Well, three or four months run along, and it was well into the winter, now. I had been to school most allⒶemendation the time, and could spell, and read, and write just a littleⒺexplanatory note,Ⓐalteration in the MS and couldⒶalteration in the MS say the multiplication table up to six times seven is thirty-five, and I don’t reckon I could ever get any further than that if I was to live forever. IⒶemendation don’t take no stock in mathematicsⒶalteration in the MS Ⓐemendation, anyway.
At first I hatedⒶalteration in the MS the school,Ⓐalteration in the MS butⒶalteration in the MS by and byⒶhistorical collation I got so I could stand it. Whenever I got uncommonⒶalteration in the MS tired I played hookey, and the hiding I got next day done me good and cheered me up. So the longer I went to school the easier it got to be. I was getting sort of used to the widow’s ways, too, and they warn’t so raspy on me. LivingⒶemendation in a houseⒶhistorical collation and sleeping in a bedⒶhistorical collation pulled on me pretty tight, mostly, but beforeⒶalteration in the MS the cold weather I used to slide out and sleep in the woods, sometimes, and so that was a rest to me. I liked the old ways best, but I was getting so I liked the new ones, too, a little bit. The widowⒶalteration in the MS said I was comingⒶalteration in the MS along slow but sure, and doing very satisfactory. She said she warn’t ashamed of me.
One morning I happened to turn over the salt-cellar at breakfast. I reached for some of it as quick as I could, to throw over my left shoulder and keep off the bad luckⒺexplanatory note, but Miss Watson was in ahead of me,Ⓐalteration in the MS and crossed me off. SheⒶalteration in the MS Ⓐemendation saysⒶemendation, “Take your hands away, Huckleberry—what a mess you areⒶemendation always making.” The widow [begin page 19] put in a good word for me, but that warn’t goingⒶalteration in the MS to keep off the bad luck, I knowed that well enough. I started out, after breakfast, feeling worried and shaky, and wondering where it was goingⒶalteration in the MS to fall on meⒶhistorical collation and what it was goingⒶalteration in the MS to be. There is ways to keep off some kinds of bad luck, but this wasn’t one of them kind; so I never tried to do anything, but just poked along low-spirited and on the watch-out.
I went down the front garden and clumb over the stile, where you go through the high board fence. There was an inch of new snow on the ground, and I seenⒶemendation somebody’sⒶalteration in the MS tracks. TheyⒶemendation had come up from the quarry and stood around the stile awhileⒶhistorical collation, and then wentⒶalteration in the MS on around the garden fence. It was funny they hadn’t come in, after standing aroundⒶalteration in the MS so. I couldn’t make it out. It was veryⒶalteration in the MS curious, somehow. I was goingⒶalteration in the MS to follow around, but I stooped down to look at the tracks first. I didn’t notice anything,Ⓐhistorical collation at first, but next I did. There was a cross in the left boot heelⒺexplanatory note,Ⓐhistorical collation Ⓐalteration in the MS made with big nails, to keep off the devil.
I was up in a second and shinning down the hill. I looked over my shoulder every now and then, but I didn’t see nobodyⒶemendation. I was at Judge Thatcher’s as quick as I could get there.Ⓐalteration in the MS He said:
“Why, my boy, you are all out of breath. Did you come for your interest?”
“No sir,” I says,Ⓐemendation “is there some for me?”
“Oh, yes, a half-yearlyⒶemendation is in, last night. Over a hundred and fifty dollars. Quite a fortune for you. You betterⒶemendation let me invest it along with your six thousand, because if you take it you’llⒶemendation spend it.”
“No,Ⓐhistorical collation sir,” I saysⒶemendation, “I don’t want to spend it. I don’t want it at all—nor the six thousand, nuther. I want you to take it; I want to give it to you—the six thousand and all.”
He lookedⒶalteration in the MS surprised. He couldn’t seem to make it out. He saysⒶemendation:
“WhyⒶhistorical collation what can you mean, my boy?”
I saysⒶemendation, “Don’t youⒶemendation ask me noⒶemendation questions about it, please. You’ll take it—won’t you?”
He saysⒶemendation:
“Well,Ⓐhistorical collation I’m puzzled. Is something the matter?”
“Please take it,” says I, “and don’t ask me nothingⒶemendation—then I won’t have to tell no liesⒺexplanatory note.”
He studied a while, and then he says:
[begin page 20] “Oho-o. I think I see. You want to sell all your property to me—not give it. That’s theⒶalteration in the MS correct idea.”
