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ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
New translation from English
KORNEY CHUKOVSKY
Drawings
G. FITINGOFA
Registration
S.POZHARSKY
Chapter first
TOM PLAYS, FIGHTS, HIDES
No answer.
No answer.
Where did he disappear to, this boy? .. Tom!
No answer.
The old woman lowered her glasses to the tip of her nose and looked around the room over her glasses; then she pulled her glasses up to her forehead and looked out from under them: she rarely looked through her glasses if she had to look for such a trifle as a boy, because they were her smart glasses, the pride of her heart: she wore them only "for importance"; in fact, she didn't need them at all; she might as well look through the oven doors. For the first minute she seemed at a loss and said, not very angrily, but still loud enough for the furniture to hear her:
Well, just get caught! I you...
Without saying her thought, the old woman bent down and began to poke under the bed with a brush, each time stopping because she was out of breath. From under the bed, she didn't get anything but the cat.
I have never seen such a boy in my life!
She went to the open door and, standing on the threshold, vigilantly peered into her garden - overgrown with weed tomatoes. Tom was not there either. Then she raised her voice so that it could be heard further, and shouted:
There was a slight rustle behind. She looked back and at the same moment grabbed the boy who was about to slip away by the edge of the jacket.
Well, of course! And how could I forget about the closet! What did you do there?
Nothing! Look at your hands. And look at your mouth. What did you stain your lips with?
I don't know, aunt!
And I know. It's jam, that's what it is. Forty times I told you: don't you dare touch the jam, otherwise I'll skin you! Give me this rod.
The rod shot up in the air - the danger was imminent.
Ay! Aunt! What is that behind you!
The old woman turned in fright on her heels and hurried to pick up her skirts in order to save herself from a formidable disaster, and the boy immediately started to run, climbed a high wooden fence - and there he was!
Aunt Polly was dumbfounded for a moment, and then began to laugh good-naturedly.
Well, boy! It would seem that it is time for me to get used to his tricks. Or did he throw out all sorts of things with me a little? Could have been smarter this time. But apparently there is no worse fool than an old fool. No wonder they say that you can't teach an old dog new things. However, my God, my God, this boy and things are all different: every day, then another - can you guess what is on his mind? He seems to know how much he can torment me until I get out of patience. He knows that he has only to confuse me or make me laugh for a minute, and now my hands drop, and I am unable to whip him with a rod. I do not fulfill my duty, what is true is true, God forgive me. “Whoever does without a rod destroys a child,” says the scripture. But I, a sinner, spoil him, and for this we will get it in the next world - both to me and to him. I know that he is a real devil, but what should I do? After all, he is the son of my dead sister, a poor fellow, and I do not have the courage to flog an orphan. Every time I let him evade a beating, my conscience torments me so much that I don’t know how to do it, but I will whip it - my old heart is directly torn to pieces. It is true, it is true in Scripture: the human age is short and full of sorrows. The way it is! Today he did not go to school: he will be idle until the evening, and it is my duty to punish him, and I will fulfill my duty - I will make him work tomorrow. This, of course, is cruel, since tomorrow is a holiday for all the boys, but there's nothing to be done, more than anything in the world he hates to work. I have no right to let him down this time, otherwise I will completely ruin the baby.
Tom really didn't go to school today and had a lot of fun. He barely had time to get back home to help Negro Jim before dinner to cut wood and chop wood for tomorrow, or, more precisely, to tell him about his adventures, while he did three-fourths of all the work. Tom's younger brother, Sid (not a sibling, but a half-brother), by this time had already done everything that he was ordered (collected and carried all the chips), because he was an obedient quiet man: he did not play pranks and did not cause trouble to the elders.
Aunt Polly searches all over the house for her mischievous nephew Tom Sawyer and catches him when the boy tries to sneak past. From Tom's soiled hands and mouth, Aunt Polly determines that his nephew has been in the pantry and encroached on jam supplies. Punishment seems inevitable, but the boy points at something behind his aunt, she turns around, and Tom jumps out into the street.
Aunt Polly cannot be angry with her nephew for long, because he is an orphan, the son of her dead sister. She is only afraid that she is not strict enough with the boy, and that an unworthy person will grow out of him. Reluctantly, Aunt Polly decides to punish Tom.
It is a pity to force the boy to work when all the children have a holiday, but it is the hardest work for him, and I have to fulfill my duty - otherwise I will ruin the child.
On this day, Tom skips school and spends a great day swimming in the Mississippi, on the banks of which stands the boy's hometown, St. Petersburg, Missouri. In an attempt to prevent this, Aunt Polly sewed up the collar of Tom's shirt so that he could not take it off. Tom tried to outsmart his aunt by sewing up the collar again, but his half-brother Sid, disgustingly exemplary, notices the deception - Tom used threads of a different color.
The boy is again threatened with punishment with rods, but he again manages to escape. Until late, he disappears on the street, manages to defeat an unfamiliar, smartly dressed boy in a fair fight. Tom returns home late. Aunt Polly, who is waiting for him, sees the pitiful state of his nephew's clothes, and finally decides to make him work all Saturday.
Chapter II-III
On Saturday morning, Aunt Polly makes Tom whitewash the fence, but the boy manages to turn this boring job into a very profitable undertaking. He pretends that whitewashing the fence is the most interesting thing in the world. Boys I know buy into this trick and start paying Tom for the rare pleasure of a little brush work.
Tom soon becomes the richest boy in town. In addition to glass marbles and other necessary things, he receives a dead rat and a one-eyed kitten.
He discovered a great law that governs human actions, namely: in order for a boy or an adult to want something, only one thing is needed - that it is not easy to achieve.
Amazed Aunt Polly lets Tom go free. The rest of the day the boy plays with his bosom friend Joe Harper. Returning home, Tom sees a girl of marvelous beauty in the garden of one of the houses and instantly falls in love with her.
In the evening, Sid starts stealing lumps of sugar from the sugar bowl and breaks it, but Tom gets caught for it. He completely surrenders to his resentment and is not even happy with his sister Mary, who lives in the country and comes home only for the weekend.
Chapter IV-V
Sunday is coming. Mary washes Tom, makes him wear a tight suit, shoes, and sends him to Sunday school. Arriving at school a little earlier, Tom exchanges tickets from the guys, which can be obtained for two memorized bible verses. A student who has memorized two thousand verses is solemnly presented with a bible.
Tom was not so possessed of spiritual thirst as to strive for this award, but there is no doubt that he longed with all his being for the glory and splendor that came with it.
On this day, distinguished guests are present at the lesson - lawyer Thatcher, accompanied by his brother, a real district judge, and family. In the daughter of a lawyer, Tom recognizes his new love. The boy shows the astonished teacher tickets that give the right to the Bible. The teacher senses a catch, but cannot refuse, and Tom finds himself at the pinnacle of fame.
Chapter VI-VII
On Monday, Tom doesn't feel like going to school so much that he tries to pretend to be terminally ill. Aunt Polly quickly exposes her nephew, pulls out a loose tooth and sends him to school. A hole in a row of teeth makes Tom the object of everyone's envy.
Before class, Tom meets "the young pariah of Huckleberry Finn" the son of a local drunkard. The city mothers hate Huck, and the boys envy him.
He did not have to wash himself or put on everything clean; and he was also a master of swearing. In a word, this ragamuffin had everything that gives life value.
