The Adventures of Tom Sawyer : Chapter 33-35

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Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Chapter thirty three, The Fate ofInjun Joe. Within a few minutes the
news had spread, and a dozenskiff loads of men were on their way
to McDougall's cave, and the ferryboat well filled with passengers soon followed.
Tom Sawyer was in a skiff thatbore Judge Thatcher. When the cave door
was unlocked, a sorrowful sight presenteditself in the dim twilight of the place.

(00:26):
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 moment, upon thelight and the cheer of the free world
outside. Tom was touched, forhe knew by his own experience how this
wretch had suffered. His pity wasmoved, but nevertheless he felt an a

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bounding sense of relief and security nowwhich 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 dayhe lifted his voice against this bloody,
minded outcast. Injun Joe's bowie knifelay close by, its blade broken in
two. The great foundation beam ofthe door had been chipped and hacked through

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with tedious labor. Useless labor too, it was, for the native rock
formed a sill outside it, andupon that stubborn material the knife had wrought
no effect. The only damage donewas 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 whollycut away injun Joe could not have

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squeezed his body under the door,and he knew it. So he had
only hacked that place in order tobe doing something, in order to pass
the weary time, in order toemploy his tortured faculties. Ordinarily, one
could find half a dozen bits ofcandle stuck around in the crevices of this
vestibule, left there by tourists,but there were none now. The prisoner

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had searched them out and eaten them. He had also contrived to catch a
few bats, and these also hehad eaten, leaving only their claws.
The poor unfortunate had starved to death. In one place near at hand,
a stalac mte had been slowly growingup from the ground for ages builded by
the water drip from a stalactite overhead. The captive had broken off the stalac

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mighte, and upon the stump hadplaced a stone, wherein he had scooped
a shallow hollow to catch the preciousdrop that fell once in every three minutes,
with the dreary regularity of a clocktick a dessert spoonful, once in
four and twenty hours. That dropwas falling when the pyramids were new,
when Troy fell, when the foundationsof Rome were laid, when Christ was

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crucified, when the conqueror created theBritish Empire, when Columbus sailed, when
the massacre at Lexington was news.It is falling now, it will still
be falling when all these things shallhave sunk down the afternoon of history and
the twilight tradition, and been swallowedup in the thick night of oblivion.
Has everything a purpose and a mission? Did this drop fall patiently during five

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thousand years to be ready for thisflitting human insect's need? And has it
another important object to accomplish ten thousandyears to come? No matter? It
is many and many a year sincethe hapless half breed scooped out the stone
to catch the priceless drops. Butto this day the tourist stairs longest at

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that pathetic stone and that slow droppingwater. When he comes to see the
wonders of mc dougall's cave. InjunJoe's cup stands first in the list of
the cavern's marvels. Even Aladdin's Palacecannot 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 thefarms and hamlets for seven miles around.

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They brought their children and all sortsof provisions, and confess that they had
had almost a satisfactory a time atthe funeral as they could have had at
the hanging. This funeral stopped thefurther 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 beenheld, and a committee of sappy women

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been appointed to go in deep mourningand wail around the governor and implore him
to be a merciful ass and tramplehis duty under foot. Injun Joe was
believed to have killed five citizens ofthe village. But what of that if
he had been satan himself. Therewould have been plenty of weaklings ready to
scribble their names to a pardon petitionand drip a tear on it from their
permanently impaired and leaky water works.The morning after the funeral, Tom took

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Huck to a private place to havean important talk. Huck had learned all
about Tom's adventure from the Welshman andthe widow Douglas by this time, but
Tom said he reckoned there was onething they had not told him. That
thing was what he wanted to talkabout now. Huck's face saddened, he
said, I know what it is. You got into number two, never

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found anything but whiskey. Nobody toldme it was you, but I just
knowed it must have been you assoon as I heard about that whiskey business,
when I knowed you hadn't got themoney, because you'd have got it
me somewhere or other. And toldme, even if you was mum to
everybody else, Tom, something's alwaystold me we'd never get hold of that
swag. Why, Huck, Inever told on that tavern keeper. You

