Chapter the last. | The Writings of Mark Twain (beta)

Explanatory Notes Ⓔ
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Apparatus Notes Ⓐ
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Chapter the last.

[begin page 360]

out of bondage.

Click the thumbnail to see the illustrated chapter heading

Chapter the last.Ⓐ

The first time I catched Tom, private, I asked himⒶalteration in the MS what was his idea,Ⓐalteration in the MS time of the evasionⒶalteration in the MS?—what it was he’d planned to do ifⒶalteration in the MS the evasion worked all right and he managed to set a nigger free that was already free before? And he said, what he had planned in his head, from the start, if we got Jim out,Ⓐhistorical collation all safe, was for us to run him down the river, on theⒶalteration in the MS raft, and have adventures plumb to the mouth of the river, and then tell him about his being free, and take him back up home on a steamboat, in style, and pay him for his lost time, and write word ahead,Ⓐalteration in the MS Ⓐhistorical collation and get out all the niggers around, and have them waltz him into town with a torchlight procession,Ⓐhistorical collation and a brass band, andⒶalteration in the MS then he would be a hero, and so would we. But I reckonedⒶhistorical collation it was about as well the way it was.

We had Jim out of the chains in no time, and when auntⒶhistorical collation Polly and uncleⒶhistorical collation Silas and auntⒶhistorical collation Sally found out how good he helpedⒶalteration in the MS the doctor nurse Tom, they made a heap of fuss overⒶalteration in the MS him, and fixed him up prime, and give him all he wanted to eat, and a good time, and nothing to do.Ⓐalteration in the MS And we had him up to the sick roomⒶhistorical collation; and had a high talkⒶalteration in the MS; and Tom give Jim forty dollars for being prisoner for us so patient, and doing it up so good, and Jim was pleased most to death, and busted out, and says:

“Dah, now, Huck, what I tell you?—what I tell you up dah on Jackson islan’? I tole you I got a hairy breas’, en what’s de sign un it; [begin page 361] en I tole you I ben rich wunst, en gwineterⒶtextual note be rich agin; en it’s come true; en heah she is! Dah, now! doan’ talk to me—signs is signs, mine I tell you; en I knowed jis’ ’s well ’at I ’uz gwineter be rich agin as I’s a stannin’ heah dis minute!”

tom’s liberality.

And then Tom he talked along, andⒶemendation talked along, and says, le’s all three slide out of here, one of these nights, and get an outfit, and go for howlingⒶalteration in the MS adventures amongst the InjunsⒺexplanatory note, over in the Territory, for a couple of weeks or two; and I saysⒶemendation, all right, that suits me, but I ain’tⒶhistorical collation got no money for to buy the outfit, and I reckon I couldn’t get none from home, because it’s likely pap’s been back before now, and got it all away from Judge Thatcher and drunk it up.

“No he hain’t,” Tom says; “it’sⒶalteration in the MS all there, yet—six thousand dollarsⒶalteration in the MS and more; and your pap hain’t ever been back since. Hadn’t when I come away, anyhow.”Ⓐalteration in the MS

Jim says, kind of solemn:Ⓐalteration in the MS

“He ain’tⒶalteration in the MS aⒶemendation comin’ back no mo’, Huck.”

I says:

“WhyⒶalteration in the MS, Jim?”

“Nemmine why, Huck—but he ain’tⒶemendation Ⓐalteration in the MS comin’ back no mo’.”

But I kept at him; so at last he says:

“Doan’ you ’member de house dat was float’n down de river, en dey wuzⒶalteration in the MS a man in dah, kiveredⒶalteration in the MS up, en I went in enⒶalteration in the MS unkivered him enⒶhistorical collation [begin page 362] didn’ let you come inⒶalteration in the MS? Well, den, you k’nⒶemendation git yo’ money when you wants it; kase dat wuzⒶalteration in the MS him.”

Tom’sⒶemendation most well, now, and got his bullet around his neck on a watch-guard for a watch, and is always seeing what time it is, and soⒶalteration in the MS there ain’t nothing more to write about, and I amⒶemendation rottenⒶalteration in the MS glad of it, because if I’d a knowed what a trouble it was to make a book I wouldn’t a tackled it and ain’tⒶhistorical collation agoing toⒶalteration in the MS noⒶemendation more. But I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because auntⒶhistorical collation Sally she’sⒶalteration in the MS going to adopt me and sivilize me and I can’t stand it.Ⓐemendation I been there before.

The end, yours truly Huck Finn Ⓐhistorical collation Ⓐhistorical collation.Ⓐtextual note Ⓐhistorical collation

Historical Collation Chapter the last.

Ⓐ out, (MS2) ● out⁁ (A)

Ⓐ ahead, (MS2) ● ahead⁁ (A)

Ⓐ procession, (MS2) ● procession⁁ (A)

Ⓐ reckoned (MS2) ● reckened (A)

Ⓐ aunt (MS2) ● Aunt (A)

Ⓐ uncle (MS2) ● Uncle (A)

Ⓐ aunt (MS2) ● Aunt (A)

Ⓐ sick room (MS2) ● sick-room (A)

Ⓐ ain’t (MS2) ● aint (A)

Ⓐ him en (MS2) ● him and (A)

Ⓐ ain’t (MS2) ● aint’t (A)

Ⓐ aunt (MS2) ● Aunt (A)

Ⓐ The end, yours truly Huck Finn. (MS2) ● caption the end. yours truly, huck finn. (A)

Ⓐ But . . . Finn. (MS2) ● But . . . before. (A) not in (Cent)

Ⓐ There . . . Finn. (MS) ● There . . . finn. (A) not in (LoM)

Editorial Emendations Chapter the last.