Huck has a dead cat in his hands, with the help of which he is going to reduce the wart. To do this, according to local belief, one must come to the cemetery at midnight, find the fresh grave of the criminal, wait until the devils come for his soul, and throw the cat after them, while saying magic words. Tom persuades Huck to take him with him.
The teacher punishes Tom for being late and communicating with Huck - he sits him down with the girls, where the boy meets his love, Becky Thatcher. After school, they are alone in the classroom. Tom confesses his love to Becky, begging her for a kiss and a promise to marry him, but then accidentally blurts out about his previous bride. Becky is offended and rejects his most valuable gift - a copper knob from a tagan.
Chapter VIII
Rejected and immersed in longing, Tom wants to die - not forever, but for a while, so that Becky will regret her act. Then he decides to go to the Indians, but then rejects this idea and chooses a brilliant career as a pirate.
He intends to run away from home and goes to the forest, where he digs up his hiding place. Unfortunately, there is only one glass ball, and Tom was counting on a conspiracy that helps, together with the hidden ball, to find all the lost ones. Tom decides that the witches interfered with him.
Meanwhile, Joe Harper enters the woods. She and Tom act out a scene from "Robin Hood" and part quite pleased with each other.
Chapter IX-X
At night, Tom and Huck Finn go to the cemetery, not forgetting to grab a dead cat. They decide that devils will certainly come for the recently deceased old man, and hide at his grave. Instead of devils, Dr. Robinson comes to the grave, accompanied by a local drunkard, Mef Potter, and a half-breed, Indian Joe. By order of Dr. Joe and Potter, they dig up a coffin, remove a corpse from it and tightly tie it to a wheelbarrow.
Potter begins to demand additional payment from the doctor. The Indian has a blood feud on his mind - once a doctor kicked him out of his house. A fight breaks out. The Doctor stuns Potter with a board, and Joe gets close to Robinson and plunges a Meth knife into his chest.
The frightened boys run away. Meanwhile, the Indian inspires the awakened Potter that he killed the doctor.
Tom and Huck sign a terrible oath - now they will not tell anyone about what they saw, because if they open their mouths, Injun Joe will kill them.
Chapter XI-XIII
By noon, news of the terrible crime is spreading throughout the town. Muff Potter is arrested, and Injun Joe unexpectedly turns up as a witness.
For a whole week, Tom cannot sleep peacefully because of fear and pangs of conscience. All this time, he visits Potter, locked in a brick booth in a swamp, and brings him food.
Meanwhile, Becky stops going to school, and life loses all charm for Tom. Aunt Polly decides that her nephew is sick and tries to treat him with a variety of patented remedies, which she truly believes in.
Having measured its capacity, as if it were a jug, and not a boy, every day she poured it to capacity with some kind of charlatan swill.
Tom comes to his senses when his aunt starts giving him the latest painkiller that tastes like liquid fire. She discovers that her nephew is completely healthy when he treats her aunt's cat with fire medicine.
Returning to school, Tom meets Bequia, but the girl turns her nose up and proudly turns away from him. This finally strengthens the boy in his decision to become a pirate. He makes a gang of Joe Harper and Huck Finn. At midnight, having taken provisions, friends on a raft are transported to Jackson Island, which is located three miles below St. Petersburg.
Chapter XIV-XVII
The new-born pirates spend the first day of freedom having fun - swimming and exploring the island. After dinner, they see a steamboat sailing down the Mississippi. A cannon is firing on board - this is looking for a drowned man who should emerge from a loud sound above the water. Tom is the first to guess that they are looking for them.
For a moment, they felt like heroes. This was a real triumph: they are looking for them, they mourn for them, because of them they are killed, they shed tears, they bitterly repent that they found fault with the poor, dead boys.
Only at night does it occur to Tom and Joe that their family is not at all happy. Joe wants to come back, but Tom makes fun of him and quells the riot.
After waiting until the friends are sound asleep, Tom leaves the island and makes his way to the town. The boy sneaks into Aunt Polly's room where Sid, Mary and Joe Harper's mother are sitting and hides under the bed. Listening to the crying of unfortunate women, Tom begins to feel sorry for them and wants to show up, but then he has a new plan.
At first, Tom does not tell his friends about his idea, but seeing that Joe is completely discouraged and homesick, he reveals his plan to the pirates. From a conversation in Aunt Polly's room, Tom learned that they were having a memorial service on Sunday. He invites his friends to come to the church right in the middle of the service, and they enthusiastically agree.
On Sunday, friends put the plan into action. The "resurrected" mischievous people are so happy that they don't even try to punish them.
Chapter XVIII-XX
Tom becomes a hero, decides that he can live just fine without Becky Thatcher, and turns his attention to his former love. By the time he starts to regret it, but time is lost - Becky is already entertained by Alfred Temple, the same dandy whom Tom once beat up.
Unable to bear the pangs of jealousy, Tom runs away from the lessons. Becky no longer has anyone to tease, and Alfred bores her to death. The unfortunate man realizes that he turned out to be just a tool, and takes revenge - he fills Tom's textbook with ink. Becky sees everything through the window, but decides to remain silent - let Tom be punished for ruining the book.
Tom's teacher constantly reads a certain book that all the students dream of looking into. They can't do it - the book is always locked in the teacher's desk drawer. The next day, Tom finds Becky near an open box with a mysterious book in her hands. Becky gets scared and accidentally tears the page in half.
In class, Tom is punished for ruining his textbook with ink - Becky never told the truth. Then the teacher takes out the book, sees the torn page and begins the inquiry. Tom realizes that Becky is in danger of being punished and takes the blame.
Tom stood a moment, gathering his courage, and when he stepped forward to accept the punishment, the admiration and gratitude that shone in Becky's eyes rewarded him a hundredfold.
Falling asleep in the evening, the boy remembers Becky's words: "Oh, Tom, how noble you are!"
Chapter XXI-XXIV
The long-awaited holidays are coming. They start out boring - nothing is happening in town, Becky is away on vacation, and Tom is bored. The mystery of the murder weighs on the boy and torments him. Tom soon comes down with measles and spends two weeks in bed.
After recovering, Tom discovers that a "religious renewal" has begun in the city. Not finding a single sinner among his friends, Tom decides that "he alone in the whole city is doomed to eternal death," and he begins to relapse, which puts the boy to bed for another three weeks. By his recovery, the "religious renewal" in the city ends and the time of the trial of Math Potter is coming.
Tom cannot stand the pangs of conscience and tells the truth to Potter's defender. The boy is a witness in court. During his story, Injun Joe jumps out the window and hides.
Meth is acquitted, and Tom becomes a hero again.
Tom spends his days in joy and fun, but at night he languishes with fear. Injun Joe fills all his dreams and always looks at him darkly and menacingly. Both Tom and Huck are afraid of Joe's revenge and understand that they will breathe easy only when they see the corpse of a half-breed.
Chapter XXV-XXVIII
Tom is attacked by a passionate desire to find the treasure. According to legend, the treasure can be found "in a rotten chest under a dried tree - where the shadow from a knot falls at midnight", or "under the floor in old houses, where it is unclean." Tom captivates Huck Finn with his idea. Breaking the whole ground under a withered tree, the friends switch to a local "haunted house".
They entered quietly, with a rapidly beating heart, speaking in whispers, catching the slightest sound with an alert ear and straining every muscle - in case they suddenly need to retreat.
