The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-08-05
How Tom Sawyer got his Fence
Whitewashed.
FROM MARK TwAIN's UNPUBLISHED BOOK
"THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER"

W iOihf WhO udu Ilhuntu tHC lun
for that day, and he would be the laugh.
ing stock of all the boys as they camo
past and saw him set at work like a
"nigger," But great inspiration burst
upon him aud 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 Il
particularly fine apple. Tom does not
see him Ben stared moment and then
said
"Hi.yi You're stump. amt you ~
No answer. Tom surveyed his last touch
With an eye of an artist, and then he gave
another gentle sweep, and surveyed tho
result as before. Ben was 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, hey2"
"Why, it's you Ben | wasn't motto.
ing"
Say. I'm going in swimming, am,
Don't you wish you could? But, of
course, you'd druther work wouldn't your
Course you would :"
Tom contemplated the boy bit and
said
What do you call work ,"
"Why, amt that work p
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.
"Ihke it? We'll, don't zee why |
oughtn't to like it. Does a boy get a
chance to whitewash fence every day ?'
That put the thing in now liz ght.
Ben stopped nibbling his apple. Tom
swept the brush daintily back and forth
stepped back to note the effect added q
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 mo, no
reckon it wouldn't hardly do. Ben You
see, Aunt Polly's awful particular about
this ience-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 | reckon
there isn't one boy in thousand, maybe
two thousand, that can do it the ways It'll
got to be done.'
"No-is that SO? Oh, come now
lemme just try it, only just little I'd
let you. if you was me, Tom"
"Ben, I'd like to, honest injun; bu
Aunt Polly-well, Jim wanted to do it
but she wouldn't let him. Sid wanted t(
do it, but shc wouldn't let Sid. Now
don't you see how am fixed? If yot
was to tackle this fence, aud anythirg wa
to happen to it,
"Oh, shucks I'll be just as careful
Now lemme try. Say-i'll give You th'
core of my apple"
"Well. here. No, Ben; now don'.
IN afeard -
"l'Il give you all of it,"
Tom gave up the brush with reIuctanc
in his face, hut slacrity in his heart. An,
while Ben worked and swea;ed in tn
sun, the retired srtist sat on barrel i
the shade close by dangling his leg.
muuching his apple, and planned tn
slaughter of more innocents. There wa
t no lack of material boys happened alou
every little while; they came to jeer, bu
remained to whi,ewash. BY the tim
Ben was tagged out, Tom had traded tn
next chance to Billy Fisher for kite i
good repair and when he played on
Johnny Miller bought 10 for n dead "a
. and string TO swing it with and so OF
. and on, hour after hour. And when tn
middle Of the afternoon came, from bein
\ poor poverty. stricken boy in the morr
ing, Tom was literally rolling in wealth
4 He had. besides tho things have mer
tened, twelve marbles, part Of a jew
harp, piece Of blue bottle glass to loo
through, q spool cannon, a key thu
/ wouldn't unlock anything, fragment {
: chalk, II glass stopper of dccanter. ii
soldier couple of tadpoles. six tirecracl
q ers. kitten with one eye only. doc
: knob, dog collar-bui no dog-li
/, handle of knife, four pieces of orang
. and dilApidated old windowsaah 4
. had nice, good, idle time all the viii
e plenty o! company-and the fence ha
three coats Of whitewash on it, If
. hadn't run out of whitewash be won
h have bankrupted every boy ia the villag
= Tom said to himself that it was n
- such hollow world after all lie hu
Il discovered great law for huuan acti,
:. without knowing IT, uamr's that, in ord
, to make 4 man or hnl : vet thin
Il it ia only necessary to make it d
~ fcult Ia attain It he had been
=, great and wise philosopher, like Il
- :. writer Of hi. book. he would now hs
= comprehended that work consists of wha
- ever body is obliged to do. And II
. would help him to understand why co
II structing artificial flowers, or performiI
A. A. on a tread mill. is work, whilst rolli
:. ~ nine.pins or climbing Mont Blanc is IN
- amusement. There are wealthy gent
=. ~ men ia England who drive iour-hor
=. passenger coaches twenty or thirty mi
n on daily line in summer. because t
e. privilege costs them considerable none
= but if they were offered wages for th
services, that would turn it into VOL
and then they would resign
The elephant ia a travelling circus
CT san Francisco discovered pocket in
on back part of girls dress, as she v
Dr. leaning against the rope and looking /