For whole week not able to sleep well, the villainy which he had played upon his trusting mother preyed upon his rag of conscience; but he began comfortable again, and was presently able to sleep like miscreant

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

It imagined that she " know," and would think she was traveling upstream She ! Why, she steamboating for years At dawn she got up and went listlessly and sat down cable coil again She passed many snag whose "break" told her thing to break her heart, showed current moving same direction boat was going; but her thoughts were elsewhere, and she notice But at last the roar of bigger and nearer break than usual brought her out of her torpor, and she looked up, and her practiced eye fell upon that telltale rush of water moment her petrified gaze fixed itself there Then her head dropped upon her breast, and she said:

"Oh, de good Lord God have mercy on po' sinful me-- I'S SOLE DOWN DE RIVER ! "

CHAPTER 17

The Judge Utters Dire Prophesy

Even popularity overdone In Rome, along at first, full of regrets that Michelangelo died; but by and by, you only regret that you didn't see him

--Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar

JULY 4 Statistics show that we lose more fools day than in all the other days year put together This proves, number left in stock, that one Fourth of July per year is now inadequate, the country has grown so

--Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar

The summer weeks dragged by, and then the political campaign opened-- opened in pretty warm fashion, and waxed hotter and hotter daily The twins threw themselves with their whole heart, for their self-love was engaged Their popularity, so general at first, had suffered afterward; mainly because they TOO popular, and so natural reaction had followed Besides, it diligently whispered around curious--indeed, VERY curious--that that wonderful knife of theirs turn up-- so valuable, or had ever existed And whisperings went chucklings and nudgings and winks, and such things have an effect The twins considered that success election would reinstate them, defeat would work them irreparable damage Therefore they worked hard, but not harder than Judge Driscoll and Tom worked against them closing days canvass Tom's conduct had remained so letter-perfect during two whole months now, that his uncle trusted him with money voters, but trusted him and get it himself safe private sitting room

The closing speech campaign by Judge Driscoll, and it against both foreigners disastrously effective He poured out rivers of ridicule upon them, and forced the big mass meeting to laugh and applaud He scoffed at them as adventures, mountebanks, sideshow riffraff, dime museum freaks; he assailed their showy titles with measureless derision; they were back-alley barbers disguised as nobilities, peanut peddlers masquerading as gentlemen, organ-grinders bereft brother monkey At last he stopped and stood still He waited until the place had become absolutely silent and expectant, then he delivered his deadliest shot; delivered it with ice-cold seriousness and deliberation, with significant emphasis closing words: he believed reward offered lost knife was humbug and bunkum, its owner would know where it whenever occasion TO ASSASSINATE SOMEBODY

Then he stepped stand, leaving startled and impressive hush behind him instead customary explosion of cheers and party cries

The strange remark flew far and wide over the town and made an extraordinary sensation Everybody was asking, "What could he mean ? " And everybody went on asking that question, but in vain; judge only said what talking about, and stopped there; Tom said he hadn't any idea what his uncle meant, and Wilson, whenever asked what he thought it meant, parried the question by asking the questioner what HE thought it meant

Wilson was elected, the twins were defeated--crushed, , and left forlorn and substantially friendless Tom went back to St Louis happy

Dawson's Landing had week of repose now, and it needed it But in an expectant state, air was full of rumors of new duel Judge Driscoll's election labors had prostrated him, but said that well enough to entertain challenge get one from Count Luigi

The brothers withdrew entirely from society, and nursed their humiliation in privacy They avoided the people, and wait out for exercise only late at night, streets were deserted

CHAPTER 18

Roxana Commands

Gratitude and treachery are merely the two extremities same procession seen all of it worth staying for band gaudy officials by --Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar

THANKSGIVING DAY all give humble, hearty, and sincere thanks now, but the turkeys island of Fiji use turkeys; they use plumbers It become you and me to sneer at Fiji

--Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar

The Friday election was rainy one in St Louis It rained all day long, and rained hard, apparently trying its best to wash that soot-blackened town white, but not succeeding Toward midnight Tom Driscoll arrived at his lodgings theater heavy downpour, and closed his umbrella and let himself in; but when shut the door, that another person entering--doubtless another lodger; this person closed the door and tramped upstairs behind Tom Tom found his door dark, and entered it, and turned up the gas When he faced about, lightly whistling, the back of man The man was closing and locking his door His whistle faded out and uneasy The man turned around, wreck of shabby old clothes, sodden with rain and all a-drip, and showed black face under an old slouch hat Tom was frightened He tried to order the man out, but the words refused , other man got the start , in low voice:

"Keep still--I's yo' mother ! "

Tom sunk in heap on chair, and gasped out:

" mean of me, and base-- it; but I meant it best, indeed-- swear it "

Roxana stood awhile looking mutely down on him while he writhed in shame and went on incoherently babbling self-accusations mixed with pitiful attempts at explanation and palliation crime; then she seated herself and took off her hat, and her unkept masses of long brown hair tumbled down about her shoulders

"It warn't no fault o' yo'n dat dat ain't gray," she said sadly, noticing the hair

" it, it ! I'm scoundrel But I swear I meant it best mistake, , but best, I truly did "

Roxana began to cry softly, and presently words began their way out between her sobs They were uttered lamentingly, rather than angrily

"Sell pusson down de river--DOWN DE RIVER ! --for de bes' ! I wouldn't treat dog so ! I is all broke down and en wore out now, en so I reckon it ain't in me to storm aroun' no mo', like I used to when I 'uz trompled on en 'bused I don't know-- but maybe it's so Leastways, I's suffered dat mournin' seem mo' handy now den stormin' "

These words touched Tom Driscoll, but if , that effect was obliterated by stronger one--one which removed the heavy weight of fear which lay upon him, and gave his crushed spirit most grateful rebound, and filled all his small soul with deep sense of relief But he kept prudently still, and ventured no comment voiceless interval of some duration now, no sounds were heard but the beating rain panes, the sighing and complaining winds, and muffled sob from Roxana The sobs became more and more infrequent, and ceased Then the refugee began again

"Shet down dat light little More More yit pusson dat is hunted don't like de light Dah--dat'll do I kin see whah you is, en dat's enough I's gwine you de tale, en cut it jes as short as I kin, en den I'll tell you what you's got Dat man dat bought me ain't bad man; he's good enough, as planters goes; en if 'a' had his way I'd 'a' be'n house servant fambly en be'n comfortable: but his wife she was Yank, en not right down good lookin', en she riz up agin me straight off; so den dey sent me out to de quarter 'mongst de common fiel' han's Dat woman warn't satisfied even wid dat, but she worked up de overseer ag'in' me, she 'uz dat jealous en hateful; so de overseer he had me out befo' day in de mawnin's en worked me de whole long day as long as dey'uz any light by; en many's de lashin's I got 'ca'se I couldn't come de work o' de stronges' Dat overseer wuz Yank too, outen New Englan', en anybody down South kin tell you what dat mean DEY knows how to work nigger to death, en dey knows how to whale 'em too--whale 'em till dey backs is welted like washboard 'Long at fust my marster say de good word to de overseer, but dat 'uz bad ; for de mistis she fine it out, en arter dat I jist ketched it at every turn--dey warn't no mercy no mo' "

Tom's heart was fired--with fury against the planter's wife; and to himself, "But meddlesome fool, everything gone all right " He added deep and bitter curse against her

The expression sentiment was fiercely written face, and stood thus revealed to Roxana by white glare of lightning which turned the somber dusk room into dazzling day moment She was pleased--pleased and grateful; for that expression show that her child was capable of grieving mother's wrongs and feeling resentment toward her persecutors ? --a thing which she doubting But her flash of happiness was only flash, and went out again and left her spirit dark; for she said to herself, "He sole me down de river-- 't feel for body long; dis'll pass en go " Then she took up her tale again