8 Muff Potter in Jail
On Tuesday morning’ Tom woke late. He got dressed quickly. Aunt Polly was eating her breakfast.
Aunt Polly looked at Tom and she started to cry.
‘You’re a bad boy,’ she said. ‘You went out last night, didn’t you? I worry and worry about you. But you don’t care about me.’
Tom started to cry.
‘I won’t go out at night again, Aunt Polly. I won’t, ‘he said. ‘I’m very sorry.’
Soon the people of St Petersburg were talking about Doctor Robinson’s death. Had Muff Potter murdered him? The morning after the murder the murder, somebody had found Muff Potter in a barn. Muff was drunk. And his knife was beside the doctor’s body in the graveyard. There was blood on the knife.
Injun Joe told lied to the sheriff. ‘Muff Potter killed the doctor,’ he said
The sheriff sent Muff Potter to jail. There was going to be a trial-a trial for murder.
Tom was very worried. He spoke to Huck.
‘Huck, have you talked about the murder?’ he asked.
‘No, I haven’t,’ replied Huck. ‘I’m frightened of Injun Joe. He’ll kill us.’
‘Huck, let’s swear again!’ said Tom. ‘We won’t tell anybody!’
Huck and Tom swore again. They spoke together. ‘Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer swear this-they won’t tell anybody about the murder.’
The days passed. Tom was unhappy. He did not speak to his friends at school. He did not speak to Becky. He did not speak to Aunt Polly. He only spoke to Huck
Becky was unhappy. She wanted Tom to speak to her.
The boys went to the jail every day. They went early in the morning. They gave tobacco and matches to Muff Potter. They put then through the window. Muff put the tobacco in his pipe and lit a match. He smoked the pipe.
One morning. Muff said, ‘You’re good boys. Other people have forgotten me’ but you haven’t forgotten me.’
Tom and Huck walked away.
‘Muff Potter isn’t a bad man,’ said Huck. ‘He gets drunk sometimes. But he doesn’t kill people.’
‘Oh, Huck,’ said Tom. ‘He’ll be hanged, won’t he?
“You,’ replied Huck.
Tom said goodbye to Huck. He walked slowly to school. He was very sad.
Tom sat at his desk. There was something on the desk. It was his metal door-handle. Becky had given it back to him.