ComeⒶtextual note in,” says the woman, and I did. She says:
“Take a cheer.”Ⓐalteration in the MS
I done it. She looked me all over with her little shiny eyes, and says:
“What might your name be?”
“Sarah Williams.”
“Where ’boutsⒶemendation do you live? In this neighborhood?”
“No’mⒶemendation. In Hookerville, seven mile belowⒺexplanatory note. I’ve walked all the way and I’m all tiredⒶemendation out.”
“Hungry, too, I reckon. I’ll find you something.”
“No’mⒶemendation, I ain’t hungry. I was so hungry I had to stop two mile below here at a farm;Ⓐalteration in the MS so I ain’t hungry no more. It’s whatⒶalteration in the MS makes me so late. My mother’s down sick, and out of money and everything, and I come to tell my uncle Abner Moore. He lives at the upper end of the townⒶemendation, she says. I hain’t ever been here before. Do you know him?”
“No; but I don’t know everybody yet. I haven’t lived here quiteⒶalteration in the MS two weeks.Ⓐalteration in the MS It’s a considerable ways to the upper end of the townⒶemendation. You better stay here all night. Take off your bonnet.”
“No,” I says, “I’ll rest a while, I reckon, and go on. I ain’t afeardⒶalteration in the MS of the dark.”
She said she wouldn’t let me go by myself, but her husband would be in by and byⒶhistorical collation, maybe in a hourⒶemendation and a half,Ⓐemendation and she’dⒶemendation send him along with me. Then she got to talking about her husband, and about her relations up the river, and her relations down the river, and about how much better off they used to was, and how they didn’t knowⒶalteration in the MS [begin page 69] but they’dⒶemendation made a mistake coming to our townⒶemendation, instead of letting wellⒶemendation alone—and so on and so on, till I wasⒶalteration in the MS afeard I hadⒶalteration in the MS made a mistake coming to her to find out what was going on in the townⒶemendation; but by and byⒶhistorical collation she dropped onto papⒶemendation and the murderⒶhistorical collation and then I was pretty willing to let her clatterⒶemendation right along. She told about me and Tom Sawyer finding the six thousand dollars (only she got it ten,)Ⓐhistorical collation and all about papⒶemendation and what a hard lot he was, and what a hard lot I was, and at last she got down to where I was murdered. I says:
“Who done it? We’ve heard considerable about these goings on, down in Hookerville, but we don’t know who ’twasⒶemendation that killed Huck Finn.”Ⓐalteration in the MS
“WellⒶemendation I reckon there’s a right smartⒶalteration in the MS chance of people here that’dⒶemendation like to know who killed him. Some thinks old Finn doneⒶalteration in the MS it,Ⓐhistorical collation himself.”
“No—isⒶemendation that so?”
“Most everybody thought it at first. He’ll never know how nigh he come to getting lynched. But before night they changed around and judged it was done by a runaway nigger named Jim.”
“Why he—Ⓐhistorical collation”
I stopped. I reckoned I better keep still. She run on,Ⓐalteration in the MS and never noticedⒶemendation I had put in at allⒶemendation.
“The nigger run off the very night Huck Finn was killed. So there’s a reward out for him—three hundred dollars. And there’s a reward out for old Finn,Ⓐhistorical collation too—two hundred dollars. You see, he come to town the morning after the murder, and told about it, and was out with ’em on the ferry-boat hunt, and right away after he upⒶemendation and left. Before night they wanted to lynch him, but he was gone, you see. Well, next dayⒶemendation they found out the nigger was gone; they found out he hadn’t ben seen senceⒶalteration in the MS ten o’clock the night the murder was done. So then they put it on him, you see, and while they was full of it, next dayⒶtextual note back comes old Finn and went boo-hooing to Judge Thatcher to get money to hunt for theⒶalteration in the MS nigger all over Illinois with. The judge give him someⒶemendation, and thatⒶalteration in the MS evening he got drunk and was around till after midnight with a couple of mighty hard looking strangers, and then went off with them. Well, he hain’t come back senceⒶalteration in the MS, and they ain’t looking for him back till this thing blows over a little, for people thinksⒶemendation now that he killed his boy and fixed things soⒶemendation folksⒶalteration in the MS would think robbers done it, and then he’dⒶemendation get [begin page 70] Huck’s money without having to bother a long time with a lawsuit. People do sayⒶemendation he warn’t any too good to do it. OⒶhistorical collation, he’s sly, I reckon. If he don’t come back for a year, he’ll be all right. You can’t prove anything on him, you know; everything will be quieted downⒶhistorical collation, then, and he’llⒶemendation walk into Huck’s money asⒶemendation easy as nothing.”
