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keeping off dull times.

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In the morning we went up to the village and bought a wireⒶalteration in the MS rat trap and fetched it down, and unstopped the best rat hole, and in about an hour we had fifteen of the bulliest kind of ones; and then we took it and putⒶalteration in the MS it in a safe place under auntⒶhistorical collation Sally’s bed. But while we was gone for spiders, little Thomas Franklin Benjamin Jefferson Elexander PhelpsⒺexplanatory note found it there, and opened the door of it to see if the rats would come out, and they did; and auntⒶhistorical collation Sally she come in, and when we got back she was a standing on top of the bedⒶalteration in the MS raising Cain, and the rats was doing what they could to keep off the dull times forⒶemendation her. So she took and dusted us both with the hickryⒶalteration in the MS, and we was as much as two hours catching another fifteen or sixteen, drat that meddlesome cub,Ⓐalteration in the MS and they warn’t the likeliest, nutherⒶemendation, because the first haul was the pick of the flock. I never see a likelier lot of rats than what that first haul was.

We got a splendid stock of sortedⒶemendation spidersⒶalteration in the MS, and bugs, and frogs, and caterpillarsⒶhistorical collation, and one thing or another; and we like-to got a hornet’s nest, but we didn’t. The family was at home. We didn’t give it right up, but staid with them as long as we could; because we allowed we’d tire them out or they’d got to tire us out, and they done it. Then we got allycumpain and rubbed on the places, and was pretty near all right,Ⓐhistorical collation again, but couldn’t set down convenient. And so we went for the snakes, and grabbed a couple of dozen garters and house-snakesⒶemendation, and put them in a bag, and put it in our room, and by that time it was supper time, and a rattling good honest day’s work; and [begin page 330] hungry?Ⓐalteration in the MS—oh, no, I reckon not! And there warn’t a blessedⒶemendation snake up there, when we went back—we didn’tⒶalteration in the MS half tie the sack, and they worked out, somehow, and left. But it didn’t matterⒶalteration in the MS much, because they was still on the premises somewheresⒶalteration in the MS. So we judged we could get some of them again. No, there warn’t no real scarcity of snakes about the house for a considerbleⒶemendation spell. You’dⒶemendation see them dripping from the rafters and places, every now and then; and they generlyⒶalteration in the MS landedⒶalteration in the MS in your plate, or down the back of your neck, andⒶalteration in the MS most of the time where you didn’t want them. Well, they was handsome, and striped, and there warn’t no harm in a million of them; but that never made no difference to auntⒶhistorical collation Sally, she despised snakes, be the breed what they might, and she couldn’t stand them,Ⓐhistorical collation no way you could fix it; and every time one of them flopped down on her, it didn’t make no difference what she was doing, she would just lay that work downⒶemendation and light out. I never see such a woman. And you could hear her whoop to Jericho. You couldn’t get her to take aholtⒶalteration in the MS of one of them with the tongs. And if she turned over and found one in bed, she would scramble out and liftⒶalteration in the MS a howl that you would think the house was afire. She disturbed the old man so, that he said he could most wish there hadn’t ever been no snakes created. Why, after every last snake had been gone clear outⒶalteration in the MS of the house for as much as aⒶalteration in the MS week, auntⒶhistorical collation Sally warn’t over itⒶalteration in the MS yet; she warn’t nearⒶemendation over it; when she was setting thinking about something, you could touch her on the back of her neck with a feather and she would jump rightⒶalteration in the MS out of her stockings. It was very curious. But Tom said all women was just so. He said they was made that way; for some reason or other.

WeⒶemendation Ⓐalteration in the MS got a licking every time one of our snakes come in her way; and she allowed these lickings warn’t nothing to what she would do if we ever loaded up the place again with them. I didn’t mind the lickings, because they didn’t amount to nothing; but I minded the trouble we had, to lay in another lot. But we got them laid in,Ⓐalteration in the MS and all the other things; and you never see a cabin as blithesomeⒶalteration in the MS Ⓐemendation as Jim’s wasⒶalteration in the MS when they’d all swarm out for music and go for him. Jim didn’t like the spiders, and the spiders didn’t like Jim; and so they’d lay for him and make it mighty warm for him.Ⓐalteration in the MS And he said that between the rats, and the snakes, and the grindstone, there warn’t no room in bed for him, skasely; and when there was, a body couldn’t sleep, [begin page 331] it was so lively, and it was always lively, he said, becauseⒶalteration in the MS they never all slept at one time,Ⓐalteration in the MS but took turn about, so when the snakes was asleep the rats was on deck, and when the rats turned in the snakes come on watch, so he always had one gang under him, in his way, and t’other gang having a circus over him, and if he got up to hunt a new place, the spiders would take a chanceⒶalteration in the MS Ⓐemendation at him as he crossed over. He said if he ever got out, this time, he wouldn’t everⒶalteration in the MS be a prisoner again, not for a salary.

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sawdust diet.

WellⒶemendation, by the end of three weeks, everything was in pretty good shape. The shirt was sent in early, in a pie, and every time a rat bit Jim he would get up and write a little in his journal,Ⓐhistorical collation whilst the ink was fresh; the pens was made, the inscriptions and so-onⒶhistorical collation was all carved on the grindstone; the bed-leg was sawed in two, and we had et up the sawdust, and it give us a most amazingⒶalteration in the MS Ⓐemendation stomach-ache. We reckoned we was all going to die, but didn’t. It was the most undigestible sawdust I ever see; and Tom said the same. But as I was saying, we’dⒶemendation got all the work done, now, at last; and we was all pretty much fagged out, too, but mainly Jim. The old manⒶalteration in the MS had wrote [begin page 332] a couple of times to the plantation below Orleans to come and get their runawayⒶemendation nigger, but hadn’t got no answer, because there warn’t no such plantation; so he allowed he would advertise Jim in the St. Louis and New Orleans papers; and when he mentioned the St. Louis ones, it give me the cold shivers, and I see we hadn’t no time to lose. So Tom said, now for the nonnamous letters.Ⓐalteration in the MS

“What’s them?” I says.