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know his tavern was all right?The Saturday I went to the picnic,
don't you remember you was to watchthere that night. Oh yes, why
it seems about a year ago.It was that very night that I followed
Injun Joe to the Widders. Youfollowed him, yes, but you keep
mum. I reckon, Injun Joe'sleft friends behind him, and I don't
want them sorein on me and doin'me mean tricks. If it hadn't been

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for me, he'd be down inTexas now, all right? Then Huck
told his entire adventure and confidence toTom, who had only heard of the
Welshman's part of it before. Well, said Huck, presently, coming back
to the main question. Whoever nippedthe whiskey? And number two nipped the
money too? I reckon anyway,it's a goner for us, Tom Hack.
That money wasn't ever in Number two? What? Huck searched his comrade's

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face. Keenly, Tom, haveyou got on the track of that money
again? Hack? It's in thecave? Huck's eyes blazed. Say it
again, Tom, the money's inthe cave, Tom, honest engine?
Now is it fun or earnest?Earnest Hack? Just as earnest as ever
I was in my life? Willyou go in there with me and help

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me get it out. I betI will. I will. If it's
where, we can blaze our wayto it and not get lost. Hawk.
We can do that without the leastlittle bit of trouble in the world.
Good as wheat. What makes youthink the money's huck? You just
wait till we get in there.If we don't find it, I'll agree
to give you my drum and everythingI've got in the world. I will
buy jings. All right, it'sa whiz. When do you say right

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now? If you say it,are you strong enough? Is it far
in the cave. I've been onmy pins a little three four days now,
but I can't walk more than amile tom, at least, I
don't think I could. It's aboutfive mile into there the way. Anybody
but me would go huck, Butthere's a mighty shortcut that they don't anybody
but me know about. Huck.I'll take you right to it in the

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skiff. I'll float the skiff downthere, and i'll pull it back again,
all by myself. You needn't everturn your hand over. Let's start
right off, tom, all right. We want some bread and meat and
our pipes and little bag, ortwo and two or three kite strings,
and some of these new fangled thingsthey call lucifer matches. I tell you
many of the time I wished Ihad some. When I was in there

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before a trifle afternoon, the boysborrowed a small skiff from a citizen who
was absent, and got underway atonce. When they were several miles below
Cave Hollow, Tom said, nowyou see this bluff here, looks all
alike all the way down from theCave Hollow. No houses, no woodyards,
bushes all alike. But do yousee that white place up there where

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there's been a landslide. Well,that's one of my marks. We'll get
shore now they landed. Now,Huck, where we're a stand, and
you could touch that hole I gotout of with a fishing pole. See
if you can find it. Hucksearched all the place about and found nothing.
Tom proudly marched into a thick clumpof sumac bushes and said, here

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you are. Look at it,Huck. It's the snuggish hole in this
country. You just keep mum aboutit all along. I've been wanted to
be a robber, but I knewI'd got to have a thing like this
and where to run across? Itwas the bother. We've got it now,
and we'll keep it quiet. Onlywe'll let Joe Harper and Ben Rogers
in because of course there's got tobe a gang, or else there wouldn't

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be any style about it. TomSawyer's gang. It sounds splendid, huck
Well, it just does, Tom. And who we rob? Oh,
most anybody wade lay people. That'smostly the way. And kill them,
no, not always hive of themin the cave till they raise a ransom.
What's a ransom? Money You makethem is all they can often their

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friends, and after you kept thema year, if it ain't raised,
then you kill them. That's thegeneral 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 offand talk plight. They ain't anybody as
plight as robbers. You'll see thatin any book. Well, the women

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get to loving you, and afterthey've been in the cave a week or
two weeks, they stopped crying.And after that you couldn't get them to
leave. If you drove them out, they'd turn right around come back.
It's so in all the books.Why it's really bully, Tom, I
believe it's better and to be apirate. Yes, it's better in some
ways because it's close to home andcircuses and all that. By this time

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everything was ready, and the boysentered the hole, Tom in the lead.
They toiled their way to the fartherend of the tunnel, then made
their spliced kite strings fast and movedon. A few steps brought them to
the spring, and Tom felt ashudder over all through him. He showed
Huck the fragment of Candlewick perched ona lump of clay against the wall,
and described how he and Becky hadwatched the flame struggle and expire. The

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boys began to quiet down to whispersnow, for the stillness and gloom of
the place oppressed their spirits. Theywent on and presently entered and followed Tom's
other corridors until they reached the jumpingoff 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.

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He held his candle aloft and said, look as far around the corners
you can. Do you see thatthere on the big rock over yonder down
with a candle smoke, Tom,it's a cross. Now, where's your
number two? Under the cross?Hey, right yonders where I saw Indian
Joe poke up his candle, Huck. Huck stared at the mystic sign awhile,

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and then said, with a shakyvoice, Tom, let's get out
of here. What and leave thetreasure? Yes? Leave it? Injun
Joe's ghost is round about. They'recertain. No it ain't, Huck,
No, it ain't. It wouldhaunt the place where he died, way
out at the mouth of the cave, five miles from here. No,

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Tom, it wouldn't. It wouldhang around the money. I know the
ways of ghosts, and so doyou. Tom began to fear that Huck
was right. Misgivings gathered in hismind, but presently an idea occurred to
him. Look here, Tuck,what fools were making of ourselves? Injun
Joe's ghost ain't a goin to comeround where there's a cross. The point
was well taken. It had itseffect. Tom, I didn't think that,

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but that's so it's luck for us. That cross is I reckon,
we'll climb down there and have ahunt for that box. Tom went first,
cutting rude steps in the clay hill. As he descended, Huck followed.
Four avenues opened out of the smallcavern which the great rocks stood in.
The boys examined three of them withno result. They found a small

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recess in the one nearest the baseof the rock, with a pallet of
blankets spread down in it, alsoan old suspender, some bacon rind,
and the well gnawed bones of twoor three fouls, but there was no
money box. The lads searched andresearched this place, but in vain Tom
said, he said, under thecross. Well, this comes nearest to

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being under the cross. It can'tbe under the rock itself, because that
sets solid on the ground. Theysearched everywhere once more, and then sat
down, discouraged. Huck could suggestnothing, Bye and bye. Tom said,
look you here, Huck. There'sfootprints and some candle grease on the
clay about one side of this rock, but not on the other sides.
Now, what's that for? Ibet you the money is under the rock.

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I'm going to dig in the clay. That ain't no bad notion,
Tom said Huck with animation. Tom'sreal barlow was out at once, and
he had not dug four inches beforehe struck wood. Hey, Huck,
you hear that. Huck began todig and scratch. Now. Some boards
were soon uncovered and removed. Theyhad concealed a natural chasm which led under
the rock. Tom got into thisand held his candle as far into the

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rock as he could, but saidhe could not see to the end of
the rift he proposed to explore.He stooped and passed under. The narrow
way descended gradually. He followed itswinding course, first to the right and
then to the left, Huck athis heels. Tom turned a short curve
by and by and exclaimed, mygoodness, Huck, looky here it was

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the treasure box, sure enough,occupying a snug little cavern, along with
an empty powder keg, a coupleof guns and leather cases, two or
three pairs of old moccasins, aleather belt, and some other rubbish well
soaked with a water drip. Gotit at last, said Huck. Plowing
among the tarnished coins with his hands. My, but we're rich, Tom,

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Huck, I always reckon, we'dget it. It's just too good
to believe. But we have gotit. Sure, say, let's not
fool around here. Let's snake itout. Let me see if we can
lift the box. It weighed aboutfifty pounds. Tom could lift it after
an awkward fashion, but could notcarry it conveniently, I thought so,

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he said. They carried it likeit was heavy. That day at the
Haunted House, I noticed that Ireckon, I was right to think of
fetching the little bags along. Themoney was soon in the bags, and
the boys took it up to thecross rock. Now, let's fetch the
guns and things, said Huck,No, Huck, leave them there.
They're just the tricks to have whenyou go to robbing. We'll keep them
there all the time, and we'llhold our orgies there too. It's an

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awful snug place for orgies. What'sorgies, I don't know, but robbers
always have orgies, and of coursewe can't have them too. Come along,
Huck, we've been in here along 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 intothe clump of sumac bushes, looked warily
about. Found the coast clear,and we're soon and smoking in the skiff.

