This 1876 novel by Mark Twain is about a boy growing up along the Mississippi River. Set in the 1840s in the fictional town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, the novel describes many of Tom Sawyer's adventures, which he often has with his friend Huckleberry Finn.
1. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Mark Twain THE EMC MASTERPIECE SERIES Access Editions SERIES EDITOR Robert D. Shepherd EMC/Paradigm Publishing St. Paul, Minnesota
5. THE LIFE AND WORKS OF Mark Twain Mark Twain (1835–1910). Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in Florida, Missouri, Mark Twain was a humorist, novelist, reporter, lecturer, travel writer, and licensed riverboat pilot who became one of the most important writers of American literature. While working as a riverboat pilot, Clemens encountered the phrase that later became his pseudonym, or pen name—Mark Twain. Workers on Mississippi riverboats called out “mark twain” to indicate that the water was two Mark Twain fathoms deep—just barely deep enough for a riverboat. When Twain was four years old, his family moved from Florida, Missouri, to the nearby town of Hannibal. Hannibal lay on the banks of the Mississippi River and became an important riverboat port. The town not only inspired his dreams of becoming a riverboat pilot but also served as the setting for novels such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In these books Twain changed the name Hannibal to St. Petersburg, meaning “St. Peter’s town,” or heaven. When Twain was twelve years old, his father died. Twain then had to worry about making a living, so he followed his older brother’s footsteps and left school to learn the printing trade. He became an apprentice, a person who works for someone in order to learn a trade or skill, to a printer. At the age of eighteen, Twain left Hannibal to work as a printer, first in St. Louis and then in New York. By this time, Twain had already begun to write and submit pieces to newspapers and magazines. When he was twenty-one, he went to New Orleans to depart for a trip to the Amazon River in South America. The plan fell apart, but Twain was apprenticed by a Mississippi riverboat pilot, a prestigious job that fulfilled his childhood dream. Twain worked as a riverboat pilot until the start of the Civil War. Before the Civil War, the Mississippi River was a lucrative trading route. When the war interrupted that trade, Twain was forced to find other work. He volun- teered as a Confederate soldier but soon deserted and went west, where he worked as a reporter in Virginia City, Nevada, and adopted the name Mark Twain. After traveling to San THE LIFE AND WORKS OF MARK TWAIN v
6. Francisco and continuing his career in journalism, he met fel- low frontier author Bret Harte, who encouraged Twain’s liter- ary sketches and stories. In 1865, Twain’s short story “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” was published in the Saturday Press. This humorous story, a retelling of a popular nineteenth-century tall tale, won Twain national recognition as a writer. It focuses on a conversation between simple, uneducated men living in a frontier mining camp and is an excellent example of one of Twain’s noted specialties— regional writing. Twain had a gift for capturing in his writing regional dialects, or versions of a language spoken by people of particular places and social groups. In 1866, Twain took a job at the Union in Sacramento, California. The Union sent him to the Sandwich Islands, now Hawaii, as a roving reporter. His comic articles about his trip established his reputation as a humorist. When Twain returned, he was able to make a living giving lectures. In 1867, he traveled aboard the steamship Quaker City on a lecture tour of Europe, Egypt, and the Holy Land. He later compiled his lectures from this tour into The Innocents Abroad, a work which received considerable praise. Twain’s unique background as a printer, writer, riverboat pilot, and wanderer provided him with plenty of interesting material on which to base a suc- cessful career as a writer and lecturer. In 1870, Twain began a new stage of his life. He married Olivia Langdon, the daughter of a New York millionaire; invested in several unsuccessful business ventures; and moved to Hartford, Connecticut, where he would spend the rest of his life and write some of his most famous novels about his experiences on the Mississippi, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), Life on the Mississippi (1883), and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884). Today, Huckleberry Finn is considered Twain’s masterpiece, and it is often called the great American novel. Twain’s other well-known works from this period include The Prince and the Pauper (1882), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889), and The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson (1894). In the 1890s, Twain suffered a series of misfortunes, including the deaths of his wife and two of his daughters, and monetary loss due to failed investments. Twain’s later writ- ings direct a great degree of bitterness at his fellow human beings. His most severe criticism, expressed in The War Prayer and Letters from Earth, was published after his death. vi THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
7. Time Line of Twain’s Life Samuel Langhorne Clemens is born on November 30 in the town of 1835 Florida, Missouri. Halley’s comet appears on the same day. The Clemens family moves to Hannibal, Missouri. Samuel is four years old. 1839 By this time, the town of Hannibal has become a busy steamboat port on 1846 the Mississippi River. The area eventually serves as the setting for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Clemens’s father dies. Clemens is apprenticed to a printer. 1847 Clemens leaves Hannibal to work as a printer in St. Louis and in New 1853 York. He begins to write and submit some work to newspapers and Clemens travels to New Orleans intending to sail to South America, but 1854 the plans fall through. Clemens pursues his childhood dream of working on a steamboat by 1856 becoming an apprentice to a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River. He eventually becomes a licensed pilot and holds this prestigious position for nearly three years. The Civil War breaks out and interrupts trade on the Mississippi River. 1861 Riverboats stop operating, and Clemens is forced to find another job. He decides to move west. Clemens adopts the pen name Mark Twain for a piece written for the 1863 Territorial Enterprise of Virginia City, Nevada, where he works as a Twain moves to California and takes a job as a reporter in San Francisco. 1864 Twain publishes his story “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras 1865 County” in the Saturday Press. This story makes him popular and launches his writing career. Twain takes a job at the Union in Sacramento, California. He is sent to 1866 the Sandwich Islands, now Hawaii, as a roving reporter. His comic articles about his trip establish his reputation as a humorist. When he returns, he makes his living giving lectures. Twain tours Europe, Egypt, and the Holy Land aboard the steamship 1867 Quaker City. Twain collects his lectures from his tour aboard the Quaker City in the 1869 collection of sketches called The Innocents Abroad. Twain marries Olivia Langdon. He also becomes a joint owner and editor 1870 of a newspaper in Buffalo, New York, called the Express. TIME LINE OF TWAIN’S LIFE vii
8. 1872 Twain sells his interest in the newspaper, having lost a great deal of money on the project. He moves to a comfortable home in Hartford, Connecticut. Twain becomes a skilled storyteller, turning out a new book every few years. 1873 Twain publishes The Gilded Age, about the years following the Civil War. 1876 Twain publishes The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. With this book, Twain introduces something new to American fiction—a simple, natural writing style that resembles the speech of average Americans. 1880 Twain publishes A Tramp Abroad. 1882 Twain publishes The Prince and the Pauper. 1883 Twain publishes Life on the Mississippi. This book is closely based on his experiences working on riverboats. 1884 Twain publishes Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, long considered his masterpiece. Of this novel Ernest Hemingway would say, “All modern literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” 1889 Twain publishes A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. 1894 Twain has lost a great deal of money due to bad investments, and he is forced to declare bankruptcy. He publishes The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson and Tom Sawyer Abroad. 1895 Twain goes on a world lecture tour so that he can pay his debts. One of his daughters dies while he is on the tour. 1896 Twain publishes Tom Sawyer, Detective. 1897 Twain publishes Following the Equator, a book based on his lecture tour. 1898 Twain is able to pay his debts. Nevertheless, his writing becomes increas- ingly dark and pessimistic. 1900 The short story “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg,” about greed in a small town, is published. It is the first of several pieces that show Twain’s dark and angry side. 1904 Twain’s wife dies. 1909 Twain’s youngest daughter dies. 1910 Mark Twain dies at the age of seventy-five in Redding, Connecticut. That same week, Halley’s comet appears. Twain always believed that the appearance of the comet would mark his death as it did his birth. viii THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
9. THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Regionalism and the Emergence of Realism The late nineteenth century, the period during which Mark Twain wrote his most famous novels, was an era char- acterized by westward expansion. Large numbers of settlers were moving from the crowded cities of the East and from lands along the Mississippi River to the unexplored western frontier in search of better lives. Many of these settlers were Civil War veterans who, having traveled from home for the first time during the war, developed a taste for adventure in different parts of the country. Within a few decades, people of European descent had established homes across the American West, from the prairies of Nebraska to the coast of California. This era was also characterized by the Industrial Revolution, a period of social and economic change brought about by the development and increased use of machines and power tools, and the growth of cities. Industrialism cre- ated a class of wealthy business people, as well as a class of city laborers who struggled with poverty and terrible work- ing conditions. These changes in the character of the country also brought about changes in literature. The literature of the early nineteenth century in America was dominated by Romanticism and centered in New England. Romantic writ- ers were usually scholarly and moralistic. Their writing was sentimental, nostalgic, idealistic, and designed to inspire lofty emotions. With the expansion across the western fron- tier, however, writers from the Midwest, the South, and the West became popular. Many of these writers were women, such as Sarah Orne Jewett, Kate Chopin, and Mary Wilkins Freeman. Many were also journalists and adventurers, such as Mark Twain, Bret Harte, and Stephen Crane. These authors added diversity to American literature, writing about ranch- ers, gunfighters, runaway slaves, Civil War soldiers, steam- boat captains, riverboat gamblers, con artists, pioneer men and women, millionaire tycoons, and the urban poor. Twain’s writing incorporates many of these subjects. THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER ix
10. Out of the new diversity of literature came Regionalism, or local-color writing. People in the East were eager to read stories about the American frontier, so many journalists and humorists like Twain gave them descriptions of the odd characters who populated the new land. Bret Harte, a sup- porter of Twain’s work, was one of the first of these regional writers. Both Harte and Twain wrote humorous pieces that captured local dialects and described interesting characters realistically. Regional writing gave rise to an important liter- ary movement in American literature known as Realism. Realist writers, instead of creating romantic or overly idealis- tic portraits of people and places, created realistic, often grim portraits of the world as they observed it. Twain employed elements of Realism in his work. He was also skilled, as read- ers of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer will notice, in using a variety of dialects in his work. Tom Sawyer’s Missouri The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is set in the 1830s or 1840s, before the start of the Civil War in 1861, and at least thirty years prior to the time in which Twain wrote it. Tom Sawyer’s town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, is a fictional town modeled after Twain’s boyhood home of Hannibal, located in north- eastern Missouri, across the Mississippi River from Illinois. In fact, Jackson’s Island, the location of one of Tom Sawyer’s and Huckleberry Finn’s most entertaining adventures, was actually located near Hannibal, close to the Illinois shore, but has since been washed away. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer takes place within a period known as the “great era of steamboats” on the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Indeed, the Mississippi River played a prominent role in the development of the region and brought via riverboat a variety of interesting and colorful characters to such port towns as Hannibal. The riverboats that fascinated Twain and the young characters in his most famous novels were shallow boats powered by steam-driven paddle wheels. These boats, also known as packets, carried passengers and freight and were important to the economy of the United States in the nineteenth century, encouraging people to settle along the Mississippi River. As the United States continued to expand westward, Missouri sat on the edge of the nation’s last frontier—adventurous settlers con- sidered it the gateway to unknown territory. Twain realisti- cally portrays Tom Sawyer as infected with the excitement that characterized his place and time in history; throughout x THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
11. the novel Tom reveals his fascination with exploration and the nearby river. Racism and Racist Language in Twain’s Missouri By the 1840s, slavery had virtually disappeared in the northern states but was still an integral part of the southern economy. When Missouri requested statehood in 1821, it was admitted to the union, after much controversy, as a slave state. Because of its location on the border between the North and South, however, Missouri’s citizens held oppos- ing opinions about slavery. After the Civil War broke out, the conflict over slavery in Missouri resurfaced in bloody conflicts between proslavery and antislavery forces in the The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is set before the Civil War in the fictional Missouri town of St. Petersburg. Twain himself vigorously opposed slavery and racism, but he was dedi- cated to portraying people and society in a realistic manner. Thus, Twain realistically presents in Tom Sawyer and in other works characters who use racist language and who express racist attitudes. Such language and attitudes were unfortunately common in Twain’s day. Many contemporary readers understandably find these references disturbing; nevertheless, rewriting history or pretending that racism does not exist and never existed only perpetuates the igno- rance from which most prejudices and racist attitudes stem. As American philospher George Santayana wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” As you read Tom Sawyer, you will notice racist words and attitudes that are unacceptable in any contemporary con- text. While such passages present ignorant, racist attitudes, they do not condone them; instead, they invite the reader to examine these attitudes critically and to recognize racism for the human folly that it is. Mark Twain and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Mark Twain’s first independent novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, rose to the top of bestseller lists in 1876 and has remained one of the most popular books ever published in the United States. English-language editions of the book have captured the popular imagination both in the United States and abroad, and the book has inspired translations in many different languages. The novel reflects Twain’s nostal- gia for his childhood. In fact, most of the book’s colorful THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER xi
12. characters were modeled on people he had known. Becky Thatcher, Tom Sawyer’s sweetheart, was patterned after Twain’s first childhood sweetheart. Tom’s Aunt Polly was based on Twain’s own good-natured mother; Judge Thatcher, on his father; and the character of Huckleberry Finn on the son of a village derelict whom Twain knew in Hannibal. Tom was inspired by Twain’s childhood self and a combination of his boyhood friends. As Twain notes in the preface of the book, he wanted The Adventures of Tom Sawyer to entertain children as well as to “remind adults of what they once were themselves.” Twain succeeded in accomplishing this goal. Young readers are usu- ally drawn into the humor of Tom’s mischievous antics and the excitement and suspense of his adventures. Older readers have characterized Tom as the “all-American boy,” and enjoy reading the humorous and honest accounts of familiar child- hood experiences, such as getting in and out of trouble at home and in school, falling in love for the first time, playing imaginative games, taking risks, and testing independence. People have long admired the novel for its intricate plot, captivating characters, realistic language, and honest insights into human nature. xii THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