Having settled in, the boys leave the shovels in the corner and climb the rotten stairs to the second floor. Suddenly voices are heard. Through a crack in the floor, Tom and Huck see a disguised Injun Joe enter the house with his accomplice. They are going to hide the stolen money in an abandoned house and accidentally dig up a treasure - a chest of gold. The accomplice offers Joe to take all the money and leave the state, but the half-breed plans revenge and decides to stay.
Joe is alarmed by shovels stained with fresh earth, and he takes all the gold with him to hide it "in number two - under the cross." Finally, the half-breed wants to check the second floor, but the stairs collapse under his weight, which saves the boys' lives.
Tom believes that Joe is going to take revenge on him. Despite this, she and Huck begin to follow the half-breed to find out where he hides the gold. Tom decides that "number two" is a room in a tavern, and Huck is on duty every night. Friends plan to steal the chest when Joe is away somewhere.
Chapter XXIX-XXXIII
Becky is back in town. The Thatchers are having a country picnic for all the children of St. Petersburg. After having fun and having a delicious lunch, the children decide to explore MacDougal's Cave, an endless "maze of winding, criss-crossing corridors." A noisy company until late inspects the explored part of the cave. The children then board the steamboat and return to the city. Tom and Becky have taken time off to spend the night with friends, so their disappearance is discovered only in the morning. It soon becomes clear that the children are lost in the cave.
Meanwhile, Huck follows the mestizo and discovers that Joe is going to take revenge on the widow Douglas - the richest and most generous woman in town, who once ordered an Indian to be whipped. Huck decides to save the widow and calls for help from a nearby farmer with two burly sons. The widow is rescued, but Injun Joe slips away again. Gold is not found in the lair of the mestizo either. Fear sets Huck into a fever. He is cared for by the widow Douglas.
All the next day, the men of the city ransack the cave.
Thus passed three days and three nights full of fear; dreary hours dragged on for hours, and at last the whole town fell into hopeless despair.
Tom and Becky, meanwhile, wander around the cave for a long time. At first, Tom is invigorated, but then both he and Becky realize that they are completely lost. Tom tries to console and support his girlfriend, but she is getting weaker and weaker from hunger. The children run out of candles, they are left in complete darkness on the shore of an underground source. Tom begins to explore the nearest corridors and in one of them stumbles upon Injun Joe, who takes off running.
In a nearby corridor, Tom finds a way out of the cave - a small hole on a cliff near the river. Children are solemnly brought home. Two weeks later, Tom learns that Judge Thatcher ordered to block the entrance to the cave with a door sheathed with sheet iron. Only now Tom remembers that Injun Joe was left in the cave.
Metis is found dead near the door, which he tried to cut through with a knife. In the same place, near the entrance to the cave, he is buried.
Tom guesses that "number three under the cross" is not in the hotel, but in a cave. In the passage where the boy saw the mestizo, the friends find a cross painted with soot on a stone. Under the stone, a narrow hole is found leading to a small chamber, and in it is a chest with money.
Friends pour gold into bags and take it out of the cave. On the way, a farmer intercepts them and informs them that friends are invited to a party at the widow Douglas.
Chapter XXXIV-XXXV
The widow Douglas already knows that Huck saved her and throws a party in his honor.
The widow ... said so many kind words to Huck and praised and thanked him so much that he forgot to think about the unbearable torment from the new suit.
The widow wants to take Huck in to raise money and help him start his own business. Here Tom declares that Huck is already rich, and brings bags of gold.
There are more than twelve thousand dollars in the bags. They are divided equally and put in a bank in the name of Tom and Huck, who become the richest boys in the city. Huck settles with the widow Douglas and suffers terrible torment - he has to walk in boots, sleep on clean sheets and use cutlery.
Wherever you turn - everywhere the bars and shackles of civilization deprived him of his freedom and fettered him hand and foot.
Unable to bear such a hellish life, Huck escapes. Tom finds him in his favorite home - an old barrel - and persuades him to return to the widow, promising to accept a friend in Tom Sawyer's band of robbers.
Year: 1876 Genre: story
Main characters: boy Thomas, his friend Huck, aunt Polly, Mary and Sid are Tom's half-brother and sister, Becky's classmate.
This is a novel about children, about their characters and customs. At school age, children come up with entertainment for themselves. The main character is a mischievous and inventor, and is always looking for adventure on his own head. He is restless and disobedient, which endlessly upsets his aunt. But most importantly, in spite of everything, a harsh woman loves her nephew very much.
the main idea Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is that children can be angry if they are punished endlessly, and that childhood should be happy despite poverty.
Read Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer summary chapter by chapter
Chapter 1
An angry lady of advanced years is looking everywhere for her nephew. She gets angry and spins around, and in the end her keen eyes in dress glasses find him in the closet. She found the boy covered in jam and ready to punch him hard. But the nimble boy, by cunning, escaped from the tenacious hands of Aunt Poly and evaporated. In surprise, the old woman laughed out loud: Tom tricked her this time too, and she could no longer be angry with him.
Chapter 2
On the day off, the aunt put a bucket of lime in front of the boy and put a brush on a long handle. Tom had to paint the fence. But the resourceful nephew did not consider such an occupation worthy of him, and began to feverishly think about how to cheat. And suddenly an interesting thought flashed through his brilliant head. He took the brush and enthusiastically set to work. The neighbor boy Ben began to tease him, but Tom convinced him that whitewashing the fences is a job that not everyone will be trusted with. As a result, Ben began to literally beg Tom to give him a brush in exchange for an apple. Tom reluctantly agreed, hiding a sly smile. Ben was replaced by other boys, and by dinner time Tom was already a rich man. He was happy, and the fence was painted.
Chapter 3
In anticipation of victory, Tom went home, where his aunt listened with disbelief to his statement that the fence had already been whitewashed, and even several times. After making sure that Tom was not lying, she became emotional and gave him an apple. Tom simultaneously pulled off another gingerbread and ran out into the street, throwing several clods of dirt at the obedient boy Sid.
Then he went to the city square, where the games of local boys took place. After some time, Tom went home and met a blue-eyed girl along the way, and she immediately captivated his heart. Tom stared at the little girl for a long time, and when she left, she threw him a daisy flower. Tom beamed with happiness. When he got home, he didn't even get angry at Aunt Paulie's remarks.
Chapter 4
When Tom went to Sunday school, they got him a smart suit, different shoes and a colorful straw hat. In Sunday school, many psalms had to be memorized, and as an encouragement, the children were given tickets of different colors. Who had 10! Yellow tickets, he was given a real bible.
Tom terribly did not like to memorize entire texts, did not know how to sit still and had fun as best he could. For some trinkets, he bartered different tickets from the guys. When they began to reward students, no one could present the required number of tickets. Then Tom got up and showed a whole fan of these tickets, which made everyone's eyes pop out on their foreheads, but the boy was still handed the bible.
Chapter 5
During the morning sermon in the church, Tom turned his head and tried to catch a fly. When he managed to hold it in his hand, the aunt ordered the boy not to be naughty, and the fly had to be released. Without thinking twice, Tom began to have fun with the beetle that was sitting in his pocket. At some point, the bug bit Tom's finger, and was immediately thrown to the floor. Suddenly a bored poodle came into the church, he noticed a bug, lay down on his belly and tried to catch it. People who were nearby were silently dying with laughter, hiding behind a fan. The poodle hunted for a beetle for a long time, and accidentally stepped on it. Apparently the beetle bit the dog, as she, screeching, darted along the rows. The sermon was almost ruined, everyone had fun. Tom was pleased.
