Hi folks The encounter of Huck Finn with Mary Jane Wilks has always struck me as uncharacteristically romantic. Huck, the original pragmatic says, e.g., "... I haven't seen her since she went out that door but I have thought of her a million times.", or when fleeing from the town is moved to words to the effect: "... in a flash the house was behind me and was not going to be in front of me in this world. She was the best girl and had the most sand." Who was Mary Jane Wilks in Mark Twain's life to appear with such a spell in the adventures of Huck Finn ? Lasse