Quick query from a colleague, which unfortunately I have no idea about.



Harold K. Bush
Saint Louis University


A student of mine is writing a research paper on a scene from Twain's
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and has asked me to help him find the
meaning of the phrase "down in the bills" spoken by Jim to Huck
(hairball prophesy scene).  Is there a standard resource you go to to
find regional usages in Twain?  DARE?  Or do you know the phrase
yourself?  I presume it means "predestined" but I'm not sure HOW it
means that.