13. Characters in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Major Characters Tom Sa w ye r. Tom is an active young boy who often finds himself involved in mischief and strange adventures. Clever, imaginative, and rebellious, Tom has the ability to outsmart Aunt Polly, most of his friends, and his teachers. He is also sensitive to criticism, especially from Aunt Polly and Becky Thatcher, and he shows throughout the book that he is capa- ble of generosity, thoughtfulness, and bravery. Tom often gets into trouble, but he is honest and genuine, standing in direct contrast to his half-brother Sid, whose goodness is an act. Despite the fact that Tom dislikes sitting in school, books are clearly an important part of his life, inspiring such games as Robin Hood, pirates, and robbers. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is about Tom’s childhood experiences with his friends and family in the tiny village of St. Petersburg and his per- sonal growth after several important experiences. A unt P ol l y. She is Tom’s kind-hearted aunt—a simple woman who adores Tom and who is deeply religious. Her love for Tom often prevents her from disciplining him too harshly, causing her to worry that she is not raising him properly. Tom knows that it is difficult for her to stay angry with him and takes full advantage of this fact. Aunt Polly and Tom have one of the book’s closest, most loving rela- tionships. When she does scold him or weeps because he is so mischievous, Tom is devastated, and Aunt Polly can put up with many of Tom’s antics as long as she knows that he loves her. H uc k l eb e r r y Fi nn. Huck is a homeless boy who was aban- doned by his abusive father and who sleeps in barrels and doorways and wears men’s clothing that is dirty and too large for him. Huck smokes, uses vulgar language, never washes, never attends school or church, and lives a free and idle life of fishing and swimming that most of the boys in St. Petersburg envy. Mothers in the community forbid their sons to play with Huck, but as a result the boys, especially Tom, play with him every chance they get. Tom and Huck share an interest in superstition and adventure. Huck’s lit- eral-mindedness and caution serve as a foil for, or emphasize by their contrast with, Tom’s imaginative boldness. Tom admires Huck’s freedom, and Huck admires Tom’s knowledge of books. CHARACTERS IN THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER xiii
14. B ec k y Tha tc he r. Becky is an attractive girl new to St. Petersburg with whom Tom quickly falls in love. Her rela- tionship with Tom is often stormy, but she has a strong effect on him. Together, the two experience one of the novel’s most frightening adventures. Si d. He is Tom’s half-brother. On the surface, Sid is an obe- dient boy who loves church and school. The reader, how- ever, quickly discovers that Sid spies on Tom and tattles and that he is not above allowing Tom to be blamed for some- thing he himself has done. Sid and Tom battle throughout the book, and because Sid shares a room with Tom, he always knows when Tom skips his prayers or sneaks through his window late at night. Ma r y. Mary is Tom’s kind and well-behaved cousin. She is concerned about Tom and gently helps him to learn his Bible verses for Sunday school. Unlike Sid, she is genuinely kind- hearted. I njun J oe . Injun Joe is the novel’s sinister, ruthless villain who almost gets away with murder. He adds mystery and an element of fear to the book. Mu f f P otte r. Muff is the town vagrant who is hired to rob a grave and is then falsely accused of murder. He is a weak, ner- vous character who is easily taken advantage of by villagers and by Injun Joe. Huck and Tom befriend Muff, helping him as he sits in jail and when he has his day in court. J oe H a r p er. Joe is one of Tom’s best friends and the two often find themselves getting into trouble together. He, along with Tom and Huck, escapes strict village life to live as a pirate on Jackson Island. Wi do w Doug l a s . She is a generous and wealthy woman who lives in a mansion on Cardiff Hill. Widow Douglas is kind and takes Huck Finn under her wing when he is ill. Later in the story, she even takes him to live with her. Although Huck appreciates her kindness, she lives a quiet, strict life of prayer and schedules that Huck cannot tolerate. J ud g e T ha tche r. Judge Thatcher is Becky’s father, considered an important man in St. Petersburg. xiv THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
15. Minor Characters Mr. J ones , the Ol d We l shm a n. He lives on Cardiff Hill, near Widow Douglas. He and his sons bravely help Huck one night and in doing so become some of the first people to treat Huck with respect. Mr. D ob bi ns. Mr. Dobbins is Tom’s schoolmaster. He is pom- pous and impatient, frequently punishing the students severely for minor mistakes and acts of mischief. Am y L a w r e nce . She was Tom Sawyer’s first love—the first girl to whom he was “engaged.” News of this past entangle- ment causes the first fight between Tom and Becky Thatcher. Al fr e d Te mp l e . He is a new boy from St. Louis whom the other boys do not like. Becky uses him to make Tom jealous. Wi l l i e Mu ff e r son. Willie is a boy Tom’s age who carries a handkerchief and is always polite and well behaved. As a result, he is hated by boys his own age and loved by parents. T he R e ve r e nd Mr. Spr a g ue . He is the pastor of the village church. His sermons are long and boring to Tom, but he is adored by some people in the church. D r. R ob i nso n. This man goes grave-robbing with Injun Joe and Muff Potter and is murdered. Mr. Wa l ter s. He is the Sunday school superintendent. B en R og e r s. The first of Tom Sawyer’s peers to be introduced to the reader, Ben is also the first boy Tom tricks into white- washing the fence. CHARACTERS IN THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER xv
16. xvi THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
17. St. Petersburg is a fictional creation of Mark Twain, but it is representative of many small towns that dotted the shores of the Mississippi River in the 1840s and 1850s. While boats moved up and down the river, townspeople tended to their homes, farms, and gardens; attended church; and sent their children to school. Travel was often by horse or foot. The pace of life was slower, but as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer shows, there was plenty of amusement to be had in a sleepy little river town. ILLUSTRATIONS xvii
18. Echoes: Quotations from Mark Twain On fla tter y: “I can live for two months on a good compliment.” On golf: “Golf is a good walk spoiled.” On gr i ef a nd joy: “Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value from joy you must have somebody to divide it with.” On hi s own wr it ing: “You don’t know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; but that ain’t no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly.” On hu ma ns : “Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to.” On the des ir e t o tea ch other s to be good: “To be good is noble, but to teach others how to be good is nobler—and less trouble.” On obedience: “Of all God’s creatures there is only one that cannot be made the slave of the lash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat.” On pa r ent s : “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.” On pol it enes s : “Good breeding consists in concealing how much we think of ourselves and how little we think of the other person.” On s chool: “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” On s u cces s : “All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.” xviii THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
19. Preface Most of the adventures recorded in this book really occurred; one or two were experiences of my own, the rest those of boys who were schoolmates of mine. Huck Finn is drawn from life; Tom Sawyer also, but not from an individ- ual: he is a combination of the characteristics of three boys whom I knew, and therefore belongs to the composite order of architecture. The odd superstitions touched upon were all prevalent among children and slaves in the West at the period of this story; that is to say, thirty or forty years ago. Although my book is intended mainly for the entertain- √ What does the ment of boys and girls, I hope it will not be shunned by men author hope that his and women on that account, for part of my plan has been to book will do? try to pleasantly remind adults of what they once were them- selves, and of how they felt and thought and talked, and what queer1 enterprises they sometimes engaged in. The Author Hartford, 1876 1. queer. Strange Words com • pos • ite (kəm paz´it) adj., formed of distinct parts For Everyday Use PREFACE 1