Chapter 6
On Monday Tom felt miserable because he had to go to school again. The thought flashed through the boy that it would be great to get sick, and he began to invent the disease. Deciding to pretend that his toe hurt terribly, Tom groaned. When his aunt came running, he said that he had gangrene. Aunt Polly laughed in relief when she figured out her nephew's trick and sent him off to school.
On the way to school, Tom met a poor boy, Hucklebury Fin, and after talking, he was late for school. The teacher flogged him with rods, and Tom, relieved, sat down at the desk in an empty seat. His neighbor on the desk turned out to be the same stranger who captivated his heart. Tom put a peach on the desk in front of her, but the girl turned away. Tom began to persuade her and yet he managed to get her attention. The girl liked how Tom draws and asked him to teach her how to draw.
After a lively conversation, Tom wrote something on paper. When the girl managed to take the paper from the hands of the displaced Tom, she read: "I love you."
Chapter 7
At school, Tom tried to read the textbook, but he was bored. He took the tick out of the box and started chasing the tick across the desk. The teacher noticed this and beat him. At recess, Tom met Becky in the street. The boy kissed her on the cheek and said that now she should be only with him. Tom casually mentioned the name of another girl he used to like, which caused Becky's resentment. She burst into tears and began to pull away from him. Tom comforted me as best he could. In the end, he lowered his head low and quietly walked away.
Chapter 8
Tom decided to become a pirate. He imagined how his name would thunder to the whole world. He will fly across the seas with a pirate flag on the ship. He called himself the Black Avenger of the Spanish Seas. Thinking about life, he suddenly came across another boy who called himself Robin Hood. Immediately, two tomboys clung to each other, and after a while they went home.
Chapter 9
Tom and his friend Huckelbury agreed to meet at the cemetery at night, and Tom almost overslept. In the cemetery, the boys hid and waited for the dead to come. Suddenly they heard the voices of people. They were carrying a body on a stretcher. After that, they dug someone's grave and put a corpse in the coffin, unceremoniously throwing out the former owner of the coffin. The boys were sitting neither alive nor dead. When the opportunity presented itself, they took to their heels.
Chapter 10
Huck and Tom did their best to keep the incident at the cemetery a secret. When Tom slowly entered the bedroom, he immediately went to bed. In the morning no one woke him up, which was strange, and Aunt Polly cried and said that now he could continue to embarrass her. When Tom came to school, another portion of the rod was waiting for him for skipping school the day before.
Chapter 11
In the morning a corpse was found in the cemetery and it became known to the whole district. Everyone rushed to the crime scene. After all these events, Tom started talking in his sleep. Pretending that he had a toothache, Tom began to tie up his teeth at night so as not to let it slip in his sleep. What he didn't know was that Sid was slowly loosening his bandage so he could hear what Tom muttered at night.
Chapter 12
Aunt Polly began to notice a certain apathy in her nephew. She didn't know that Tom was worried that Becky was sick. The boy was worried that the girl might die. Auntie tried all the folk remedies she knew, but nothing helped. She heard about a new drug, which she decided to try on her nephew. It was a success. Something exploded inside Tom. Later, he shared the cure with the cat, who began to fly around the house at breakneck speed.
Chapter 13
The guys decided to sail down the river on a raft. Here gathered all the offended boys against their relatives. Each of them carried some kind of provision. The raft smoothly reached the middle of the river, and when the boys turned around. They saw that their city was far away. They sailed farther and farther and landed on some shore.
Chapter 14
Waking up in the morning, Tom contemplated nature for a long time. A caterpillar caught his attention, then he watched the ants and the ladybug at work. He pushed the rest of the pirates, and they began to run, jump, catch up with each other. At night, their raft was carried away by the current, and the guys imagined themselves to be real pirates on a deserted island.
Chapter 15
Tom left the forest and went secretly to visit his home. There he learned that the relatives rushed to look for the fugitives, but when they saw some capsized boat, they decided that the boys had drowned. Tom learned about this from the story of his aunt when he stood under the windows of the house. He saw Aunt Polly, who did not even try to hold back her tears and told how she loved him.
Chapter 16
Gradually, the boys increasingly began to visit the idea that they should return. Tom did not tell the boys that they were considered dead, and suggested that the boys look for the treasure. But the guys insisted that we should return. That night, they were caught in a downpour. They hid under a sprawling oak, but this did little to save them.
Chapter 17
Tom invited the boys to return home somehow unexpectedly. He had to tell his friends that they were considered drowned. The plan was that when they were buried, they would appear alive and unharmed. The guys liked the plan, and they began to collect their belongings. They plucked up courage and stood before their relatives, who almost strangled the travelers in their arms.
Chapter 18
Tom became the hero of the day and walked importantly with his tail up. He thought that he had enough fame, he could live without Becky. He went back to school, and the first thing he did was take the opportunity to offend Becky and now he walked around the school. He began to pay attention to Emmy, which brought tears to Becky.
Chapter 19
Tom was in for an unpleasant surprise: his aunt found out that he came to her when he was a pirate. Tom began to make excuses that, they say, he was bored and when he left, he even kissed his aunt. She was very happy, and even shed a tear. She was so pleased, although she understood that this could be a lie. Tom himself became joyful from the feelings that overwhelmed him, and he ran off for a walk.
Chapter 20
At school, Tom approached Becky and apologized to her for his recent behavior. But Becky was offended and was not going to forgive the boy. At recess, he accidentally bumped into the same Becky, who was furtively examining an anatomy textbook lying on the teacher's table. The girl did not expect to see Tom, and in surprise, she slammed the book shut, accidentally tearing the page.
When the teacher entered the classroom and found that someone had torn up the textbook, he set up an interrogation. After interviewing several boys, he got to the girls. When it was Becky's turn, Tom saw her blush. He immediately blurted out that it was he who tore the book, and was calmly beaten by the teacher. But in the eyes of Becky, full of tears, he read gratitude and love. This made the punishment less painful.
Chapter 21
The holidays were approaching, and the teacher wanted the students to finish the school year well. To do this, he did not forget to use rods, and Tom got enough. Everyone was in awe of the teacher and finally the exam took place.
Chapter 22
Tom joined a teetotal society, and made a promise not to drink, not to smoke, not to swear. From this he understood only one thing: if a person is forbidden something, he will immediately want to do it. Once an orchestra consisting of blacks arrived in the city, and Tom and the guys also began to perform.
Chapter 23
They found the culprit of that terrible story in the cemetery and a trial took place on him. The last words of the defendant Meff Potter were that he was drunk and everything happened by accident. And suddenly he asked to call Tom Sawyer, who told the court how it really was. It turns out that Injun Joe was to blame for everything and Meff Potter was acquitted.
Chapter 24
Tom became famous throughout the region. Everyone just talked about him. Everything was fine, and only one thing upset Tom: he understood that the Indian would pay him off. Days passed, but the killer could not be caught.
Chapter 25
Tom decided to find Injun Joe at all costs. And also it occurred to him to find a real treasure. He took Huck as his assistant, and they began to hatch a plan.
Chapter 26
The boys pretend to be Robin Hoods and continue to look for the treasure. One day they heard footsteps and hid behind a snag. It was Injun Joe.
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
The guys tracked down where the Indian stopped. Once Tom almost stepped on his hand when he was sleeping, dead drunk. Tom started to run out of fear.
Chapter 29
Tom met with Becky and they had a good time. The adults decided to have a picnic for the children. Tom and Becky decided to run away to the widow Douglas to eat delicious ice cream.
