The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1876-09-21
How Tom Sawyer Got His Fence White
washed.

How Tom Sawyer Got His Fence White
washed.
From Mark Twan's adventures Of Tom Sawyer
Tom Sawyer, having offended his
sole guardian, Aunt Polly, is by that
|sterniy -affectionate dame punished by
being set to whitewash the fence in
front of the garden. The world
seemed hollow mockery to Tom, who
had planned fun for that day, and who
knew that he would be the laughing
stock of all the boys as they came
|past and saw him at work like a ''nig.
|ger." 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. Rodgers, comes by and
pauses. eating particularly fine ap-
|ple. Tom does not AGee him. Ben
stared a moment, and then said:
''Hi.0i! Yo're up stump, amt
you 2"
No answer. Tom surveyed his last
touch with the eye of an artist, then
he gave another gentle sweep, and
surveyed 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 y
"Why, it's you, Ben; I wasn't no.
ticing."
''Say, I'm going in a swimming, l
am. Don't you wish you could! But,
of course, you'd druther work,
wouldn't you? Course you would"
Tom contemplated the boy a bit, and
said:
s'What do you cali work?''
"Why, amt that work?''
Tom resumed his whitewashing, and
answered carelessly:
swell, 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, don't see why 1
oughtn't to like it. Does boy get
chance to whitewash a fence every
day?''
That put the thing in new light.
Ben stopped nibbling his apple. Tom
swept his brush daintily back and
forth-stepped back to note the effect
added a touch here and there-criti-
|cised the effect again, Ben watching
|every move, and getting more and
more interested, more and more alb.
|sorbed. Presently he said:
''Say, Tom, let me whitewash q lit
tle."
Tom considered; was about to con-
sent; but he altered his mind. 'sNo,
no; I reckon it wouldn't hardly do,
Ben: You see, Aunt Polly's awful par
ticular 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; reckon there amt one
boy in a thousand, may be two thou
sand, that can do it in the way it's got
to be done.
"No-is that so? Oh come now {;
lemme just try, only just a little. Id
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 wouldn t let 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'n give you
the core of my APPLE"
"Well, here. No, Ben !; now don't :;
I'm afeard''-
I'LL 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 in.
nocents. There was no lack of mate.
rial; boys happened along every little
while; they came to jeer, but stayed
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 ouS, Johnny Mil.
ler bought it for a dead rat 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 poor poverty.
stricken boy in the morning, Tom was
literally rolling in wealth. He had,
beside the things l have mentioned,
twelve marbles, part of jewsharp, a
piece of blue. bottle glass to look
through, spool cannon, a key that
wouldn't unlock anything, fragment
of chalk, glass stopper of decanter,
a tin soldier, couple of tadpoles, six
fire crackers, a kitten with only one
eye. a brass doorknob, a dog collar
but no dog-the handle of knife,
four pieces of orange peel and dilap.
idated 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 it. If he
hadn't run out of whitewash he would
have bankrupted every boy in the viii
lage.
Tom said to himself that it was not
such hollow world after all. He had
discovered great law of human &C.
tion without knowing it, namely, that,
in order to make a man or boy covet a
thing, it is only necessary to make the
thing difficult to attain. If he had
been great and wise philosopher,
like the writer of this book, he would
now have comprehended that work
consists of whatever a body is obliged
to do. And this would help him to
understand why constructing artificial
flowers, or performing on tread.mill,
is: work, whilst rolling nine.pins or
climbing Mount Blanc is only amuse-
ment There ara wealthy 0ant1oman