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As the sun dipped toward the horizon, they pushed out and got under
way. Tom skimmed up the shorethrough the long and twilight, chatting cheerily
with Huck, and landed shortly afterdark. Now, Huck said Tom,
we'll hide the money in the loftof the wier's woodshed, and I'll come
up in the morning and we'll countit and divide it, and then we'll
hunt up a place out in thewoods for it where it will be safe.

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Just you lay quiet here and watchthe stuff till I run up and
hook Benny Taylor's little wagon. Iwon't be gone a minute. He disappeared
and presently returned with a wagon,put the two small sacks into it,
threw some old rags on top ofthem, and started off, dragging his
cargo behind him. When the boysreached the Welshman's house, they stopped to
rest. Just as they were aboutto move on, the Welshman stepped out

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and said, hello, who's thatHuck and Tom Sawyer. Good, come
along with me, boys, youwere keeping everybody waiting here. Hurry up,
trot ahead, I'll haul the wagonfor you. Why it's not as
light as it might be? Cockbricks in it or old old medal,
said Tom. I judge, sothe boys in this town will take more
trouble and fool away, more timehunting up six bits worth of old iron

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to sell to the foundry than theywould to make twice the money at regular
work. But that's human nature.Hurry loong, Hurry loong. The boys
wanted to know what the hurry wasabout. Never mind, you'll see when
we get to the widow Douglas's Hucksaid, with some apprehension, for he
was long used to being falsely accused. Mister Jones, we haven't been doing

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nothing, the Welshman laughed. 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 been good friendsto me anyways. All right,
then what do you want to befraid for? This question was not entirely
answered in Huck's slow mind before hefound himself pushed along with Tom into missus
Douglas's drawing room. Mister Jones leftthe wagon near the door and followed.

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The place was grandly lighted, andeverybody that was of any consequence in the
village there. The Thatchers were there, the Harpers, the Rogers's aunt,
Polly, sid Mary, the minister, the editor, and a great many
more, and all dressed in theirbest. The widow received the boys as
hardly as anyone could well receive twosuch looking beings. They were covered with

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clay and candle grease. Aunt Pollyblushed Crimson with humiliation, and frowned and
shook her head at Tom. Nobodysuffered half as much as the two boys
did. However, mister Jones said, Tom wasn't at home yet, so
I gave him up. But Istumbled on him and hucked right at my
door. And so I just broughtthem along in a hurry. And you
did just right, said the widow. Come with me, boys. She

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took them to a bedchamber and said, now wash and dress yourselves. Here
are two new suits of clothes,shirts, socks, everything complete. There,
Hucks, no, no thanks,huck. Mister Jones bought one and
I the other, but they'll fitboth of you get into them. We'll
wait. Come down when you areslicked up enough. Then she left.

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End of chapter thirty three, Chapterthirty four, floods of Gold. Hucks
said Tom, we can slope ifwe can find a rope. The window
ain't high from the ground. Shucks, what do you want a slope for?
Well, I ain't used to thatkind of crowd. I can't stand

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it. I ain't going down there, Tom, oh bother, ain't anything.
I don't mind it a bit.I'll take care of you. Sit
appeared, Tom said, he Auntiehas 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 clayon your clothes? Now? Mister City,

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you just tend to your own business. What's all this blow out about?
Anyway? It's one of the widow'sparties that she's always having. This
time it's for the Welshman and hissons on account of that scrape they helped
her out of the other night.And say, I can tell you something
if you want to know, Wellwhat why old mister Jones is going to

