Tom Sawyer Detective | Page 5

jail and got away--up North here, somers. They used to hear about him robbing
and burglaring now and then, but that was years ago. He's dead, now. At least that's what
they say. They don't hear about him any more."
"What was his name?"
"Jake."
There wasn't anything more said for a considerable while; the old lady was thinking. At
last she says:
"The thing that is mostly worrying your aunt Sally is the tempers that that man Jubiter
gets your uncle into."
Tom was astonished, and so was I. Tom says:
"Tempers? Uncle Silas? Land, you must be joking! I didn't know he HAD any temper."
"Works him up into perfect rages, your aunt Sally says; says he acts as if he would really
hit the man, sometimes."
"Aunt Polly, it beats anything I ever heard of. Why, he's just as gentle as mush."
"Well, she's worried, anyway. Says your uncle Silas is like a changed man, on account of
all this quarreling. And the neighbors talk about it, and lay all the blame on your uncle, of
course, because he's a preacher and hain't got any business to quarrel. Your aunt Sally
says he hates to go into the pulpit he's so ashamed; and the people have begun to cool
toward him, and he ain't as popular now as he used to was."
"Well, ain't it strange? Why, Aunt Polly, he was always so good and kind and moony and
absent-minded and chuckle-headed and lovable--why, he was just an angel! What CAN
be the matter of him, do you reckon?"

CHAPTER II.

JAKE DUNLAP
WE had powerful good luck; because we got a chance in a stern-wheeler from away
North which was bound for one of them bayous or one-horse rivers away down Louisiana
way, and so we could go all the way down the Upper Mississippi and all the way down
the Lower Mississippi to that farm in Arkansaw without having to change steamboats at
St. Louis; not so very much short of a thousand miles at one pull.
A pretty lonesome boat; there warn't but few passengers, and all old folks, that set around,
wide apart, dozing, and was very quiet. We was four days getting out of the "upper river,"
because we got aground so much. But it warn't dull--couldn't be for boys that was
traveling, of course.
From the very start me and Tom allowed that there was somebody sick in the stateroom
next to ourn, because the meals was always toted in there by the waiters. By and by we
asked about it--Tom did and the waiter said it was a man, but he didn't look sick.
"Well, but AIN'T he sick?"
"I don't know; maybe he is, but 'pears to me he's just letting on."
"What makes you think that?"
"Because if he was sick he would pull his clothes off SOME time or other--don't you
reckon he would? Well, this one don't. At least he don't ever pull off his boots, anyway."
"The mischief he don't! Not even when he goes to bed?"
"No."
It was always nuts for Tom Sawyer--a mystery was. If you'd lay out a mystery and a pie
before me and him, you wouldn't have to say take your choice; it was a thing that would
regulate itself. Because in my nature I have always run to pie, whilst in his nature he has
always run to mystery. People are made different. And it is the best way. Tom says to the
waiter:
"What's the man's name?"
"Phillips."
"Where'd he come aboard?"
"I think he got aboard at Elexandria, up on the Iowa line."
"What do you reckon he's a-playing?"
"I hain't any notion--I never thought of it."
I says to myself, here's another one that runs to pie.

"Anything peculiar about him?--the way he acts or talks?"
"No--nothing, except he seems so scary, and keeps his doors locked night and day both,
and when you knock he won't let you in till he opens the door a crack and sees who it is."
"By jimminy, it's int'resting! I'd like to get a look at him. Say--the next time you're going
in there, don't you reckon you could spread the door and--"
"No, indeedy! He's always behind it. He would block that game."
Tom studied over it, and then he says:
"Looky here. You lend me your apern and let me take him his breakfast in the morning.
I'll give you a quarter."
The boy was plenty willing enough, if the head steward wouldn't mind. Tom says that's
all right, he reckoned he could fix it with the head steward; and he done it. He fixed it so
as we could both go in with aperns on and toting vittles.
He didn't sleep much, he was in such