The Lake County star., 1876-07-13
Tom Sawyer's Punishment.
MARX Twain.l

guardian, Aunt Polly, is by that sternly
affectionate dame punished, by being
set to whitewash the fence in front of tn,
garden. The world seemed hollow
mockery to Tom, who had planned fur
for that day, and who knew that HI
would be the laughing stock of all the
boys as they came past and saw him, sci
to work like "nigger." But great
inspiration burst upon him, and he went
TRANQUILITY to work. What that inspira'
tion was will appear from what follows
One Of the boys, Ben Rogers, comes by
and pauses, eating particularly tne
apple. Tom does not see him. Ben
stared moment, and then said
"Hi-yi! you're up astump, amt you r.
No answer. Tom surveyed his last
touch with the eye of an artist, then he
gave an another gentle sweep, and sur.
veyed the result as before. Ben ranged
up alongside of him. Toms mouth
watered for the apple, but he stuck to
his work. Ben said:
Hello, old chap; you got to work,
hey 2"
"Why, it's you, Ben; I wasn't MOTTO
"Say, Pm going in a-swimming, am.
Don't you wish you could? But, OF
course, you'd druther work, wouldn't
you? Course you wouldP
Tom contemplated the boy a bit, and
said:
"What do you call work ?"
"Why, amt that work?
Tom resumed his whitewashing, and
answered carelessly:
"Well, maybe 1t is, and maybe it
amt. All I know is, it suits Tom Saw
yer"
ooh, come now, you don't mean to let
on that you like it?'
The brush continued to move.
Like it? Well, / don't see why l
oughtn't to like it. Does boy get a
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
stepped back to note the efiect-added
a touch here and there-criticised 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 little"
Tom considered was about to consent,
but he altered his mind: "NO, no;
reckon it wouldn't hardly do, Ben. You
see, Aunt POlly's awful particular about
this fence-right here on the street, you
know-but if it was the back fence
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 in the way
it's got to be DONE"
"No-is that so? Oh, come now
you, if you was me, TOm."
"Ben, I'd like to, honest iniun; but
Aunt POl.v-well, Jim wanted to do it,
but she wouldn't let him. Sid wanted
to do it, but she wouldn'tlet Sid. Now,
don't you see how l am 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, I'll give you the
core of my APPLE"
"Well, here. No, Benz now don't !;
Pm afeared-"
cpl give you all of it"
Tom gave up the brush with reluct-
ance in his face, but alacrity in his heart.
And while Ben worked and sweated in
the sun, the retired artist sat on barrel
in the shade close by, dangling his legs,
munched his apple, and planned the
slaughter of more innocents. There was
no lack of material; boys happened
along every little while; they came along
to jeer, but remained to whitewash. BY
the time Ben was tagged out, Tom had
traded the next chance to Billy Fisher
for kite in good repair; and when he
played out, All. Kleine bought in for a
dead rat and string to swing it with
and 80 on, and 80 on, hour after hour.
And when the middle of the afternoon
came, from being poor poverty.stricken
boy in the morning, Tom was literally
rolling in wealth. He had, besides the
things have mentioned, twelve marbles,
part of jew's-harp, q piece of blue
bottle glass to look through, a spool
cannon, key that wouldn't unlock any.
thirfg, fragment of chalk, glass
stopper of a decanter, tin soldier, a
couple of tadpoles, six fire-crackers, O
kitten with only one eye, brass door
knob, a dog-collar-but no dog-the
handles of a knife, four pieces of orange
peel, and dilapidated old window-sash
He had had nice, good, idle time all the
while-plenty of company and tht
fence had three coats of whitewash on it
If he hadn't run out of whitewash, III
would have bankrupted every boy in th'
village.
Tom said to himself that it was no
such hollow world after all. He baC
discovered great law of human actor
without knowing it, namely, that, II
order to make man or boy covet :
thing, it is only necessary to make th'
thing difficult to attain. If he had beer
a great and wise philosopher, like th'
writer OF this book, he would now hav
comprehended that work consist
of whatever body is oblige'
to do, and play consists of what
ever body is not obliged to do. AM
this would help him to understand VIII
constructing artificial flowers, or pei
forming on the tread-mill, is work
whilst rolling nine.pins or climbin
Mcnt Blanc is only amusement. Their
are wealthy gentlemen in England VIII
drive four-horse passenger coaches twent
or thirty miles on a daily line, in tn
summer, because the privilege costs thel
considerable money; but If they wei
, offered wages for the service, that woul
turn it into work, and then they wOul
, resign.
l The reports of inhuman barbarities
1 Bulgaria lack entire confirmation, bl
8 they are in perfect accord with the wei
( known cruelty of the Turkish charscte
Q The murder of twenty-five thousaI
4 men, women and children and Il
3 destruction of towns and GRO
will not help the new Suits
= very much. The elements for first.cls
insurrection are in active fermentatiC
4 at Constantinople, and the outlook f
! peace is any thing but lovely. Russ
!, shows its discretion by its moderatio
= 1t knows too we'll where the pear VI
!. fall to shake the tree very bard.
I TuE Observation-Disclosures of ThOm