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try to spring something on the peoplehere tonight, But I overheard him tell
Auntie to day about it as asecret. But I reckon it's not much
of a secret now everybody knows thewidow too, for all she tries to
let on she don't. Mister Joneswas bound Huck should be here. Couldn't
get along with his grand secret withoutHuck. You know secret about what?
Sid? About Huck tracking the robbersto the widows? I reckon mister Jones

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was going to make a grand timeover his surprise. But I bet you
it will drop pretty flat, Sid, chuckled in a very contented and satisfied
way. Sid. Was it youthat 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'd been

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in Huck's place, you'd a sneakdown the hill and never told anybody on
the robbers. You can't do anybut mean things, and you can't bear
to see anybody prays for doing goodones. There no thanks, as the
widow says, and Tom cuffed Sid'sears and helped him to the door with
several kicks. Now go and tellAuntie if you'll dare and tomorrow you'll catch

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it. Some minutes later, thewidow's guests were at the supper table,
and a dozen children were propped upat little side tables in the same room,
after the fashion of that country,and that day. At the proper
time, mister Jones made his littlespeech, in which he thanked the widow
for the honor she was doing himselfand his sons, but said that there
was another person whose modesty, andso forth and so on. He sprung

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his secret about Huck's share in theadventure in the finest dramatic manner he was
master of. But the surprise atoccasion was largely counterfeit, and not as
clamorous and effusive as it might havebeen under happier circumstances. However, the
widow made a pretty fair show ofastonishment, and heaped so many compliments and
so much gratitude upon Huck that healmost forgot the nearly intolerable discomfort of his

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new clothes, in the entirely intolerablediscomfort of being set up as a target
for everybody's gaze and everybody's laudations.The widow said she meant to give Huck
a home under her roof and havehim educated, and that when she could
spare the money, she would starthim in business in a modest way.
Tom's chance was come. He said, Huck don't need it. Huck's rich.

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Nothing but a heavy strain upon Thegood manners of the company kept back
the dew and proper complimentary laugh atthis pleasant joke, But the silence was
a little awkward. Tom broke it, Huck's got money, mebbe, you
don't believe it, but he's gotlots of it. Oh, you needn't
smile, I reckon, I canshow you you jest. Wait a minute,
Tom ran out o doors. Thecompany looked at each other with a

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perplexed interest, and inquiringly at Huck, who was tongue tied. See it
what ails? Tom said, AuntPolly, He well, there ain't ever
any making of that boy out Inever. Tom entered, struggling with the
weight of his sacks, and AuntPolly did not finish her sentence. Tom
poured the mass of yellow coins uponthe table and said, there, what

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did I tell you? Half ofits hucks and half of its mine.
The spectacle took the general breath away, all gazed. Nobody spoke for a
moment. Then there was a unanimouscall for an explanation. Tom said he
could furnish it, and he did. The tale was long, but brim
full of interest. There was scarcelyan interruption from any one to break the

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charm of its flow. When hehad finished, mister Jones said, I
thought I had fixed up a littlesurprise for this occasion, but it don't
amount to anything now. This onemakes 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 morethan anyone present had ever seen at one

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time before, though several persons werethere who were worth considerably more than that.
In property end of chapter thirty fourChapter thirty five, Respectable Huck joins
the gang. The reader may restsatisfy by that Tom's and Huck's windfall made

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a mighty stir. In the poorlittle village of Saint 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 unhealthyexcitement. Every haunted house in Saint Petersburg
and the neighboring villages was dissected plankby plank, and its foundations dug up

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and ransacked for hidden treasure. Andnot by boys, but men, pretty
grave, unromantic men too, someof them. Wherever Tom and Huck appeared,
they were courted, admired, staredat. The boys were not able
to remember that their remarks had possessedweight before, but now their sayings were
treasured and repeated. Everything they didseemed somehow to be regarded as remarkable.

