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distressed. I donā€™t know what in the world to make of it. Iā€™m at my witā€™s end, and I donā€™t mind acknowledging ā€™t Iā€™m right down scared. But thereā€™s no hope that heā€™s come; for he couldnā€™t come and me miss him. Sally, itā€™s terribleā ā€”just terribleā ā€”somethingā€™s happened to the boat, sure!ā€

ā€œWhy, Silas! Look yonder!ā ā€”up the road!ā ā€”ainā€™t that somebody coming?ā€

He sprung to the window at the head of the bed, and that give Mrs. Phelps the chance she wanted. She stooped down quick at the foot of the bed and give me a pull, and out I come; and when he turned back from the window there she stood, a-beaming and a-smiling like a house afire, and I standing pretty meek and sweaty alongside. The old gentleman stared, and says:

ā€œWhy, whoā€™s that?ā€

ā€œWho do you reckon ā€™t is?ā€

ā€œI hainā€™t no idea. Who is it?ā€

ā€œItā€™s Tom Sawyer!ā€

By jings, I most slumped through the floor! But there warnā€™t no time to swap knives; the old man grabbed me by the hand and shook, and kept on shaking; and all the time how the woman did dance around and laugh and cry; and then how they both did fire off questions about Sid, and Mary, and the rest of the tribe.

But if they was joyful, it warnā€™t nothing to what I was; for it was like being born again, I was so glad to find out who I was. Well, they froze to me for two hours; and at last, when my chin was so tired it couldnā€™t hardly go any more, I had told them more about my familyā ā€”I mean the Sawyer familyā ā€”than ever happened to any six Sawyer families. And I explained all about how we blowed out a cylinder-head at the mouth of White River, and it took us three days to fix it. Which was all right, and worked first-rate; because they didnā€™t know but what it would take three days to fix it. If Iā€™d a called it a bolthead it would a done just as well.

Now I was feeling pretty comfortable all down one side, and pretty uncomfortable all up the other. Being Tom Sawyer was easy and comfortable, and it stayed easy and comfortable till by and by I hear a steamboat coughing along down the river. Then I says to myself, sā€™pose Tom Sawyer comes down on that boat? And sā€™pose he steps in here any minute, and sings out my name before I can throw him a wink to keep quiet?

Well, I couldnā€™t have it that way; it wouldnā€™t do at all. I must go up the road and waylay him. So I told the folks I reckoned I would go up to the town and fetch down my baggage. The old gentleman was for going along with me, but I said no, I could drive the horse myself, and I druther he wouldnā€™t take no trouble about me.

XXXIII

So I started for town in the wagon, and when I was halfway I see a wagon coming, and sure enough it was Tom Sawyer, and I stopped and waited till he come along. I says ā€œHold on!ā€ and it stopped alongside, and his mouth opened up like a trunk, and stayed so; and he swallowed two or three times like a person thatā€™s got a dry throat, and then says:

ā€œI hainā€™t ever done you no harm. You know that. So, then, what you want to come back and haā€™nt me for?ā€

I says:

ā€œI hainā€™t come backā ā€”I hainā€™t been gone.ā€

When he heard my voice it righted him up some, but he warnā€™t quite satisfied yet. He says:

ā€œDonā€™t you play nothing on me, because I wouldnā€™t on you. Honest injun now, you ainā€™t a ghost?ā€

ā€œHonest injun, I ainā€™t,ā€ I says.

ā€œWellā ā€”Iā ā€”Iā ā€”well, that ought to settle it, of course; but I canā€™t somehow seem to understand it no way. Looky here, warnā€™t you ever murdered at all?ā€

ā€œNo. I warnā€™t ever murdered at allā ā€”I played it on them. You come in here and feel of me if you donā€™t believe me.ā€

So he done it; and it satisfied him; and he was that glad to see me again he didnā€™t know what to do. And he wanted to know all about it right off, because it was a grand adventure, and mysterious, and so it hit him where he lived. But I said, leave it alone till by and by; and told his driver to wait, and we drove off a little piece, and I told him the kind of a fix I was in, and what did he reckon we better do? He said, let him alone a minute, and donā€™t disturb him. So he thought and thought, and pretty soon he says:

ā€œItā€™s all right; Iā€™ve got it. Take my trunk in your wagon, and let on itā€™s yourā€™n; and you turn back and fool along slow, so as to get to the house about the time you ought to; and Iā€™ll go towards town a piece, and take a fresh start, and get there a quarter or a half an hour after you; and you neednā€™t let on to know me at first.ā€

I says:

ā€œAll right; but wait a minute. Thereā€™s one more thingā ā€”a thing that nobody donā€™t know but me. And that is, thereā€™s a nigger here that Iā€™m a-trying to steal out of slavery, and his name is Jimā ā€”old Miss Watsonā€™s Jim.ā€

He says:

ā€œWhat! Why, Jim isā ā€”ā€

He stopped and went to studying. I says:

ā€œI know what youā€™ll say. Youā€™ll say itā€™s dirty, lowdown business; but what if it is? Iā€™m low down; and Iā€™m a-going to steal him, and I want you keep mum and not let on. Will you?ā€

His eye lit up, and he says:

ā€œIā€™ll help you steal him!ā€

Well, I let go all holts then, like I was shot. It was the most astonishing speech I ever heardā ā€”and Iā€™m bound to say Tom Sawyer fell considerable in my estimation. Only I couldnā€™t believe it. Tom Sawyer a nigger-stealer!

ā€œOh, shucks!ā€ I says; ā€œyouā€™re joking.ā€

ā€œI ainā€™t joking, either.ā€

ā€œWell,

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