"When I supposed these stones were glass and this ivory bone, the thing hadn't any interest because it hadn't any value, and couldn't help me out trouble But now--why, now full of interest; yes, and of sort to break body's heart It's bag of gold that has turned to dirt and ashes in my hands It could save me, and save me so easily, and yet I've got to ruin It's like drowning with life preserver in my reach All the hard luck comes , and all the good luck goes to other people-- Pudd'nhead Wilson, for instance; even his career has got sort of little start at last, and what has he done to deserve it, like ? Yes, he has opened his own road, but he isn't content , but must block mine It's sordid, selfish world, and out of it " He allowed the light candle to play jewels sheath, but the flashings and sparklings had no charm eye; they were only just pangs heart " not say anything to Roxy thing," " too daring be for digging these stones out and selling them, and then-- why, be arrested stones traced, and then--" The thought made him quake, and he hid the knife away, trembling all over and glancing furtively about, like criminal who fancies accuser is already at hand

Should he try to sleep ? Oh, no, sleep was not for him; his trouble was too haunting, too afflicting somebody to mourn with carry his despair to Roxy

He had heard several distant gunshots, but that sort of thing was not uncommon, had made no impression upon him He went out back door, and turned westward He passed Wilson's house and proceeded along the lane, and presently saw several figures approaching Wilson's place vacant lots These were the duelists returning fight; he thought he recognized them, but as he had no desire for white people's company, he stooped down behind the fence until they were out way

Roxy was feeling fine She said:

"Whah was you, child ? Warn't you ? "

"In what ? "

"In de duel "

"Duel ? Has there been duel ? "

"Co'se dey has De ole Jedge has be'n havin' duel wid one o' dem twins "

"Great Scott ! " Then he added to himself: "That's what made him remake the will; he thought he might get killed, and it softened him toward me 's what he and Howard were so busy about . . Oh dear, twin had only killed him, out --"

" you mumblin' 'bout, Chambers ? Whah was you ? Didn't dey was gwine duel ? "

"No, I didn't The old man tried me to fight one with Count Luigi, but he didn't succeed, so I reckon he concluded to patch up the family honor himself "

He laughed idea, and went rambling on with detailed account talk judge, and how shocked and ashamed the judge was that he had coward family He glanced up at last, and got shock himself Roxana's bosom was heaving with suppressed passion, and she was glowering down upon him with measureless contempt written in her face

"En you refuse' to fight man dat kicked you, 'stid o' jumpin' at de chance ! En you ain't got no mo' feelin' den en tell me, dat fetched sich po' lowdown ornery rabbit into de worl' ! Pah ! it make me sick ! It's de nigger in you, dat's what Thirty-one parts o' you is white, en on'y one part nigger, en dat po' little one part is yo' soul 'Tain't wuth savin'; tain't wuth totin' out on shovel en throwin' en de gutter You has disgraced yo' birth What would yo' pa think o' you ? It's enough him turn grave

The last three sentences stung Tom into fury, and to himself that if his father were only alive and in reach of assassination his mother would soon find that he had very clear notion size indebtedness man, and was willing it up in full, and would too, even at risk life; but he kept this thought to himself; that was safest mother's present state

"Whatever o' yo' Essex blood ? Dat's what 't understan' En it ain't on'y jist Essex blood dat's in you, not by long sight-- 'deed it ain't ! My great-great-great-gran'father en yo' great-great-great-great-gran'father was Ole Cap'n John Smith, de highest blood dat Ole Virginny ever turned out, en his_ great-great-gran'mother, or somers along back dah, was Pocahontas de Injun queen, en her husbun' was nigger king outen Africa-- en yit here you is, slinkin' outen duel en disgracin' our whole line like ornery lowdown hound ! Yes, it's de nigger in you ! "

She sat down on her candle box and fell into reverie Tom disturb her; he sometimes lacked prudence, but not in circumstances kind, Roxana's storm went gradually down, but it died hard, and even when it seemed quite gone, it would break out in distant rumble, so , form of muttered ejaculations was, "Ain't nigger enough in him to show fingernails, en dat takes mighty little-- yit dey's enough to pain his soul "

Presently she muttered "Yassir, enough to paint whole thimbleful of 'em " At last her ramblings ceased altogether, and her countenance began to clear--a welcome sight to Tom, who had learned her moods, and knew she was threshold of good humor now He noticed that she unconsciously carried her finger end of her nose He looked closer and said:

"Why, Mammy, the end of your nose is skinned How did that come ? "

She sent out the sort of wholehearted peal of laughter which God had vouchsafed in its perfection to none but the happy angels in heaven bruised and broken black slave earth, and said:

"Dad fetch dat duel, I be'n myself "

"Gracious ! did bullet ? "

"Yassir, you bet it did ! "

"Well, I declare ! Why, how did that happen ? "

