Page:The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884).pdf/324

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
A QUESTION OF HANDWRITING.
301

he took the pen and wrote. So then the lawyer turns to the new old gentleman and says:

"You and your brother please write a line or two and sign your names."

The old gentleman wrote, but nobody couldn't read it. The lawyer looked powerful astonished, and says:

"Well, it beats me"—and snaked a lot of old letters out of his pocket, and examined them, and then examined the old man's writing, and then them again; and then says: "These man writing
THE DUKE WROTE.

old letters is from Harvey Wilks ; and here's these two's handwritings, and anybody can see they didn't write them" (the king and the duke looked sold and foolish, I tell you, to see how the lawyer had took them in), "and here's this old gentleman's handwriting, and anybody can tell, easy enough, he didn't write them—fact is, the scratches he makes ain't properly writing at all. Now here's some letters from—"

The new old gentleman says:

"If you please, let me explain. Nobody can read my hand