“Warnings to the people that something is up.Ⓐalteration in the MS Sometimes it’s done one way, sometimes anotherⒺexplanatory note. But there’s always somebody spying around, that gives notice to the governor of the castle. When Louis XVIⒶhistorical collation was going to light out of the Tooleries, a servant girl done it. It’s a very good way, and so is the nonnamous letters. We’ll use them both. And it’s usual for the prisoner’s mother to change clothes with himⒺexplanatory note, and she stays in, and he slides out in her clothes. We’ll do that,Ⓐhistorical collation too.”

“But lookyhereⒶhistorical collation, Tom, what do we want to warn anybody for, that something’s up? Let them find it outⒶalteration in the MS for themselves—it’s their lookoutⒶemendation.”

“Yes, I know; but you can’t depend on them. It’s the way they’ve acted from the very start—left us to do everything.Ⓐalteration in the MS They’re so confiding and mullet-headedⒶhistorical collation they don’t take notice of nothing at all. So if we don’t give them notice, there won’t be nobody nor nothing to interfere with us, and soⒶalteration in the MS after all our hard work andⒶalteration in the MS trouble this escape ’ll go off perfectly flat: won’t amount to nothing—won’t be nothing to it.”

“Well, as for me, Tom, that’s the way I’dⒶalteration in the MS like.”

“Shucks,” he says, and looked disgusted. So I says:

“But I ain’t going to make no complaint. Any wayⒶhistorical collation that suits you suits me. What you going to do about the servant girlⒶhistorical collation?”

“You’ll be her. You slide in, in the middle of the night, and hook that yaller girl’s frockⒶemendation.”

“Why, Tom, that’ll make trouble,Ⓐhistorical collation next morning,Ⓐhistorical collation because of course she prob’lyⒶhistorical collation hain’t got any but that one.”

“I know; but you don’t want it but fifteen minutes, to carry the nonnamous letter and shove it under the front door.”

“All right, then, I’ll do it; but I could carry it just as handy in my own togs.”

“You wouldn’t look like a servant girlⒶhistorical collation then, would you?”

“No, but there won’t be nobody to see what I look like,Ⓐalteration in the MS anyway Ⓐalteration in the MS.”

[begin page 333] “That ain’t got nothing to do with it. The thing for us to do, is just to do our duty, and not worry about whether anybody sees us do it or not. Hain’t you got no principle at all?”

“All right, I ain’t saying nothing:Ⓐhistorical collation I’m the servant girlⒶhistorical collation. Who’s Jim’s mother?”

“I’m his mother.Ⓐalteration in the MS I’ll hook a gown from auntⒶhistorical collation Sally.”Ⓐalteration in the MS

“Well, then, you’ll have to stay in the cabin when me and Jim leaves.”

“Not much. I’ll stuff Jim’s clothes full of straw and lay it on his bed to represent his mother in disguise, and Jim ’llⒶemendation take aunt Sally’sⒶemendation gownⒶtextual note off of me and wear itⒶalteration in the MS, and we’ll all evade together. When a prisoner of style escapes, it’s called an evasion. It’s always called so when a king escapes, frinstanceⒶhistorical collation. And the same with a king’s son; it don’t make no difference whether he’s a natural one or an unnatural one.”

So Tom heⒶemendation wrote the nonnamous letter, and I smouched the yaller wench’s frockⒶemendation, that night, and put it on, and shoved it under the front door, the way Tom told me to. It said:Ⓐemendation

[begin page 334]

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trouble is brewing.

Next night,Ⓐhistorical collation we stuck a picture which Tom drawed in blood, of a skull and crossbonesⒶemendation, on the front door; and next night another one of a coffin, on the back door. I never see a family in such a sweat. They couldn’t a been worse scared if the place had aⒶalteration in the MS been full of ghosts laying for them behind everything and under the beds and shivering through the air.Ⓐalteration in the MS If a door banged, auntⒶhistorical collation Sally sheⒶemendation jumped, and said “ouch!” if anything fell, she jumped and said “ouch!” if you happened to touch her, whenⒶalteration in the MS she warn’t noticing, she done the same; she couldn’t face noway and be satisfied, because she allowed there was something behind her every time—Ⓐalteration in the MSso she was always a whirling around, sudden, and saying “ouch,” and before she’d get two-thirds around, she’d whirl back again, and say it again; and she was afraid to go to bed, but she dasn’tⒶalteration in the MS set up. So the thing was working very well, Tom said; he said he never see a thing work more satisfactory. He said it showed it was done right.

So he said, nowⒶalteration in the MS for the grand bulge! So the very next morning at the streak of dawn we got another letter readyⒶalteration in the MS, and was wondering whatⒶalteration in the MS we better do with it, because we heardⒶalteration in the MS them say at supper they was going to have a nigger on watch at both doors all night. Tom heⒶalteration in the MS went down the lightning rodⒶhistorical collation to spy around; and the nigger at the back door was asleep, and he stuck it in the back of his neckⒶalteration in the MS and come back. This letter said:Ⓐemendation