"Happened dis-away I 'uz a-sett'n' here kinder dozin' in de dark, en che-bang ! goes gun, right out dah I skips along out towards t'other end o' de house what's gwine on, en stops by de ole winder on de side towards Pudd'nhead Wilson's house dat ain't got no sash -- but dey ain't none of 'em got any sashes, for as dat's concerned-- en I stood dah in de dark en look out, en dar moonlight, right down under me 'uz one o' de twins a-cussin'--not much, but jist a-cussin' soft--it 'uz de brown one dat 'uz cussin,' 'ca'se he 'uz hit in de shoulder En Doctor Claypool he 'uz a-workin' at him, en Pudd'nhead Wilson he 'uz a-he'pin', en ole Jedge Driscoll en Pem Howard 'uz a-standin' out yonder little piece waitin' for 'em ready agin En treckly dey squared off en give de word, en bang-bang went de pistols, en de twin he say, 'Ouch ! '--hit him on de han' dis time --en I hear dat same bullet go spat ! ag'in de logs under de winder; en de nex' time dey shoot, de twin say, 'Ouch ! ' ag'in, en I done it too, 'ca'se de bullet glance' cheekbone en skip up here en glance' on de side o' de winder en whiz right acrost my face en tuck de hide off'n my nose-- why, if I'd 'a'; be'n jist inch or inch en half furder 't would 'a' tuck de whole nose en disfiggered me Here's de bullet; I hunted her up "

"Did you stand there all the time ? "

"Dat's question to ask, ain't it ! What else would ? Does I git chance duel every day ? "

"Why, you were right in range ! Weren't you afraid ? "

The woman gave sniff of scorn

"'Fraid ! De Smith-Pocahontases ain't 'fraid o' nothin', let alone bullets "

"They've got pluck enough, I suppose; what they lack is judgment _I wouldn't have stood there "

"Nobody's accusin' you ! "

"Did anybody else get hurt ? "

"Yes, we all got hit 'cep' de blon' twin en de doctor en de seconds De Jedge didn't git hurt, but I hear Pudd'nhead say de bullet snip some o' his ha'r off "

"'George ! " said Tom to himself, " so near being out trouble, and miss it by an inch Oh dear, dear, live me out and sell me to some nigger trader yet--yes, and in minute " Then aloud, in grave tone:

"Mother, in an awful fix "

Roxana caught her breath with spasm, and said:

"Chile ! What you hit body so sudden for, like dat ? What's be'n en gone en happen' ? "

"Well, there's I didn't tell you When I wouldn't fight, he tore up the will again, and--"

Roxana's face turned dead white, and she said:

"Now you's done ! --done forever ! Dat's de end Bofe un us is gwine to starve to--"

"Wait and hear me through, can't you ! I reckon that when he resolved to fight, himself, he thought he might get killed and not have chance to forgive me any more life, so the will again, and I've seen it, and it's all right But--"

"Oh, thank goodness, den we's safe ag'in ! --safe ! en so what did here en talk sich dreadful--"

"Hold ON, I tell you, and let me finish The swag I gathered won't half square me up, first thing , my creditors-- well, what'll happen "

Roxana dropped her chin, and told her son to leave her alone-- think out Presently she said impressively:

"You got mighty keerful now, I tell you ! En here's what you got He didn't git killed, en gives him de least reason, he'll bust de will ag'in, en dat's de las' time, now you hear me ! So--you's got to show him what you kin do in de nex' You got pison good, en let him see it; you got everything dat'll make him b'lieve in you, en you got to sweeten aroun' ole Aunt Pratt, too--she's pow'ful strong with de Jedge, en de bes' frien' you got Nex', you'll go 'long away to Sent Louis, en dat'll keep him in yo' favor Den you go en make bargain wid dem people You tell 'em he ain't gwine to live long--en dat's de fac', too--en tell 'em you'll pay 'em intrust, en big intrust, too--ten per--what you call it ? "

"Ten percent month ? "

"Dat's it Den you take and sell yo' truck aroun', little , en pay de intrust How long will it las' ? "

" there's enough the interest five or six months " "Den you's all right If he don't die in six months, dat don't make no diff'rence--Providence'll provide You's gwine safe-- behaves " She bent an austere eye on him and added, "En you IS gwine to behave--does dat ? "

He laughed and said going , anyway She unbend She said gravely:

"Tryin' ain't de thing You's gwine You ain't gwine to steal pin--'ca'se it ain't safe no mo'; en you ain't gwine into no bad comp'ny--not even once, you understand; en you ain't gwine to drink drop--nary single drop; en you ain't gwine to gamble one single gamble--not one ! Dis ain't what you's gwine , it's what you's gwine En I'll tell you how I knows it Dis is how I's gwine to foller along to Sent Louis my own self; en you's gwine every day o' your life, en I'll look you over; en fails in one single one o' dem things--jist one_-- I take my oath I'll come straight down to dis town en tell de Jedge you's nigger en slave--en prove it ! " She paused to let her words sink home Then she added, "Chambers, does you b'lieve me when I says dat ? "

Tom was sober enough now no levity voice when he answered:

"Yes, Mother, , now, that reformed--and permanently Permanently--and beyond the reach of any human temptation "

"Den g'long home en begin ! "

CHAPTER 15

The Robber Robbed

Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits

--Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar

Behold, the fool saith, "Put not all thine eggs one basket"-- but manner of saying, "Scatter your money and your attention"; but the wise man saith, "Put all your eggs one basket and--_watch that basket ! "

--Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar

What time of it Dawson's Landing was having ! All its life it asleep, but now it hardly got chance for nod, so swiftly did big events and crashing surprises come along in one another's wake: Friday morning, first glimpse of Real Nobility, also grand reception at Aunt Patsy Cooper's, also great robber raid; Friday evening, dramatic kicking heir chief citizen in presence of four hundred people; Saturday morning, emergence as practicing lawyer long-submerged Pudd'nhead Wilson; Saturday night, duel between chief citizen and titled stranger