofit?\"
\"Why,this。What’sthesenseofitscratchingitshead?Thereain’tanythingtheretoitch;itsheadismadeoutoffogorsomethinglikethat,andcan’titch。
Afogcan’titch;anyfoolknowsthat。\"
\"Well,then,ifitdon’titchandcan’titch,whatinthenationisitscratchingitfor?Ain’titjusthabit,don’tyoureckon?\"
\"No,sir,Idon’t。Iain’tabitsatisfiedaboutthewaythisoneacts。I’veablamegoodnotionit’sabogusone——Ihave,assureasI’ma-sittinghere。
Because,ifit——Huck!\"
\"Well,what’sthematternow?\"
\"YOUCAN’TSEETHEBUSHESTHROUGHIT!\"
\"Why,Tom,it’sso,sure!It’sassolidasacow。
Isortofbegintothink——\"
\"Huck,it’sbitingoffachawoftobacker!ByGeorge,THEYdon’tchaw——theyhain’tgotanythingtochawWITH。Huck!\"
\"I’ma-listening。\"
\"Itain’taghostatall。It’sJakeDunlaphisownself!\"
\"Ohyourgranny!\"Isays。
\"HuckFinn,didwefindanycorpseinthesyca-
mores?\"
\"No。\"
\"Oranysignofone?\"
\"No。\"
\"Mightygoodreason。Hadn’teverbeenanycorpsethere。\"
\"Why,Tom,youknowweheard——\"
\"Yes,wedidJ——heardahowlortwo。Doesthatproveanybodywaskilled?Courseitdon’t。Andweseenfourmenrun,thenthisonecomewalkingoutandwetookitforaghost。Nomoreghostthanyouare。
ItwasJakeDunlaphisownself,andit’sJakeDunlapnow。He’sbeenandgothishaircropped,thewayhesaidhewould,andhe’splayinghimselfforastranger,justthesameashesaidhewould。Ghost?Hum!——
he’sassoundasanut。\"
ThenIseeitall,andhowwehadtooktoomuchforgranted。Iwaspowerfulgladhedidn’tgetkilled,andsowasTom,andwewonderedwhichhewouldlikethebest——forustoneverletontoknowhim,orhow?
Tomreckonedthebestwaywouldbetogoandaskhim。Sohestarted;butIkeptalittlebehind,becauseIdidn’tknowbutitmightbeaghost,afterall。WhenTomgottowherehewas,hesays:
\"MeandHuck’smightygladtoseeyouagain,andyouneedn’tbeafearedwe’lltell。Andifyouthinkit’llbesaferforyouifwedon’tletontoknowyouwhenwerunacrossyou,saythewordandyou’llseeyoucandependonus,andwouldruthercutourhandsoffthangetyouintotheleastlittlebitofdanger。\"
Firstoffhelookedsurprisedtoseeus,andnotveryglad,either;butasTomwentonhelookedpleasanter,andwhenhewasdonehesmiled,andnoddedhisheadseveraltimes,andmadesignswithhishands,andsays:
\"Goo-goo——goo-goo,\"thewaydeefanddummiesdoes。
JustthenweseesomeofSteveNickerson’speoplecomingthatlivedt’othersideoftheprairie,soTomsays:
\"Youdoitelegant;Ineverseeanybodydoitbetter。You’reright;playitonus,too;playitonussameastheothers;it’llkeepyouinpracticeandpreventyoumakingblunders。We’llkeepawayfromyouandletonwedon’tknowyou,butanytimewecanbeanyhelp,youjustletusknow。\"
ThenweloafedalongpasttheNickersons,andofcoursetheyaskedifthatwasthenewstrangeryonder,andwhere’dhecomefrom,andwhatwashisname,andwhichcommunionwashe,Babtis’orMethodis’,andwhichpolitics,WhigorDemocrat,andhowlongishestaying,andallthemotherquestionsthathumansalwaysaskswhenastrangercomes,andanimalsdoes,too。ButTomsaidhewarn’tabletomakeanythingoutofdeefanddumbsigns,andthesamewithgoo-
gooing。ThenwewatchedthemgoandbullyragJake;
becausewewasprettyuneasyforhim。Tomsaiditwouldtakehimdaystogetsohewouldn’tforgethewasadeefanddummysometimes,andspeakoutbe-
