The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-11-17

From Mark Twain's new book.

AOUI Sawyer, having OHcuOcu III
sole guardian, Aunt Polly, is b,
that sternly affectionate dame set Il
work at whitewsshing the fence il
FROM of the garden. The wOrlC
seemed q hollow mockery to Tom
who had planned all for that day
and who knew he would be thu
laughing-stock of ali the boys 81
they came past and saw him work.
ing like "nigger." But a great in.
spiration burst upon him, and ht
went TRANQUILITY 10 work. Whst
that Inspiration was will appear
from what follows. One of the
beys, Ben Rogers, comes by and
pauses. eating . particularly fine
apple. Tom does not see him. Ben
stared q moment and then said:
Hi VII You're up a stump, AIM
your.
No answer. Tom surveyed hi,
last touch with the eye of an artist
and then be gave another gentle
sweep, and surveyed The result a
before. Ben ranged Hp alongside
of him. Toms mouth Watered fol
the apple, but he stuck to his work
Ben said:
Hello, old chapI You've got tc
work, hey2
why, It's you, Ben. 1 wasn'
noticing.
Say, I'm going in a swimming
l am. Don't you wish you could
But of course you'd rather work
wouldn't your Course you would
Tom contemplated the boy a bit
and said:
What do you call work?
Why, amt that work?
Tom resumed ais WhiteWashing
and answered carelessly:
Well, maybe it is, and maybe il
amt; all l know is that it suits Tom
Sawyer.
Oh, come now, you don't mean to
let on that you like it?
The brush continued to move.
Like it? don't see why ought
not to like it. Does q boy get g
chance to whiteWash fence every
day?
That put the thing in a new light.
Ben stopped nibbling his apple.
Tom swept his brush daintily back
and forth-stepping back to note
the effect-added q touch here and
Aforementioned the effect again,
Ben watching every move, and get
ting more and more interested,
more and more absorbed. Present
ly he said:
Say, Tom, let me whitewash lit
tie.
Tom considered, was about to
consent, but altered his mind.
No, no; | reckon il would hardly
do. Ben. You see Aunt Polly's aw-
tut particular about this fence-righl
here on the street, you know; bu!
ii 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 careful. I reckon
there amt one boy in q thousand,
maybe in two thousand, that can do
il in the way it's got to be done.
NO-is that so? Oh, come now,
femme just try, only. a little. I'd
let you, if you was me, Tom.
Ben, I'd like to, honest Injun
but Aunt Polly-well, Jim wanted
to do it, but she wouldn't let him.
Sid wanted to do it, but she would
not let Sid. Now, don't you see how
| am fixedS If you was to tackle
this fence, and anything was to hap.
pen to it
Oh, shucksI I'll be just as care
full. Now femme try. Say-I'l
give you the core of my apple.
Well, here. No, Ben now don't
I'm afraid
Ill give you all of It'll
Tom gave up the brush with re.
luctance in his face, but alacrity in
his heart. And while Ben worked
and sweated in the sun the retired
artist sat on a barrel in the shade
close by, dangIed his legs, munched
his apple, and planned the slaugh-
ter of more innocents. There was
no lack of material; boys happened
alongevery little while they came
to jeer, but remained to Whitewash
By the time Ben was tagged out
Tom had traded the next chance to
Billy Fisher for q kite in good re.
pair, and when he played out John.
ny Miller bought in for q dead raj
and g string to swing il with, and
so on, hour after hour. And when
the middle of the afternoon came
from being q poor, poverty -strlckeu
hey in the morning, Tom was liter.
ally rolling in wealth. He had, be.
sides the things I have mentioned
twelve marbles, part of q jewsharp
piece of blue bottle glass to look
through, q spool cannon, a key that
wouldn't unlock anything, a frag.
ment of chalk, q glass chopper of q
decaRter, tin soldier, q couple OF
tadpolcs, six fire-cTackers, q kitten
with only one eye, brass door
knob, dog collar, but no dog; the
handle of q knife, four pieces OF
orange peel and dilapidated old
window sash. He had a nice, good
idle time all the while, plenty OF
company, and the fence had three
coats of whitewash on il. If he
hadn't run out of whitewash be
would have bankrupted every boy
in the village.
Tom SAID 10 himself that it was
not such hollow world after all
He had discovered q great law OF
human action without knowing il
namely, that, IN order to make !
man or boy covet thing 1t is only
neSCoSSAy ~ uuAS luo lllIDk uiulCut
to attain. II he had been 8 grea
and wise philosopher, like the wri
ter of this book, be would now
comprehend that work consists o.
whatever q body is obliged to do
And this would help him to under
stand why constructing artificia
flowers, or performing on q tread
mill, is work, while rolling nine
pins or climbing Mont Blanc is onl,
amusement. There are wealthy
gentlemen in England who driyl
four-horse passenger coaches on
daily line in GUNNER, because tb
privilege costs them coBsiderabl
money, but if they were offere.
wages for the service, that w0ul,
turn it into work, and then the
would resign.
a CAT IN A PRINTING PRKss.-j
little gray cat attached to the pres