" right, my boy; man's secret is still his own property, and sacred, when surprised out of him like that well, and proud of you " Then he added mournfully, "But I saved the shame of meeting an assassin field on honor "

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

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

" imagine what it cost ME to assume such part, uncle "

"Oh, it, poor boy, it And understand it has cost you to remain under that unjust stigma to But all right now, and no harm is done 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 satisfied light eye, and said: " assassin put the affront upon me of letting me meet him field of honor he were gentleman is matter which presently settle--but not now shoot him until after election way to ruin them both before; attend first Neither shall be elected, that I promise fact that an assassin got abroad ? "

"Perfectly certain of it, sir "

" good card fling hint at it stump polling day sweep the ground from under both "

"There's not doubt of it finish them "

"That and outside work voters will, to certainty you down here by and by and work privately rag-tag and bobtail You shall spend money among them; furnish it "

Another point scored against the detested twins ! Really great day for Tom encouraged to chance parting shot, now, same target, and did it

" that wonderful Indian knife twins making such 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 got it still I've heard twenty people talking like that today "

Yes, Tom's blemishless week had restored him favor aunt and uncle

His mother was satisfied , too Privately, she believed she was coming to love him, but she say so She told him along to St Louis now, and get ready and follow Then she smashed her whisky bottle and said:

"Dah now ! I's a-gwine you walk as straight as 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 de bill Now, den, trot along, trot along ! "

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

CHAPTER 16

Sold Down the River

pick up starving dog and make him prosperous, bite you principal difference between dog and man

--Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar

We all know habits ant, all habits bee, but nothing at all habits oyster It seems almost certain that choosing the wrong time for studying the oyster

--Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar

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

Roxana poured out endearments upon him, he responded uncomfortably, but as And she tried to comfort him, but that was not possible These intimacies quickly became horrible to him, and hour began up courage enough her so, and require be discontinued or very considerably modified But afraid of her; and besides, there came lull now, for she had begun She was trying to invent saving plan Finally she started up, and said she had found way out Tom was almost suffocated joy sudden good news Roxana said:

" de plan, en she'll win, sure I's nigger, 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 not sure he had heard aright dumb for moment; then :

" that sold into slavery to save me ? "

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

Tom's hopes began to rise, spirits along :

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

"Say it ag'in ! En keep on sayin' it ! It's all de pay 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 "

" say it again, Mammy, and I'll keep on saying it, too But how am I going you ? You're free, "

"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 paper--bill o' sale-- en put it 'way off yonder, down in de middle o' Kaintuck somers, en sign some names , en say you'll sell me cheap 'ca'se you's hard up; you'll find you ain't gwine no trouble You take me up de country piece, en sell me on farm; dem people ain't gwine to ask no questions if I's bargain "

Tom forged bill of sale and sold him mother to an Arkansas cotton planter for trifle over six hundred dollars want to commit this treachery, but luck threw the man way, and this saved him the necessity of going up-country to hunt up purchaser, added risk of having to answer lot 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, she found out already contented

So Tom argued with himself an immense advantaged for Roxy master who was pleased with her, planter manifestly was In almost no time his flowing reasonings carried him point of even half believing doing Roxy splendid surreptitious service in selling her "down the river " And then he kept diligently saying to himself all the time: "It's for only year In 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 end, anyway By agreement, the conversation in Roxy's presence was all man's "up-country" farm, and how pleasant place , and how happy the slaves were there; so poor Roxy was entirely deceived; and easily, for she was not dreaming that her own son guilty of treason to mother who, in voluntarily going into slavery--slavery of any kind, mild or severe, or of any duration, brief or long--was making sacrifice for him compared death 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