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Tom Sawyer, Detective 217
stroke up under their chin with their hand; some twirl
a chain, some fumble a button, then there's some that draws a figure or a letter with their finger on their cheek, or under their chin or on their under lip. That's my way. When I'm restless, or worried, or thinking hard, I draw capital V's on my cheek or on my under lip or under my chin, and never anything but capital V's — and half the time I don't notice it and don't know I'm doing it."
That was odd. That is just what I do; only I make an O. And I could see people nodding to one another, same as they do when they mean " That's so.'
" Now, then, I'll go on. That same Saturday— no, it was the night before — there was a steamboat laying at Flagler's Landing, forty miles above here, and it
was raining and storming like the nation. And there was a thief aboard, and he had them two big di'monds that's advertised out here on this courthouse door; and he slipped ashore with his hand-bag and struck out into the dark and the storm, and he was a-hoping he could get to this town all right and be safe. But he had two pals aboard the boat, hiding, and he knowed they was going to kill him the first chance they got and take the di'monds; because all three stole them, and then this fellow he got hold of them and skipped.
" Well, he hadn't been gone more'n ten minutes before his pals found it out, and they jumped ashore and lit out after him. Prob'ly they burnt matches and found his tracks. Anyway, they dogged along after him all day Saturday and kept out of his sight; and |
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