34875628

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Then came the measles. During two long weeks Tom lay a prisoner, dead to the world and its happenings. He was very ill, he was interested in nothing. When he got upon his feet at last and moved feebly down-town, a melancholy change had come over everything and every creature. There had been a "revival," and everybody had "got religion," not only the adults, but even the boys and girls. Tom went about, hoping against hope for the sight of one blessed sinful face, but disappointment crossed him everywhere. He found Joe Harper studying a Testament, and turned sadly away from the depressing spectacle. He sought Ben Rogers, and found him visiting the poor with a basket of tracts. He hunted up Jim Hollis, who called his attention to the precious blessing of his late measles as a warning. Every boy he encountered added another ton to his depression; and when, in desperation, he flew for refuge at last to the bosom of Huckleberry Finn and was received with a Scriptural quotation, his heart broke and he crept home and to bed realizing that he alone of all the town was lost, forever and forever. And that night there came on a terrific storm, with driving rain, awful claps of thunder and blinding sheets of lightning. He covered his head with the bedclothes and waited in a horror of suspense for his doom; for he had not the shadow of a doubt that all this hubbub was about him. He believed he had taxed the forbearance of the powers above to the extremity of endurance and that this was the result. It might have seemed to him a waste of pomp and ammunition to kill a bug with a battery of artillery, but there seemed nothing incongruous about the getting up such an expensive thunderstorm as this to knock the turf from under an insect like himself. By and by the tempest spent itself and died without accomplishing its object. The boy's first impulse was to be grateful, and reform. His second was to wait — for there might not be any more storms. The next day the doctors were back; Tom had relapsed. The three weeks he spent on his back this time seemed an entire age. When he got abroad at last he was hardly grateful that he had been spared, remembering how lonely was his estate, how companionless and forlorn he was. He drifted listlessly down the street and found Jim Hollis acting as judge in a juvenile court that was trying a cat for murder, in the presence of her victim, a bird. He found Joe Harper and Huck Finn up an alley eating a stolen melon. Poor lads! they — like Tom — had suffered a relapse.
Chapter 23 At last the sleepy atmosphere was stirred — and vigorously: the murder trial came on in the court. It became the absorbing topic of village talk immediately. Tom could not get away from it. Every reference to the murder sent a shudder to his heart, for his troubled conscience and fears almost persuaded him that these remarks were put forth in his hearing as "feelers"; he did not see how he could be suspected of knowing anything about the murder, but still he could not be comfortable in the midst of this gossip. It kept him in a cold shiver all the time. He took Huck to a lonely place to have a talk with him. It would be some relief to unseal his tongue for a little while; to divide his burden of distress with another sufferer. Moreover, he wanted to assure himself that Huck had remained discreet. "Huck, have you ever told anybody about — that?" "'Bout what?" "You know what." "Oh — 'course I haven't." "Never a word?" "Never a solitary word, so help me. What makes you ask?" "Well, I was afeard." "Why, Tom Sawyer, we wouldn't be alive two days if that got found out. You know that." Tom felt more comfortable. After a pause: "Huck, they couldn't anybody get you to tell, could they?" "Get me to tell? Why, if I wanted that half-breed devil to drownd me they could get me to tell. They ain't no different way." "Well, that's all right, then. I reckon we're safe as long as we keep mum. But let's swear again, anyway. It's more surer." "I'm agreed." So they swore again with dread solemnities. "What is the talk around, Huck? I've heard a power of it." "Talk? Well, it's just Muff Potter, Muff Potter, Muff Potter all the time. It keeps me in a sweat, constant, so's I want to hide som'ers." "That's just the same way they go on