Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1888-05-18


Hello, old chap; you've got TO
work, hey?'
why, it's you, Ben; wasn't motto
ing"
Say, I'm going in n swimming, l
am. Don't you wish you could? But
of course you'd ruther work, wouldn't
YOU? Course you would"
Tom contemplated the boy a 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 1t
amt. All know is it suits Tom Saw
yer"
"Oh. come, now, you don't mean TO
let on that you like it?''
The brush continued to move.
Like it Well, | don't see why |
oughtn't to like it. Does boy get
chance to whitewash fence every
day.
That put the thing in new light.
Ben stopped his nibbling at his apple
Tom swept his brush daintily back
and forth-stepped back TO note the
efTect-added touch here and there
criticised the effect again, Bep
watching every move, and more inter
ested. more and more absorbed. Pres
emily he said:
Say. Tom. let me whitewash lit
tie
Tom considered, was about TO con
sent, but altered his mind.
NO, no: | reckon it wouldn't hardly
do. Ben. You see, Aunt Polly's awful
particular about this-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 amt a
boy in a thousand, maybe two thou
sand. 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 try little
I'd let you if you was me, Tom.
Ben, I'd like to, honest lnjun, but
Aunt Polly-welI, Jim wanted to do
if. but she wouldn't let him. Sid
wanted to do it, but she wouldn't let
Sid. Now, don't you see how / am
fixed If you was to tackle this fence
and anything was to happen to it
"Oh, shucks I'll be just as careful.
Now, lemme try. Say, I'll give you
the core of my apple"
well, here. No Ben now, don't;
I'm afraid"
III give you all of it y
Tom gave up the brush with reluc-
tance in his face but alacrity in his
heart. And while Ben worked and
sweated in the sun the retired artist
sat on barrel in the shade close by,
dangled his legs, munched his apple,
and planned the slaughter Of more in
nocents. There was no lack of mate
rial 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 he played out
John Miller bought it for a toy rat
and string TO swing it with; and so
ON. and so on, hour after hour. And
when the middle of the afternoon
came, from being a poor, poverty
stricken boy in the morning, Tom was
literally rolling in wealth. He had,
besides the things / have mentioned,
twelve marbles, part Of jews-harp,
a piece of blue-bottle glass TO look
through, spool canon, key that
wouldn't unlock anything, fragment
of chalk, glass stopper Of decan-
ter. a tin soldier, couple OF tadpoles,
six fire-crackers, kitten with only
one eye, brass door-knob, dog col
lar-but no dog, the handle of knife,
four pieces of orange peel and dilap-
idated old window-sash. He had n
nice. good, idle time all the while
plenty of company-and the fence
had three coats OF whitewash on ii.
If he had not run out of whitewash,
he would have bankrupted every boy
in the village.
Tom said TO himself that it was not
such hollow world after all He had
discovered a great law of human ac-
tion without knowing it-namely, that
in order to make man or a boy covet
thing it is only necessary TO make it
difficult TO attain.