Chapter 16 Tom Sawyer When I heard Tom's name, I almost fell over, but there was no time to think.
They asked me all kinds of questions about Tom's family back home.
I was so happy to know who I was supposed to be.
I knew all the details and the news of the Sawyer family.
I talked and talked and gave them enough news for six Sawyer families.
For example, I knew right away that the old woman who met me must have been his Aunt Sally.
That meant the old man was his Uncle Silas.
I was feeling pretty comfortable being Tom Sawyer, but then I thought suppose Tom comes down the road just like I did and suppose he tells them who I am before I can give him a signal to keep quiet.
I couldn't have that, so I told the folks that I was going into town to fetch my luggage.
When I was halfway there, sure enough, there was Tom Sawyer coming my way.
I called out to him and he stopped.
His mouth opened like a trunk.
He thought I was a ghost.
I never did you any harm, he said.
Why would you want to come back and haunt me?
I haven't come back.
I was never gone, I said.
It took some explaining before Tom understood my situation.
Then he was excited.
He loved adventures.
I told him all about the two frauds and how Jim had been captured.
I said that my plan was to pretend to be Tom until I could find a way to free Jim.
I also wanted to be sure that I was well away from the Duke and the King.
Tom said he knew exactly what to do.
First I went back to the Phelps farm with his luggage.
Then Tom came along about a half hour after.
He pretended to be his own brother, Sid.
Why, dear me, this is such a surprise, said Aunt Sally.
We weren't expecting you, only Tom.
Sis never wrote to me about anybody coming but him.
I wasn't supposed to come, but I begged and begged, and at the last minute she let me go, he said.
We had dinner then.
Tom and I tried to find out some news about Jim, but we couldn't learn anything.
Then Tom mentioned seeing a poster for a show in town and asked if we could go.
Uncle Silas said no, but I realized it was the show that the Duke and the King were doing.
That night I told Tom about the show.
We decided to sneak out to warn the townspeople about those two frauds.
When we got into town that night, we saw a rush of people in the street.
They were all carrying torches.
Everyone was yelling and whooping, banging tin pans and blowing horns.
We got out of their way as fast as we could.
As they passed, we saw the king and the duke.
They were covered in tar and feathers and sitting in an old train rail being carried by the crowd.
I knew it was them, even though they were covered with tar and feathers.
I felt sorry for them.
I didn't think I could be angry with them anymore.
It was a terrible thing to see.
Human beings can be awfully cruel to one another.