round me. I reckon he's a goner. Don't you feel sorry for him, sometimes?" "Most always — most always. He ain't no account; but then he hain't ever done anything to hurt anybody. Just fishes a little, to get money to get drunk on — and loafs around considerable; but lord, we all do that — leastways most of us — preachers and such like. But he's kind of good — he give me half a fish, once, when there warn't enough for two; and lots of times he's kind of stood by me when I was out of luck." "Well, he's mended kites for me, Huck, and knitted hooks on to my line. I wish we could get him out of there." "My! we couldn't get him out, Tom. And besides, 'twouldn't do any good; they'd ketch him again."
Page 2 and 3:
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Mark T
Page 4 and 5:
Preface Most of the adventures reco
Page 6 and 7:
can't hit him a lick. I ain't doing
Page 8 and 9:
"If you say much, I will." "Much
Page 10 and 11:
Chapter 2 Saturday morning was come
Page 12 and 13:
"Like it? Well, I don't see why I o
Page 14 and 15:
Chapter 3 Tom presented himself bef
Page 16 and 17:
"Hold on, now, what 'er you belting
Page 18 and 19:
Chapter 4 The sun rose upon a tranq
Page 20 and 21:
longer. He entered the church, now,
Page 22 and 23:
And now at this moment, when hope w
Page 24 and 25:
Chapter 5 About half-past ten the c
Page 26 and 27:
smelt at it from a safe distance; w
Page 28 and 29:
cat with one eye to that new girl t
Page 30 and 31:
ain't a-going to do any good. You g
Page 32 and 33:
"Now, sir, go and sit with the girl
Page 34 and 35:
Chapter 7 The harder Tom tried to f
Page 36 and 37:
"Ye — yes." "What was it?" "I sha
Page 38 and 39: Chapter 8 Tom dodged hither and thi
Page 40 and 41: "Hold! Who comes here into Sherwood
Page 42 and 43: "I wisht I knowed. It's awful solem
Page 44 and 45: "What did you do it for?" "I! I nev
Page 46 and 47: "I'm agreed. It's the best thing. W
Page 48 and 49: "Yes, but she ain't dead. And what'
Page 50 and 51: "Who's accused you?" shouted a voic
Page 52 and 53: Chapter 12 One of the reasons why T
Page 54 and 55: Tom looked up in her face with just
Page 56 and 57: About midnight Tom arrived with a b
Page 58 and 59: "Why, Huck, you'd have to. How'd yo
Page 60 and 61: They came back to camp wonderfully
Page 62 and 63: each of these with his "red keel";
Page 64 and 65: Tom, now that he's gone! God'll tak
Page 66 and 67: Chapter 16 After dinner all the gan
Page 68 and 69: made pipes and filled them. These n
Page 70 and 71: happened. Everything in camp was dr
Page 72 and 73: expectant dumbness, and then Aunt P
Page 74 and 75: "Try harder, Tom! The wind did blow
Page 76 and 77: "Oh, that's jolly. Who's going to g
Page 78 and 79: Chapter 19 Tom arrived at home in a
Page 80 and 81: Chapter 20 There was something abou
Page 82 and 83: A denial. Another pause. "Joseph Ha
Page 84 and 85: indestructible "Give me liberty or
Page 86 and 87: house. He knew what the matter was,
Page 90 and 91: "Yes — so they would. But I hate
Page 92 and 93: "Where?" "Behind the elms that's on
Page 94 and 95: Chapter 25 There comes a time in ev
Page 96 and 97: fight all the time. I remember, mig
Page 98 and 99: house a wide berth, and took their
Page 100 and 101: there were so many cases where peop
Page 102 and 103: now we're here!" Joe's knife struck
Page 104 and 105: Chapter 27 The adventure of the day
Page 106 and 107: Chapter 28 That night Tom and Huck
Page 108 and 109: Chapter 29 The first thing Tom hear
Page 110 and 111: then he dropped her out of his mind
Page 112 and 113: Chapter 30 As the earliest suspicio
Page 114 and 115: During breakfast the talk went on,
Page 116 and 117: "You can depend on it. That's the L
Page 118 and 119: "Yes, I reckon we better. P'raps we
Page 120 and 121: "Tom!" "Well, Becky?" "They'll miss
Page 122 and 123: Chapter 32 Tuesday afternoon came,
Page 124 and 125: Chapter 33 Within a few minutes the
Page 126 and 127: "Right now, if you say it. Are you
Page 128 and 129: exclaimed: "My goodness, Huck, look
Page 130 and 131: Chapter 34 Huck said: "Tom, we can
Page 132 and 133: Chapter 35 The reader may rest sati
Page 134 and 135: most countries they're awful high u
Page 136 and 137: Jules Verne 20,000 Leagues Under th
Page 138:
www.feedbooks.com Food for the mind
show all

34875628

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?