forehethought。WhenwehadwatchedlongenoughtoseethatJakewasgettingalongallrightandworkinghissignsverygood,weloafedalongagain,allowingtostriketheschoolhouseaboutrecesstime,whichwasathree-miletramp。
IwassodisappointednottohearJaketellabouttherowinthesycamores,andhownearhecometoget-
tingkilled,thatIcouldn’tseemtogetoverit,andTomhefeltthesame,butsaidifwewasinJake’sfixwewouldwanttogocarefulandkeepstillandnottakeanychances。
Theboysandgirlswasallgladtoseeusagain,andwehadarealgoodtimeallthroughrecess。ComingtoschooltheHendersonboyshadcomeacrossthenewdeefanddummyandtoldtherest;soallthescholarswaschuckfullofhimandcouldn’ttalkaboutanythingelse,andwasinasweattogetasightofhimbecausetheyhadn’teverseenadeefanddummyintheirlives,anditmadeapowerfulexcitement。
Tomsaiditwastoughtohavetokeepmumnow;
saidwewouldbeheroesifwecouldcomeoutandtellallweknowed;butafterall,itwasstillmoreheroictokeepmum,therewarn’ttwoboysinamillioncoulddoit。ThatwasTomSawyer’sideaaboutit,andreckonedtherewarn’tanybodycouldbetterit。
CHAPTERIX。
FINDINGOFJUBITERDUNLAP
INthenexttwoorthreedaysDummyhegottobepowerfulpopular。Hewentassociatingaroundwiththeneighbors,andtheymademuchofhim,andwasproudtohavesucharattlingcuriosityamongthem。
Theyhadhimtobreakfast,theyhadhimtodinner,theyhadhimtosupper;theykepthimloadedupwithhogandhominy,andwarn’tevertiredstaringathimandwonderingoverhim,andwishingtheyknowedmoreabouthim,hewassouncommonandromantic。
Hissignswarn’tnogood;peoplecouldn’tunder-
standthemandheprob’lycouldn’thimself,buthedoneasightofgoo-gooing,andsoeverybodywassat-
isfied,andadmiredtohearhimgoit。Hetotedapieceofslatearound,andapencil;andpeoplewrotequestionsonitandhewroteanswers;buttherewarn’tanybodycouldreadhiswritingbutBraceDunlap。
Bracesaidhecouldn’treaditverygood,buthecouldmanagetodigoutthemeaningmostofthetime。HesaidDummysaidhebelongedawayoffsomersandusedtobewelloff,butgotbustedbyswindlerswhichhehadtrusted,andwaspoornow,andhadn’tanywaytomakealiving。
EverybodypraisedBraceDunlapforbeingsogoodtothatstranger。Helethimhavealittlelog-cabinalltohimself,andhadhisniggerstakecareofit,andfetchhimallthevittleshewanted。
Dummywasatourhousesome,becauseoldUncleSilaswassoafflictedhimself,thesedays,thatanybodyelsethatwasafflictedwasacomforttohim。MeandTomdidn’tletonthatwehadknowedhimbefore,andhedidn’tletonthathehadknowedusbefore。Thefamilytalkedtheirtroublesoutbeforehimthesameasifhewasn’tthere,butwereckoneditwasn’tanyharmforhimtohearwhattheysaid。Generlyhedidn’tseemtonotice,butsometimeshedid。
Well,twoorthreedayswentalong,andeverybodygottogettinguneasyaboutJubiterDunlap。Every-
bodywasaskingeverybodyiftheyhadanyideawhathadbecomeofhim。No,theyhadn’t,theysaid:andtheyshooktheirheadsandsaidtherewassomethingpowerfulstrangeaboutit。Anotherandanotherdaywentby;thentherewasareportgotaroundthatprapshewasmurdered。Youbetitmadeabigstir!Every-
body’stonguewasclackingawayafterthat。Saturdaytwoorthreegangsturnedoutandhuntedthewoodstoseeiftheycouldrunacrosshisremainders。MeandTomhelped,anditwasnoblegoodtimesandexciting。
Tomhewassobrimfulofithecouldn’teatnorrest。
Hesaidifwecouldfindthatcorpsewewouldbecelebrated,andmoretalkedaboutthanifwegotdrownded。