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They had evidently lost the power ofdoing and saying commonplace things. Moreover,
their past history was raked up anddiscovered to bear marks of conspicuous originality.
The village paper published biographical sketches ofthe boys. The widow Douglas put Huck's
money out at six percent, andJudge Thatcher did the same with Tom's,
at Aunt Polly's request. Each ladhad an income now that was simply prodigious,

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a dollar for every week day inthe year and half of the sundays.
It was just what the minister got, No, it was what he
was promised. He generally couldn't collectit. A dollar and a quarter a
week, would board lodge and schoola boy in those old simple days,
and clothe him in wash him too. For that matter, Judge Thatcher had
conceived a great opinion of Tom.He said that no commonplace boy would ever

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have got his daughter out of thecave. When Becky told her father in
strict confidence, how Tom had takenher whipping at school, the Judge was
visibly moved. And when she pleadedgrace for the mighty lie which Tom had
told in order to shift that whippingfrom her shoulders to his own, the
Judge said, with a fine outburstthat it was a noble, a generous,
a magnanimous lie, a lie thatwas worthy to hold up its head,

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and marched down through history breast tobreast with George Washington's lauded truth about
the hatchet. Becky thought her fatherhad never looked so tall and so superb
as when he walked the floor andstamped his foot, and said that she
went straight off and told Tom aboutit. Judge Thatcher hoped to see Tom
a great lawyer or a great soldiersome day. He said he meant to

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look to it that Tom should beadmitted to the National Military academy, and
afterward trained in the best law schoolin the country, in order that he
might be ready for either career orboth. Huck Finn's wealth and the fact
that he was now under the WidowDouglas's protection introduced him into society. No
dragged him into it, hurled himinto it, and his sufferings were almost

(25:48):
more than he could bear. Thewidow's servants kept him clean and neat,
combed and brushed, and they beddedhim nightly in unsympathetic sheets that had not
one little spot or stain which hecould press to his heart, and no
for a friend. He had toeat with knife and fork, and 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

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was become insipid in his mouth.Whithersoever he turned. The bars and shackles
of civilization shut him in and boundhim hand and foot. He bravely bore
his miseries three weeks, and thenone day turned up missing for at forty
eight hours. The widow hunted forhim everywhere in great distress. The public
were profoundly concerned. They searched highand low, they dragged the river for

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his body. Early the third morning, Tom Sawyer wisely went poking among some
old empty hogsheads down behind the abandonedslaughter house, and in one of them
he found the refugee Huck had sleptthere. He had just breakfast upon some
stolen odds and ends of food,and was lying off now in comfort with
his pipe. He was unkempt,uncombed, and clad in the same old

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ruin of rags that had made himpicturesque 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 gohome. Huck's face lost its tranquil content
and took a melancholy cast, andhe said, don't talk about it,
Tom. I've tried it and itdon't work. It don't work, Tom,

(27:17):
it ain't for me. I ain'tused to it. The Widder's good
to me and friendly, but Ican't stand them ways. She makes me
get up just at the same timeevery 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 blame clothesthat just smothers me, Tom.
They don't seem to let any airget through him somehow, and they're so

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rotten nice that I can't set down, nor lay down, nor roll around
anywheres. I ain't slid on acellar door for well, it's peers to
be years. I got to goto church and sweat and sweat. I
hate them ordinary sermons. I can'tcatch a fly in there, I can't
chaw. I got to wear shoesall Sunday. The wider eats by a
bell, she goes to bed bya bell, she gets up by a

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bell. Everything's so awful regular abody can't stand it. Well, everybody
does that, huck Tom. Itdon't make no difference. I ain't everybody,
and I can't stand it. It'sawful to be tied up so and
grub comes too easy. I don'ttake no interest in victuals that way.
I got to ask to go afishing. I got to ask to go

(28:23):
in a swimming darned if I hain'tgot to ask to do everything. Well,
I've got to talk so nice.It wasn't no comfort. I'd got
to go up in the attic andrip out a while every day to get
a taste in my mouth or Ihad died. Tom the winner wouldn't let
me smoke, She wouldn't let meyell. She wouldn't let me gape,
nor stretch, nor scratched before folks. Then with a spasm of special irritation

