Yes, I _do_ want to see my mother and you would, too, if you had one. I
ain t any more baby than you are. And Joe snuffled a little.
Well, we ll let the crybaby go home to his mother, won t we, Huck? Poor
thing does it want to see its mother? And so it shall. You like it here,
don t you, Huck? We ll stay, won t we?
Huck said, Y-e-s without any heart in it.
I ll never speak to you again as long as I live, said Joe, rising.
There now! And he moved moodily away and began to dress himself.
Who cares! said Tom. Nobody wants you to. Go long home and get
laughed at. Oh, you re a nice pirate. Huck and me ain t crybabies. We ll
stay, won t we, Huck? Let him go if he wants to. I reckon we can get
along without him, per aps.
But Tom was uneasy, nevertheless, and was alarmed to see Joe go sullenly
on with his dressing. And then it was discomforting to see Huck eying
Joe s preparations so wistfully, and keeping up such an ominous silence.
Presently, without a parting word, Joe began to wade off toward the
Illinois shore. Tom s heart began to sink. He glanced at Huck. Huck
could not bear the look, and dropped his eyes. Then he said:
I want to go, too, Tom. It was getting so lonesome anyway, and now
it ll be worse. Let s us go, too, Tom.
I won t! You can all go, if you want to. I mean to stay.
Tom, I better go.
Well, go long who s hendering you.
Huck began to pick up his scattered clothes. He said:
Tom, I wisht you d come, too. Now you think it over. We ll wait for you
when we get to shore.
Well, you ll wait a blame long time, that s all.
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