Chapter 30
It turned out that Tom and Becky were missing and the whole city rushed to look for them. Three days passed, and the fugitives were not found. The search continued, but the relatives were horrified.
Chapter 31
Tom and Becky wandered into a cave. Having explored its depths, travelers, as expected, got lost. They ran away from the scary bats and lost their way. Tom picked up the rope and crawled somewhere forward, trying to find a way out.
Chapter 32
When all hope was lost, Tom saw a faint ray of light. He came back for Becky and they went free. The relatives, who cried their eyes out, were glad to hug both Becky and Tom. After a while, Tom went to his friend Huck, and then visited Becky. Her father, Judge Thatcher, jokingly suggested that Tom go to the cave again. And suddenly Tom remembered that Injun Joe had appeared to him in the cave.
Chapter 33
Thus, the dead Injun Joe was found in the cave. Huck suggested that Tom look for gold in the cave and the boys set off. After a long search, the friends dug up a chest of gold. The guys poured money into bags and dragged to the exit.
Chapter 34
Tom and Huck were visiting a widow who wanted to adopt Huck. To which Tom said that Huck did not need this, because they found the treasure. When they were not believed, Tom showed some gold coins.
Chapter 35
Judge Thatcher was imbued with respect for Tom and became favorable to him when Becky told how he stood up for her. Father promised to arrange Tom in a military academy.
Picture or drawing The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
In the work of A.P. Chekhov's "Terrible Night" Ivan Petrovich Panikhidin tells the audience a story from his life. He attended a séance at his friend's house
In a sky battle, Alexei's plane crashed, after which the pilot found himself all alone in a dense forest. Alexey understands that he needs to go in the direction of the East where his troops are
Herald and singer of the revolution - Vladimir Mayakovsky is so known to the world. Not just a poet praising the coming of a new life and reflecting its fate, he was also an actor
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Mark Twain
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
© Book Club "Family Leisure Club", edition in Russian, 2012
© Book Club "Family Leisure Club", artwork, 2012
© Book Club Family Leisure Club LLC, Belgorod, 2012
* * *
America's Golden Pen
November 30, 1835 in the United States, in the village of Florida in Missouri, a child was born, who was named Samuel Langhorn Clemens. This year was remembered by the inhabitants of the Earth with a majestic cosmic spectacle - the appearance in the sky of Halley's comet, approaching our planet once every 75 years. Soon the family of Sam Clemens moved to the town of Hannibal in the same Missouri in search of a better life.
The head of the family died when his youngest son was not even twelve years old, leaving nothing but debt, and Sam had to earn a living in a newspaper that his older brother began to publish. The teenager worked tirelessly - first as a typesetter and printer, and soon as the author of funny and caustic notes.
But it was not the glory of the "golden pen" that attracted young Clemens during these years. Growing up on the Mississippi, he, like his heroes later, constantly felt the call of the mighty and full of magical charm of the river. He dreamed of the profession of a pilot on a steamship and a few years later he really became one. Later, he admitted that he considers this time the happiest in his life and, if not for the Civil War between the northern and southern states of the United States, he would have remained a pilot until the end of his days.
Flights along the Mississippi also gave birth to the pseudonym with which Sam Clemens signed all his works - twenty-five hefty volumes. "Mark Twain" in the jargon of American rivermen means the minimum depth at which the ship does not risk running aground - something about three and a half meters. This phrase became his new name, the name of the most famous person in the second half of the 19th century in America - a writer who created real American literature, a satirist, publicist, publisher and traveler.
With the outbreak of hostilities, navigation along the Mississippi ceased and Sam Clemens joined one of the volunteer detachments, but quickly became disillusioned with the senselessly cruel war, where compatriots exterminated each other, and together with his brother went to the west coast in search of work. The journey in a van lasted two weeks, and when the brothers reached Nevada, Sam stayed to work at a mine in the village of Virginia, where they mined silver.
He turned out to be an unimportant miner, and soon he had to get a job at the local newspaper Territorial Enterprises, where he first began to subscribe to Mark Twain. And in 1864, the young journalist moved to San Francisco, where he began writing for several newspapers at once, and soon his first literary success came to him: his story “The Famous Jumping Frog of Calaveras” was recognized as the best work of humorous literature created in America. During these years, as a correspondent, Mark Twain traveled all over California and visited the Hawaiian Islands, and his travel notes enjoyed unheard-of popularity among readers.
But the real glory of Mark Twain was brought by other travels - to Europe and the Middle East. Letters written by him on the way, made up the book "Simples Abroad", which was published in 1869. The writer did not sit still - during these years he managed to visit not only Europe, but also Asia, Africa and even Australia. He also looked into Ukraine - to Odessa, but not for long.
A chance meeting with a childhood friend in 1874 and shared memories of boyish adventures in the town of Hannibal prompted Twain to write about it. The book was given to him immediately. At first he conceived it in the form of a diary, but finally found the right form, and in 1875 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was created. The novel was published a year later and in a matter of months turned Mark Twain from a well-known humorist into a great American writer. Behind him was the glory of the master of a fascinating plot, intrigue, the creator of lively and unique characters.
By this time, the writer with his wife and children settled in the town of Hartford, Connecticut, where he lived for the next twenty years, filled with literary work and family care. Almost immediately after the completion of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain conceived The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but work on the book took a long time - the novel was not published until 1884. Half a century later, William Faulkner wrote: "Mark Twain was the first truly American writer, and we have all been his heirs ever since."
After Huckleberry, Twain created several novels that fascinate readers to this day. Among them are "A Connecticut Yankee in the Court of King Arthur", "Personal Memoirs of Joan of Arc", "Coot Wilson" and others. He published collections of short stories and essays, satirical and journalistic works, which enjoyed constant success with readers. A decade later, he returned to his first masterpiece and created the novels "Tom Sawyer Abroad" and "Tom Sawyer - Detective".
The life of Mark Twain was complex and full of the most unexpected events. He knew successes and failures, was rich and poor, invested his fees in crazy enterprises and projects, and often made mistakes in financial matters. So, in 1896, the manager of the publishing house founded by the writer brought him to collapse and left Twain without a livelihood and with gigantic debts. To get out of this situation, Mark Twain moved his family to Europe, and at the age of 65 he went on a round-the-world lecture tour. The tour lasted more than a year, Twain earned enough to get rid of debts, but at that time his wife, who for many years was his literary editor and invaluable adviser, died.
The end of Mark Twain's life was sad - misfortunes literally haunted him. In addition to the death of his wife, he had to endure the death of one of his daughters and the incurable illness of another. An economic crisis broke out in America, the causes of which Twain considered the greed of the rich and the immorality of the poor. The writer, whose best works are filled with wisdom and light humor, became disillusioned with humanity and no longer believed in progress and democracy, these main American values. Such thoughts are heard in his last works, many of which remained unfinished, and in his Memoirs, published only in 1924.
A year before his death, Mark Twain told a friend that all he had to do was wait for the comet and leave the Earth with it, which had so disappointed him. He died April 21, 1910. Halley's comet appeared in the sky the next day.
Chapter 1
Not a sound.
Silence.
“Amazing, where did this boy go?” Where are you, Tom?
No answer.
