The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain
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good_deal depressed . he hardly knew what to_think . he_was loath to withdraw his faith from_the twins, and was resolved not to_do_it on_the present indecisive evidence; but-- well, he_would think, and then decide how to act .

"Blake, what do_you_think of this_matter ? "

" well, Pudd'nhead, I'm bound to_say I put it up the way Tom does . they hadn't the knife; or if_they had it, they've got it yet ."

the men parted . Wilson said to himself:

"I believe they had it; if_it had_been stolen, the scheme would_have restored it, that_is certain . and so I believe they've got it ."

Tom had no purpose in_his mind when he encountered those two men . when he began his talk he hoped to_be_able to gall them a little and get a trifle of malicious entertainment out of it . but when he left, he left in great spirits, for he perceived that just by pure luck and no troublesome labor he had accomplished several delightful things: he had touched both men on a raw spot and seen them squirm; he had modified Wilson's sweetness for_the twins with one small bitter taste that he wouldn't be_able to_get out of_his mouth right away; and, best of all, he had taken the hated twins down a Peg with_the community; for Blake would gossip around freely, after_the manner of detectives, and within a week the town would_be laughing at them in its sleeve for offering a gaudy reward for abauble which they either never possessed or hadn't lost .Tom was very_well satisfied with himself .

Tom's behavior at home had_been perfect during the entire week . his uncle and aunt had seen nothing like it before . they_could find no fault with_him anywhere .

Saturday evening he_said to_the judge:

"I've had something preying on my mind, uncle, and as I_am going away, and might never see you again, I_can't bear it any longer . I_made you believe i_was afraid to fight that Italian adventurer .I had to_get out of it on some pretext or other, and maybe I chose badly, being taken unawares, but no honorable person could consent to meet him in_the field, knowing what I_knew about him ."

" indeed ? what_was that ? "

" count Luigi is aconfessed assassin ."

" incredible ."

" it's perfectly true . Wilson detected it in_his hand, by palmistry, and charged him with it, and cornered him up so close that he had to confess; but both twins begged us on their knees to_keep the secret, and swore they_would lead straight lives here; and it_was all so pitiful that we gave our word of honor never to expose them while they kept the promise . you_would_have done it yourself, uncle ."

" you_are right, my boy; i_would .a man's secret is still his own property, and sacred, when it_has_been surprised out of him like that . you_did well, and I_am proud of you ." then he added mournfully, " but i_wish I could_have_been saved the shame of meeting an assassin on_the field on honor ."

" it couldn't be helped, uncle . if I had known you were going to challenge him, i_should_have felt obliged to sacrifice my pledged word in_order to stop it, but Wilson couldn't be expected to_do otherwise than keep silent ."

"Oh, no, Wilson did right, and_is in no way to blame .Tom, Tom, you_have lifted a heavy load from my heart; i_was stung to_the very soul when I seemed to_have discovered that I had a coward in my family ."

" you_may imagine what it cost me to assume such a part, uncle ."

"Oh, I_know it, poor boy, I_know it . and I_can understand how_much it has cost you to remain under that unjust stigma to this_time . but it_is all right now, and no harm is done . you_have restored my comfort of mind, and with it your own; and both of us had suffered enough ."

the old man sat awhile plunged in thought; then he looked up with a satisfied light in_his eye, and said: " that_this assassin should_have put the affront upon me of letting me meet him on_the field of honor as_if he were a gentleman is a matter which i_will presently settle-- but not now . i_will_not shoot him until after election . I_see a way to ruin them both before; i_will attend to_that first . neither of_them shall be elected, that I promise . you_are_sure that_the fact that he_is an assassin has_not got abroad ? "

" perfectly certain of it, sir ."

" it_will_be a good card . i_will fling a hint at it from_the stump on_the polling day . it_will sweep the ground from under both of_them ."

" there's not a doubt of it . it_will finish them ."

" that and outside work among_the voters will, to a certainty . i_want you to_come down here by and by and work privately among_the rag- tag and bobtail . you shall spend money among them; i_will furnish it ."

another point scored against the detested twins ! really it_was a great day for Tom . he_was encouraged to chance aparting shot, now, at_the same target, and did it .

" you_know that wonderful Indian knife that_the twins have_been making such a to- do about ? well, there's no track or trace of it yet; so the town is beginning to sneer and gossip and laugh . half the people believe they never had any such knife, the other half believe they had it and_have got it still .I've heard twenty people talking like that today ."

yes, Tom's blemishless week had restored him to_the favor of_his aunt and uncle .

his mother was satisfied with_him, too . privately, she believed she was coming to love him, but she did_not say so . she told him to_go along to St . Louis now, and she_would get ready and follow . then she smashed her whisky bottle and said:

"Dah now ! I's a-gwine to_make you walk as straight as a string, Chambers, en so I's bown, you ain't gwine to git no bad example out o' yo' mammy .I tole you you couldn't go into no bad comp'ny . well, you's gwine into my comp'ny, en I's gwine to_fill de bill . now, den, trot along, trot along ! "

Tom went aboard one_of_the big transient boats that night with_his heavy satchel of miscellaneous plunder, and slept the sleep of_the unjust, which_is serener and sounder than_the other kind, as we_know by_the hanging-eve history of a million rascals . but when he got up in_the morning, luck was against him again: a brother thief had robbed him while he slept, and gone ashore at some intermediate landing .

chapter 16

sold down the river

if_you pick up astarving dog and make him prosperous, he_will_not bite you . this_is_the principal difference between a dog and a man .

