The Funeral

On Sunday morning, the church was full of people dressed in black. The whole town had gathered for the funeral of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, and Joe Harper.

The minister spoke at length about the boys' good qualities. People who had called them troublemakers were now weeping openly. Aunt Polly sobbed in the front pew.

Then there was a noise at the back of the church. The congregation turned.

Tom, Huck, and Joe walked slowly up the aisle — still dirty from the island, very much alive.

The organ burst into music. Aunt Polly seized Tom and held him so tightly he could not breathe. Even Huck, who had nobody to hug him, was pulled into the embrace.

Tom thought this was, without question, the greatest moment of his life.