Aunt Polly pushed her glasses up to the tip of her nose and looked around the room. Then she raised her glasses to her forehead and looked around the room from under them. Almost never did she look at such nonsense as a boy through her glasses; these were ceremonial glasses, and they were acquired solely for beauty, and not for the sake of utility. Therefore, it was as difficult to see anything through them as through an oven door. She paused for a moment, thinking, and then she said, not very loudly, but so that the furniture in the room could hear her:
- Well, wait, just let me get to you, and I ...
Cutting herself off in mid-sentence, she leaned over and began to fumble under the bed with the broom, catching her breath after each attempt. However, she was unable to extract anything but a frightened cat from there.
“What a punishment, I’ve never seen such a child in my life!”
Going to the wide open door, she stopped on the threshold and looked around the garden - beds of tomatoes, thoroughly overgrown with weeds. Tom was not here either. Then, raising her voice so that she could be heard beyond the fence, Aunt Polly called out:
“So-o-oh, where have you gone?”
There was a faint rustle behind her, and she glanced around in an instant, just enough to catch the boy by the hand before he scurried through the door.
- And there is! I again lost sight of the closet. What did you need there?
- Nothing.
- How is it - nothing? What are your hands? By the way, and physiognomy too. What is it?
“How should I know, aunt?”
“But I know. This jam is what it is! I told you a hundred times: don't you dare touch the jam! Give me the rod here.
The rod whistled menacingly in the air - trouble cannot be avoided.
“Oh, auntie, what is that stirring in the corner there ?!
The old lady turned around quickly, tucking up her skirts to keep herself out of harm's way. The boy instantly jumped over the fence of the garden - and that was it.
At first Aunt Polly was taken aback, but then she laughed:
- Well, a scoundrel! Am I really not going to learn anything? Haven't I seen enough of his tricks? It's time for me to wise up. But it is rightly said that there is no worse fool than an old fool, and you cannot teach an old dog new tricks. But, my God, he comes up with something new every day - how can you guess? And most importantly, he knows where the limit of my patience is, and if he makes me laugh or even for a minute confuse me, then I can’t even spank him properly. Oh, I do not fulfill my duty, even though it is a great sin! It is rightly said in the Bible: whoever spares his offspring destroys him ... And what can you do: Tom is a real devil, but he, poor thing, is the son of my late sister - and who will raise his hand to punish an orphan? To indulge him - conscience does not order, but if you take up the rod - your heart breaks. No wonder the Bible says: the human age is short and full of sorrows. True truth! Here you are: today he is slipping away from school, which means that I will have to punish him tomorrow - let him work hard. It is a pity to force a boy to work when all the children have a holiday, but I know that work for him is twice as bad as a rod, and I must do my duty, otherwise I will completely destroy the child’s soul.
Tom didn't really go to school, so he had a great time. He barely had time to get home to help Negro Jim cut wood and chop wood for kindling before dinner. And if in truth - in order to tell Jim about his adventures, while he manages the work. Meanwhile, Tom's younger brother Sid was picking up and carrying logs for kindling. Sid was an exemplary boy, not like any tomboys and mischief-makers, however, he was not Tom's brother, but half-brother. No wonder they were two completely different characters.
While Tom was eating, poking his paw into the sugar bowl every now and then, Aunt Polly asked him questions that she herself thought were very insidious - she wanted to take Tom at his word. Like many very simple-hearted people, she considered herself a great diplomat, capable of the most sophisticated tricks, and believed that her innocent tricks were the height of insight and cunning.
“What, Tom, wasn’t it too hot at school today?”
- No, aunt.
“Maybe it’s still too hot?”
- Yes, aunt.
"Don't you feel like taking a bath, Thomas?"
Tom's back went cold - he instantly sensed a dirty trick.
Looking incredulously into Aunt Polly's face, he did not see anything special there, and therefore said:
Aunt Polly put out her hand and felt Tom's shirt, and said:
“In fact, you didn’t sweat at all. It gave her pleasure to think that she was able to check if Tom's shirt was dry without anyone guessing why she needed it.
Tom, however, had already sensed which way the wind was blowing, and was ahead of her by two moves:
- At school, the boys poured water from the well on their heads. I still have it wet, here - look!
Aunt Polly was upset: what evidence was lost! But then she took it up again:
“But you didn’t need to open your collar to wrap your head around, did you?” Come on, unzip your jacket!
Grinning, Tom opened his jacket - the collar was firmly sewn up.
- Oh, come on, you scoundrel! Get out of my sight! I confess, and really thought that you ran away from swimming lessons. But you're not as bad as you sometimes think.
Auntie was both upset that her insight had failed her this time, and rejoiced - although it was an accident, Tom behaved decently today.
- It seems to me that in the morning you sewed up his collar with white thread, and now, look - black.
- Well, yes, of course, white! Thomas!
It became dangerous to wait for the continuation of the investigation. Running out the door, Tom shouted:
“I’ll remember it for you, Siddi!”
When he was safe, Tom examined two thick needles pierced into the inside of the lapel of his jacket and wrapped with thread, one white, the other black.
- Damn it! She wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't for this Sid. And what kind of manner is this: now she sews with white thread, then black. At least one thing, you can’t keep track of everything. Oh, and I'll give this Sid the first number!
Even with a very big stretch, Tom could not be called the most exemplary boy in the city, but he knew this most exemplary boy well - and could not stand him.
However, after a couple of minutes, and perhaps faster, he forgot about his misadventures. Not because these misadventures were not as painful and bitter as the misfortunes of adults, but because new, stronger impressions forced them out of his soul - in exactly the same way as adults forget old grief, starting some new one. case. Now such a novelty was a special manner of whistling, which he had just adopted from a black man, and now was the time to practice this art without interference.
This whistle was a bird trill - something like a flooded chirp; and in order to get it right, it was necessary to touch the palate with the tip of the tongue every now and then. The reader probably knows how to do this if he ever was a boy. It took a fair amount of effort and patience, but soon Tom began to succeed, and he walked down the street even faster - bird twitter flew from his lips, and his soul was full of delight. He felt like an astronomer who discovered a new comet - and, if we talk about pure, deep, unadulterated joy, all the advantages were on the side of Tom Sawyer, not the astronomer.
Ahead was a long summer evening. Suddenly Tom stopped whistling and froze. In front of him stood a completely unfamiliar boy a little older than himself. Any visitor, regardless of age or gender, was a great rarity in the seedy town of St. Petersburg. And this boy, in addition, was dressed like a dandy. Just imagine: dressed in a festive way on a weekday! Incredible! He was wearing a brand new hat without a single spot, a smart cloth jacket, buttoned up with all the buttons, and the same new pants. And, good God, he was wearing shoes - it's Friday! He even had a tie made of some kind of colorful ribbon, tied at the collar. The dandy looked haughty, which Tom could not bear. And the longer he looked at this dazzling splendor, the higher he turned up his nose in front of a dandy stranger, and the more miserable his own outfit seemed to him. Both were silent. If one of the boys started to move, the other moved too, but sideways, keeping a distance; they stood face to face, never taking their eyes off each other, and at last Tom said:
- Do you want me to cut it off?
– Just try! brat!
- He said that I'll beat him, and I'll beat him!
- Will not work!
- Come out!
- Will not work!
- Come out!
- Will not work!
A painful pause, after which Tom began again:
- What is your name?
"None of your fucking business!"
- I want - it will be mine!
- Why aren't you fighting?
- Talk more - and you will get the full.
- And I'll talk, and I'll talk - what, weakly?
- Think, peacock! Yes, I'll lay you down with one left!