--Pudd'nhead Wilson's calendar

we all know about_the habits of_the ant, we_know all about_the habits of_the bee, but we_know nothing at all about_the habits of_the oyster . it seems almost certain that we_have_been choosing the wrong time for studying the oyster .

--Pudd'nhead Wilson's calendar

when Roxana arrived, she found her son in_such despair and misery that her heart was touched and her motherhood rose up strong in her . he_was ruined past hope now; his destruction would_be immediate and sure, and he_would_be an outcast and friendless . that was reason enough for a mother to love a child; so she loved him, and told him so . it made him wince, secretly-- for she was a"nigger ." that he_was one himself was far from reconciling him to_that despised race .

Roxana poured out endearments upon him, to_which he responded uncomfortably, but as_well as he_could . and she tried to comfort him, but that was not possible . these intimacies quickly became horrible to him, and within_the hour began to_try to_get up courage enough to_tell her so, and require that_they be discontinued or very considerably modified . but he_was afraid of her; and besides, there came a lull now, for she had begun to_think . she was trying to invent asaving plan . finally she started up, and said she had found a way out .Tom was almost suffocated by_the joy of_this sudden good news .Roxana said:

" here_is de plan, en she'll win, sure .I's anigger, en nobody ain't gwine to doubt it dat hears me talk .I's wuth six hund'd dollahs . take en sell me, en pay off dese gamblers ."

Tom was dazed . he_was not sure he had heard aright . he_was dumb for a moment; then he_said:

" do_you_mean that you_would_be sold into slavery to save me ? "

"Ain't you my chile ? En does you_know anything dat a mother won't do for her chile ? day ain't nothin' a white mother won't do for her chile . who_made 'em so ? De lord done it .En who_made de niggers ? De lord made 'em . in de inside, mothers is all de same .De good lord he_made 'em so .I's gwine to_be sole into slavery, en in a year you's gwine to_buy yo' ole mammy free ag' in .I'll show you how .Dat's de plan ."

Tom's hopes began to rise, and_his spirits along with_them . he_said:

" it's lovely of you, Mammy-- it's just--"

" say it ag' in ! En keep on sayin' it ! it's all de pay a body kin want in dis worl', en it's mo' den enough .Laws bless you, honey, when I's slav' aroun', en dey ' buses me, if I knows you's a-sayin' dat, ' way off yonder somers, it'll heal up all de sore places, en I kin stan' 'em ."

" I_do say it again, Mammy, and I'll keep on saying it, too . but how am I going to_sell you ? you're free, you_know ."

" much diff'rence dat make ! white folks ain't partic'lar .De law kin sell me now if dey tell me to leave de state in six months en I don't go . you draw up a paper-- bill o' sale-- en put it ' way off yonder, down in de middle o' Kaintuck somers, en sign some names to_it, en say you'll sell me cheap 'ca'se you's hard up; you'll find you ain't gwine to_have no trouble . you take me up de country a piece, en sell me on a farm; dem people ain't gwine to ask no questions if I's a bargain ."

Tom forged a bill of sale and sold him mother to an Arkansas cotton planter for a trifle over six hundred dollars . he_did_not want to commit this treachery, but luck threw the man in_his way, and this saved him the necessity of going up- country to hunt up a purchaser, with_the added risk of having to answer alot of questions, whereas this planter was so pleased with Roxy that he asked next to none at all . besides, the planter insisted that Roxy wouldn't know where she was, at first, and_that by_the_time she found out she_would already have_been contented .

so Tom argued with himself that_it_was an immense advantaged for Roxy to_have a master who was pleased with her, as_this planter manifestly was . in almost no time his flowing reasonings carried him to_the point of even half believing he_was doing Roxy a splendid surreptitious service in selling her " down the river ." and then he kept diligently saying to himself all the time: " it's for only a year . in a year I buy her free again; she'll keep that in mind, and it'll reconcile her ." yes; the little deception could do no harm, and everything would come out right and pleasant in_the end, anyway . by agreement, the conversation in Roxy's presence was all about_the man's " up- country" farm, and how pleasant a place it_was, and how happy the slaves were there; so poor Roxy was entirely deceived; and easily, for she was not dreaming that her own son could_be guilty of treason to a mother who, in voluntarily going into slavery-- slavery of any kind, mild or severe, or of any duration, brief or long-- was making a sacrifice for him compared with_which death would_have_been a poor and commonplace one . she lavished tears and loving caresses upon him privately, and then went away with her owner-- went away brokenhearted, and yet proud to_do_it .

Tom scored his accounts, and resolved to_keep to_the very letter of_his reform, and never to_put that_will in jeopardy again . he had three hundred dollars left .According to_his mother's plan, he_was to_put that safely away, and add her half of_his pension to_it monthly . in one year this fund would buy her free again .

for a whole week he_was not able to sleep well, so_much the villainy which he had played upon his trusting mother preyed upon his rag of conscience; but after_that he began to_get comfortable again, and was presently able to sleep like any_other miscreant .

the boat bore Roxy away from St . Louis at four in_the afternoon, and she stood on_the lower guard abaft the paddle box and watched Tom through a blur of tears until he melted into_the throng of people and disappeared; then she looked no more, but sat there on a coil of cable crying till far into_the night . when she went to her foul steerage bunk at last, between_the clashing engines, it_was not to sleep, but only to wait for_the morning, and, waiting, grieve .

it had_been imagined that she " would_not know," and would think she was traveling upstream . she ! why, she had_been steamboating for years . at dawn she got up and went listlessly and sat down on_the cable coil again . she passed

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