Ch. 9 - Tragedy in the Graveyard - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Bedtime Stories for All

That night, Tom sneaks out of bed and goes to the graveyard with Huck. They hide in a clump of elms a few feet from the fresh grave of Hoss Williams and wait for devils to appear. After a while, three figures approach the grave. The boys believe with horrified delight that these are the devils, but they turn out to be three adults from the town carrying out a midnight mission of their own. Tom and Huck are surprised to discover the young Dr. Robinson accompanied by two local outcasts, the drunken Muff Potter and Joe.

Dr. Robinson orders the other two men to dig up Hoss Williams’s corpse, presumably for use in medical experiments. After they finish the job, Potter demands extra payment, and Robinson refuses. Joe then reminds Robinson of an incident that happened five years earlier, when Joe came begging at the Robinsons’ kitchen door and was turned away. Joe now intends to have his revenge. A fight ensues; Dr. Robinson knocks Joe down and then is attacked by Potter. He uses Hoss Williams’s headstone to defend himself, knocking Potter unconscious. In the scuffle, Joe stabs Dr. Robinson with Potter’s knife.

The terrified boys flee without being detected by the men. Eventually, Potter awakens and asks Joe what happened. Joe tells the drunk Potter that Potter murdered Dr. Robinson in a drunken fury, and Potter, still dazed, believes him. Joe promises not to tell anyone about the crime, and they part ways. Before Joe leaves the graveyard, however, he notes smugly that Potter’s knife remains stuck in the corpse.

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