after the others quit, and we found it. And was proud,
too; but Uncle Silas he knocked us crazy by telling us
HE killed the man. So we was mighty sorry we found
the body, and was bound to save Uncle Silas’s neck if
we could; and it was going to be tough work, too,
because he wouldn’t let us break him out of prison the
way we done with our old nigger Jim.
“I done everything I could the whole month to think
up some way to save Uncle Silas, but I couldn’t strike
a thing. So when we come into court to-day I come
empty, and couldn’t see no chance anywheres. But
by and by I had a glimpse of something that set me
thinking — just a little wee glimpse — only that, and
not enough to make sure; but it set me thinking hard
— and WATCHING, when I was only letting on to think;
and by and by, sure enough, when Uncle Silas was pil-
ing out that stuff about HIM killing Jubiter Dunlap, I
catched that glimpse again, and this time I jumped up
and shut down the proceedings, because I KNOWED
Jubiter Dunlap was a-setting here before me. I knowed
him by a thing which I seen him do — and I remem-
bered it. I’d seen him do it when I was here a year
ago.”
He stopped then, and studied a minute — laying for
an “effect” — I knowed it perfectly well. Then he
turned off like he was going to leave the platform, and
says, kind of lazy and indifferent:
“Well, I believe that is all.”
Why, you never heard such a howl! — and it come
from the whole house:
“What WAS it you seen him do? Stay where you
are, you little devil! You think you are going to
work a body up till his mouth’s a-watering and stop
there? What WAS it he done?”
That was it, you see — he just done it to get an
“effect “; you couldn’t ‘a’ pulled him off of that plat-
form with a yoke of oxen.
“Oh, it wasn’t anything much,” he says. “I seen
him looking a little excited when he found Uncle Silas
was actuly fixing to hang himself for a murder that
warn’t ever done; and he got more and more nervous
and worried, I a-watching him sharp but not seeming
to look at him — and all of a sudden his hands begun
to work and fidget, and pretty soon his left crept up
and HIS FINGER DRAWED A CROSS ON HIS CHEEK, and then I
HAD him!”
Well, then they ripped and howled and stomped and
clapped their hands till Tom Sawyer was that proud
and happy he didn’t know what to do with him-
self.
And then the judge he looked down over his pulpit
and says:
“My boy, did you SEE all the various details of this
strange conspiracy and tragedy that you’ve been de-
scribing?”
“No, your honor, I didn’t see any of them.”
“Didn’t see any of them! Why, you’ve told the
whole history straight through, just the same as if
you’d seen it with your eyes. How did you manage
that?”
Tom says, kind of easy and comfortable:
“Oh, just noticing the evidence and piecing this and
that together, your honor; just an ordinary little bit of
detective work; anybody could ‘a’ done it.”
“Nothing of the kind! Not two in a million could
‘a’ done it. You are a very remarkable boy.”
Then they let go and give Tom another smashing
round, and he — well, he wouldn’t ‘a’ sold out for a
silver mine. Then the judge says:
“But are you certain you’ve got this curious history
straight?”
“Perfectly, your honor. Here is Brace Dunlap —
let him deny his share of it if he wants to take the
chance; I’ll engage to make him wish he hadn’t said
anything…… Well, you see HE’S pretty quiet. And
his brother’s pretty quiet, and them four witnesses that
lied so and got paid for it, they’re pretty quiet. And
as for Uncle Silas, it ain’t any use for him to put in