Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-07-21


you'd druther work, wouldn't you2 Course
you would !"
Tom contemplated the boy bit and
said -
"What do you call work 7"
"Why, amt that work Z"
Tom resumed his withdrawing, and All
swered carelessly -
Well, maybe il is, and maybe IL amt.
All know is IL suits Tom Sawyer"
"Oh, como now, you don't mean TO let on
that you like il 2"
The brush continued to move.
"Like III Well, l don't see why l
oughtn't to like it. Does boy get chance
to whitewash fence, every day Z"
That put the thing in new light. Ben
stopped nibbling his apple. Tom swept his
brush daintiy back and forth stepped back
to note the effect added 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 changed his mind.
mo, no. reckon it wouldn't hardly do,
Ben. You see, Aunt Polly's awful particu-
lar 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 carefully. reckon there
aint one boy in a thousand, maybe two
thousand, that can do it 10 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, 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 she
wouldn't let Sid. Now, don't you see how
| am fixed 2 If you were to tackle this
fence, and anything should happen to it,
"Oh, shucks III be just as careful. Now
lemme try. Say-I'll give you the core Of
my apple"
"Woll, here. No, Ben now don't! I'm
afeared"-
"I'll give you all Of it"
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 re.
tired artist sat on barrel in the shade close
by, dangling his legs, munching his apple
and planned the slaughter Of more innocents.
There was no lack of material boys hap.
pened along every little while; they came tc
jeer, but remained to whitewash. BY the
time Ben tagged out, Tom had traded the
chance to Billy Fisher for kite in good re
pair; and when he played out johnny Miller
bought it for dead rat and string to swing
it with; and SO on, and so on, hour aftei
hour. And when the middle of the after
noon came, from being poverty stricken boz
in the morning, Tom was literally rolling il
wealth. He had, besides the things l hav,
mentioned, twelve marbles, part OF a jews
harp, o piece of blue bottle.glass to looI
through, spool cannon, key that wouldn'
unlock anything, a fragment OF chalk, I
gass-stopper of decanter, tin soldier,
couple of tadpoles, six fre-crackers, kitte
with only one eye, brass door-knob, dog
collar--but no dog-the handle of knife
four pieces of oraDge-peel, and dilapidate
old window-sash. He had nice, good, idl
time all the while-plenty of company-anC
the fence had three coats OF whitewash on it
! If he hadn't run out of whitewash, he woul
have bankrupted every boy in the village
9 Tom said to himself that it was not such
hollow world after ALL He had discovere,
: a great law of human action without KNOWN
] it, namely, that, in order to make man O
boy covet thing, it is only necessary t
make the thing difficult TO attain. he ha
been great and wise philosopher, like tn
writer Of this book, he would now have CON
pretended that work consists of whatever
/ body is obliged to do, aud that play consist
, of whatever u body is not obliged to dc
And this would help him to understand VIII
constructing artificial flowers or perlormin
on tread.mill is work, while rolling nine
pins or climbing Mont Blanc is only amust
ment. There are wealthy gentlemen in Er
gland who drive four.horse passenger coache
. twenty or thirty miles on daily line in tn
f summer, because the privilege costs ther
. considerable money, but, if thOy were offere
wages for the service, that would turn it int
work, and then they would resgu.-Fro,
q Mark Teams NeiD Book.