cleared his throat not four feet from him! Huck s heart shot into his
throat, but he swallowed it again; and then he stood there shaking as
if a dozen agues had taken charge of him at once, and so weak that he
thought he must surely fall to the ground. He knew where he was. He
knew he was within five steps of the stile leading into Widow Douglas
grounds. Very well, he thought, let them bury it there; it won t be hard
to find.
Now there was a voice a very low voice Injun Joe s:
Damn her, maybe she s got company there s lights, late as it is.
I can t see any.
This was that stranger s voice the stranger of the haunted house. A
deadly chill went to Huck s heart this, then, was the revenge job! His
thought was, to fly. Then he remembered that the Widow Douglas had been
kind to him more than once, and maybe these men were going to murder
her. He wished he dared venture to warn her; but he knew he didn t
dare they might come and catch him. He thought all this and more in
the moment that elapsed between the stranger s remark and Injun Joe s
next which was
Because the bush is in your way. Now this way now you see, don t you?
Yes. Well, there _is_ company there, I reckon. Better give it up.
Give it up, and I just leaving this country forever! Give it up and
maybe never have another chance. I tell you again, as I ve told you
before, I don t care for her swag you may have it. But her husband was
rough on me many times he was rough on me and mainly he was the justice
of the peace that jugged me for a vagrant. And that ain t all. It ain t
a millionth part of it! He had me _horsewhipped_! horsewhipped in
front of the jail, like a nigger! with all the town looking on!
_Horsewhipped_! do you understand? He took advantage of me and died. But
I ll take it out of _her_.
Oh, don t kill her! Don t do that!
Kill? Who said anything about killing? I would kill _him_ if he was
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