Mark Twain
Published: 2018-03-07
Total Pages: 76
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Tom Sawyer Detective is a mystery story involving stolen diamonds and a twin brother, long since presumed dead. The twin, named Jake Dunlap, is a burglar who has escaped prison years ago and has recently teamed up with two more of his kind to steal two diamonds worth many thousands of dollars. During their treacherous dealings with each other, Jake has stolen the diamonds from his partners in a surprising way. The two bilked thieves are now in pursuit of Jake and are bent on killing him and recovering the diamonds. Tom Sawyer Detective is also a story of jealousy. Tom's Uncle Silas, a farmer and the town's parson, has refused to let a richer and more influential land owner, Brace Dunlap, marry his daughter and is forced to take on Brace's "no account brother," Jubiter Dunlap, Jake's twin, as a laborer on his farm. Uncle Silas is repeatedly angered by Jubiter to the point of constant quarreling, which puts Tom's uncle out of favor with the townsfolk as conduct unbecoming of a parson. On the steamboat ride downriver to Arkansas, to visit Tom's uncle and his family in their distress, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn are thrust into the middle of the action and its consequent mystery. They meet Jake, Jubiter's twin, and the thief in possession of the stolen diamonds, on board the river steamboat. After hearing his story, Tom and Huck decide to help Jake. They arrange for him to sneak ashore upriver of Tom's uncle's farm while the ship is taking on wood. Unfortunately, Jake's old partners have been tipped off by someone else onboard and get off the steamboat hot on his trail. Tom and Huck, although wanting to warn Jake, are delayed getting off the steamboat and arrive only after what they believe to be a murder has taken place. Only, there is no body. They meet up with what they assume to be Jake's ghost; only he turns out to be a living, breathing man who won't speak to them. To further complicate things, Brace's brother, Jubiter, has disappeared. And now, Tom's uncle has started to act strangely, moaning, sighing, and walking in his sleep. Ultimately, Tom's uncle is charged with murder, but who has been killed? Where is the body and where are the diamonds? Tom, with Huck's help, is forced to take on the role of detective, and even courtroom lawyer, in order to save his uncle and solve the mystery. To top it all off, Mark Twain assures his readers that this is a real murder case of which he has only moved the location, changed the characters to his own familiar ones, and altered very few of the important details! Tom Sawyer Cartoon
