Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-01-29
M(istellaueuns &eadiug.
WHITEWASHING A FENCE.

brush He surveyed the fence, and all glad
ness left him and a deep melancholy settled
down upon his spirit. Thirty yards of board
fence, nine feet high. Life to him seemed
hollow, and existence but burden: Sigh
ing, he dipped his brush and passed it along
the topmost plank; repeated the operation;
did it again: compared the insignificant
whitewashed streak with the far-reaching-
continent Of unwhiteWashed fence, and sat
down on a tree-boX discouraged.
He began to think of the fun he had plan
ned for this day, and his sorrows multiplied.
Soon the free boys would come tripping
along on all sorts of delicious expeditions,
and they would make Il world of fun Of him
for having to work-the very thought of it
wealth and examined it-bits Of toys, mar
bles and trash; enough to buy an exchange
of work, maybe, but not half enough to buy
so much as half an hour of pure freedom.
So he returned his straitened means to his
pocket and gave up the idea of trying to
buy the boys. At this dark and hopeless
moment an inspiration burst upon him !!
Nothing less than great, magnificent in
spiration.
He took up his brush and went TRANQUILITY
to work Ben Rogers hovein sight present
ly-the very boy, of all boys, whose ridicule
he had been dreading. Ben's gait was the
|
heart was light and his anticipatiOns high.
He was eating an apple, and giving long,
melodious whoOp, at intervals, followed by
deep-toned ding-dong-dong, ding-dong-
dong, for he was personating a steamboat,
AS he drew near, he slackened speed, took
the middle of the street, leaned far over to
starboard and rounded-to pOnderously and
with laborious pomp and circumstance-for
he was personating the Big Missouri and
considered himself to be drawing nine feet
of water. He was boat, and captain, and
engine-bell combined, SO he had to imag-
inc himself standing on his own hurricane
deck giving the orders and executing them:
''Stop her, sir! Ting-a-ling-ling The
headway ran almost out and he drew up
slowly toward the sidewalk.
"Ship up to back! Ting-a-ling-ling
His arms Strengthened and stiffened down
his sides.
'Set 'er back on the stabboard "ring-a-
ling-ling! Chow ch-chow-wOw! Chow"
His right hand, meantime, describing state
ly circles-fOr it was representing forty
foot wheel.
t'Let her 90 back on the nbboard! Ting
left hand began to describe circles.
"Stop the stabbord! Ting-a-ling-ling!
Stop the labboard! Come ahead on the
stabboard! Stop her! Let your outside
turn over slow! Ting-a-ling-ling Chow
ow-ow! Get out that headline. Lively
now! Come-out with your spring line
what're you about there! Take turn
round that stump with the blight of it.!
Stand by that stage, nOw-let her go! Done
Sht! sht! ! sh't!" Crying the gauge-cocks.)
Tom went on withdrawing paid no at
tention to the steamboat. Ben stared mo-
ment and then said
"Hi-yi! you're a stump, amt you"'
No answer. Tom surveyed his last touch
with the eye Of an artist; then he gave his
brush another gentle sweep, and surveyed
the result as before. Ben ranged up along
side of him. Toms mouth watered for the
apple, but he stuck to his work. Ben said !:
"IIello, old chap; you got to work, hey?"
Tom wheeled suddenly and said:
"Why, it's you, Ben; I warn't noticing"
Dont't you wish you could? But, of course,
you'd druther w0rk, wouln't you? Course
you would!"
Tom contemplated the boy a bit, and said:
"What do you call work ?"
"Why, amt that work"
Tom resumed his whitewashing, and an
swered careessly:
"Well, maybe it is, and may be it ain't.
All know is, it suits Tom Sawyer"
"Oh, come now, you don't mean to let on
that you like it ?"
"Like it: Well, l don'ts see why oughtn't
to likeit. Does a boy get Il chance to white
wash fence every day."
That put the thing in a new light. Ben
stopped nibbling his apple. Tom swept his
brush daintily back and fOrth-stepped back
to note the etfect-added touch here and
there-criticised the effect again and 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. "No, no; reck-
on it wouldn't hardly do, Ben. You see,
Aunt POlly's awful particular 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 its got to be
done very careful; / reckon there amt one
boy in thousnd, mabe two thousand, 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. I'd let yo", if
you was me, Tom"
"Ben, I'd like to, honest Injin; but Aunt
Polly-well, Jim wanted to do it, but she
wouldn't let him. Sid wanted to do, it but
she worldn't let Sid. Now, don't you see
how am fixed? If you was to tack kle this
fence and anything was to happen to it"
"Oh, shucks! I'll be just as careful.
Now lemme try. Say-PII give you the
core of my apple''
"Well, here. No, Ben; now don't; Pm
afeard-"
"pll give you all of it!'
Tom gave up the brush with reluctance
in his face, but alacrity in his heart. And
the retired artist sat on barrel in the shade
close by, danged his legs, munched his ap-
pie, and planned the slaughter of more in
nocents. There was no lack of material
boys happened along every little while; they
came to jeer, but remained to WhiteWash.
BY the time Ben was tagged out, Tom had
traded the next chance to Billy Fisher for a
kite in good repair; and when hc played out,
Johnny Miller bought in for a dead at and
Il 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,
besides the things before mentioned, twelve
marbles, part of a jeW's-harp, a piece of
blue bottle-glass to look through, a spool
cannon, a key that wouldn't unlock any
thing, Il fragment Of chalk, a glass stopper
ofa decanter, tin soldier, a couple of tad
poles, six tire-crackers, a kitten with only
one eye, a brass doOr-knOb, . dOg-cOllar-
but no dOg-the handle Of a knife, four
pieces Of orange peel, and dilapidated old
windOw-sash.
Tom had had a nice, good, idle time all
the while-plenty of cOmpany-and the
fence had three coats of whitewash on it
Ifhe hadn't run out of whitewash he would
have bankrupted every boy in the village.