CHAPTER IV

As winter settles in, Huck attends school regularly, slowly accepting lessons and the Widow Douglas’s routines, though he still occasionally plays hooky. He begins to tolerate life indoors, even as he misses sleeping outdoors, and the widow praises his steady improvement.

At breakfast, Huck overturns the salt-cellar and tries to throw salt over his shoulder to avoid bad luck, but Miss Watson stops him. Disturbed by the omen, Huck goes outside and sees fresh tracks in the new snow circling the garden stile. Examining them, he notices a cross nailed into the left heel—an old sign used to ward off the devil—concluding the tracks belong to Pap.

Frightened, Huck rushes to Judge Thatcher and urgently arranges to “sell” all his property for a dollar, refusing to explain. Judge Thatcher draws up the paper “for a consideration,” and Huck signs, aiming to keep Pap from seizing his money.

That night, Huck seeks out Jim, who consults his magical hair-ball. After coaxing it with a rigged counterfeit quarter, Jim relays the prophecy: Pap is undecided about staying or leaving, opposing forces pull at him, and Huck faces both trouble and joy, injuries and recovery. Jim warns Huck to avoid water and speaks of two future sweethearts—one poor first, then a rich one.

Armed with ambiguous omens but no certainty, Huck returns to his room by candlelight. The chapter ends with a shock: Pap is there, waiting, confirming Huck’s fears and setting up a direct confrontation.