20. 2 THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
21. CHAPTER 1 Y-o-u-u Tom—Aunt Polly Decides upon her Duty— Tom Practices Music—The Challenge— A Private Entrance “Tom!” No answer. “Tom!” No answer. “What’s gone with that boy, I wonder? You Tom!” No answer. The old lady pulled her spectacles down and looked over √ What hinders them about the room; then she put them up and looked out Aunt Polly’s search for Tom? under them. She seldom or never looked through them for so small a thing as a boy; they were her state pair,1 the pride of her heart, and were built for “style,” not service—she could have seen through a pair of stove lids just as well. She looked perplexed for a moment, and then said, not fiercely, but still loud enough for the furniture to hear: “Well, I lay if I get hold of you I’ll—” She did not finish, for by this time she was bending down and punching under the bed with the broom, and so she needed breath to punctuate the punches with. She resurrected nothing but the cat. “I never did see the beat2 of that boy!” She went to the open door and stood in it and looked out among the tomato vines and “jimpson” weeds that consti- tuted the garden. No Tom. So she lifted up her voice at an angle calculated for distance, and shouted: “Y-o-u-u Tom!” There was a slight noise behind her and she turned just in time to seize a small boy by the slack of his roundabout3 and arrest his flight. “There! I might ’a’ thought of that closet. What you been doing in there?” 1. state pair. Best pair 2. beat. Person or thing that surpasses expectations 3. slack of his roundabout. Back of his jacket ! Words punc • tu • ate (pũk´cho—o āt´) vt., interrupt For res • ur • rect (rez´´ə rekt´) vt., raise, as from the dead Everyday Use CHAPTER 1 3
22. “Nothing.” “Nothing! Look at your hands. And look at your mouth. 4 What is that truck?” “I don’t know, aunt.” ® What is on Tom’s “Well, I know. It’s jam—that’s what it is. Forty times I’ve face? What does he 5 said if you didn’t let that jam alone I’d skin you. Hand me do to escape punish- 6 ment? that switch.” The switch hovered in the air—the peril was desperate. “My! Look behind you, aunt!” The old lady whirled round, and snatched her skirts out of danger. The lad fled on the instant, scrambled up the high board-fence, and disappeared over it. ® Why is Aunt His Aunt Polly stood surprised a moment, and then broke Polly’s reaction to into a gentle laugh. this trick surprising? “Hang the boy, can’t I never learn anything? Ain’t he played me tricks enough like that for me to be looking out for him by this time? But old fools is the biggest fools there is. Can’t learn an old dog new tricks, as the saying is. But, my goodness, he never plays them alike two days, and how is a body to know what’s coming? He ’pears to know just how long he can tor- 7 ment me before I get my dander up, and he knows if he can make out to put me off for a minute, or make me laugh, it’s all ® Why does Aunt down again, and I can’t hit him a lick.8 I ain’t doing my duty Polly believe that she by that boy, and that’s the Lord’s truth, goodness knows. Spare is not raising Tom the rod and spile9 the child, as the Good Book says. I’m a lay- properly? What does she feel that she will ing up sin and suffering for us both, I know. He’s full of the Old be obliged to do on Scratch,10 but laws-a-me!11 he’s my own dead sister’s boy, poor Saturday? thing, and I ain’t got the heart to lash him, somehow. Every time I let him off, my conscience does hurt me so, and every time I hit him my old heart most breaks. Well-a-well, man that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble, as the Scripture says, and I reckon it’s so. He’ll play hookey12 this evening, and I’ll just be obleeged13 to make him work, tomorrow, 4. truck. Trash 5. skin. Whip; punish 6. switch. Branch or stick used for whipping or spanking 7. get my dander up. Become angry 8. lick. Bit 9. spile. Spoil 10. Old Scratch. The devil 11. laws-a-me. Good Lord! 12. play hookey. Skip school or work 13. obleeged. Obliged; forced W Words per • il (per´əl) n., danger For Everyday Use 4 THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
23. to punish him. It’s mighty hard to make him work Saturdays, when all the boys is having holiday, but he hates work more than he hates anything else, and I’ve got to do some of my duty by him, or I’ll be the ruination of the child.” Tom did play hookey, and he had a very good time. He got back home barely in season to help Jim, the small colored boy, saw next day’s wood and split the kindlings before sup- per—at least he was there in time to tell his adventures to Jim, while Jim did three-fourths of the work. Tom’s younger brother (or rather, half-brother) Sid, was already through with his part of the work (picking up chips), for he was a √ How does Sid quiet boy, and had no adventurous, troublesome ways. differ from Tom? While Tom was eating his supper, and stealing sugar as opportunity offered, Aunt Polly asked him questions that were full of guile and very deep—for she wanted to trap him √ What does Aunt into damaging revealments. Like many other simple-hearted Polly believe of her- self? What does she souls, it was her pet vanity to believe she was endowed with want to trap Tom a talent for dark and mysterious diplomacy, and she loved to into revealing? contemplate her most transparent devices as marvels of low cunning. Said she: “Tom, it was middling14 warm in school, warn’t it?” “Yes’m.” “Powerful warm, warn’t it?” “Yes’m.” “Didn’t you want to go in a-swimming, Tom?” A bit of a scare shot through Tom—a touch of uncomfort- able suspicion. He searched Aunt Polly’s face, but it told him nothing. So he said: “No’m—well, not very much.” The old lady reached out her hand and felt Tom’s shirt, and said: “But you ain’t too warm now, though.” And it flattered her to reflect that she had discovered that the shirt was dry without anybody knowing that that was what she had in her mind. But in spite of her, Tom knew where the √ What does Tom suspect will be Aunt wind lay, now. So he forestalled what might be the next move: Polly’s next move? “Some of us pumped on our heads15—mine’s damp yet. What does he say to See?” try to trick her? 14. middling. Fairly 15. pumped on our heads. Pumped water over their heads from a water pump to cool off Words guile (¯l) n., slyness, craftiness trans • par • ent (trans per´ənt) adj., easily For en • dow (en dou´) vt., provide with some recognized Everyday quality fore • stall (fôr stôl´) vt., prevent Use CHAPTER 1 5
24. Aunt Polly was vexed to think she had overlooked that bit of circumstantial evidence, and missed a trick. Then she had a new inspiration: “Tom, you didn’t have to undo your shirt collar where I sewed it, to pump on your head, did you? Unbutton your jacket!” The trouble vanished out of Tom’s face. He opened his jacket. His shirt collar was securely sewed. ® What does Aunt “Bother! Well, go ’long with you. I’d made sure you’d Polly believe? Is she played hookey and been a-swimming. But I forgive ye, Tom. correct? I reckon you’re a kind of a singed cat, as the saying is—bet- ter’n you look—this time.” She was half sorry her sagacity had miscarried, and half glad that Tom had stumbled into obedient conduct for once. But Sidney said: ® What does Sid do “Well, now, if I didn’t think you sewed his collar with to give Tom away? white thread, but it’s black.” “Why, I did sew it with white! Tom!” But Tom did not wait for the rest. As he went out at the door he said: “Siddy, I’ll lick you for that.” In a safe place Tom examined two large needles which were thrust into the lapels of his jacket, and had thread bound about them—one needle carried white thread and the other black. He said: “She’d never noticed if it hadn’t been for Sid. Confound it! sometimes she sews it with white, and sometimes she sews it with black. I wish to geeminy16 she’d stick to one or t’other—I can’t keep the run of ‘em. But I bet you I’ll lam17 Sid for that. I’ll learn him!” He was not the Model Boy of the village. He knew the model boy very well though—and loathed him. ® Why does Tom Within two minutes, or even less, he had forgotten all his forget his troubles? troubles. Not because his troubles were one whit18 less heavy On what skill is Tom and bitter to him than a man’s are to a man, but because a willing to work hard? Why? new and powerful interest bore them down and drove them out of his mind for the time—just as men’s misfortunes are forgotten in the excitement of new enterprises. This new 16. geeminy. Jiminy; oath 17. lam. Beat or hit 18. whit. Bit Words vex (veks) vt., disturb; annoy con • found (kən found´) vt., curse; used For singed (sinjd) adj., burned as a mild oath Everyday sa • gac • i • ty (sə as´ə tē) n., wisdom; Use intelligence 6 THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