Theothersgottiredandgiveitup;butnotTomSawyer——thatwarn’thisstyle。Saturdaynighthedidn’tsleepany,hardly,tryingtothinkupaplan;
andtowardsdaylightinthemorninghestruckit。Hesnakedmeoutofbedandwasallexcited,andsays:
\"Quick,Huck,snatchonyourclothes——I’vegotit!Bloodhound!\"
Intwominuteswewastearinguptheriverroadinthedarktowardsthevillage。OldJeffHookerhadabloodhound,andTomwasgoingtoborrowhim。I
says:
\"Thetrail’stooold,Tom——andbesides,it’srained,youknow。\"
\"Itdon’tmakeanydifference,Huck。Ifthebody’shidinthewoodsanywherearoundthehoundwillfindit。Ifhe’sbeenmurderedandburied,theywouldn’tburyhimdeep,itain’tlikely,andifthedoggoesoverthespothe’llscenthim,sure。Huck,we’regoingtobecelebrated,sureasyou’reborn!\"
Hewasjusta-blazing;andwheneverhegotafirehewasmostlikelytogetafireallover。Thatwasthewaythistime。Intwominuteshehadgotitallcipheredout,andwasn’tonlyjustgoingtofindthecorpse——
no,hewasgoingtogetonthetrackofthatmurdererandhuntHIMdown,too;andnotonlythat,buthewasgoingtosticktohimtill——
\"Well,\"Isays,\"youbetterfindthecorpsefirst;I
reckonthat’sa-plentyforto-day。Forallweknow,thereAIN’Tanycorpseandnobodyhain’tbeenmur-
dered。Thatcusscould’a’goneoffsomersandnotbeenkilledatall。\"
Thatgraveledhim,andhesays:
\"HuckFinn,Ineverseesuchapersonasyoutowanttospoileverything。AslongasYOUcan’tseeanythinghopefulinathing,youwon’tletanybodyelse。Whatgoodcanitdoyoutothrowcoldwateronthatcorpseandgetupthatselfishtheorythatthereain’tbeenanymurder?Noneintheworld。Idon’tseehowyoucanactso。Iwouldn’ttreatyoulikethat,andyouknowit。Herewe’vegotanoblegoodopportunitytomakearuputation,and——\"
\"Oh,goahead,\"Isays。\"I’msorry,andItakeitallback。Ididn’tmeannothing。Fixitanywayyouwantit。HEain’tanyconsequencetome。Ifhe’skilled,I’masgladofitasyouare;andifhe——\"
\"Ineversaidanythingaboutbeingglad;Ionly——\"
\"Well,then,I’masSORRYasyouare。Anywayyoudrutherhaveit,thatisthewayIdrutherhaveit。
He——\"
\"Thereain’tanydruthersABOUTit,HuckFinn;no-
bodysaidanythingaboutdruthers。Andasfor——\"
Heforgothewastalking,andwenttrampingalong,studying。Hebeguntogetexcitedagain,andprettysoonhesays:
\"Huck,it’llbethebulliestthingthateverhappenedifwefindthebodyaftereverybodyelsehasquitlook-
ing,andthengoaheadandhuntupthemurderer。Itwon’tonlybeanhonortous,butit’llbeanhonortoUncleSilasbecauseitwasusthatdoneit。It’llsethimupagain,youseeifitdon’t。\"
ButOldJeffHookerhethrowedcoldwateronthewholebusinesswhenwegottohisblacksmithshopandtoldhimwhatwecomefor。
\"Youcantakethedog,\"hesays,\"butyouain’ta-goingtofindanycorpse,becausethereain’tanycorpsetofind。Everybody’squitlooking,andthey’reright。Soonastheycometothink,theyknowedtherewarn’tnocorpse。AndI’lltellyouforwhy。Whatdoesapersonkillanotherpersonfor,TomSawyer?——
answermethat。\"
\"Why,he——er——\"
\"Answerup!Youain’tnofool。WhatdoeshekillhimFOR?\"
\"Well,sometimesit’sforrevenge,and——\"
\"Wait。Onethingatatime。Revenge,saysyou;
andrightyouare。Nowwhoeverhadanythingaginthatpoortriflingno-account?WhodoyoureckonwouldwanttokillHIM?——thatrabbit!\"
Tomwasstuck。Ireckonhehadn’tthoughtofapersonhavingtohaveaREASONforkillingapersonbe-
