Latest / Classic Adventure Books - Daily / 14 - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain

Transcript

14 - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain · Classic Adventure Books - Daily

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Chapter twenty nine, Huck Saves the Widow. The first thing
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Tom heard on Friday morning was a glad piece of
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: news Judge Thatcher's family had come back to town the
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: night before. Both injun Joe and the Treasures sank into
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: secondary importance for a moment, and Becky took the chief
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: place in the boy's interest. He saw her, and they
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: had an exhausting good time playing high spy and gully
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: keeper with the crowd of their schoolmates. The day was
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: completed and crowned in a peculiarly satisfactory way. Becky teased
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: her mother to appoint the next day for the long
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: promised and long delayed picnic, and she consented. The child's
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: delight was boundless, and Tom's not more moderate. The invitations
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: were sent out before sunset, and straightway, the young folks
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: of the village were thrown into a fever of preparation
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: and pleasurable anticipation. Tom's excitement enabled him to keep awake
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: until a pretty late hour, and he had good hopes
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: of hearing Huck's mow and of having his treasure to
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: astonish Becky and the picnickers with next day, But he
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: was disappointed. No signal came that night. Morning came eventually,
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: and by ten or eleven o'clock a giddy and rollicking
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: company were gathered at Judge Thatcher's and everything was ready
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: for a start. It was not the custom for elderly
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: people to mar picnics with their presents. The children were
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: considered safe enough under the wings of a few young
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: ladies of eighteen and a few young gentlemen of twenty
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: three or thereabouts. The old steam ferry boat was chartered
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: for the occasion. Presently, the gay throng filed up the
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: main street laden with provision baskets. Sid was sick and
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: had to miss the fun. Mary remained at home to
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: entertain him. The last thing Missus Thatcher said to Becky
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: was you'll not get back till late. Perhaps you'd better
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: stay all night with some of the girls that lived
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: near the fairy landing child. Then I'll stay Susie Harper,
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: Mamma very well and mind. Then behave yourself and don't
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: be any trouble. Presently, as they tripped along, Tom said
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: to Becky, say, I'll tell you what we'll do. Instead
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: of going to Joe Harper's, we'll climb right up the
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: hill and stop at the Widow Douglas's. She'll have ice cream,
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: she has it most every day, dead loads of it,
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: and she'll be awful glad to have us. Oh, that
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: will be fun. Then Becky reflected a moment and said,
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: but what will mamma say? Well, she'll ever know. The
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: girl turned the idea over in her mind and said, reluctantly,
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: I reckon, it's wrong, But but shucks, your mother won't know,
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: and so what's the harm. All she wants is that
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: you'll be safe. And I bet you she'd have said
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: go there if she'd have thought about it. I know
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: she would. The Widow Douglas's splendid hospitality was a tempting bait.
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: It and Tom's persuasions presently carried the day, so it
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: was decided to say nothing to anybody about the Knight's. Presently,
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: it occurred to Tom that maybe Huck might come in
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: this very night and give the signal. The thought took
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: a deal of the spirit out of his anticipation. Still,
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: he could not bear to give up the fun at
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: Widow Douglas's. And why should he give it up? He reasoned?
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: The signal did not come the night before, so why
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: should it be any more likely to come tonight? The
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: sure fun of the evening outweighed the uncertain treasure, and
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: boylike he determined to yield to the stronger inclination and
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: not allow himself to think of the box of money
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: another time. That day, three miles below town, the ferryboat
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: stopped at the mouth of the woody hollow and tied up.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: The crowd swarmed ashore, and soon the forest distances and
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: craggy heights echoed far and near with shoutings and laughter.
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: All the different ways of getting hot and tired were
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: gone through with, and by and by the rovers straggled
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: back to camp, fortified with responsible appetites, and then the
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: destruction of the good things began. After the feast, there
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: was a refreshing season of rest and chat in the
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: shade of spreading oaks, and by and by somebody shouted,
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: Who's ready for the cave? Everybody was. Bundles of candles
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: were procured, and straightway there was a general scamper up
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: the hill. The mouth of the cave was up the
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: hillside an opening shaped like a letter a. Its massive
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: oaken door stood unbarred. Within was a small chamber chilly
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: as an ice house, and walled by nature with solid
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: limestone that was dewy with a cold sweat. It was
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: romantic and mysterious to stand here in the deep gloom
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: and look out upon the green valley shining in the sun.
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: But the impressiveness of the situation quickly wore off, and
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: the romping began again. The moment a candle was lighted,
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: there was a general rush upon the owner of it.
