It was a quiet Saturday afternoon in the small town. But the people in the town were not happy. Aunt Polly’s family and the Harper family were in mourning (wearing black clothes to show they are sad because someone died). Everyone cried many tears. The village was very quiet because everyone was sad.
The people walked slowly and did not talk much. They sighed often because they were unhappy. The children did not want to play on their holiday. They did not enjoy their games. Soon, all the children stopped playing and went home.
In the afternoon, Becky Thatcher walked alone near the empty school. She felt very melancholy (very, very sad). Nothing at the school made her feel better. She talked to herself about Tom Sawyer.
"I wish I had his gift again," Becky Thatcher said. She thought about an andiron-knob (a small, metal ball from a fireplace) that Tom gave her. "But I have nothing to remember him by now." She started to cry.
Becky Thatcher stopped walking in the school yard. She looked at the ground. "It happened right here," she said. "I said something mean to Tom. I want to change that. But he is gone now. I will never see Tom Sawyer again." Becky Thatcher cried and walked away.
A group of boys and girls came to the school. They were friends of Tom Sawyer and Joe Harper. They stood by the paling fence (a fence made of thin wooden sticks). They talked about the last time they saw the boys.
One boy pointed to the ground. "Tom stood exactly there," the boy said. "He smiled at me just like this." Another child said, "Joe said something to me, and I felt strange. I know now it was a sign of his death."
The children argued about who saw the boys last. Many children said they saw the boys. They wanted to feel important. One poor boy had no stories to tell. He wanted to feel special too.
"Well, Tom Sawyer hit me once," the boy said with pride. But the other boys did not care. Most of the boys were hit by Tom Sawyer before. That was not a special story. The children walked away and talked in low voices.
The next morning was Sunday. After school was finished, the church bell began to toll (ring slowly and sadly for a dead person). It was a very quiet day. The sound of the bell was very sad.
The people of the village went to the church. They stood in the vestibule (a small room at the entrance of a building) and whispered. Inside the church, it was very quiet. Many women wore black dresses. The church was very full.
Everyone waited in silence. Then Aunt Polly, Sid, and Mary walked into the church. The Harper family followed them. They all wore black clothes. The people and the minister (the leader of a church) stood up.
The families sat in the front pew (a long wooden seat in a church). The church was silent again. Then, some people began to cry quietly. The minister moved his hands and began to pray. The people sang a song and the minister began his talk.
The minister said many kind things about the lost boys. He said Tom Sawyer and Joe Harper were good and kind. Every person in the church felt bad. Before, they only saw the boys' mistakes. They remembered that they often punished the boys.
The minister told many sweet stories about the boys. Now, the people saw that the boys were noble. The people in the church felt more and more sad. Finally, everyone in the church began to cry loudly. Even the minister cried in the pulpit.
Suddenly, there was a noise in the gallery (an upper floor inside a church). The church door opened with a loud sound. The minister looked up and stopped speaking. He was very surprised!
All the people looked at the door. They stared with open mouths. The three "dead" boys walked down the middle of the church! Tom Sawyer was first. Joe Harper was second. Huckleberry Finn walked last. He wore old, dirty clothes.
The boys were not dead. They were hiding in the empty gallery. They listened to their own funeral! They heard everything the minister said about them.
Aunt Polly, Mary, and the Harpers ran to the boys. They kissed the boys many times. They were very happy. But Huckleberry Finn felt very uncomfortable. He did not have a family. He started to walk away.
Tom Sawyer stopped Huckleberry Finn. Tom said, "Aunt Polly, it is not fair. Someone must be happy to see Huck." Aunt Polly looked at Huckleberry Finn. "I am happy to see him!" she said.
Aunt Polly hugged Huckleberry Finn. She was very kind to him. This made Huckleberry Finn feel even more uncomfortable. He was not used to so much love.
Then the minister shouted loudly. "Sing! Thank God for this surprise!" Everyone sang a song very loudly. It was a happy and powerful sound.
Tom Sawyer looked at the other children. They were all jealous of him. Tom Sawyer felt very proud. He thought this was the best moment of his life.
The people walked out of the church. They were happy, even though the boys played a trick on them. They loved the song they sang today.
That day, Aunt Polly kissed Tom Sawyer many times. She also hit him a few times because he was naughty. Tom was very happy. He knew that Aunt Polly loved him.