Huckleberry Finn (Easy English) by Dave Mckay - HTML preview

Chapter 43

The first time I caught Tom away from the others I asked him what his plan had been if it had all worked out right, and if we had been able to set a black man 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 clear to the mouth of the river, and then tell him about his being free, and take him back up home on a river boat, in the best way, and pay him for his lost time, and write word ahead and get out all the slaves around, and have them dance him into town with a torch-light parade and lots of musical instruments, and then he would be known all over, and so would we. But I thought it worked out just 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 well he helped the doctor nurse Tom, they said a lot of nice things over him, and fixed him up nicely, 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 patiently, and doing it up so good, and Jim was pleased almost to death, and broke out, and says:

"Dere, now, Huck, what I tell you? -- what I tell you up dere on Jackson island? I told you I got hair on my chest, and what’s de sign of it; and I told you I been rich once, and gwyne to be rich again and it’s come true; and here she is! Dere, now! don’t talk to me -- signs is signs, mind I told you; and I knowed just as well that I was gwyne to be rich again as I’s a-standing here dis minute!"

And then Tom he talked along and talked along, and says, let’s all three get out of here secretly one of these nights and get the right clothes, and go for great adventures with the Indians, over in their part of the country, for a week or two; and I says, all right, but I ain’t got no money to buy the clothes, and I think I couldn’t get none from home, because pap’s probably been back before now, and got it all away from Judge Thatcher and drunk it up.

"No, he ain’t," Tom says; "it’s all there yet -- six thousand dollars and more; and your pap ain’t ever been back since. Hadn’t when I come away, at least."

Jim says, kind of serious: "He ain’t a-coming back no more, Huck."

I says: "Why, Jim?"

"Never you mind why, Huck -- but he ain’t coming back no more."

But I kept at him; so at last he says: "Don’t you remember de house dat was going down de river, and dey was a man in dere, covered up, and I went in and uncovered him and didn’t let you come in? Well, den, you can get your money when you wants it, because dat was him -- your pap."

***

Tom’s almost well now, and he has his bullet around his neck on a cover for a watch, and is always seeing what time it is. So there ain’t nothing more to write about, and I am dirty well glad of it too, because if I’d a knowed what a trouble it was to make a book I wouldn’t a started it, and ain’t a-going to no more. But I think I got to head out for the Indian country ahead of the others, because Aunt Sally says she’s going to make me part of her family and teach me, and I can’t stand it. I been there before.