Tuesday afternoon came and went. The village of St. Petersburg was very sad. The lost children were still missing. Everyone in the town prayed for Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher. Most of the searchers stopped looking. They went back to their daily work. They believed the children were dead. Mrs. Thatcher was very sick. She called for Becky Thatcher all the time. Aunt Polly was very sad too. Her gray hair became almost white. The village was very quiet and unhappy on Tuesday night.
In the middle of the night, the village bells started to ring loudly. People ran into the streets in their night clothes. "They are found! They are found!" everyone shouted. People hit pans and blew horns to make noise. Everyone ran toward the river. They met a carriage (a vehicle with wheels pulled by horses). Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher were inside the carriage. The citizens shouted with joy. They followed the carriage up the main street.
The village was full of light. No one went back to bed. It was the greatest night in the history of the town. Many people went to the house of Judge Thatcher. they kissed Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher. They held the hand of Mrs. Thatcher. Everyone cried because they were so happy. Aunt Polly was finally happy again. Mrs. Thatcher felt much better too. She sent a messenger to tell Judge Thatcher the good news.
Tom Sawyer lay on a sofa. Many people stood around him to listen. Tom Sawyer told the story of their adventure. He added many exciting details to the story. He told them how he left Becky Thatcher to explore the cave. He used his kite-line (a long, thin string used for flying a kite) to find his way back. He followed two paths but found nothing. He followed a third path as far as the string would go.
Suddenly, Tom Sawyer saw a tiny speck of light. It looked like daylight. He dropped the string and crawled toward it. He pushed his head and shoulders through a small hole. He saw the great Mississippi River! If it was night, he would not see the light. He would not find the hole. He went back to find Becky Thatcher. He told her the good news. Becky Thatcher was very tired. She told Tom Sawyer to stop talking. She thought she was going to die.
Tom Sawyer worked hard to help Becky Thatcher. Finally, he convinced her to move. She saw the blue light and she almost died of joy. Tom Sawyer pushed his way out of the hole and helped Becky Thatcher. They sat by the river and cried. Some men in a boat saw them. At first, the men did not believe the children. "The cave is five miles away!" the men said. But the men took the children into their boat. They went to a house and gave the children supper. They brought them home after dark.
Before the sun came up, the searchers found the message in the cave. They used their own strings to find the way out. They were very happy to hear the news. Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher were very weak. They stayed in bed all day Wednesday and Thursday. Tom Sawyer walked a little on Thursday. He went to the town on Friday. Becky Thatcher stayed in her room until Sunday. She looked very thin and sick.
Tom Sawyer heard that Huck Finn was sick. He went to see Huck Finn on Friday, but the doctor said no. He tried again on Saturday and Sunday. Finally, he visited Huck Finn every day. The Widow Douglas stayed in the room. She told Tom Sawyer to be quiet. She did not want him to tell exciting stories to Huck Finn. Tom Sawyer also heard about the man in the dirty clothes. The man drowned in the river while he was trying to escape from the police.
Two weeks passed. Tom Sawyer went to visit Huck Finn. Huck Finn was strong enough to talk now. On the way, Tom Sawyer stopped at the house of Judge Thatcher. The Judge and some friends were there. Someone asked Tom Sawyer if he wanted to go to the cave again. Tom Sawyer said he did not mind. Judge Thatcher laughed. "Other people feel the same way, Tom Sawyer," the Judge said. "But no one will get lost in that cave again."
"Why not?" Tom Sawyer asked.
"Because I closed the big door two weeks ago," Judge Thatcher said. "The door is made of heavy iron. It has three locks. I have the keys."
Tom Sawyer became as white as a sheet of paper. He looked very scared.
"What is the matter, boy?" Judge Thatcher cried. "Someone bring some water!"
Someone threw water on the face of Tom Sawyer. He opened his eyes. "Are you okay now, Tom Sawyer?" the Judge asked.
"Oh, Judge Thatcher," Tom Sawyer said. "Injun Joe is in the cave!"