- Well, why don't you put it in? Everyone knows how to chat.
- What are you dressed up for? Think important! Also got a hat on!
- Take it and knock it down if you don't like it. Just touch and find out! Where are you going to fight?
- Roll to the devil!
- Talk to me again! I'll break your head with a brick!
- And I'll break it!
- You, I see, are a master of chatting. Why don't you fight? Cowardly?
- No, not scared!
And again a formidable silence. Then both began to step sideways towards each other until the shoulder of one rested against the shoulder of the other. Tom said:
"Come on, get your feet out of here!"
- Take it yourself!
Both continued to stand, pressing hard on the opponent and glaring at him with hatred. However, neither one nor the other could overcome. Finally, inflamed by the skirmish, they cautiously stepped back from each other, and Tom said:
“You are a lousy coward and a drooling puppy. I'll tell my older brother to ask you properly!
“I don’t give a damn about your older brother! I also have a brother, even older than yours. He will take it and throw yours over the fence!
Here it should be remembered that both had no older brothers at all. Then Tom drew a line in the dust with his big toe, and, frowning, said:
“You cross this line, and I’ll beat you so hard that you won’t recognize your own!” Try it - you won't be happy!
The dandy quickly stepped over the line and said cockily:
- Well, come on! Just touch! Why don't you fight?
Give me two cents and you'll get it.
Rummaging in his pocket, the dandy took out two copper coins and handed them to Tom with a grin. Tom instantly hit him on the arm, and the coppers flew into the dust. In the next moment, both rolled in a ball on the pavement. They dragged each other by the hair, tore their clothes, treated them with heavy cuffs - and covered themselves with dust and “military glory”. When the dust settled a little, it became clear through the smoke of the battle that Tom was saddling the visitor and beating him with his fists.
- Ask for mercy! he finally spoke, taking a breath.
Frant silently fidgeted, trying to free himself. Tears of anger streamed down his face.
- Ask for mercy! – Fists have earned again.
- You will have science. Next time, watch who you're messing with.
The dandy wandered off, brushing the dust from his jacket, limping, sobbing, sniffing, and swearing to pour Tom if he "caught him again."
Having laughed to his heart's content, Tom headed home in the best of spirits, but as soon as he turned his back on the stranger, he grabbed a stone and threw it at Tom, hitting him between the shoulder blades, and he himself took off running, jumping like a water antelope. Tom followed him all the way home and at the same time found out where this dandy lives. For half an hour he guarded at the gate, luring the enemy out into the street, but he only made faces from the window. Finally, the dandy's mother appeared, scolded Tom, calling him a nasty, rude and ill-mannered boy, and told him to get out. Which he did, warning the lady that her overdressed son would no longer come across him on the road.
Tom returned home already in the dark and, carefully climbing through the window, stumbled upon an ambush in the person of Aunt Polly. When she discovered the condition of his clothes and physiognomy, her determination to replace his Sabbath rest with hard labor became harder than granite.
Chapter 2
It's a glorious Saturday morning. Everything around breathed freshness, shone and was full of life. Every face shone with joy, and cheerfulness was felt in everyone's gait. The white locust was in full bloom and its sweet scent was everywhere.
Cardiff Mountain - its peak is visible in the town from anywhere - was completely green and seemed from afar a wonderful serene country.
Just at that moment, Tom appeared on the sidewalk with a bucket of diluted lime and a long brush in his hands. However, at the first glance at the fence, all joy left him, and his soul plunged into the deepest sorrow. Thirty yards of a nine-foot solid board fence! Life seemed to him meaningless and painful. With a heavy sigh, Tom dipped his brush into the bucket, brushed it across the top board of the fence, repeated this operation twice, compared the insignificant whitewashed patch with the boundless continent of what still had to be painted, and sat down in despair under a tree.
In the meantime, Jim, a Negro boy, jumped out of the gate with a bucket in his hand, singing "Girls from Buffalo". Until that day, Tom had thought that there was nothing more boring than fetching water from the city well, but now he looked at it differently. The well is always full of people. White and black boys and girls are always hanging out there, waiting for their turn, chatting, swapping toys, quarreling, mischievous, and sometimes fighting. And even though it was only a hundred and fifty paces from their house to the well, Jim never returned home until an hour later, and it sometimes happened that someone had to be sent for him. So Tom said:
“Listen, Jim! Let me run for water, and you're still a little whiter.
- How can you, Mr. Tom! The old mistress told me to bring water in a moment and, God forbid, not to get stuck anywhere along the way. She also said that Mr. Tom would certainly call me to paint the fence, so that I would do my job, not stick my nose where they were not asked, and she herself would arrange for the fence.
“Why are you listening to her, Jim! Whatever she says! Give the bucket, one foot here - the other there, that's all. Aunt Polly wouldn't even guess.
“Oh, I'm afraid, Mr. Tom. The old mistress will tear my head off. Oh my God, rip it off!
- Is that her? Yes, she does not fight at all. Unless he clicks on the top of his head with a thimble, that's all business - just think, importance! She says different things, but nothing is done from her words, except that sometimes she bursts into tears herself. Jim, do you want me to give you a balloon? White, with marble veins!
Jim hesitated.
“White and marbled to boot, Jim!” This is not for you!
- Oh, how shiny! Only I'm really afraid of the old mistress, Mr. Tom ...
- Well, do you want me to show you my sore finger?
Jim was an ordinary person - and could not resist such a temptation. He put down the bucket, picked up the marble, and bulging his eyes in curiosity, bent over the sore finger while Tom unwrapped the bandage. The next second he was whirring down the street, rattling his pail and scratching his head, Tom was whitewashing the fence with frantic energy, and Aunt Polly was leaving the battlefield with a shoe in her hand. Her eyes burned with triumph.
But Tom's zeal did not last long. His thoughts returned to how nice he could have spent the day, and he began to burn again. Other boys are about to appear on the street and make Tom laugh because he was forced to work on Saturday. They themselves go to different interesting places.
This thought burned him with fire. He took out all the cherished treasures from his pockets and gave them an audit: broken toys, balls, all sorts of rubbish, maybe they will fit for an exchange, but it is unlikely that you can buy at least an hour of freedom for this. Putting his meager capital out of sight, Tom put the thought of bribing anyone out of his mind. But at this moment, full of despair and hopelessness, inspiration suddenly visited him. The real inspiration, without any exaggeration!
Taking up the brush, he continued to work slowly and tastefully. Soon, Ben Rogers appeared around the corner - the same boy whose venomous ridicule Tom feared most of all. Ben's gait was carefree, he jumped up and down every now and then - a sure sign that his heart was light and he expected solid gifts from life. He nibbled on an apple and occasionally let out a long horn, followed by a melodious chime: "Ding-dong-dong, ding-dong-dong" - on the lowest notes, because Ben was imitating a paddle steamer. Approaching Tom, he slowed down, turned into the middle of the fairway, leaned slightly to starboard and began to slowly approach the shore. He had an unusually important look, because he portrayed the "Greater Missouri" with a draft of nine feet. At that moment, Ben Rogers was both the steamer, and the captain, and the helmsman, and the ship's bell, therefore, giving the command, he immediately carried it out.
Stop, car! Ding-ding-ling! - The mechanic followed the command, and the steamer slowly moored to the edge of the sidewalk. - Reverse! Both Ben's arms dropped and stretched out at the seams.
- Rudder right! Ding-ding-ling! Whoo! Choo! - The right hand flew up and began to describe solemn circles: now it depicted the main paddle wheel.