“Yes, I reckon so, ’mⒶemendation. I don’t see nothing in the way of it. Has everybody quit thinking the nigger done it?”
“OⒶhistorical collation, no, not everybody. A good many thinksⒶemendation Ⓐalteration in the MS he done it. But they’ll get the nigger pretty soon, now, and maybe they can scare it out of him.”
“Why, are they after him yet?”
“Well, you’re innocent, ain’t you!Ⓐemendation Does three hundred dollars lay roundⒶemendation every day for people to pick up? SomeⒶemendation folks thinksⒶemendation the nigger ain’t far from here. I’m one of them—but I hain’t talked it around. A few days ago I was talking with anⒶemendation old couple that lives next door in the log shantyⒶhistorical collation and they happened to say hardly anybody ever goes to that island over yonder that they call Jackson’s islandⒶhistorical collation. Don’t anybody live there? says I. No, nobody, says they. I didn’t say any more, but I done some thinking. I was pretty near certain I’dⒶemendation seen smoke,Ⓐhistorical collation over there, about the head of the island,Ⓐalteration in the MS a day or two before that, so I says to myself, like as not that nigger’s hiding over there; anyway, says I, it’s worth the trouble to give the place a hunt. I hain’tⒶemendation seen any smoke senceⒶalteration in the MS, so I reckon maybe he’sⒶemendation gone, if it was him; but husband’sⒶemendation going over to see—him and another man. He was gone up the river; but he got back to-day and I told him as soon as he got here two hours ago.”
I had got so uneasyⒶemendation I couldn’t setⒶemendation still. I had to do something with my hands; so I took up a needle off of the table and went to threading it. My hands shook, and I was making a bad job of it. When the woman stopped talking, I looked up, and she was looking at me pretty curious, and smiling a little. I put down the needle and thread and let on to be interested—and I was, too—and says:
“Three hundred dollars is a power of money. I wish myⒶalteration in the MS mother could get it. Is your husband going over there to-night?”
“OⒶhistorical collation, yes. HeⒶalteration in the MS went up town with the man I was telling you of, to get a boat and see if they could borrow another gun. They’ll go over afterⒶalteration in the MS midnight.”
“Couldn’t they see better if they was to wait till daytimeⒶemendation?”
[begin page 71] “Yes. And couldn’t the nigger see better, too? After midnight he’ll likely be asleep, and they can slip around through the woods and hunt up his camp fire all the better for the dark, if he’sⒶemendation got one.”
“I didn’t think of that.”Ⓐalteration in the MS
The woman kept looking at me pretty curious, and I didn’t feel a bit comfortable. Pretty soon she says:
“What did you say your name was, honey?”
“M—Mary Williams.”
Somehow it didn’t seem to me that I said it was Mary,Ⓐhistorical collation before;Ⓐhistorical collation so I didn’t look up; seemed to me I said it was Sarah; so I felt sort of cornered, and was afeardⒶhistorical collation maybe I was looking it, too. I wished the woman would say something more; the longer she set still, the uneasier I was. But now she says:
“Honey, I thought you said it was Sarah when you first come in?”
“OⒶhistorical collation yes’mⒶemendation, I did. Sarah Mary Williams. Sarah’s my first name. Some calls me Sarah, some calls me Mary.”
“OⒶhistorical collation, that’s theⒶemendation way of it?”
[begin page 72] “Yes’mⒶemendation.”
I was feeling better, then, but I wished I was out of there, anyway. I couldn’t look up,Ⓐhistorical collation yet.