(28:49):
and injury and dead fetch it,she prayed all the time. I never
see such a woman. I hadto shove Tom. I just had to.
And besides, that school's going toopen, and i'd have got to
go to it. Well, Iwouldn't stand that, Tom. Look here,
Tom, being rich ain't what it'scracked up to be. It's just
worry and worry and sweat and sweatand a wishin you was dead all the

(29:11):
time. Now, these clothes suitsme, and this barrel suits me,
and I ain't ever going to shakehim anymore. Tom, I wouldn't ever
got into all this trouble if ithadn't been for that money. Now,
you just take my share of italong with urine, and give me a
ten center sometimes not many times,because I don't give a dern for a
thing thout. It's tolerable, hardto get, and you go and beg

(29:34):
off for me with a widder.Oh, hocke, You know I can't
do that. It tain't fair.And besides, if you'll try this thing
just a while longer, you'll cometo like it. Like it, yes,
the way I'd like a hot stoveif I was to set on it
long enough. No, Tom,I won't be rich, and I won't
live in them cussed smothery houses.I like the woods and the river and

(29:57):
hogsheads, and I'll stick to himtoo. Blame it all. Just as
we've got guns in a cave andall just fixed to rob here, this
darned foolishness has got to come upand spile it all. Tom saw his
opportunity. Look here, Huck,being rich ain't going to keep me back
from turning robber. No, ohgood, looks are you in real deadwood?

(30:19):
Earnest? Tom? Just as deadEarnest as I'm a sitting here.
But Huck, we can't let youinto 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 apirate? Yes, but that's different.
A robber is more high toned thanwhat a pirate is. As a general

(30:41):
thing in most countries. They're awfulhigh up in the nobility, dukes and
such. Now, Tom, hain'tyou always been friendly to me? You
wouldn't have shut me out, wouldyou? Tom? You wouldn't do that,
now, would you, Tom?Huck? I wouldn't want to,
and I don't want to. Butwhat would people say? Why? They'd
say, hump, Tom Sawyer's gangpretty low characters in it. They'd mean,

(31:04):
you, Huck, you wouldn't likethat, and I wouldn't. Huck
was silent for some time, engagedin a mental struggle, and finally he
said, well, I'll go backto the Widder for a month and tackle
it and see if I can cometo stand it. If you'll let me
belong to the gang. Tom,all right, Huck, it's a whiz.
Come along, old Chap, andI'll ask the Widder to let up

(31:26):
on you a little, Huck,will you, Tom? Now? Will
you? That's good? If she'lllet up on some of the roughest things.
I'll smoke private and cuss private,and crowd through or bust when you're
going to start the gang and turnrobbers. Oh, right off. We'll
get the boys together and have theinitiation tonight. Maybe have the witch have
the initiation? What's that? It'sto swear to stand by one another and

(31:51):
never tell the gang's secrets, evenif you're chopped all to flinders and kill
anybody and all his family that hurtsone of the gang. That's gay.
That's mighty gay, Tom, Itell you, well, I bet it
is. And all that swearing's gotto be done at midnight in the lonesomest,
awfulest place you can find. Ahaunted house is the best, and
they're all ripped up. Now,Well, midnight's good anyway, Tom,

(32:15):
Yes, so it is. Andyou've got to swear on a coffin and
sign it with blood. Now that'ssomething like why, it's a million times
bullier than pirating. I'll stick tothe wider till I wrot, Tom.
And if I get to be regularripper of a robber and everybody talking about
it, I reckon she'll be proudshe snaked me in out of the wet

(32:37):
conclusion. So endeth this chronicle.It being strictly a history of a boy,
it must stop here. The storycould not go much further without becoming
the history of a man. Whenone writes a novel about grown people,
he knows exactly where to stop,that is, with a marriage. When

(33:00):
he writes of juveniles, he muststop where he best can. Most of
the characters that perform in this bookstill live and are prosperous and happy.
Some day it may seem worth whileto take up the story of the younger
ones again and see what sort ofmen and women they turned out to be.
Therefore, it will be wisest notto reveal any of that part of

(33:22):
their lives at present. The end. This is the end of the Adventures
of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.