Huckleberry Finn--Chapters 24-30: The Wilks Brothers

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Huckleberry Finn--Chapters 24-30The Wilks
Brothers Scam
2
Chapter 24

• As the Duke and the King tie up the raft to work
  over another town, Jim complains about having to
  wait in the raft, frightened, tied up as a
  runaway slave in order to avoid suspicion.
• So, the Duke disguises Jim in a wacky robe, a
  wig, fake beard, and blue face paint and posts a
  sign on him that reads, Sick Arabbut harmless
  when not out of his head.

3

• Huck and the King meet a talkative guy who tells
  them about a recently deceased local man, Peter
  Wilks.
• Wilks had recently sent for his two brothers
  from EnglandHarvey, whom Peter had not seen
  since they were boys, and William, who is deaf
  and mute.

4

• The man explains that Wilks left a bunch of
  money and property to these brothers when he
  died, but it seems uncertain whether they will
  ever arrive.
• The King manipulates the young traveler into
  telling him all he knows about the Wilks family.

5

• Of course, being con-artists, the King and the
  Duke plan to pretend to be Peter Wilkss brothers
  from England.
• So they show up at Wilkss hometown and pretend
  to be horribly upset about their brothers death.
  
• The scene is enough to make Huck ashamed of the
  human race.

6
Ch. 25

• Pretending to be their uncles, the King and Duke
  meet the dead mans daughters.

7
Ch. 25

• Because of their insidious plan, the King and
  the Duke now have 6,000 of their brothers
  money.

yaller-boys
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Ch. 26

• The King Harvey and the Duke William say
  Huck is their servant. Huck must wait on them at
  meals, stand with the other slaves, and must
  sleep in a small cubby.

9
Ch. 26

• Huck sees what good people Peters daughters are.
  He feels guilty about the con.
• I felt so ornery and low down and mean, that I
  says to myself, my minds made up Ill hive that
  money for them or bust.

Huck sneaks into the Kings room and takes the
money from his hiding place.
10
Ch. 27

• Huck takes the money, with a plan to hide it and
  write Mary Jane--one of Peters daughters--later
  with the location
• But when she comes downstairs, Huck quickly hides
  the money in Peters coffin.

• The next day, at Peter Wilks funeral, Huck
  doesnt know if the money is still in the coffin
  or not.

11
Ch. 27

• The King says they must settle up the estate and
  get back to England.
• He sells the familys slaves. Two sons are sent
  up the river to Memphis.
• Their mother is sent to New Orleans.

12
Ch. 27

• I cant ever get it out of my memory, the sight
  of them poor miserable girls and niggers hanging
  around each others necks and crying and I
  reckon I couldnt a stood itif I hadnt knowed
  the sale warnt no account and the niggers would
  be back home in a week or two. --Huck

13
Ch. 27

• The King asks Huck, Was you in my room night
  before last? (Hes furious that the money is
  missing.)
• Huck blames the slaves for the missing money.

14
Ch. 27

• I felt dreadful glad Id worked it all off onto
  the niggers and yet hadnt done the niggers no
  harm by it. --Huck
• Huck naively thinks that once everyone figures
  out the King and Duke are conning them, the
  slaves will be returned.

15
Ch. 28

• The King and Duke hold an auction to sell
  everything else of Peters.
• Huck thinks hes never seen such a thief as the
  the king was for wanting to swallow everything.

16
Ch. 29

• Suddenly two other men show up claiming THEY are
  Peter Wilkss brothers. And the older man
  claiming to be Harvey speaks with a proper
  English accent.
• A doctor and a lawyer claim the King and Duke
  must be frauds. They want proof they are really
  Peters brothers.

17
Ch. 29

• In an attempt to find out once and for all who
  the real brothers are, the new Harvey asks the
  King what was tattooed on Peters breast?
• The King says a small, thin, blue arrow.
• The new Harvey says its PBW

So they agree to dig up the corpse to settle the
matter.
18
Ch. 29

• if we dont find them marks well lynch the
  whole gang!
• But when they dig up the body and open the
  coffin, they find the gold.
• Everyone goes nuts, and Huck is
• able to escape in the midst of
• the fracas.

19
Ch. 29

• Huck returns to the raft, and Jim is excited to
  see him.
• But Huck forgot about the Arab costume, so it
  scares him to death and he falls overboard.
• Jim fishes him out and wants to have a hug fest.
  Huck says they gotta jet to escape.
• But Huck soon hears the sounds of oars and sees
  its

20
Ch. 30

• the King and the Duke.
• The King attacks Huck, but the Duke stops it and
  points out the whole mess is the Kings fault.
• and if it werent for the gold in the coffin,
  theyd be dead.

21
Ch. 30

• The Duke and King accuse one another of hiding
  the money in the coffin.
• They get into it big time and the Duke strangles
  the King, shouting you got to say you done it,
  or
• Nough!I own up, cries the King.

22

• This relieves Huckknowing hes now off the hook
  for stealing and hiding the money.
• The Duke and King yell and argue, but then get
  drunk and went off a snoring in each others
  arms.

23
Ch. 30

• As soon as they are asleep, Huck and Jim have a
  long gabble and he tells Jim everything that
  happened.