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Presently, as they tripped along, Tom said to Becky:

"Say-I'll tell you what we'll do. 'Stead of going to Joe Harper's we'll climb right up the hill and stop at the Widow Douglas'. She'll have ice-cream! She has it most every day-dead loads of it. And she'll be awful glad to have us."

"Oh, that will be fun!"

Then Becky reflected a moment and said:

"But what will mamma say?"

"How'll she ever know?"

The girl turned the idea over in her mind, and said reluctantly:

"I reckon it's wrong-but-"

"But shucks! Your mother won't know, and so what's the harm? All she wants is that you'll be safe; and I bet you she'd 'a' said go there if she'd 'a' thought of it. I know she would!"

The Widow Douglas' splendid hospitality was a tempting bait.

It and Tom's persuasions presently carried the day.

So it was decided to say nothing to anybody about the night's programme.

Presently it occurred to Tom that maybe Huck might come this very night and give the signal.

The thought took a deal of the spirit out of his anticipations.

Still he could not bear to give up the fun at Widow Douglas'.

And why should he give it up, he reasoned-the signal did not come the night before, so why should it be any more likely to come tonight? The sure fun of the evening outweighed the uncertain treasure; and, boy-like, he determined to yield to the stronger inclination and not allow himself to think of the box of money another time that day.

Three miles below town the ferryboat stopped at the mouth of a woody hollow and tied up.

The crowd swarmed ashore and soon the forest distances and craggy heights echoed far and near with shoutings and laughter.

All the different ways of getting hot and tired were gone through with, and by-and-by the rovers straggled back to camp fortified with responsible appetites, and then the destruction of the good things began.

After the feast there was a refreshing season of rest and chat in the shade of spreading oaks.

By-and-by somebody shouted:

"Who's ready for the cave?"

Everybody was.

Bundles of candles were procured, and straightway there was a general scamper up the hill.

The mouth of the cave was up the hillside-an opening shaped like a letter A.

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