THE first time I catched Tom
private I asked him what was
his idea, time of the evasion?
-- what it was he'd planned to
do if the evasion worked all
right and he managed to set a
nigger free that was already
free before? And he said, what
he had planned in his head from
the start, if we got Jim out
all safe, was for us to run him
down the river on the raft, and
have adventures plumb to the
mouth of the river, and then
tell him about his being free,
and take him back up home on
a steamboat, in style, and pay
him for his lost time, and write
word ahead and get out all the
niggers around, and have them
waltz him into town with a torchlight
procession and a brass-band,
and then he would be a hero,
and so would we. But I reckoned
it was about as well the way
it was.
We had Jim out of the chains
in no time, and when Aunt Polly
and Uncle Silas and Aunt Sally
found out how good he helped
the doctor nurse Tom, they made
a heap of fuss over him, and
fixed him up prime, and give
him all he wanted to eat, and
a good time, and nothing to do.
And we had him up to the sick-room,
and had a high talk; and Tom
give Jim forty dollars for being
prisoner for us so patient, and
doing it up so good, and Jim
was pleased most to death, and
busted out, and says:
"DAH, now,
Huck, what I tell you? -- what
I tell you up dah
on Jackson islan'? I TOLE you
I got a hairy breas', en what's
de sign un it; en I TOLE you
I ben rich wunst, en gwineter
to be rich AGIN; en it's come
true; en heah she is! DAH, now!
doan' talk to ME -- signs is
SIGNS, mine I tell you; en I
knowed jis' 's well 'at I 'uz
gwineter be rich agin as I's
astannin' heah dis minute!"
And then Tom he talked along
and talked along, and says, le's
all three slide out of here one
of these nights and get an outfit,
and go for howling adventures
amongst the Injuns, over in the
Territory, for a couple of weeks
or two; and I says, all right,
that suits me, but I ain't got
no money for to buy the outfit,
and I reckon I couldn't get none
from home, because it's likely
pap's been back before now, and
got it all away from Judge Thatcher
and drunk it up.
"No, he hain't," Tom says; "it's
all there yet -- six thousand
dollars and more; and your pap
hain't ever been back since.
Hadn't when I come away, anyhow."
Jim says, kind of solemn:
"He ain't a-comin'
back no mo', Huck."
I says:
"Why, Jim?"
"Nemmine why,
Huck -- but he ain't comin'
back no mo."
But I kept at him; so at last
he says:
"Doan' you
'member de house dat was float'n
down de river,
en dey wuz a man in dah, kivered
up, en I went in en unkivered
him and didn' let you come in?
Well, den, you kin git yo' money
when you wants it, kase dat wuz
him."
Tom's most well now, and got
his bullet around his neck on
a watch-guard for a watch, and
is always seeing what time it
is, and so there ain't nothing
more to write about, and I am
rotten glad of it, because if
I'd a knowed what a trouble it
was to make a book I wouldn't
a tackled it, and ain't a-going
to no more. But I reckon I got
to light out for the Territory
ahead of the rest, because Aunt
Sally she's going to adopt me
and sivilize me, and I can't
stand it. I been there before.
The
End
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