25. interest was a valued novelty in whistling, which he had just acquired from a negro, and he was suffering to practice it undisturbed. It consisted in a peculiar bird-like tune, a sort of liquid warble, produced by touching the tongue to the roof of the mouth at short intervals in the midst of the music—the reader probably remembers how to do it, if he has ever been a boy. Diligence and attention soon gave him the knack of it, and he strode down the street with his mouth full of harmony and his soul full of gratitude. He felt much as an astronomer feels who has discovered a new planet—no doubt, as far as strong, deep, unalloyed pleasure is concerned, the advantage was with the boy, not the astronomer. The summer evenings were long. It was not dark yet. Presently Tom checked his whistle. A stranger was before him—a boy a shade larger than himself. A newcomer of any age or either sex was an impressive curiosity in the poor lit- √ What about the tle shabby village of St. Petersburg. This boy was well- new boy upsets Tom? dressed, too—well-dressed on a week-day. This was simply astounding. His cap was a dainty thing, his close-buttoned blue cloth roundabout was new and natty, and so were his pantaloons.19 He had shoes on—and it was only Friday. He even wore a necktie, a bright bit of ribbon. He had a citified air about him that ate into Tom’s vitals. The more Tom stared at the splendid marvel, the higher he turned up his nose at his finery and the shabbier and shabbier his own outfit seemed to him to grow. Neither boy spoke. If one moved, the other moved—but only sidewise, in a circle; they kept face to face and eye to eye all the time. Finally Tom said: “I can lick you!” “I’d like to see you try it.” “Well, I can do it.” “No you can’t, either.” “Yes I can.” “No you can’t.” “I can.” “You can’t.” “Can!” “Can’t!” 19. pantaloons. Pants nov • el • ty (no v´əl tē) n., something new, nat • t y (nat´´ē) adj., trim and smart in Words fresh, or original appearance For dil • i • gence (dil´ə jəns) n., constant and vi • t al s (v¯tlz) n., vital organs, such as Everyday careful effort heart, brain, lungs, etc. Use un • al • loyed (un al´oid) adj., pure CHAPTER 1 7
26. An uncomfortable pause. Then Tom said: “What’s your name?” “’Tisn’t any of your business, maybe.” “Well I ’low20 I’ll make it my business.” “Well why don’t you?” “If you say much, I will.” “Much—much—much. There now.” “Oh, you think you’re mighty smart, don’t you? I could lick you with one hand tied behind me, if I wanted to.” “Well why don’t you do it? You say you can do it.” “Well I will, if you fool with me.” “Oh yes—I’ve seen whole families in the same fix.” “Smarty! You think you’re some now, don’t you? Oh, what a hat!” “You can lump that hat if you don’t like it. I dare you to knock it off; and anybody that’ll take a dare will suck eggs.” “You’re a liar!” “You’re another.” “You’re a fighting liar and dasn’t21 take it up.” “Aw—take a walk!” “Say—if you give me much more of your sass, I’ll take and bounce a rock off’n your head.” “Oh, of course you will.” “Well I will.” “Well why don’t you do it then? What do you keep saying you will for? Why don’t you do it? It’s because you’re afraid.” “I ain’t afraid.” “You are.” “I ain’t.” “You are.” Another pause, and more eying and sidling around each other. Presently they were shoulder to shoulder. Tom said: “Get away from here!” “Go away yourself!” “I won’t.” “I won’t either.” ® What imaginary So they stood, each with a foot placed at an angle as a threat do both boys brace, and both shoving with might and main, and glower- make? ing at each other with hate. But neither could get an advan- tage. After struggling till both were hot and flushed, each 20. ’low. Allow 21. dasn’t. Don’t dare to W Words si • dle (s¯d´l) vi., move sideways For Everyday Use 8 THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
27. relaxed his strain with watchful caution, and Tom said: “You’re a coward and a pup. I’ll tell my big brother on you, and he can thrash you with his little finger, and I’ll make him do it, too.” “What do I care for your big brother? I’ve got a brother that’s bigger than he is—and what’s more, he can throw him over that fence, too.” [Both brothers were imaginary.] “That’s a lie.” “Your saying so don’t make it so.” Tom drew a line in the dust with his big toe, and said: “I dare you to step over that, and I’ll lick you till you can’t stand up. Anybody that’ll take a dare will steal sheep.” The new boy stepped over promptly, and said: “Now you said you’d do it, now let’s see you do it.” “Don’t you crowd me now; you better look out.” “Well, you said you’d do it—why don’t you do it?” “By jingo! for two cents I will do it.” The new boy took two broad coppers22 out of his pocket and held them out with derision. Tom struck them to the ground. In an instant both boys were rolling and tumbling in the dirt, gripped together like cats; and for the space of a minute they tugged and tore at each other’s hair and clothes, punched and scratched each other’s noses, and covered themselves with dust and glory. Presently the confusion took form, and through the fog of battle Tom appeared, seated astride the new boy, and pounding him with his fists. “Holler ’nuff!”23 said he. √ What action on the part of the new The boy only struggled to free himself. He was crying— boy ends the fight? mainly from rage. Who wins? “Holler ’nuff!”—and the pounding went on. At last the stranger got out a smothered “’Nuff!” and Tom let him up and said: “Now that’ll learn you. Better look out who you’re fooling with next time.” The new boy went off brushing the dust from his clothes, sobbing, snuffling, and occasionally looking back and shak- ing his head and threatening what he would do to Tom the 22. coppers. Pennies; coins 23. ’nuff. Enough Words de • ri • sion (di rizh´ən) n., contempt or ridicule For Everyday Use CHAPTER 1 9
28. “next time he caught him out.” To which Tom responded with jeers, and started off in high feather, and as soon as his back was turned the new boy snatched up a stone, threw it and hit him between the shoulders, and then turned tail and ran like an antelope. Tom chased the traitor home, and thus found out where he lived. He then held a position at the gate for some time, daring the enemy to come outside, but the enemy only made faces at him through the window and declined. At last the enemy’s mother appeared, and called Tom a bad, vicious, vulgar child, and ordered him away. So he went away; but he said he “’lowed” to “lay”24 for that boy. ® Whom does Tom He got home pretty late that night, and when he climbed find waiting for him cautiously in at the window, he uncovered an ambuscade,25 when he climbs into in the person of his aunt; and when she saw the state his his window? How is he going to be forced clothes were in, her resolution to turn his Saturday holiday to spend his into captivity at hard labor became adamantine in its firmness. 24. lay. Lie in wait for 25. a m bu sca d e . Ambush; surprise W Words vul • gar (vul´ər) adj., crude or indecent For ad • a • man • tine (ad´ə man´tn̄) adj., unbreakable, Everyday unyielding Use 10 THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
29. CHAPTER 2 Strong Temptations—Strategic Movements—The Innocents Beguiled Saturday morning was come, and all the summer world was bright and fresh, and brimming with life. There was a song in every heart; and if the heart was young the music issued at the lips. There was cheer in every face and a spring in every step. The locust trees were in bloom and the fragrance of the blos- soms filled the air. Cardiff Hill, beyond the village and above it, was green with vegetation, and it lay just far enough away to seem a Delectable Land, dreamy, reposeful, and inviting. Tom appeared on the sidewalk with a bucket of whitewash1 √ Why does life and a long-handled brush. He surveyed the fence, and all glad- seem “hollow” to Tom and “existence ness left him, and a deep melancholy settled down upon his but a burden”? spirit. Thirty yards of board fence nine feet high! Life to him seemed hollow, and existence but a burden. Sighing, he dipped his brush and passed it along the topmost plank; repeated the operation; did it again; compared the insignificant white- washed streak with the far-reaching continent of unwhite- washed fence, and sat down on a tree-box discouraged. Jim came skipping out at the gate with a tin pail, and singing “Buffalo Gals.” Bringing water from the town pump had always been hateful work in Tom’s eyes before, but now it did not strike him so. He remembered that there was company at the pump. White, mulatto,2 and negro boys and girls were always there waiting their turns, resting, trading playthings, quarrelling, fighting, skylarking.3 And he remembered that although the pump was only a hundred and fifty yards off, Jim never got back with a bucket of water under an hour—and even then somebody generally had to go after him. Tom said: “Say, Jim, I’ll fetch the water if you’ll whitewash some.” √ What does Tom Jim shook his head and said: ask Jim to do? Why won’t Jim do it? “Can’t, Mars4 Tom. Ole missis, she tole me I got to go an’ git dis water an’ not stop foolin’ roun’ wid anybody. She say she spec’ Mars Tom gwine to ax me to whitewash, an’ so she 1. whitewash. Mixture of lime, white paint, and water 2. mulatto. Person who has one black parent and one white parent 3. skylarking. Playing 4. Mars. Master, Mr. Words re • pose • ful (ri pōz´fəl) adj., full of calm and quiet For Everyday mel • an • chol • y (mel´ən kal´ē) n., gloomy sadness Use CHAPTER 2 11