Then he wrote something on a paper and readⒶalteration in the MS it over, and says:Ⓐalteration in the MS
“There—you see it says ‘for a consideration.’ That means I have bought it of you and paid you for it. Here’sⒶemendation a dollar for you. NowⒶemendation you sign it.”
SoⒶemendation I signed it, and left.Ⓐemendation
Miss Watson’s nigger, Jim, had a hair-ballⒺexplanatory note as big as your fist, which had been took out of the fourth stomach of an ox, and he used to do magic with it. He said there was a spirit inside of itⒶhistorical collation and it knowed everything. So I went to him that night and told him papⒶemendation was here again, for I foundⒶemendation his tracks in the snow. What I wanted to know, was, what he wasⒶemendation going to do, and was he going to stay? Jim got out his hair-ball, and said something over it, andⒶalteration in the MS then he held it up and dropped it on the floor. It fell pretty solidⒶalteration in the MS, and only rolled about an inch. Jim tried it again, and then another time, and it acted [begin page 21] just the same. Jim got down on his knees and put his ear against it and listened. But it warn’t no use; he said it wouldn’t talk. HeⒶemendation said sometimes it wouldn’t talk without money. I told him I had an old slickⒶalteration in the MS,Ⓐhistorical collation counterfeit quarter that warn’t noⒶemendation good because the brass showed through the silver a little, and it wouldn’t pass nohowⒶemendation, even if the brass didn’t show, because it was soⒶalteration in the MS slick it felt greasyⒶhistorical collation and so that would tell on it every time.Ⓐemendation (I reckoned I wouldn’t say nothingⒶemendation about the dollar I gotⒶemendation from the judgeⒶemendation.) I saidⒶalteration in the MS Ⓐhistorical collation it was pretty bad money, but maybe the hair-ball would take it, because maybe it wouldn’t know the difference. Jim smelt itⒶhistorical collation and bit itⒶhistorical collation and rubbed itⒶhistorical collation and said he would manage so theⒶemendation hair-ball would think it was good. He said he would split open a rawⒶalteration in the MS Irish potato and stick the quarter in between and keep it there all night, and next morning you couldn’t see no brassⒶemendation, and it wouldn’t feelⒶalteration in the MS greasy no moreⒶemendation, and so anybody in town would take itⒶalteration in the MS in a minute, let alone a hair-ballⒶemendation. Well, IⒶalteration in the MS knowed a potato would do that, before, but I had forgot it.
Jim put the quarter under the hair-ball and got down and listened again. This time he said the hair-ball was all right. He said it would tell my whole fortune if I wanted it to. I saysⒶemendation, go on. So the hair-ball talked to Jim, and Jim told it to me. He saysⒶemendation:
“Yo’Ⓐemendation ole father doan’Ⓐemendation know, yit, what he’s agwyneⒶemendation Ⓐtextual note to do. Sometimes he spec he’ll goⒶemendation ’way, enⒶemendation den agin he spec he’ll stayⒶemendation. De bes’ [begin page 22] way isⒶalteration in the MS to res’ easy enⒶemendation let de ole man take his ownⒶalteration in the MS way. Dey’s two angels hoverin’ roun’ ’boutⒶalteration in the MS him. One uvⒶemendation ’em is white en shiny enⒶemendation t’otherⒶemendation one is black. De white one gits him to go right, a little while, den de black one sail in enⒶemendation bust it all up. A body can’t tell, yit, which one gwyne to fetch him at de las’. But youⒶemendation is all right. You gwyne to haveⒶemendation considable trouble in yo’Ⓐemendation life, enⒶemendation considable joy. Sometimes youⒶemendation gwyne to git hurt, enⒶemendation sometimes youⒶemendation gwyne to git sick; but every time you’s gwyne to git well aginⒶalteration in the MS. Dey’s two gals flyin’ ’bout you in yo’Ⓐemendation life. One uvⒶemendation ’em’s light enⒶemendation t’otherⒶemendation one is dark. One is rich en t’otherⒶemendation is po’. You’s gwyne to marry de po’ one fust en deⒶemendation rich one by en byⒶemendation. You wants to keep ’wayⒶemendation fumⒶalteration in the MS de water as much as you kin, enⒶemendation don’t run no reskⒶalteration in the MS, ’kaseⒶemendation it’s down in de bills dat you’s gwyne to git hung.”
When I lit my candle and went up to my room that night, there set papⒶemendation, his own self!Ⓐalteration in the MS