Well, the woman fell to talking about how hard times was, and how poor they had to live, and how the rats was as free as if they owned the place, and so forthⒶhistorical collation and so on, and then I got easy again. She was right about the rats. You’dⒶemendation see one stick his nose out of a hole in the corner every little while. She said she had to have things handy to throw at them when she was alone, or they wouldn’t give her noⒶemendation peace. She showed me a bar of lead, twisted up into a knotⒶalteration in the MS, and said she was a good shot with it generlyⒶemendation, but she’dⒶemendation wrenched her arm a day or two ago, and didn’t know whether she could throw true, now. But she watched for a chance, and directly she banged away at a rat, but she missed him wide, and said “Ouch!” it hurt her arm so. Then she told me to try for the next one. I wanted to be getting away before the old man got back, but of course I didn’t let on.Ⓐalteration in the MS I got the thing, and the first rat that showed his nose I let drive, and if he’d a stayed where he was he’d a been a tolerable sick ratⒶemendation. She said that that was first rateⒶhistorical collation, and she reckoned I would hive the next one. She went and got the lump of lead and fetched it back and brought along a hank of yarn, which she wanted me to help her with. I held up my two hands and she put the hank over them and went on talking about her and her husband’s matters. But she broke off to say:
“Keep your eye on the rats. You better have the leadⒶalteration in the MS in your lap, handy.”
So she dropped the lump into my lap, just at that momentⒶemendation, and I clapped my legs together on it and she went on talking. But only about a minute. Then she took off the hank and looked me straight in the face, but very pleasant, and says:
“Come, now—what’s your realⒶemendation name?”
“Wh-what, mum?”
“What’s your real name? Is it Bill, or Tom, or Bob?—or what is it?”
I reckon I shook like a leaf, and I didn’t know hardly what to do. But I says:
“Please to don’t poke fun at a poor girl like me, mum. If I’m in the way, here, I’ll—Ⓐhistorical collation”
“NoⒶhistorical collation you won’t. SetⒶemendation down,Ⓐhistorical collation and stay where you are. I ain’t going to hurt you, and I ain’t going to tell on you, nuther. You just tell me your secret, and trust me. I’ll keep it; and what’s more, I’ll help you. So’llⒶemendation my old man, if you want him to. You see, you’re a runaway ’prentice—that’s all. It ain’tⒶalteration in the MS anything. There ain’t any harm in it. You’ve been treated bad, and you made up your mind to cut. Bless you, child, I wouldn’t tell on you. Tell me all about it, now—that’s a good boy.”
So I said it wouldn’t be noⒶemendation use to try to play it any longer, and I would just make a clean breast and tell her everything,Ⓐemendation but she mustn’t go back on her promise. Then I told her myⒶalteration in the MS father and mother was dead, and the law had bound me outⒺexplanatory note to a mean old farmer in the country thirty mileⒶemendation back from the riverⒶhistorical collation and he treated me so bad I couldn’t stand it noⒶemendation longer; he went away to be gone a couple of days, and so I took my chanceⒶhistorical collation, and stoleⒶemendation some of his daughter’sⒶalteration in the MS old clothesⒶemendation and cleared out, and I had been three nightsⒶalteration in the MS coming the thirty miles; I traveled nights, and hid daytimesⒶhistorical collation and slept, and the bag ofⒶalteration in the MS bread and meat I carried from home lasted me all the way and I had a plenty. IⒶemendation said I believed my uncle AbnerⒶalteration in the MS Moore would take care of meⒶhistorical collation and so that was why I struck out for this townⒶemendation of GoshenⒶalteration in the MS.Ⓐemendation
“Goshen, child? This ain’t Goshen. This is St. Petersburg. Goshen’s ten mile further up the riverⒺexplanatory note.Ⓐalteration in the MS Who told you this was Goshen?”
“WhyⒶhistorical collation a man I met,Ⓐhistorical collation at daybreakⒶhistorical collation this morning, just as I was goingⒶemendation to turn into the woodsⒶalteration in the MS for my regularⒶalteration in the MS Ⓐemendation sleep. He told meⒶemendation when the roads forked I must take the right hand, and five mile would fetch me to Goshen.”
“He was drunk,Ⓐhistorical collation I reckon. He told you just exactly wrong.”
“Well, he did act like he was drunk, but it ain’t no matter now. I got to be moving along. I’ll fetch Goshen before daylightⒶhistorical collation.”
“Hold on a minute. I’ll put you up a snackⒶhistorical collation to eat. You might want it.”