30. tole me go ’long an’ ’tend to my own business—she ’lowed she’d ’tend to de whitewashin’.” “Oh, never you mind what she said, Jim. That’s the way she always talks. Gimme the bucket—I won’t be gone only a a minute. She won’t ever know.” “Oh, I dasn’t, Mars Tom. Ole missis she’d take an’ tar de head off’n me. ’Deed she would.” “She! She never licks anybody—whacks ’em over the head with her thimble—and who cares for that, I’d like to know? She talks awful, but talk don’t hurt—anyways it don’t if she don’t ® What does Tom cry. Jim, I’ll give you a marvel.5 I’ll give you a white alley!”6 do to try to bribe Jim Jim began to waver. into helping him “White alley, Jim! And it’s a bully taw.”7 “My! Dat’s a mighty gay marvel, I tell you! But, Mars Tom, I’s powerful ’fraid ole missis—” “And besides, if you will I’ll show you my sore toe.” Jim was only human—this attraction was too much for him. He put down his pail, took the white alley, and bent over the toe with absorbing interest while the bandage was being unwound. In another moment he was flying down the street with his pail and a tingling rear, Tom was whitewash- ing with vigor, and Aunt Polly was retiring from the field with a slipper in her hand and triumph in her eye. ® What thought But Tom’s energy did not last. He began to think of the especially upsets fun he had planned for this day, and his sorrows multiplied. Tom? Soon the free boys would come tripping along on all sorts of delicious expeditions, and they would make a world of fun of him for having to work—the very thought of it burnt him like fire. He got out his worldly wealth and examined it—bits of toys, marbles, and trash; enough to buy an exchange of work, maybe, but not half enough to buy so much as half an hour of pure freedom. So he returned his straitened means8 to his pocket, and gave up the idea of trying to buy the boys. At this dark and hopeless moment an inspiration burst upon him! Nothing less than a great, magnificent inspiration. ® Why is Tom He took up his brush and went tranquilly to work. Ben dreading the appear- Rogers hove9 in sight presently—the very boy, of all boys, ance of Ben Rogers? 5. marvel. Playing marble 6. white alley. Type of playing marble 7. bully taw. Fancy marble used to shoot with in playing marbles 8. straitened means. Insufficient amount of money 9. hove. Moved W Words tran • quil • ly (tran´kwil lē) adv., calmly; peacefully For Everyday Use 12 THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
31. whose ridicule he had been dreading. Ben’s gait was the hop-skip-and-jump—proof enough that his heart was light and his anticipations high. He was eating an apple, and giv- ing a long, melodious whoop, at intervals, followed by a deep-toned ding-dong-dong, ding-dong-dong, for he was personating a steamboat. As he drew near, he slackened √ What game is speed, took the middle of the street, leaned far over to star- Ben playing? board,10 and rounded to ponderously and with laborious pomp and circumstance11—for he was personating the “Big Missouri,” and considered himself to be drawing nine feet of water. He was boat and captain, and engine-bells combined, so he had to imagine himself standing on his own hurricane- deck12 giving the orders and executing them: “Stop her, sir! Ting-a-ling-ling!” The headway ran almost out and he drew up slowly toward the sidewalk. “Ship up to back! Ting-a-ling-ling!” His arms straightened and stiffened down his sides. “Set her back on the stabboard! Ting-a-ling-ling! Chow! ch-chow-wow! Chow!” His right hand, meantime, describing stately circles—for it was representing a forty-foot wheel. “Let her go back on the labboard! Ting-a-ling-ling! Chow- ch-chow-chow!” The left hand began to describe circles. “Stop the stabboard! Ting-a-ling-ling! Stop the labboard! Come ahead on the stabboard! Stop her! Let your outside turn over slow! Ting-a-ling-ling! Chow-ow-ow! Get out that head-line!13 Lively now! Come—out with your spring-line14— what’re you about there! Take a turn round that stump with the bight15 of it! Stand by that stage,16 now—let her go! Done with the engines, sir! Ting-a-ling-ling! Sh’t! s’h’t! sh’t!” (trying the gauge-cocks).17 Tom went on whitewashing—paid no attention to the steamboat. Ben stared a moment and then said: “Hi-yi! You’re up a stump, ain’t you!” No answer. Tom surveyed his last touch with the eye of an artist, then he gave his brush another gentle sweep and 10. starboard. Right-hand side of a ship 11. pomp and circumstance. Show and effort 12. hurricane-deck. Upper deck of a passenger ship 13. head-line. Rope for tying a boat to the dock 14. spring-line. Rope attached to a boat’s spar or mast 15. bight. Loop or slack part of a rope 16. stage. Platform 17. gauge-cocks. Valves Words gait (āt) n., way of walking or running For per • son • ate (p"r´sə nāt´´) vt., act or play the part of; imitate Everyday Use pon • der • ous • ly (pan´dər əs lē) adv., heavily CHAPTER 2 13
32. surveyed the result, as before. Ben ranged up alongside of him. Tom’s mouth watered for the apple, but he stuck to his work. Ben said: “Hello, old chap, you got to work, hey?” Tom wheeled suddenly and said: “Why it’s you, Ben! I warn’t noticing.” “Say—I’m going in a-swimming, I am. Don’t you wish you could? But of course you’d druther18 work—wouldn’t you? Course you would!” Tom contemplated the boy a bit, and said: “What do you call work?” “Why, ain’t that work?” Tom resumed his whitewashing, and answered carelessly: “Well, maybe it is, and maybe it ain’t. All I know is, it suits Tom Sawyer.” “Oh come, now, you don’t mean to let on that you like it?” The brush continued to move. ® What is Tom’s “Like it? Well, I don’t see why I oughtn’t to like it. Does a plan for getting other boy get a chance to whitewash a fence every day?” boys to whitewash That put the thing in a new light. Ben stopped nibbling the fence for him? his apple. Tom swept his brush daintily back and forth— stepped back to note the effect—added a touch here and there—criticized the effect again—Ben watching every move and getting more and more interested, more and more absorbed. Presently he said: “Say, Tom, let me whitewash a little.” Tom considered, was about to consent; but he altered his mind: ® In what way does “No—no—I reckon it wouldn’t hardly do, Ben. You see, Tom challenge Ben? Aunt Polly’s awful particular about this fence—right here on the street, you know—but if it was the back fence I wouldn’t mind and she wouldn’t. Yes, she’s awful particular about this fence; it’s got to be done very careful; I reckon there ain’t one boy in a thousand, maybe two thousand, that can do it the way it’s got to be done.” “No—is that so? Oh come, now—lemme just try. Only just a little—I’d let you, if you was me, Tom.” “Ben, I’d like to, honest injun;19 but Aunt Polly—well, Jim 18. druther. Rather 19. honest injun. Mild oath using a now-offensive corruption of the term Indian for a Native American W Words con • tem • plate (kan´təm plāt´´) vt., consider, observe For Everyday Use 14 THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
