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got no show -- when the pinch comes there ain't nothing to back him up and keep

him to his work, and so he gets beat. Then I thought a minute, and says to

myself, hold on, -- s pose you'd a done right and give Jim up; would you felt

better than what you do now? No, says I, I'd feel bad -- I'd feel just the same

way I do now. Well, then, says I, what's the use you learning to do right, when

it's troublesome to do right and ain't no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is

just the same? I was stuck. I couldn't answer that. So I reckoned I wouldn't

bother no more about it, but after this always do whichever come handiest at

the time. ssssssssss

I went into the wigwam; Jim warn't there. I looked all around; he

warn't anywhere. I says: ssssssssss

"Jim!" ssssssssss

"Here I is, Huck. Is dey out o' sight yit? Don't talk loud."

He was in the river, under the stern oar, with just his nose out. I told him

they was out of sight, so he come aboard. He says:

"I was a-listenin' to all de talk, en I slips into de river en was gwyne to

shove for sho' if dey come aboard. Den I was gwyne to swim to de raf agin

when dey was gone. But lawsy, how you did fool 'em, Huck! Dat wuz de

smartes' dodge! I tell you, chile, I 'speck it save' ole Jim -- ole Jim ain't gwyne

to forgit you for dat, honey." ssssssssss

Then we talked about the money. It was a pretty good raise, twenty dollars

apiece. Jim said we could take deck passage on a steamboat now, and the

money would last us as far as we wanted to go in the free States. He said twenty

mile more warn't far for the raft to go, but he wished we was already there.

Towards daybreak we tied up, and Jim was mighty particular about hiding

the raft good. Then he worked all day fixing things in bundles, and getting all

ready to quit rafting. ssssssssss

That night about ten we hove in sight of the lights of a town away down

in a left-hand bend. ssssssssss

I went off in the canoe, to ask about it. Pretty soon I found a man out in

the river with a skiff, setting a trot-line. I ranged up and says:

"Mister, is that town Cairo--?"

"Cairo? no. You roust be a blame' fool,"

ssssssssss

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