At half-past nine, Tom Sawyer and Sid went to bed. Sid fell asleep quickly. Tom Sawyer stayed awake. He waited for a long time. Finally, the clock struck ten.
The house was very quiet. Tom Sawyer heard the clock and the old wood in the walls. He heard Aunt Polly snoring in her room. He heard a dog barking far away. Tom Sawyer felt very nervous and afraid.
Suddenly, he heard a cat outside. The cat made a loud, sad noise. Tom Sawyer knew it was a signal from Huckleberry Finn. He dressed quickly and climbed out of the window. He met Huckleberry Finn on the ground.
The boys walked for thirty minutes. They went to the graveyard (a place where dead people are buried). The graveyard was on a hill outside the village. It was a very old and scary place. There were many weeds and broken wooden boards.
The wind made a sad sound in the trees. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn were afraid of spirits. They found a new grave and hid behind some large trees. They waited in silence for a long time.
"Huckleberry," Tom Sawyer whispered. "Do the dead people like us being here?" Huckleberry Finn said he did not know. They were very quiet. They were afraid the dead people could hear them.
Suddenly, Tom Sawyer grabbed Huckleberry Finn’s arm. They saw three people coming. The people had a lantern. Huckleberry Finn thought they were devils. Tom Sawyer started to pray.
"Wait," Huckleberry Finn whispered. "They are humans." They heard the voice of Muff Potter. Muff Potter was often drunk. Then they saw Indian Joe and a young man named Doctor Robinson.
The three men reached the grave. Muff Potter and Indian Joe had a barrow (a small cart with handles used for carrying things). They had shovels too. They started to dig up the grave. Doctor Robinson sat under a tree and watched them.
The men finished digging. They opened the wooden box and took out the body. They put the body on the cart. Indian Joe asked Doctor Robinson for more money.
Doctor Robinson said he already paid them. Indian Joe became very angry. Indian Joe remembered that Doctor Robinson’s father was mean to him in the past. Indian Joe wanted to get revenge.
Indian Joe moved toward the doctor. The doctor hit Indian Joe and he fell down. Then Muff Potter started to fight the doctor. They struggled with each other. Indian Joe got up and picked up Muff Potter’s knife.
The doctor hit Muff Potter with a heavy piece of wood. Muff Potter fell and was unconscious. At that moment, Indian Joe ran forward. He pushed the knife into the doctor’s chest. The doctor fell on top of Muff Potter.
Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn were very scared. They ran away as fast as they could. Indian Joe stood alone in the dark. The doctor died after a few moments.
Indian Joe took money from the doctor's pockets. Then he put the knife in Muff Potter's hand. He sat down and waited. Soon, Muff Potter woke up. He looked at the knife and the dead doctor.
"What happened, Joe?" Muff Potter asked. He was very confused. Indian Joe said, "You killed him, Muff." Muff Potter started to cry. He was drunk and could not remember the fight.
Muff Potter believed Indian Joe. He said he did not mean to kill the doctor. He asked Indian Joe not to tell anyone. Indian Joe promised to keep the secret.
Muff Potter ran away quickly. Indian Joe watched him go. Indian Joe was happy because he was safe. He left the knife in the graveyard (a place where dead people are buried) and walked away into the night.