Well, I ll go back to the widder for a month and tackle it and see if I
can come to stand it, if you ll let me b long to the gang, Tom.
All right, Huck, it s a whiz! Come along, old chap, and I ll ask the
widow to let up on you a little, Huck.
Will you, Tom now will you? That s good. If she ll let up on some of
the roughest things, I ll smoke private and cuss private, and crowd
through or bust. When you going to start the gang and turn robbers?
Oh, right off. We ll get the boys together and have the initiation
tonight, maybe.
Have the which?
Have the initiation.
What s that?
It s to swear to stand by one another, and never tell the gang s
secrets, even if you re chopped all to flinders, and kill anybody and
all his family that hurts one of the gang.
That s gay that s mighty gay, Tom, I tell you.
Well, I bet it is. And all that swearing s got to be done at midnight,
in the lonesomest, awfulest place you can find a ha nted house is the
best, but they re all ripped up now.
Well, midnight s good, anyway, Tom.
Yes, so it is. And you ve got to swear on a coffin, and sign it with
blood.
Now, that s something _like_! Why, it s a million times bullier than
pirating. I ll stick to the widder till I rot, Tom; and if I git to be
a reg lar ripper of a robber, and everybody talking bout it, I reckon
she ll be proud she snaked me in out of the wet.
CONCLUSION
222