After Tom had finished telling Joe and Huck about his trip to town, Joe and Huck were ready to go home.
Even Tom was tired of playing pirates and swimming, but he simply wasn't ready to return.
Sure, he was homesick, and he thought of Aunt Polly and Becky all the time.
But Tom now had a plan to make his return home a grand entrance.
It meant waiting awhile longer, and it meant the other boys would have to wait too.
Tom didn't want to tell his friends about his plan yet.
He was afraid that even his amazing plan would not be enough to keep them on the island.
So he had to keep them interested in their adventure a little longer, even though it wouldn't be easy.
Tom saw that Joe was sad, so he tried to cheer him up.
"Let's look for buried treasure again," he said.
But Huck and Joe didn't want to look for treasure again.
Finally Joe said, "Let's give up. I want to go home."
"Oh no," said Tom. "Just think of all the fishing here."
"I don't care about fishing.
I want to go home," said Joe, and he started to cry.
"What a baby," teased Tom. "You miss your mother, I bet."
"I do," said Joe, "and you'd miss yours too, if you had one!"
Tom became angry. "We'll let the crybaby go home, won't we, Huck?"
"Y-yes," replied Huck sadly.
Now Joe was angry.
"Tom Sawyer, I'll never speak to you again for as long as I live!"
"Who cares!" said Tom. "Go home. You're not a very good pirate.
Huck and I aren't crybabies. We'll stay, won't we, Huck?"
Tom didn't really want Joe to leave, but he was too angry to think of how he could make Joe stay.
"I want to go too," said Huck quietly.
"It's so lonely with just the three of us.
If Joe goes, it'll be worse. Let's go too, Tom."
Huck put on his hat and got ready to leave.
He looked at Tom and said, "Think it over.
We'll wait for you by the raft."
Tom knew he was in trouble.
His plan for a grand entrance was falling apart, and he couldn't think of a way to save it.
"Wait forever if you want," said Tom angrily.
"But I'm not going with you. I'm staying here."
Joe and Huck began walking toward the raft.
After a minute Tom ran after them, shouting, "Wait! Wait! I want to tell you something."
Tom quickly told his friends about his idea.
He promised that they could go home soon, just not today.
Huck and Joe's spirits lifted.
"Really, we'll go home on Sunday?" asked Joe.
Tom smiled and said, "Yes, on Sunday."
The boys dived into the river and played all day.
That night they cooked and ate the rest of their food, and they retold the tales of their great adventure.
Finally Tom explained that on Sunday they would float across the river on a log, so that no one would see them coming.
Then they would sneak into church and hide under the large table by the entrance.
On Sunday the whole town gathered in the church for Tom, Joe, and Huck's funeral.
Everyone knew the boys, and they were all quite sad.
Becky was the saddest of all. "Being mad was silly," she thought.
"Now I'll never see Tom again."
Aunt Polly and Joe's mother were sitting in the front of the church, and they were both dressed in black.
After the opening prayer and hymn, the minister spoke about the boys.
He told many stories about their good deeds.
When the minister finished speaking, everyone was crying—even the minister himself.
Earlier that morning the boys had hidden themselves under the table by the entrance of the church.
They waited for the minister to finish his speech.
Then they emerged from under the table.
Tom proudly led his friends down the main aisle of the church.
Everyone was shocked!
Aunt Polly and Joe's mother shouted for joy, and they kissed the three boys wildly.
Everyone else greeted the boys with relief and delight.
The minister asked everyone to sing a hymn of thanksgiving, and the singing nearly took the church's roof off.