Conclusion
SO endeth this chronicle. It being strictly
a history of a BOY, it must stop here; the
story could not go much further without
becoming the history of a MAN. When
one writes a novel about grown people, he
knows exactly where to stop -- that is,
with a marriage; but when he writes of juveniles, he
must stop where he best can.
Most of the characters that perform in this book
still live, and are prosperous and happy. Some day
it may seem worth while to take up the story of the
younger ones again and see what sort of men and
women they turned out to be; therefore it will be
wisest not to reveal any of that part of their lives at
present.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer