3 Tom Meets Becky

CHAPTER 3 Tom Meets Becky Monday morning always made Tom miserable. With it began another week's slow suffering in school. Up early, Tom sat in bed thinking about the evils of school and how he could be free of them. He felt his head, hoping it was warm. Sadly, it wasn't. He inspected his body, hoping to find symptoms of some terrible illness. There were none. Just knowing that he was healthy made him feel even worse than before. Soon Tom was on the way to class feeling, as usual, in very low spirits when he came upon Huckleberry Finn.

Huck Finn, the son of a local troublemaker, was hated and dreaded by all the mothers in town but loved and envied by their children. He came and went at his own free will and never had to go to church or school. Huck could go fishing or swimming whenever he chose and even stay up nights as late at he pleased. He was really great at swearing and Tom Sawyer, like every other boy, was strictly forbidden to play with him. So, not surprisingly, Tom played with Huck Finn whenever he got the chance. "Hello there, Huckleberry!" "Hello yourself, Tom." "What's that you got inside that pouch?" "A medicine potion." "My, it smells awful. What's in it?" "Catfish whiskers, four-leaf clovers, owl eggs, and other stuff."

"What other stuff?" "That's none of your business." "What it's good for, Huck?" "Good for? It cures warts if you use it right!" "How do you cure warts with it?" "Well, that's easy. You take the potion to the graveyard at midnight. That's when a devil will come, maybe two or three; they come to get someone wicked who's died. And when they're taking that feller away, you throw the pouch with the potion in it after 'em. Then you say, 'Devil follow corpse, potion follow devil, warts follow potion! No more warts.'" "Did you ever try it, Huck?" "Nope." "When do you think you're going to?" "Tonight. I reckon those devils ought to be

there to get old Hoss Williams." "But they buried him Saturday. Didn't they get him that night?" "Why, how you talk! How could they come till midnight?—and then it's Sunday. Devils don't slosh around much on Sunday, I don't reckon." "I never thought of that. Let me go with you," Tom pleaded. "Of course," Huck replied. "That is," Huck stared at him, "assuming you ain't too afraid." "Not likely!" Tom shot back. Then, real quiet-like, he whispered to Huck, "Will you also tell me the other ingredients in the potion?" "I will—if you show me that you ain't afraid." "I'm not afraid of anything, Huck Finn." "We'll see about that."

"I reckon we will." The two boys went on talking like this for some time before Tom remembered he had to go to school. Before leaving, he reminded Huckleberry Finn one more time not to forget to come fetch him that very night. When Tom finally entered the classroom, his schoolmaster, Mr.Dobbins, was quietly dozing in the front of the room, so Tom threw himself into his seat hoping no one would notice. No such luck. "Thomas Sawyer!" Whenever he heard his full name pronounced, Tom knew it meant trouble. "Come up here, Thomas. Now sir, suppose you tell us why you were late once again." Tom had been thinking up a lie—a good lie, a doozy of a lie—as he walked slowly to

the front of the room. Then he saw that long yellow hair hanging down and recognized the Thatcher girl sitting all the way on the girls' side of the schoolroom right next to an empty seat. Quick as a wink, he knew what he had to say next. "I stopped to talk to Huckleberry Finn!" Tom said loudly. All eyes were on Tom Sawyer now, and his classmates wondered if he'd lost his mind. "What did you say?" Mr.Dobbins asked, not believing his own ears. "I stopped to talk to Huckleberry Finn." Tom spoke slowly, so there was no mistaking the words. "Thomas Sawyer, that is the most amazing confession I have ever heard. Take off your jacket, sir!" Dobbins got out his switch, and Tom stuck his arm out bravely to accept his