The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 

Table of Contents
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CHAPTER 15: Huck Saves the Widow

The next morning, the first thing Tom heard was a piece of good news. Becky Thatcher, who had been on vacation with her family, had just returned. Now, Injun Joe and the treasure sank into secondary importance, and Becky took the chief place in Tom’s interest.

He saw her, and they spent the afternoon talking and having a wonderful time together. Becky finally got permission to have the picnic she had planned months ago. The invitations were sent out before sunset, and the next day

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promised to be a treat for every boy and girl in town.

Tom’s excitement kept him awake until a pretty late hour. He had hopes of hearing Huck’s signal, but he was disappointed. No signal came that night.

By twelve o’clock the next afternoon, everyone was gathered in the Thatcher’s yard to set out for the picnic. They boarded a ferryboat and planned to spend the day picnicking on the other side of the river.

Three miles below town, the ferryboat stopped in a wooded cove and tied up. The crowd swarmed ashore, and soon their laughter and shouts could be heard echoing throughout the forest.

By and by somebody shouted, “Who’s ready for the cave?”

Everybody was. Bundles of candles were collected, and everyone scampered up the hillside to the mouth of the cave. It was an opening

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“Who’s Ready for the Cave?”

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shaped like the letter “A.” The inside of the cave was romantic and mysterious to explore. People said that one could wander days and nights through its intricate chambers and never get out. Nobody “knew” the cave. That was an impossible thing. Most of the young men knew a portion of it, but nobody ever dared venture beyond this known portion. So Tom knew as little of the cave as anyone did.

The crowd filed into the cave and began the exploration. Laughter and shouts echoed from the walls for an hour. Then the clanging of the ferryboat alerted everyone to the time.

As the ferryboat’s lights came glinting towards the wharf in town, one pair of eyes glanced at them in the cloudy, dark night. Those eyes had been glued to the tavern door for hours, but, by now, Huck Finn had just about given up any hope of seeing Injun Joe. Suddenly a noise fell upon his ear. He was all attention.

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Exploring the Cave

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Two men brushed by him, and one seemed to have something under his arm. It must be the box! So they were going to move the treasure. Why call Tom now? It would take too much time, and the men would get away. Then the treasure would be lost forever. So Huck decided to follow them himself.

The men moved up the river street three blocks, then turned left up a hill. Huck followed them for what seemed like hours. Soon the men stopped. They were five steps away from the path which led to the Widow Douglas’ house.

Huck crept up behind them and heard a very low voice saying, “Drat! Maybe she’s got company. I can see lights.”

The men began to plot and plan. A deadly chill went to Huck’s heart. This was the “revenge” job! Injun Joe still held a grudge against the Widow’s dead husband who had been a judge and had Injun Joe horsewhipped as a

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Huck Discovers Injun Joe’s Plan.

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punishment for vagrancy. Now, even though the judge was dead, Injun Joe decided to take his revenge on the old woman. He described horrible tortures he was planning, and as he spoke, he polished his knife. Huck could hear the evil in his voice.

Huck’s first thought was to run. Then he remembered that the Widow Douglas had been kind to him more than once. These men were actually planning to murder her! He wanted to warn her, but there was no way to do it without being seen.

Holding his breath, Huck silently slipped away and sped to the nearest house. It was the home of Bill Welsh and his sons. Huck banged at the door.

“What’s going on out there? Who’s banging? What do you want?” called Mr. Welsh.

Huck breathlessly blurted out the story and begged Mr. Welsh not to tell anyone that it was

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Begging Mr. Welsh to Help

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him who squealed. He urged the man and his sons to hurry.

Three minutes later, Mr. Welsh and his sons, all well-armed, were at the top of the hill. Huck accompanied them no farther. He hid behind a large boulder and listened. There was a lagging, anxious silence, and then all of a sudden there was an explosion of firearms and a cry.

Huck didn’t wait for anything. He sprang away and sped down the hill as fast as his legs could carry him.

At dawn the next morning, Huck returned to the Welsh home. Mr. Welsh and his sons greeted him with a warm welcome and a hearty breakfast. Then he told Huck that the Widow had been saved, but the villains had escaped.

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The Welshes Go to Save the Widow

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Lost!