Ⓐ Chapter the last. (A) ● not in (MS2)

Ⓐ give Jim . . . en gwineter . . . and talked along, and (C) ● not in (MS2) give Jim . . . en gwineter to . . . and talked along, and (A)

Ⓐ says (A) ● said (MS2)

Ⓐ ain’t a (A) ● ain’ (MS2)

Ⓐ ain’t (A) ● ain’ (MS2)

Ⓐ k’n (A) ● kin (MS2)

Ⓐ him.” [¶] Tom’s (A) ● him.” | centered rule || extra line space [¶] Tom’s (MS2)

Ⓐ I am (A) ● I’m (MS2)

Ⓐ no (A) ● any (MS2)

Ⓐ it. (A) ● it, (MS2)

Alterations in the Manuscript Chapter the last.

Ⓐ The . . . on the] written on a page added to the MS to replace a passage canceled at the botton of MS page 781: [¶] ‘Well, to go back: Tom’s idea time of the evasion he said, was for us to run Jim down the river on a’; in the canceled passage, ‘Well . . . said,’ is interlined in pencil to replace canceled ‘Tom’s idea’, and ‘Jim’ is written over wiped-out ‘dow’.

Ⓐ him] interlined above canceled ‘Tom’.

Ⓐ was his idea,] originally ‘his idea was,’; ‘was,’ canceled, ‘was’ interlined, and the comma following ‘idea’ added.

Ⓐ evasion] written over what appears to be wiped-out ‘in’.

Ⓐ if] follows canceled ‘after’, which follows canceled ‘with’.

Ⓐ and . . . ahead,] interlined.

Ⓐ and a brass band, and] interlined above canceled ‘and’.

Ⓐ helped] the ‘l’ added.

Ⓐ fuss over] interlined.

Ⓐ time, and nothing to do.] originally ‘time.’; the comma added, and ‘and . . . do’ interlined.

Ⓐ talk] follows ‘old’ canceled in pencil.

Ⓐ howling] interlined to replace interlined and canceled ‘gory’.

Ⓐ hain’t,” Tom says; “it’s] originally ‘hain’t. It’s’; the comma added, the period inadvertently left standing, the quotation marks added, ‘Tom says;’ interlined, and ‘I’ of ‘It’s’ not reduced to ‘i’.

Ⓐ dollars] interlined.

Ⓐ Hadn’t . . . anyhow.”] added following canceled closing quotation marks.

Ⓐ says, kind of solemn:] the comma replaces a canceled colon; ‘kind of solemn:’ added.

Ⓐ ain’t] the MS reads ‘ain’’ (emended); originally ‘ain’t’; ‘t’ canceled.

Ⓐ says: [¶] “Why] originally ‘says, “Why’; the comma altered to a colon; ‘ “Why’ marked to begin a new paragraph with an interlined paragraph sign.

Ⓐ ain’t] the MS reads ‘ain’’ (emended); originally ‘ain’t’; ‘t’ canceled.

Ⓐ wuz] interlined above canceled ‘was’.

Ⓐ kivered] originally ‘kiwe’; ‘vered’ written over wiped-out ‘we’.

Ⓐ in en] ‘in’ interlined.

Ⓐ en didn’ . . . in] interlined.

Ⓐ wuz] interlined above canceled ‘was’.

Ⓐ and is . . . and so] interlined above canceled ‘and’; originally ‘and’; ‘so’ interlined in ink; then ‘and is . . . and’ added to the interlineation in pencil and the original ‘and’ canceled in pencil.

Ⓐ rotten] originally ‘powerful’; ‘powerful’ was canceled, and then the order of revision is unclear: ‘cussed’ and ‘blame’’, probably in that order, were interlined and canceled above ‘powerful’; finally, ‘rotten’ interlined.

Ⓐ to] followed by a canceled comma.

Ⓐ aunt Sally she’s] interlined in pencil above canceled ‘they’re’.

Textual Notes Chapter the last.

Ⓐ gwineter] In the first edition, “gwineter” is followed by a redundant “to”. Clearly intended by Mark Twain as a substitute for Jim’s predominant usage, “gwyne to” (meaning “going to”), “gwineter” occurs only two times in the book, here and, without the redundant “to”, at 361.3. The surrounding passage, not part of the extant manuscript, was probably added in Mark Twain’s hand to TS2 (see Emendations and Historical Collation, 360.27–361.5). The reading may have been the result of an imperfect revision (Mark Twain might have originally written “going to”, inadvertently canceled only “going”, and interlined “gwineter” above it), or perhaps the compositor, unfamiliar with the usage, supplied the redundancy.

Ⓐ The . . . Finn.] As in the manuscript. The last line of the manuscript became, in the first edition, the final caption under the tailpiece of Huck taking a bow. Its demotion from text to caption was probably the result of the following sequence of events: Kemble used the line on his drawing as a working caption; Webster adopted it when he prepared the list of captions; finally, confronted with the awkwardness of having the words “the end” appearing twice in succession on the same page, Webster deleted the text and retained the caption. Although Mark Twain probably approved the caption when he approved the other picture captions, he did not see the result of Webster’s decision until very late in production, when the book was in foundry proof, and he most likely gave it no more than a perfunctory look.

Explanatory Notes Chapter the last.

Ⓔ go for howling adventures amongst the Injuns] In the summer of 1884 Mark Twain began the narrative forecast here, “Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer among the Indians,” which he never finished ( Inds , 33–81, 270–72).

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