Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-04-04
How Tom Sawyer Won the Bible
BY MARK TWAIN.

Sabbath school hours were from nine
until half past ten; and then church
service. Two of the children always
remained for the sermon voluntarily,
and the other always remained too
for stronger reasons. The church's
high-backed, .uncushioned pews would
seat about three hundred persons; the
edifce was but small, plain affair,
with q sort of pine board tree-box on
the top of it, for a steeple. At the
door Tom dropped back a step and &C
costed a Sunday-dressed comrades:
"Say, Billy, got q yaller Ticket ?"
"Yes." H
What'll you take for herr"
"What'l you give?"
"Piece of lickrish and fish hook"
"Let's see 'em." aeIE
Tom exhibited. They were satisfac-
tory and the property changed hands:
Then Tom traded couple of white
alleys for three red tickets and some
tride or other for q couple of blue
ones. He waylai other boys as they
came, and went on buying tickets of
various colors ten or fifteen minutes
longer. He entered the church now
with swarm of clean and noisy boys
and girls, proceeded to his seat and
started a quarrel with the first boy that
came handy. The teacher, grave,
elderly man, interfered; then turned
his back a moment and Tom pulled
boys hair in the next bench and was
absorbed In his book when the boy
turned around; stuck a pin in another
boy, presently, In order to hear him
say "Ouch" and got new reprimand
from his teacher. Toms whole class
were of g. pattern-restless, noisy and
troublesome. When they came to re-
cite their lessons, not one of them
knew his verses perfectly, but had to
be prompted right along. But they
worried through, and each got his re-
ward in small blue tickets, each with
passage of scripture on it; each blue
ticket was pay for two verses of the
recitation. Ten blue tickets elualled
red one, and could be exchanged for
it; ten red tickets equaled yellow one;
for ten yellow tickets the superintend-
ent gave q very plainly bound Bible,
worth forty cents in those easy times,
to the pupil. How many of my read
ers would have the industry and ap-
plication to memorize 1000 verses, even
for Dore Bible? And yet-Mary had
acquired two Bibles in this way-it was
the patient work Of two years and a
boy OF German parentage had won four
or five. He once recited 5000 verses
without stopping; but the strain upon
his mental faculties was too great, and
he was little better than an idiot from
that day forth---a grievous misfortune
for the school, for on great occasions,
before company, the superintendent
las Tom expressed it, had always made
this boy come out and ''spread him
self" Only the older pupils managed
to keep their tickets and stick to their
tedious work long enough to get 8
Bible, and SO the delivery of one of
these prizes was rare and noteworthy
circumstance; the successful pupil was
so great and CONSPICUOUS for that day
that On the spot every scholars heart
was fired with fresh ambition that often
lasted a couple of weeks. It is possible
that Toms mental stomach had never
yet hungered for one of those prizes,
but unquestionably bis entire being had
for many days longed for the glory and
4sclat that came with it.
In due course the superintendent
stood up In front of the pulpit, with a
closed hymnpook in his hand and his
foretinger inserted between its leaves,
and commanded attention. When a
Sunday scnool superintendent makes
bis customary little speech, q hymn |
book In the hand is as necessary as is
the inevitable sheet Of music in the
hand OF singer who stands forward on
the platform and sings a solo at q con-
cert-though why, is a mystery; for
neither the hymn book nor the sheet
of music is ever referred to bv the suf-
ferer. The superintendent was slim
creature of 80, with sandy goatee and
short sandy hair; he wore stiff stand
ing collar, whose upper edge almost
reached his ears, and whose sharp
points curved forward abreast the cor
nas of his mouths fence that COM