{{huckfp258.jpg}}

everything was going so different from what I had allowed for; stead of being

fixed so I could take my own time, if I wanted to, and see all the fun, and have

Mary Jane at my back to save me and set me free when the close-fit come, here

was nothing in the world betwixt me and sudden death but just them tatoo-

marks. If they didn't find them -- ssssssssss

I couldn't bear to think about it; and yet, somehow, I couldn't think about

nothing else. It got darker and darker, and it was a beautiful time to give the

crowd the slip; but that big husky had me by the wrist -- Hines -- and a body

might as well try to give Goliar the slip.' He dragged me right along, he was so

excited; and I had to run to keep up. ssssssssss

When they got there they swarmed into the graveyard and washed over it like

an overflow. And when they got to the grave, they found they had about a

hundred times as many shovels as they wanted, bub nobody hadn't thought to

fetch a lantern. But they sailed into digging, anyway, by the flicker of the

lightning, and sent a man to the nearest house a half a mile off, to borrow one.

So they dug and dug, like everything; and it got awful dark, and the rain

started, and the wind swished and swushed along, and the lightning come brisker

and brisker, and the thunder boomed; but them people never took no notice of

it, they was so full of this business; and one minute you could see everything and

every face in that big crowd, and the shovelfuls of dirt sailing up out of the grave,

and the next second the dark wiped it all out, and you couldn't see nothing at all.

At last they got out the coffin, and begun to unscrew the lid, and then

such another crowding, and shouldering, and shoving as there was, to scrouge

in and get a sight, you never see; and in the dark, that way, it was awful.

Hines he hurt my wrist dreadful, pulling and tugging so, and I reckon he clean

forgot I was in the world, he was so excited and panting.

All of a sudden the lightning let go a perfect sluice of white glare, and some-

body sings out: ssssssssss

"By the living jingo, here's the bag of gold on his breast!"

Hines let out a whoop, like everybody else, and dropped my wrist and give a

big surge to bust his way in and get a look, and the way I lit out and shinned

for the road in the dark, there ain't nobody can tell.

ssssssssss

 [258]