Huck and Jim

Huck:

Well, we had been on the river `bout three, four days now and seen the first lights in a while. Me and Jim was mighty happy to reach that town. We hadn't had much good food or clean water for days. It was `bout 11 o'clock I expect when we came to the town, since we only travel at night and all. It was so late I decided I would go into town in the morning to get us something to eat and some more supplies. Less questions to be raised that way then if I showed up as a stranger in a town in the middle of the night. Me and Jim was mighty hungry, but we knowed we'd buy some good food first thing in the morning. We was so tired from being on the raft so long we fell right asleep dreaming of how much better we would make the raft tomorrow.
I awoke startled in the morning. Something wasn't settin' right with me, like I had a bad feeling or somethin'. I figured it was `cause I was so hungry. We didn't know what time it was. It was so cloudy out making it hard to tell and all, but we suspected it might'a been about nine or ten in the mornin'. I told Jim this would be a good time to go ashore and buy us some food; or better yet, find someone to just plain give us some food. I says to Jim:
"I dunno when I'll be back. We needa try n' save our money as best we can. I'm gonna do my best to see if I can get us some food without havin' to buy it. But I won't do no more of pap's borrowin. If I have to pay for it I will. I'm mighty hungry."
I paddled to shore as quick as I could. I tied up the canoe. From the shore I couldn’t even see where me and Jim was hiding, that was a good sign. I walked kinda quickly into town. There were a lot of streets and I didn’t exactly know where to go, it was too busy. There was quite a lot of people around, too and before I knew it I ran right into one of ‘em. Well, as if that weren’t bad enough, to make it all worse, I ran right into pap.
What he was doin’ in that town I might never know. But it was one hell of a coincidence. I warn’t glad to see him. He didn’t say nothin’, not a single word. All he done was grab me by the collar and drag me away. I wasn’t hungry no more. All I could think of was if I’d ever see Jim again.


Jim:

I tell ya I’m mighty proud o’ that Huck. We was on that raft fo’ sumthin’ long ‘fore we came about th’ next town. That chile never complained, not even once. I even found ole Jim to be havin’ an awful hard time settin on that raft fo’ so long. Me and Huck was so excited to see them shinin’ lights that night. We was gwyne have Huck go aroun’ the town t’nigh, but Huck mighta became too much noticed. Huck says I wusa plain foo’ fo even thinkin bout goin tonite. We warn’t lookin fo no trouble at all. All me an ole Huck want was some food.
Soon ‘nuff the mornin’ came. I dint sleep threw th’ night. My stomach kept makin’ sounds. No way I was gettin’ any sleep. Huck was up n awake purty soon. He told ole Jim that heda get us a meal fit for even a king. I made Huck promse me he wusn gwyne steal nothin. I tol’ him I wuldnt eat even th’ teeneyst bit o’ food if he done and stole it. I was mighty proud he agreed.
Well Huck went off an’ down the river. I yelld at him to make sure he’d bring back somethin’ good. It seemed like foreva that I wus waitin’ all ‘lone fo’ Huck to come back ‘roun. Somethin’ warn’t settin right with me. Huck had been away much too long. I warn’t quite sure myself what I should do. I couldn’t go look for him. What if Huck was gunna stay in the town an’ leave ole Jim? Naw, Huck wouldna done somethin’ like that. I wus foolish fo even thinkin’ of it. Well me an Huck had been mixed up en dis for this long. I knowed I hadda wait it out fo’ him to come back, an’ if he dint come back, ida go an’ fin’ him myself.