Tenth chapter.
1.
It organizes the paragraphs
·
“Huckleberry,
what do you think will happen now?”
“If the doctor dies, they will hang Indian
Joe.”
Tom spoke. “Who will tell about it? You and I?”
“If we did, and if Indian Joe did not hang, he
would kill us.”
“I was thinking that, Huck.”
“Let Muff Potter tell if he is fool enough. He
is usually drunk
enough.”
Tom continued to think. Then he said, “Huck,
Muff Potter does
not know what happened. The doctor had hit him
with that board.
Huck, are you sure that you won’t tell?”
“Tom, we can’t tell. You know that. Indian Joe
would drown us
like two cats if we told. Tom, we must promise
never to tell. It must be
a strong promise. With writing. And blood.”
·
The
next morning his aunt gave him some food. Then she wept,
and she asked him why he hurt her old heart.
She wished to help him
to be good. She tried and tried, but she could
try no more.
A thousand beatings would have been easier for
Tom. He wept. He
promised to be good. But he felt that she did
not believe his promises.
He went to school, and there the teacher beat
him and Joe Harper,
because they had run away from school the day
before.
Then he went to his seat. A hard object,
covered in paper, was
waiting for him there. He opened the paper.
Inside was the bright, shin
ing ball that looked like gold that he had
given to Becky Thatcher.
This was too much. Now his heart was broken.
·
Tom
agreed with all his heart. This idea was what must be done.
It was deep and dark and fearful. This was the
hour and the place to
do it. He found a clean broad piece of wood. In
his pocket he found
something to write with. The moon was his
light. Painfully he formed
the words:
Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer promise they will
never tell about this,
and they wish they may die in their footsteps
if they ever tell.
·
THE
TWO BOYS RAN TOWARD THE VILLAGE. THEY LOOKED BEHIND
them often, afraid that they were being
followed.
After a while, they came to the edge of the
village. There stood
an old building which was not used. They ran
through the open door
and fell to the ground.
·
Then
each boy cut a finger and signed in blood TS and HF. Tom
helped Huck to write his H and F.
Then they made a hole in the ground near the
wall of the build
ing. They placed the piece of wood in the hole
and covered it with
earth. Now they were certain. Their mouths
would never speak about
what their eyes had seen.
When Tom entered his house through his bedroom
window, the
night was almost gone. He took off his clothes
very quietly and lay
down. He believed, happily, that his aunt would
never know that he
had been away. But Sid was not asleep.
