stanimirovb/tiny-texts · Datasets at Hugging Face

'It's a good plan,' he said when I finished. 'But it's too easy! It's got to be a real escape, like a real adventure in a story-book. So we want something difficult and dangerous. Now, listen to this...'

So he told me his plan. I knew it would be a good one because Tom's plans are always crazy and exciting.

And we sure had a lot of fun with that plan! We knew that Jim was locked up in a hut outside the house. Every night we got out through our bedroom window and dug a hole right under the wall of the hut. It took us a week, and it was hard work. We talked to Jim secretly and told him about the plan, and he was really pleased.

We also wrote secret letters to everybody. Tom said that

people always do this in books. We wrote that there was a gang of slave-thieves coming up from the south. They wanted to steal Jim and get the three hundred dollars from his owner. Well, the Phelpses and their friends got very excited, and on the night of the escape I went into the sitting- room, and there was a crowd of men in there - all with guns!

I ran and told Tom, and he said that this was really good. 'It's a real adventure now, all right,' he said, very excited. 'Perhaps they'll come after us, and shoot, and we'll all get killed!'

Well, there wasn't time to think about it because it all happened so quickly. We got Jim out through the hole under the wall, and began to run down to the river. But the men heard us and came after us. They began to shoot, and so we ran as fast as we could to the canoe. We got in it and went over to Spanish Island. My raft was there, and our plan was to escape on that and go on down river.

'Now, Jim,' I cried, 'you're a free man!' We were all very happy, but Tom was the happiest of all, because he had a bullet in his leg.

When Jim and I heard that, we weren't so happy. Tom wanted the adventure to go on, but Jim and I said that a doctor must look at Tom's leg. Tom was getting angry about this, but Jim said:

'You listen to me, Tom Sawyer. You say I'm a free man now, and perhaps I am. But old Jim is not going to run away and leave one of his friends with a bullet in his leg! So I'm staying right here until a doctor comes.'

I knew Jim would say that. He was a good, true friend, and you can't say that about many people.

Well, that was the end of the adventure, really. I went and found a doctor in the town. He was a kind old man, and he said he would go over to the island. But Tom's leg got very bad, and the next day the doctor and some other men carried Tom home to the Phelpses' house. They brought Jim too, and they locked him up in the hut again. But the doctor said, 'Be kind to him, because he didn't run away and he stayed to help me with the boy.'

They took Tom up to bed because his leg was really bad, and Aunt Sally sat with him while he slept. I didn't want to answer any questions so I kept out of everybody's way.

When Tom woke up the next day, he felt better. I was in the room and he said to me, 'Jim's all right, isn't he?'

I didn't know what to say because Aunt Sally was listening, and before I could stop him, Tom went on:

'We did it, Aunt Sally. Me and Tom here. We helped Jim escape.' He told her all about the digging and everything, and Aunt Sally's mouth was opening and closing like a fish. Then she got really angry' with Tom.

'That slave is locked up again and he's going to stay there. And if I catch you again-'

Tom suddenly sat up in bed. 'You can't do that!' he cried. 'Jim was old Miss Watson's slave, but she died two months ago. Before she died, she wrote that she wanted Jim to be free, and not a slave any more. Jim's a free man, not a slave!' Well, that was a surprise to me and Aunt Sally! She thought Tom was crazy. 'But Sid, why did you help him to escape, if he was free already?' she said.

'I wanted the adventure, of course!' said Tom. 'We made a really exciting plan and... Oh my!... AUNT POLLY!' We turned round, and there was Tom's Aunt Polly in the doorway! That was the second big surprise. Aunt Sally was really pleased to see her sister, and jumped up to put her arms round her. I got under the bed as fast as I could. There was trouble coming for me and Tom, that was for sure.

Then Aunt Polly said to Tom, 'You always were a terrible boy, Tom Sawyer, and I want to know-'

'But Polly dear,' said Aunt Sally, 'this isn't Tom. It's Sid. Tom was here a minute ago. Where is he?'

'Where's Huck Finn, you mean,' replied Aunt Polly. 'Come out from under that bed, Huck Finn.'

by ourselves. Tom talked and talked, and then he said, 'Let's all three of us run away one night, and go and have adventures in the wild country down south.'

It sounded like a good plan to me. 'The only thing is,' I said, 'I haven't got any money to buy the right clothes and things. All my money back in St Petersburg will be in Pop's pockets by now.'

'No,' said Tom. 'Your money's all there. Your Pop never came back.'

'No, and he won't come back, Huck,' Jim said. 'You remember that dead man on the river, when I said "Don't look at his face"? Well, that was your Pop. You can get your money when you want.'

Tom's leg is almost better now, and I haven't got any more to write about. I'm really pleased about that because it was very difficult to write a book and I won't do it again. But I think I'm going to have to run away before the others, because Aunt Sally wants me to live with her. I'll have to sleep in a bed and wear clean clothes and learn to be good, and I can't do that again. I've done it once already.

The End

Yours Truly Huck Finn

- THE END -

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Chapter one

The Nursery

Wendy, John and Michael Darling live in a lovely house in London. They have got a big, sunny nursery. There are colourful pictures and a big clock on the wall. There are toys here and there. The Darlings are a happy family. Mr Darling and Mrs Darling love their children very much. Wendy is the first child, John is the second and Michael is the third.

The children's nanny is called Nana and she is a big Newfoundland dog! Her kennel is in the nursery and she is a wonderful nanny. She loves the children and the children love her.

One evening Mr and Mrs Darling want to go to a dinner party. They have their best clothes on.

'Nana, it's time to put the children to bed,' says Mrs Darling.

Nana goes to the bathroom. She turns on the hot water for Michael's bath. She puts her paw in the water to check the temperature. It's perfect!

'I don't want to have a bath!' says little Michael.

But Nana is a firm nanny and Michael has his bath.

Then Nana gives the children their pyjamas. Now they are ready for bed.

Mrs Darling comes into the nursery and smiles. 'Good work, Nana! I see the children are ready for bed.' Nana wags her big tail.

Suddenly there is a noise. Mrs Darling sees a young boy outside the nursery window. She is very surprised. Nana barks and shuts the window quickly. The boy's shadow falls on the floor. The young boy flies away. 'Who's there?' asks Mrs Darling. She opens the window and looks outside, but she sees nothing. Then she sees the boy's shadow on the floor and says, 'Poor boy, this is his shadow. Let's put it in the drawer.'

The children are in bed. Mr Darling takes Nana to the garden. Then he goes to the sitting room and waits for Mrs Darling.

Mrs Darling sings to the children and kisses them. She is a perfect mother. Soon the three children are sleeping. Mr and Mrs Darling go to their bedroom. They put on their coats and go to the dinner party.