Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1876-08-12
TOM SAWYER.

They are not gone forever-they are not afar,
And the gate they entered they left ajaT.
TOW SAWYER.
How He Got HIS Fence Whitewashed.
From Mark Twain's unpublished book, ''The
Adventures Of Tom Sawyer
Tom SAWYER having offended his sole
guardian Aunt Polly, is by that sternly-
affectionate dame punished by being set
TO vhitewash the fence in front OF the
garden. The world seemed hollow
mockery to Tom, who had planned fun
for that day, aud who knew that he would
be the laughing stock of the boys as they
came past and saw him set work like a
'smgger.' But great Inspiration burst
upon him and he went TRANQUILITY to work.
What that inspiration was will appear
from what follows. One of the boys.
Ben Rogers, comes by and pauses, eating
particularly fine apple. Tom does not
see him. Ben started moment and then
said:
s. "Hi-yi! You're up stump. amt
you 20 u.
No answer. Tom surveyed his last
touch with the eye of an artist, then he
gave another gentle sweep, and surveyed
along side of him. Toms mouth watered
for the apple, but he stuck to his work.
Ben said: s.r.. SEES, : r.sa.s
"Hello, old chap; you got to work,
hey?"
'Why, it's you, Ben; wasn't MOTTO
ing"
Say, I'm going i'm a-swimming, ann.
Don't you wish You could? But, of
course, you'd ruther work, wollldnt you?
Course, yOp would"
Tom contemplated the boy a bit, and
said:
"What do you call work ?''s ''s
'sWhy, amt that wOrk?"
Tom resumed his whitewashing, and
answered carelessly:
"Well, maybe it is, and maybe it amt
All 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.
Like it? Well, I don't see why |
oughtn't TO like it. Does boy get
chance to whitewash fence every day ?''
That put the thing in new light. Ben
stopped nibbling his apple. Tom swept
his brush daintily bark and fOrth-step-
ped back to note the effect-added n
touch here and there-criticised the eff
feet again. Ben watching every move and
getting more and more interested, more
and more absorbed. Presently he said
s.Say, Tom, let me whitewash q little"
Tom considered; was about TO consent;
but he altered his mind. mo. no; |
reckon it wouldn't hardly do, Ben. You
see, Aunt Polly's awful particular about
this fence-right here Oh the street, you
know-but if it was the back fence l
wouldn't mind, and she wouldn't. Yes,
she's awful particular about this fence;
it's got to be done very careful; l reckon
there amt one boy in thousand, maybe
two thousand, that can do it i'm the way
it's got to be DONE"
"No-is that so? Oh, come now; femme
Just try, only just little. I'd let you, il
you was me, Tom"
sBen, 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 wouldn't let Sid. Now,
don't you see how L am fixed?e If you
was to tackle this fence, and anything
was to happen to it"
''Oh, shucks; I'll be just as careful.
Now, femme try. Say, I'll give you the
core of my apple"
SWELL, here. No, Ben; now don't;
I'm afeard-" e.
give you all Oh IL :.
Tom gave up the brush with reluctance
in his face, but alacrity in his heart And
while Ben worked and sweated in the
sun, the retired artist sat on a barrel i'm
the shade close by, dangling his legs.
munching his apple and planned the
slaughter of more innocents. There was
no lack Of material; boys happened
along every little while; they came to
jeer, but remaired to whitewash. By
the time Ben was tagged out Tom had
traded his next chance to Billy Fisher for
kite in good repair; and when he play
ed out, Johnny Miller bought in for a
dead rat and string to swing it with
ana so on. and so on, hour after hour.
And when the middle Of the afternoon
came, from being poor, poverty-stricken
BOY III the morning, Tom was literally
rolling in wealth. He had. besides the
things / have mentioned. IL marbles.
part of a jewsharp, 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, tin soldier, couple OF tad
poles, six firecrackers, a kitten with only
one eye, a brass dOOrknOb, a dog collar
but no dog-the handle of a knife, four
pieces of orange peel and dilapidated
old window sash. He had nice, good,
idle time all the while-plenty of COM
pany-and the fence had three coats of
whitewash on it If he hadn't run out
of whitewash he would have bankrupted
every boy in the village.
Tom said to himself that it was not
such a hollow world after all. He had
discovered a great law of human action
without knowing it, namely, that in. Or
der to make man or boy covet a thing
it is only necessary to make the thing diff
ficult to obtain. If he had been great
and wise philosopher, like the writer of
this book, he would now have compre-
hended that work consists of whatever a
body is obliged to do, and that play con-
sists of whatever body is not obliged to
do. And this would help him to under
stand why constructing artificial flowers
or performing on treadmill is work,
whilst rolling nine-pins or climbing
Mount Blanc is only amusement. There
are wealthy gentlemen in England who
drive four horse passenger-coaches 20 or
30 miles on daily line, in the summer,
because the privilege costs them consid-
cradle money; but if they were offered
wages tor the service, that would turn it
into work, and they would resign.
Dom Pedro is reported to have left be-
n,nd him orders for American manufac-
IF Sf, s mostly machinery, to the amount
u over 100000.
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