fore,andnowheseesitwarn’tlikelyanybodywouldhavethatmuchofagrudgeagainstalamblikeJubiterDunlap。Theblacksmithsays,byandby:
\"Therevengeideawon’twork,yousee。Well,then,what’snext?Robbery?B’gosh,thatmust’a’
beenit,Tom!Yes,sirree,Ireckonwe’vestruckitthistime。Somefellerwantedhisgallus-buckles,andsohe——\"
Butitwassofunnyhebustedoutlaughing,andjustwentonlaughingandlaughingandlaughingtillhewas’mostdead,andTomlookedsoputoutandcheapthatIknowedhewasashamedhehadcome,andhewishedhehadn’t。ButoldHookerneverletuponhim。Herakedupeverythingapersonevercouldwanttokillanotherpersonabout,andanyfoolcouldseetheydidn’tanyofthemfitthiscase,andhejustmadenoendoffunofthewholebusinessandofthepeoplethathadbeenhuntingthebody;andhesaid:
\"Ifthey’dhadanysensethey’d’a’knowedthelazycussslidoutbecausehewantedaloafingspellafterallthiswork。He’llcomepotteringbackinacoupleofweeks,andthenhow’llyoufellersfeel?But,lawsblessyou,takethedog,andgoandhunthisre-
mainders。Do,Tom。\"
Thenhebustedout,andhadanotherofthemforty-
rodlaughsofhisn。Tomcouldn’tbackdownafterallthis,sohesaid,\"Allright,unchainhim;\"andtheblacksmithdoneit,andwestartedhomeandleftthatoldmanlaughingyet。
Itwasalovelydog。Thereain’tanydogthat’sgotalovelierdispositionthanabloodhound,andthisoneknowedusandlikedus。Hecaperedandracedaroundeversofriendly,andpowerfulgladtobefreeandhaveaholiday;butTomwassocutuphecouldn’ttakeanyintrustinhim,andsaidhewishedhe’dstoppedandthoughtaminutebeforeheeverstartedonsuchafoolerrand。HesaidoldJeffHookerwouldtellevery-
body,andwe’dneverhearthelastofit。
Soweloafedalonghomedownthebacklanes,feel-
ingprettyglumandnottalking。Whenwewaspass-
ingthefarcornerofourtobackerfieldweheardthedogsetupalonghowlinthere,andwewenttotheplaceandhewasscratchingthegroundwithallhismight,andeverynowandthencantinguphisheadsidewaysandfetchinganotherhowl。
Itwasalongsquare,theshapeofagrave;therainhadmadeitsinkdownandshowtheshape。Theminutewecomeandstoodtherewelookedatoneanotherandneversaidaword。Whenthedoghaddugdownonlyafewincheshegrabbedsomethingandpulleditup,anditwasanarmandasleeve。Tomkindofgaspedout,andsays:
\"Comeaway,Huck——it’sfound。\"
Ijustfeltawful。Westruckfortheroadandfetchedthefirstmenthatcomealong。Theygotaspadeatthecribanddugoutthebody,andyouneverseesuchanexcitement。Youcouldn’tmakeanythingoutoftheface,butyoudidn’tneedto。Everybodysaid:
\"PoorJubiter;it’shisclothes,tothelastrag!\"
Somerushedofftospreadthenewsandtellthejusticeofthepeaceandhaveaninquest,andmeandTomlitoutforthehouse。Tomwasallafireand’mostoutofbreathwhenwecometearinginwhereUncleSilasandAuntSallyandBennywas。Tomsungout:
\"MeandHuck’sfoundJubiterDunlap’scorpseallbyourselveswithabloodhound,aftereverybodyelsehadquithuntingandgivenitup;andifithadn’tabeenforusitneverWOULD’a’beenfound;andheWAS
murderedtoo——theydoneitwithacluborsomethinglikethat;andI’mgoingtostartinandfindthemur-
derer,next,andIbetI’lldoit!\"
AuntSallyandBennysprunguppaleandastonished,butUncleSilasfellrightforwardoutofhischairontothefloorandgroansout:
\"Oh,myGod,you’vefoundhimNOW!\"