33. wanted to do it, but she wouldn’t let him; Sid wanted to do it, and she wouldn’t let Sid. Now don’t you see how I’m fixed? If you was to tackle this fence and anything was to happen to it—” “Oh, shucks, I’ll be just as careful. Now lemme try. Say— √ What does Ben offer Tom in I’ll give you the core of my apple.” exchange for a “Well, here—No, Ben, now don’t. I’m afeard—”20 chance to whitewash “I’ll give you all of it!” the fence? Tom gave up the brush with reluctance in his face but alacrity in his heart. And while the late steamer “Big Missouri” worked and sweated in the sun, the retired artist sat on a barrel in the shade close by, dangled his legs, munched his apple, and planned the slaughter of more inno- cents. There was no lack of material; boys happened along every little while; they came to jeer, but remained to white- wash. By the time Ben was fagged out,21 Tom had traded the √ What “wealth” does Tom acquire by next chance to Billy Fisher for a kite, in good repair; and the middle of the when he played out, Johnny Miller bought in for a dead rat afternoon? and a string to swing it with—and so on, and so on, hour after hour. And when the middle of the afternoon came, from being a poor poverty-stricken boy in the morning, Tom was literally rolling in wealth. He had besides the things before mentioned, twelve marbles, part of a jew’s-harp,22 a piece of blue bottle-glass to look through, a spool cannon, a key that wouldn’t unlock anything, a fragment of chalk, a glass stopper of a decanter, a tin soldier, a couple of tadpoles, six fire-crackers, a kitten with only one eye, a brass door- knob, a dog-collar—but no dog—the handle of a knife, four pieces of orange-peel, and a dilapidated old window-sash. He had had a nice, good, idle time all the while—plenty of company—and the fence had three coats of whitewash on √ What was the it! If he hadn’t run out of whitewash, he would have bank- only thing that pre- vented Tom from con- rupted every boy in the village. tinuing his scheme? Tom said to himself that it was not such a hollow world, after all. He had discovered a great law of human action, with- √ What “great law of human action” out knowing it—namely, that in order to make a man or a boy does Tom discover? covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain. If he had been a great and wise philosopher, like the 20. afeard. Afraid 21. fagged out. Tired 22. jew’s-harp. Small musical instrument clamped between the teeth and strummed, producing a twanging sound Words a • lac • ri • ty (ə lak´rə tē) n., eager will- cov • et (kuv´it) vt., long for with envy For ingness; readiness at • tain (ə tān´) vt., accomplish; achieve Everyday di • lap • i • dat • ed (də lap´ə dāt´´id) Use adj., shabby; falling to pieces CHAPTER 2 15
34. ® What, according writer of this book, he would now have comprehended that to that “great and Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and that wise philosopher . . . the writer of this Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do. And this book,” is the differ- would help him to understand why constructing artificial ence between work flowers or performing on a treadmill is work, while rolling ten- and play? pins21 or climbing Mont Blanc is only amusement. There are wealthy gentlemen in England who drive four-horse passen- ger-coaches twenty or thirty miles on a daily line in the sum- mer, because the privilege costs them considerable money; but if they were offered wages for the service, that would turn it into work, and then they would resign. The boy mused a while over the substantial change which had taken place in his worldly circumstances, and then wended toward head-quarters to report. 23. rolling ten-pins. Bowling W Words o • blige (ə blj̄´) vt., force or command to do For wend (wend) vt., proceed or go on one’s way Everyday Use 16 THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
35. CHAPTER 3 Tom as a General—Triumph and Reward—Dismal Felicity—Commission and Omission Tom presented himself before Aunt Polly, who was sitting by an open window in a pleasant rearward apartment, which was bedroom, breakfast-room, dining-room, and library com- bined. The balmy summer air, the restful quiet, the odor of the flowers, and the drowsing murmur of the bees, had had their effect, and she was nodding over her knitting—for she had no company but the cat, and it was asleep in her lap. Her specta- cles were propped up on her gray head for safety. She had √ What does Aunt thought that of course Tom had deserted long ago, and she Polly suspect that Tom has done? wondered at seeing him place himself in her power again in this intrepid way. He said: “Mayn’t I go and play now, aunt?” “What, a’ready? How much have you done?” “It’s all done, aunt.” “Tom, don’t lie to me—I can’t bear it.” “I ain’t, aunt; it is all done.” Aunt Polly placed small trust in such evidence. She went out √ In what does to see for herself; and she would have been content to find Aunt Polly put little trust? What would twenty per cent of Tom’s statement true. When she found the have satisfied her? entire fence whitewashed, and not only whitewashed but elab- orately coated and recoated, and even a streak added to the ground, her astonishment was almost unspeakable. She said: “Well, I never! There’s no getting round it, you can work when you’re a mind to, Tom.” And then she diluted the com- pliment by adding, “But it’s powerful seldom you’re a mind to, I’m bound to say. Well, go ’long and play; but mind you get back some time in a week, or I’ll tan you.” She was so overcome by the splendor of his achievement √ What does Tom that she took him into the closet and selected a choice apple do while Aunt Polly lectures him on the and delivered it to him, along with an improving lecture upon value of things the added value and flavor a treat took to itself when it came gained through virtu- without sin through virtuous effort. And while she closed with ous effort? a happy scriptural flourish, he “hooked” a doughnut. Then he skipped out, and saw Sid just starting up the outside √ Why does Tom stairway that led to the back rooms on the second floor. Clods1 throw dirt clods at Sid? What has Sid 1. Clods. Clumps of dirt done to him? Words in • trep • id (in trep´id) adj., fearless; brave For ! Everyday di • lute (di lo—ot´) vt., weaken by mixing with something Use else CHAPTER 3 17
36. were handy, and the air was full of them in a twinkling. They raged around Sid like a hailstorm; and before Aunt Polly could collect her surprised faculties and sally to the rescue, six or seven clods had taken personal effect, and Tom was over the fence and gone. There was a gate, but as a general thing he was too crowded for time to make use of it. His soul was at peace, now that he had settled with Sid for calling attention to his black thread and getting him into trouble. Tom skirted the block, and came round into a muddy alley that led by the back of his aunt’s cow stable. He presently got safely beyond the reach of capture and punishment, and hasted toward the public square of the village, where two “military” companies of boys had met for conflict, according to previous appointment. Tom was general of one of these armies, Joe Harper (a bosom friend), general of the other. These two great commanders did not condescend to fight in person—that being better suited to the still smaller fry—but sat together on an eminence and conducted the field opera- tions by orders delivered through aides-de-camp.2 Tom’s army won a great victory, after a long and hard-fought battle. Then the dead were counted, prisoners exchanged, the terms of the next disagreement agreed upon and the day for the necessary battle appointed; after which the armies fell into line and marched away, and Tom turned homeward alone. As he was passing by the house where Jeff Thatcher lived, ® In what sense he saw a new girl in the garden—a lovely little blue-eyed does Tom fall without creature with yellow hair plaited3 into two long tails, white anyone firing a shot? summer frock and embroidered pantalettes. The fresh- crowned hero fell without firing a shot. A certain Amy Lawrence vanished out of his heart and left not even a mem- ory of herself behind. He had thought he loved her to dis- traction; he had regarded his passion as adoration; and behold it was only a poor little evanescent partiality. He had been months winning her; she had confessed hardly a week ago; he had been the happiest and the proudest boy in the world only seven short days, and here in one instant of time she had gone out of his heart like a casual stranger whose visit is done. He worshipped this new angel with furtive eye, till he saw 2. aides-de-camp. Military assistants 3. plaited. Braided Words con • de • scend (kon´´di send´) vi., stoop par • ti • al • i • ty (par´shē al´ə tē) n., For em • i • nence (em´i nəns) n., high place fondness or liking Everyday ev • a • nes • cent (ev´ə nes´ənt) adj., fur • tive (f"r´tiv) adj., sneaky Use tending to fade from sight; vanishing 18 THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
