by Mark Twain, 1876
What a fun, exciting book! So many adventures by the mischievous Tom, getting his friends to whitewash the fence, going to the graveyard with Huck and witnessing a murder, getting Muff Potter off on the last day of the trial. Going to Jackson’s Island and playing pirates for a week – whole town thought they were dead – show up at their own funeral. Discovering Injun Joe has a treasure and plans for revenge on someone. Saving the Widow Douglas from Injun Joe. (Huck did that while Tom was lost with Becky Thatcher in the cave.) Tom and Becky get lost underground in a labyrinth of caves. Tom finds the way out miraculously – saw a pinpoint of light that he thought might be daylight. Then, he and Huck go back in the cave and find Injun Joe’s treasure.
Last paragraph: Tom convincing Huck to stay with the Widow Douglas (Widder) and they’ll form a gang of robbers. Here’s Huck:
“Now that’s something like! Why it’s a million times bullier than pirating. I’ll stick to the widder till I rot, Tom; and if I git to be a reg’lar ripper of a robber, and everybody talking ’bout it, I reckon she’ll be proud she snaked me in out of the wet.”