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: A struggle and a gallant defense followed, but the candle
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: was soon knocked down or blown out, And then there
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: was a glad clamor of laughter and a new chase.
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: But all things have an end. By and by the
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: procession went filing down the steep descent of the main avenue,
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: the flickering rank of lights dimly revealing the lofty walls
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: of rock almost to their point of junction. Sixty feet overhead.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: This main avenue was not more than eight or ten
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: feet wide. Every few steps other lofty and still narrower
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: crevices branched from it on either hand. For McDougall's cave
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: was but a vast labyrinth of crooked aisles that ran
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: into each other and out again, and led nowhere. It
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: was said that one might wander days and nights together
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: through its intricate tangle of rifts and chasms, and never
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: find the end of the cave, and that he might
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: go down and down and still down into the earth,
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: and it was just the same labyrinth underneath labyrinth, and
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: no end to any of them. No man knew the cave.
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: That was an impossible thing. Most of the young men
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: knew a portion of it, and it was not customary
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: to venture much beyond this known portion. Tom Sawyer knew
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: as much of the cave as any one. The procession
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: moved along the main avenue some three quarters of a mile.
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: Then groups and couples began to slip aside into branch avenues,
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: fly along the dismal corridors, and take each other by surprise.
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: At points where the corridors joined again, parties were able
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: to elude each other for the space of half an
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: hour without going beyond the known ground. By and by,
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: one group after another came straggling back to the mouth
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: of the cave, panting, hilarious smeared from head to foot
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: with tallow drippings, daubed with clay, and entirely delighted with
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: the success of the day. Then they were astonished to
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: find that they had been taking no note of time,
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: and that night was about at hand. The clanging bell
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: had been calling for half an hour. However, this sort
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: of close to the day's adventures was romantic and therefore satisfactory.
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: When the ferryboat with her wild freight, pushed into the stream,
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: nobody cared sixpence for the wasted time. But the captain
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: of the craft, Huck, was already upon his watch. When
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: the ferryboat's lights went glinting past the wharf, He heard
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: no noise on board, for the young people were as
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: subdued and still as people usually are who were nearly
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: tired to death. He wondered what boat it was, and
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: why she did not stop at the wharf, And then
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: he dropped her out of his mind and put his
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: attention upon his business. The night was growing cloudy and dark.
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: Ten o'clock came, and the noise of vehicles ceased. Scattered
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: lights began to wink out, All straggling foot passengers disappeared.
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: The village betook itself to its slumbers, and left the
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: small watcher alone with the silence and the ghosts. Eleven
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: o'clock came and the tavern lights were put out. Darkness everywhere.
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: Now Huck waited what seemed a weary long time, but
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: nothing happened. His faith was weakening. Was there any use?
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: Was there really any use? Why not give it up
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: and turn in? A noise fell upon his ear. He
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: was all attention. In an instant. The alley door closed softly.
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: He sprang to the corner of the brick store. The
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: next moment two men brushed by him, and one seemed
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: to have something under his arm. It must be that box,
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: So they were going to remove the treasurer. Why call
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: Tom now, it would be absurd. The men would get
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: away with a box and never be found again. No,
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: he would stick to their wake and follow them. He
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: would trust to the darkness for security from discovery. So,
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: communing with himself, Huck stepped out and glided along behind
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: the men catlike, with bare feet, allowing them to keep
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: just far enough ahead not to be invisible. They moved
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: up the River Street three blocks, then turned to the
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: left up across street. They went straight ahead then until
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: they came to the path that led up Cardiff Hill.
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: This they took. They passed by the old Welshman's house
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: half way up the hill without hesitating, and still climbed upward.
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: Good thought Huck, they will bury it in the old quarry.
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: But they never stopped at the quarry. They passed on
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: up the summit. They plunged into the narrow path between
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: the tall sumac bushes, and were at once hidden in
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: the gloom. Huck closed up and shortened his distance now,
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: for they would never be able to see him. He
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: trotted along a while, then slackened his pace, fearing he
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: was gaining too fast, moved on a piece, then stopped altogether.
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: Listened no sound, none save that he seemed to hear
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: the beating of his own heart. The hooting of an
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: owl came from over the hill, ominous sound, but no footsteps. Heavens,
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: was everything lost. He was about to spring with winged
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: feet when a man cleared his throat not four feet
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: from him. Huck's heart shot into his throat, but he
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: swallowed it again. And then he stood there, shaking as
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: if a dozen egg ews had taken charge of him
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: at once, and so weak that he thought he must
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: surely fall to the ground. He knew where he was,
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: He knew he was within five steps of the style
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: leading into Widow Douglas's grounds. Very well, he thought, let
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: them bury it there. It won't be hard to find. Now.
