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comes old Finn and went boo-hooing to Judge Thatcher to get money to hunt

for the nigger all over Illinois with. The judge give him some, and that evening

he got drunk and was around till after midnight with a couple of mighty hard look-

ing strangers, and then went off with them. Well, he hain't come back sence,

and they ain't looking for him back till this thing blows over a little, for people

thinks now that he killed his boy and fixed things so folks would think robbers done

it, and then he'd get Huck's money without having to bother a long time with a

lawsuit. People do say he warn't any too good to do it. Oh, he's sly, I reckon.

If he don't come back for a year, he'll be all right. You can't prove anything on

him, yon know; everything will be quieted down then, and he'll walk into Huck's

money as easy as nothing." ssssssssss

"Yes, I reckon so, 'm. I don't see nothing in the way of it. Has everybody

quit thinking the nigger done it?" ssssssssss

"Oh, no, not everybody. A good many thinks he done it. But they'll get

the nigger pretty soon, now, and maybe they can scare it out of him."

"Why, are they after him yet?"

"Well, you're innocent, ain't yon! Does three hundred dollars lay round

every day for people to pick up? Some folks thinks the nigger ain't far from

here. I'm one of them -- but I hain't talked it around. A few days ago I was

talking with an old couple that lives next door in the log shanty, and they happened

to say hardly anybody ever goes to that island over yonder that they call Jackson's

Island. Don't anybody live there? says I. No, nobody, says they. I didn't say

any more, but I done some thinking. I was pretty near certain I'd seen smoke

over there, about the head of the island, a day or two before that, so I says to my-

self, like as not that nigger's hiding over there; anyway, says I, it's worth the

trouble to give the place a hunt. I hain't seen any smoke sence, so I reckon

maybe he's gone, if it was him; but husband's going over to see -- him and another

man. He was gone up the river; but he got back to-day and I told him as soon

as he got here two hours ago." ssssssssss

I had got so uneasy I couldn't set still. I had to do something with my

hands; so I took up a needle off of the table and went to threading it. My

hands shook, and I was making a bad job of it. When the woman stopped

talking, I looked up, and she was looking at me pretty curious, and smiling a

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