So she put me up a snack and says:
“Say—when a cow’s laying down, which end ofⒶalteration in the MS her gets up first? AnswerⒶalteration in the MS up prompt, now—don’t stop to study over it. Which end gets up first?”
“The hind end, mum.”
“Well, then, a horse?”
[begin page 74] “The for’rard end, mum.”
“WhichⒶhistorical collation side of a tree does the mostⒶalteration in the MS moss grow on?”
“North side.”
“If fifteen cows isⒶemendation browsing on a hillside, how many of them eatsⒶalteration in the MS Ⓐemendation with their heads pointedⒶemendation the same direction?”
“The whole fifteen, mum.”Ⓔexplanatory note
“Well, I reckon you have Ⓐalteration in the MS lived in the country. I thought maybe you was trying to hocus me again. What’s your real name, now?”
“George Peters, mum.”
“Well, try to remember it, George. Don’t forget and tell me it’s Elexander before you go,Ⓐalteration in the MS and then get out by saying it’s George-Elexander when I catch you. And don’t go about women in that old calico. You do a girl tolerable poor, but you might fool men, maybe. Bless you, child, when you set out to thread a needle, don’tⒶalteration in the MS hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it—that’sⒶemendation the way a woman most alwaysⒶemendation does; [begin page 75] butⒶemendation a man always does t’otherⒶemendation wayⒺexplanatory note. And when you throw at a rat or anything, hitch yourself up a tip-toe, and fetch your hand up over your head,Ⓐalteration in the MS Ⓐhistorical collation as awkard as you can, and miss your rat about six or seven footⒶalteration in the MS. Throw stiff-armed,Ⓐhistorical collation from the shoulder, likeⒶemendation thereⒶalteration in the MS was a pivot there for it to turn on—like a girl; not from the wrist and elbow, with your arm out to one side, like a boy. And mind you, when a girl tries to catch anything in her lap, she throws her knees apartⒺexplanatory note; she don’t clap them together, the way you did when you catched the lump of lead. Why, I spotted you for a boy when you was threading the needle; andⒶemendation I contrived the other things just to make certain. Now trot along to your uncle, Sarah Mary Williams George Elexander Peters, and if you get into trouble,Ⓐhistorical collation you send word to Mrs. Judith Loftus, which is me, and I’ll do what I can to get you out of it. Keep the river road, all the way, and next time you trampⒶhistorical collation take shoes and socksⒶemendation with you. The river road’s a rocky one, and your feet ’llⒶemendation be in a condition when you get to Goshen, I reckon.”
I went up the bank about fifty yardsⒶhistorical collation and then I doubledⒶalteration in the MS on my tracks and slipped back to where my canoe was, a good piece below the house. I jumped in and was off in a hurry.Ⓐalteration in the MS I went up stream far enoughⒶalteration in the MS Ⓐemendation to make the head of the island, and then started across. I took off the sun-bonnet, for I didn’t want no blinders on, then. When I was about the middle, I hear the clock begin to strike; so I stops and listensⒶemendation; the sound come faint over the water, but clear—eleven. When I struck the head of the island I never waitedⒶalteration in the MS to blow, though I was most winded, but I shoved right into the timber where my old camp used to be, and started a good fire thereⒶalteration in the MS on a high-and-dry spotⒶemendation.
Then I jumped in the canoe and dug out for our placeⒶalteration in the MS a mile and a half below, as hard as I could go. I landedⒶhistorical collation and sloppedⒶemendation through the timber and up the ridge and into the cavern. There Jim laid, sound asleep on the ground. IⒶemendation rousedⒶemendation him out and says:
“Git up and hump yourself, Jim! There ain’t a minute to lose. They’re after us!”
Jim never asked no questionsⒶemendation, he never said a word; but the way he worked for the next half an hour showed about how he was scared. By that time everything we had in the world was on our raft and she was ready to be shoved out from the willow cove where she was hid. We put out the camp fire at the cavern the first thing, and didn’t show a candle outside after that.Ⓐalteration in the MS
[begin page 76] I took the canoe out from shore a little piece and took a look, but if there was a boat around I couldn’t see it, for stars and shadows ain’t good to see by. Then we got out the raft and slipped along down in the shade, past the foot of the island dead stillⒶemendation, never saying a word.