37. that she had discovered him; then he pretended he did not know she was present, and began to “show off” in all sorts of absurd boyish ways, in order to win her admiration. He kept up this grotesque foolishness for some time; but by and by, while he was in the midst of some dangerous gymnastic per- formances, he glanced aside and saw that the little girl was wending her way toward the house. Tom came up to the fence and leaned on it, grieving, and hoping she would tarry yet awhile longer. She halted a moment on the steps and then moved toward the door. Tom heaved a great sigh as she put her foot on the threshold. But his face lit up, right away, √ Why do you think for she tossed a pansy over the fence a moment before she the new girl throws disappeared. the pansy over the fence? The boy ran around and stopped within a foot or two of the flower, and then shaded his eyes with his hand and began to look down street as if he had discovered something of interest going on in that direction. Presently he picked up a straw and began trying to balance it on his nose, with his head tilted far back; and as he moved from side to side, in his √ How does Tom efforts, he edged nearer and nearer toward the pansy; finally pick up the flower? his bare foot rested upon it, his pliant toes closed upon it, and he hopped away with the treasure and disappeared round the corner. But only for a minute—only while he could button the flower inside his jacket, next his heart—or next his stomach, possibly, for he was not much posted in anatomy, and not hypercritical, anyway. He returned, now, and hung about the fence till nightfall, “showing off,” as before; but the girl never exhibited herself again, though Tom comforted himself a little with the hope that she had been near some window, meantime, and been aware of his attentions. Finally he strode home reluctantly, with his poor head full of visions. All through supper his spirits were so high that his aunt wondered “what had got into the child.” He took a good scolding about clodding Sid, and did not seem to mind it in the least. He tried to steal sugar under his aunt’s very nose, and got his knuckles rapped for it. He said: “Aunt, you don’t whack Sid when he takes it.” “Well, Sid don’t torment a body the way you do. You’d be always into that sugar if I warn’t watching you.” Words ab • surd (ab s"rd´) adj., ridiculous For pli • ant (pl¯´ənt) adj., easily bent Everyday hy • per • crit • i • cal (h¯´pər krit´ i kəl) adj., hard to please; Use severe in judgment CHAPTER 3 19
38. Presently she stepped into the kitchen, and Sid, happy in his immunity, reached for the sugar-bowl—a sort of glorying ® What causes Tom over Tom which was well-nigh4 unbearable. But Sid’s fingers to feel ecstasy? slipped and the bowl dropped and broke. Tom was in ecstasies. In such ecstasies that he even controlled his tongue and was silent. He said to himself that he would not speak a word, even when his aunt came in, but would sit perfectly still till she asked who did the mischief; and then he would tell, and there would be nothing so good in the world as to see that pet model “catch it.” He was so brimful of exultation ® What does Aunt that he could hardly hold himself when the old lady came Polly assume? back and stood above the wreck discharging lightnings of wrath from over her spectacles. He said to himself, “Now it’s coming!” And the next instant he was sprawling on the floor! The potent palm was uplifted to strike again when Tom cried out: “Hold on, now, what ’er you belting me for?—Sid broke it!” Aunt Polly paused, perplexed, and Tom looked for healing pity. But when she got her tongue again, she only said: ® What justification “Umf! Well, you didn’t get a lick amiss, I reckon. You been does Aunt Polly give for striking Tom? into some other audacious mischief when I wasn’t around, like enough.” Then her conscience reproached her, and she yearned to say something kind and loving; but she judged that this would be construed into a confession that she had been in the wrong, and discipline forbade that. So she kept silence and went about her affairs with a troubled heart. Tom sulked ® What gratifies, or in a corner and exalted his woes. He knew that in her heart pleases, Tom? What his aunt was on her knees to him, and he was morosely grat- does he imagine ified by the consciousness of it. He would hang out no sig- nals, he would take notice of none. He knew that a yearning glance fell upon him now and then, through a film of tears, but he refused recognition of it. He pictured himself lying sick unto death and his aunt bending over him beseeching one little forgiving word, but he would turn his face to the wall, and die with that word unsaid. Ah, how would she feel then? And he pictured himself brought home from the river, 4. well-nigh. Almost ! im • mu • ni • ty (im myo—on´´ i tē) n., free- au • da • cious (ô dā´´shəs) adj., bold Words ! For dom from punishment con • strue (kən stro—o ´) vt., take to mean Everyday ex • ul • ta • tion (e´zul tā´´shən) n., triumph mo • rose • ly (mə rōs´´lē) adv., gloomily Use po • tent (pōt´´nt) adj., powerful 20 THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
39. dead, with his curls all wet, and his sore heart at rest. How she would throw herself upon him, and how her tears would fall like rain, and her lips pray God to give her back her boy, and she would never, never abuse him any more! But he would lie there cold and white and make no sign—a poor lit- tle sufferer, whose griefs were at an end. He so worked upon his feelings with the pathos of these dreams that he had to keep swallowing—he was so like to choke; and his eyes swam in a blur of water, which overflowed when he winked, and ran down and trickled from the end of his nose. And such a luxury to him was this petting of his sorrows, that he could not bear to have any worldly cheeriness or any grating delight intrude upon it; it was too sacred for such contact; and so, presently, when his cousin Mary danced in, all alive with the joy of seeing home again after an age-long visit of one week to the country, he got up and moved in clouds and darkness out at one door as she brought song and sunshine in at the other. He wandered far from the accustomed haunts of boys, and sought desolate places that were in harmony with his spirit. A log raft in the river invited him, and he seated himself on its outer edge and contemplated the dreary vastness of the stream, wishing, the while, that he could only be drowned, all at once and unconsciously, without undergoing the uncomfortable routine devised by nature. Then he thought of his flower. He got it out, rumpled and wilted, and it might- √ In what sense is ily increased his dismal felicity. He wondered if she would Tom both dismal, or pity him if she knew? Would she cry, and wish that she had unhappy, and full of felicity, or happiness? a right to put her arms around his neck and comfort him? Or would she turn coldly away like all the hollow world? This picture brought such an agony of pleasurable suffering that he worked it over and over again in his mind and set it up in new and varied lights, till he wore it threadbare. At last he rose up sighing and departed in the darkness. About half-past nine or ten o’clock he came along the deserted street to where the Adored Unknown lived; he paused a moment; no sound fell upon his listening ear; a candle was casting a dull glow upon the curtain of a second story window. Was the sacred presence there? He climbed the fence, threaded his stealthy way through the plants, till he pa • thos (pā´´thas) n., pitiable tragedy Words For dis • mal (diz ´məl) adj., gloomy; miserable Everyday fe • lic • i • ty (fə lis´´i tē) n., happiness Use stealth • y (stel´´thē) adj., secret or sly CHAPTER 3 21
40. stood under that window; he looked up at it long, and with emotion; then he laid him down on the ground under it, dis- posing himself upon his back, with his hands clasped upon ® What does Tom his breast and holding his poor wilted flower. And thus he wonder in his would die—out in the cold world, with no shelter over his moment of self-pity? homeless head, no friendly hand to wipe the death-damps5 from his brow, no loving face to bend pityingly over him when the great agony came. And thus she would see him when she looked out upon the glad morning, and oh! would she drop one little tear upon his poor, lifeless form, would she heave one little sigh to see a bright young life so rudely blighted, so untimely cut down? The window went up, a maid-servant’s discordant voice profaned the holy calm, and a deluge of water drenched the prone martyr’s remains! The strangling hero sprang up with a relieving snort. There was a whiz as of a missile in the air, mingled with the murmur of a curse, a sound as of shivering glass followed, and a small, vague form went over the fence and shot away in the gloom. Not long after, as Tom, all undressed for bed, was survey- ® Why does Sid ing his drenched garments by the light of a tallow dip,6 Sid decide not to start woke up; but if he had any dim idea of making any “refer- an argument with ences to allusions,”7 he thought better of it and held his Tom? Of what, how- ever, does Sid make peace, for there was danger in Tom’s eye. a “mental note”? Tom turned in without the added vexation of prayers, and Sid made mental note of the omission. 5. death-damps. Sweat perspired in the throes of death 6. tallow dip. Candle 7. making . . . allusions. Hinting about or mentioning what has occurred ! Words blight • ed (bl¯t´´id) adj., destroyed del • uge (del´yo—oj´) n., flood For dis • cord • ant (dis kôrd´´nt) adj., mar • tyr (mart´´ər) n., person who suffers for Everyday harshly noisy his or her beliefs Use pro • fane (prō fān´´) vt., treat with disrespect 22 THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
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