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: There was a voice, of very low voice Injun Joe's
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: damn her. Maybe she's got company. There's lights late as
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: it is, I can't see any This was that stranger's voice,
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: the stranger of the haunted house. A deadly chill went
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: to Huck's heart. This, then, was the revenge job. His
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: thought was to fly. Then he remembered that the widow
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: Douglas had been kind to him more than once, and
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: maybe these men were going to murder her. He wished
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: he dared venture to warn her, but he knew he
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: didn't dare They might come and catch him. He thought
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: all this and more in the moment that lapsed between
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: the stranger's remark and Injun Joe's next, which was because
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: the bush is in your way now this way, now
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: you see, don't you? Yes, well there is company there.
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: I reckon. Better give it up, give it up, and
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: I just leaving this country forever. Give it up and
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: maybe never have another chance. I tell you again, as
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: I've told you before, I don't care for her swag.
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: You may have it. But her husband was rough on me.
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: Many times. He was rough on me, and mainly he
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: was the justice of the peace that jugged me for
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: a vagrant. And that ain't all. It ain't a millionth
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: part of it. He had me horsewhipped, horsewhipped in front
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: of the jail like a nigger with all the town
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: looking on, horsewhipped. Do you understand? He took advantage of
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: me and died. But I'll take it out of her. Oh,
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: don't kill her. Don't do that. Kill who said anything
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: about killing I would kill him if he were here,
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: but not her. When you want to get revenge on
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: a woman, you don't kill her bush. You go for
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: her looks. You slit her nostrils, you notch your ears
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: like a sow. By God, that's keep your opinion to yourself.
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: It'll be safest for you. I'll tire her to the bed.
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: If she bleeds to death, is that my fault? I'll
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: not cry if she does. My friend, you'll help in
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: this thing for my sake. That's why you're here. I
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: mightn't be able alone. If you flinch, I'll kill you.
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: Do you understand that? And if I have to kill you,
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: I'll kill her, and then I reckon, nobody'll ever know
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: much about who done this business. Well, if it's got
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: to be done, let's get at it. The quicker the better.
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: I'm all in a shiver. Do it now, and company there,
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: look here, I'll get suspicious of you first thing. You know. No,
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: we'll wait till the lights are out. There's no hurry.
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: Huck felt that a silence was going to ensue a
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: thing still more awful than any amount of murderous talk.
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: So he held his breath and stepped gingerly back, planted
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: his foot carefully and firmly, After balancing one legged in
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: a precarious way, and almost toppling over, first on one
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: side and then on the other, he took another step
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: back with the same elaboration and the same risks, Then
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: another and another, and a twig snapped under his foot.
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: His breath stopped, and he listened. There was no sound.
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: The stillness was perfect, grad attitude was measureless. Now he
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: turned in his tracks between the walls of sumac bushes,
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: turned himself as carefully as if he were a ship,
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: and then stepped quickly but cautiously along. When he emerged
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: at the quarry, he felt secure, And so he picked
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: up his nimble heels and flew down, down, He sped
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: till he reached the Welshmans. He banged at the door,
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: and presently the heads of the old man and his
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: two stalwart sons were thrust from the windows. What's the
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: row there? Who's banging? What do you want? Let me
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: in quick, I'll tell everything. Why who are you Huckleberry Finn? Quick?
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: Let me in, Huckleberry Finn. Indeed, it ain't a name
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: to open many doors, I judge, But let him in, lads,
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: let's see what's the trouble. Please don't ever tell I
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: told you were Huck's first words when he got in.
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: Please don't. I'd be killed, sure, but the widow's been
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: good friends to me sometimes, and I want to tell.
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: I will tell, if you'll promise you won't ever say
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: it was me by George. He has got something to tell,
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: or he wouldn't act, so, exclaimed the old man. Out
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: with it, and nobody here'll ever tell. Lad. Three minutes later,
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: the old man and his sons, well armed, were up
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: the hill and just entering the Sumac path on tiptoe,
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: their weapons in their hands. Huck accompanied them, no farther.
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: He hid behind a great boulder and fell to listening.
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: There was a lagging, anxious silence, and then all of
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: a sudden there was an explosion of firearms and a cry.
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: Huck waited for no particulars. He sprang away and sped
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: down the hill as fast as his legs could carry him.
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: End of Chapter twenty nine.