The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1876-07-20
NO. 40
"why, amt that work."

''Why, amt that work."
Tom resumed his whitewashIng, and an
swered carelessly: ....t,
We'll, may be it is, aud may be it amt.
All know is 1t suits Tom Sawyer" ID.
''Oh, come now, you don't mean to let on
that you like ii7''
The brush confined to move.
Like i'll Well, don't see why ]
shouldn't hike it, Does boy get chance
to whitewash fence every daS3"
That put the thing in q new hight Ben
slapped nihbling his apple. Tom swept his
brush daintily back and forth; stepped back
to note the effect; added touch here and
there; criticised the effect again. Ben
watched every move, 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 altered his mind. .'.t
mo, no. reckon IL wouldn't hardly
do, Ben. You see, Aunt Polly's awful par
ticular about this fsnce-Fight here on the
street, you know-but if it was the hack
fence, l wouldn't mind, and she wouldn't
Yes, she's awful particular about this fence.
us got to be done very careful, reckon
there amt boy in thousand, maybe two
| thousand, that can do it in the way its got
| to be done" i .'. . '
"No--is that soi Oh, come, now, let me
try just little. I'd let you, IL you was me,
Tom"
''B n, I'd like 10, honest Injun; but Aunt
Polly--well, Jun wanted to do II, but she
wouldn't let him, Sid wanted To do IL, but
she wQuldn'G let Sid. Now don't you see
how am fixeda If you was to tackle. this
fence and anything should happeu to it,
'Oh, shucks; I'll be just as careful. Nov
lemme try. Say--Pll give you the core OF
my apple. ,.a Lara. ta' s.
Well, here. No, Ben; now don't; Tn
afeared"1
''Pil give you all of itl" ''
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 barrel close by,
dangling his legs, munched his apple, and
planned the slaughter of more innOcents
There Vas no lack Of material; boys hap
pCned along every little while; they came
| to jeer, but remained to whitewash. BY the
time Ben was tagged out, Tom had trnded
| the next chance to Billy Fisher for kite in
good repair and when he played out,
Johnny Miller bought in for dead rat and
| a string 10 swing IL with; and so on, and
| SO on, hour alter hour. And when the
4
| poor poyerty-stricken boy IN the morning,
Tom was literally rolling in wealth. He
had, besides the things have mentioned,
twelve marbles, paIt of a jewsharp, apiece
| of blue bottle-glass to look through, a spool
cannon, a key that wouldn't unlock any
thing, fragment of chalk, a glass stopper
OF a decanter, tin snldIer, couple of tad.
poles, six fire crackers, n kitten with only
one eye, a brass dUor knob, a dog collar
but no dog the handle of knife, four
pieces of orange peel and dilapidated old
wlndow-sash. He had had nice, good,
/ idle time all the while plenty of company
land the fence had three coats of white
wash on i'll II he hadn't run out of white.
wash, he would have bankrupted every boy
| in the village, -'-' q.
Tom said to himself that it was not such
hol " world after all. He had discovered
a great law Of human action without know
iug it, namely, that, IN order 10 make q
man or boy covet thing, it is only neces-
sary to make that thing dlfficult tp obtain.
II he had be"n great and wise philosopher,
like the writer uf the bo, k, he would have
4 eomprehended that work consists of what
ever a, boy is obliged to do. And this
would help him 10 understand why eonstruc-
ting artificial flowers or performing ON a
tread mill is work. while rolling nine pins
or climb ng Mont Blanc Is only amusement.
There are wealthy gentlemen in England
who, drive four-horse passenger-coaches
twenty or thirty miles on daily liue in the
summer, because the privilege costs them
considerable money, but if they were offered
wages for their services, that would turn ii
into work and they wonld resign. ,.4o.iH