- Left hand drive! Ding-ding-ling! Choo-o-o-o-o! - Now the circles were described by the left.
- Stop, right side! Ding-ding-ling! Stop, port side! Small move! Stop, car! The smallest! Ding-ding-ling! Chu-u-u-f-f! Give up the ends! Yes move there! Well, where is your mooring end? Moor for the knecht! So, let go now!
- The car has stopped, sir! Ding-ding-ling! Piece-piece-piece-sh-sh-sh! This steamer was dumping steam.
Tom continued to wield his brush, not paying the slightest attention to the "Greater Missouri". Ben squinted and spoke.
- Yeah, I got it! They took you in tow!
There was no answer. Tom looked at the last stroke with a painter's eye, then once more carefully stroked the brush over the boards and stepped back, contemplating the result thoughtfully. Ben walked over and stood behind. Tom swallowed his saliva - he wanted an apple so much, but he did not show it and again got down to business. Finally, Ben said:
- What, old man, you have to work hard, huh?
Tom turned around abruptly, as if in surprise.
- Oh, it's you, Ben! I didn't even notice you.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m going to swim. I don `t want? Although what am I talking about - you, of course, still work. This one is definitely more interesting.
Tom looked at Ben in bewilderment and asked:
What do you call work?
“What do you think this is?”
Tom waved his brush widely in the air and casually replied:
- Well, maybe for some it's work, and for some it's not. All I know is that Tom Sawyer likes it.
- Come on! Tell me what you like to whitewash!
The brush still glided evenly over the boards of the fence.
- Whiten? Why not? I suppose it's not every day that our brother gets to fix the fence.
From that moment on, everything appeared in a new light. Ben even stopped chewing on the apple. Tom moved the brush gently back and forth, stopping from time to time to admire his handiwork, adding a stroke here, a stroke there, and again evaluating the result, and Ben watched his every movement intently, his eyes gradually flaring up. Suddenly he said:
“Listen, Tom, let me whiten a bit too.
Tom thought for a moment, putting on an air as if he was ready to agree, but suddenly changed his mind.
No, Ben, it won't. Aunt Polly just prays on this fence; you understand, he goes out into the street ... Well, if it had been from the side of the courtyard, she would not have said a word ... and neither did I. But here ... Do you know how to whiten it? Here, perhaps one out of a thousand, or even out of two thousand boys will be able to cope properly.
- Yes, what are you? Hey, Tom, let's at least smear, well, just a little! Here I am - I would let you in if I were in your place.
“Ben, I’d love to, I swear by the scalp!” But what about Aunt Polly? Jim wanted it too, but she forbade it. Sid - he was lying at her feet, but she did not allow Sid either. Such, guy, things ... Let's say you take it, but something goes wrong?
- Come on, Tom, I'm doing my best! Well, let me, I'll just try ... Listen, you want half an apple.
- Well, how can I tell you ... Although no, Ben, it's still not worth it. Something I'm afraid of.
- I'll give you the whole apple!
Tom reluctantly let go of the brush, but his soul rejoiced. And while the former steamer "Big Missouri" worked hard in the very sun, the retired painter, sitting in the shade on an old barrel, dangled his legs, crunched an apple and made plans for further beating of babies.
Babies were out of business. Boys appeared every minute in the street; they stopped to taunt Tom and ended up painting the fence. As soon as Ben was exhausted, Tom profitably sold the next turn to Billy Fisher - for a used, but still very decent kite, and when he got tired, Johnny Miller bought the right to a brush for a dead rat with a rope tied to it - to make it more convenient to spin in the air. And so it went.
By the middle of the day, from almost a beggar, Tom became a magnate. He literally drowned in luxury. Now he had: twelve marbles, a broken harmonica, a piece of blue bottle glass to look at the sun, a spool of thread, a key for who knows what, a piece of chalk, a cork from a crystal decanter, a tin soldier, a pair of tadpoles, six crackers, a one-eyed a kitten, a bronze doorknob, a dog collar, a knife handle, four pieces of orange peel, and an old window frame. Tom had a great time and the fence was covered in three coats of lime! If he hadn't run out of whitewash, he would have let all the boys in town go through the world.
"Life in the world is not so bad," thought Tom. Without knowing it, he discovered a great law that governs human actions. This law says that in order for a boy or an adult - it doesn't matter who - to want something, only one thing is needed: that it is difficult to achieve. If Tom Sawyer were an outstanding thinker like the author of this book, he would come to the conclusion that work is what a person is forced to do, and play is what he is not obliged to do at all. And this would help him understand why making artificial flowers or carrying water in a sieve is work, but knocking down skittles or climbing Mont Blanc is pleasant fun. They say that there are rich people in England who like to drive a mail-coach drawn by a quadruple in the summer. Such an opportunity costs them a lot of money, but if they received a salary for this, the game would turn into work and lose all its charm.
For some time, Tom pondered the change that had taken place in his property situation, and then went with a report to the headquarters of the commander in chief.
Most of the adventures that are told in this book are taken from life: one or two experienced by me myself, the rest by boys who studied with me at school. Huck Finn is based on life, Tom Sawyer is also, but not from one original - he is a combination of features taken from three boys I knew, and therefore belongs to a mixed architectural order.
The wild superstitions described below were common among the children and Negroes of the West in those days, that is, thirty or forty years ago.
Although my book is intended primarily for the entertainment of boys and girls, I hope that grown men and women will not disdain it, for my plans were to remind them what they themselves once were, what they felt, thought, how they talked and in what strange adventures sometimes got involved.
Chapter I
No answer.
No answer.
“I wonder where that boy could have gone!” Tom, where are you?
No answer.
Aunt Polly pushed her glasses down her nose and looked around the room over her glasses, then lifted them up to her forehead and looked around the room from under her glasses. She very seldom, almost never looked through her spectacles at such a trifle as the boy; they were ceremonial glasses, her pride, acquired for beauty, and not for use, and it was as difficult for her to see anything through them as through a pair of stove dampers. For a moment she was at a loss, then she said - not very loudly, but so that the furniture in the room could hear her:
- Well, wait, just let me get to you ...
Without finishing, she bent down and began to poke under the bed with a brush, catching her breath after each poke. She didn't get anything out of it but the cat.
“What a child, I’ve never seen anything like this in my life!”
Going to the open door, she stopped on the threshold and looked around her garden - beds of tomatoes overgrown with dope. Tom was not here either. Then, raising her voice so that she could be heard as far as possible, she shouted:
“Whoa, where are you?”
There was a slight rustling behind her, and she looked back, just in time to grab the boy by the hand before he slipped through the door.
- Well, it is! I forgot about the closet. What were you doing there?
- Nothing.
- Nothing? Look where your hands are. And the mouth too. What is it?
“I don’t know, aunt.
- I know. This jam is what it is! Forty times I told you: don't you dare touch the jam - I'll tear it out! Give me the rod here.
The rod whistled in the air - it seemed that troubles could not be avoided.
- Oh, aunt, what is that behind you ?!
The old woman turned around, tucking up her skirts to keep herself out of harm's way. The boy jumped over the high fence in an instant and was gone.
Aunt Polly was taken aback at first, and then laughed good-naturedly:
- So go with him! Am I really not going to learn anything? Doesn't he play tricks with me? It's time for me, I think, to wise up. But there is no worse fool than an old fool. No wonder they say: "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." But after all, my God, my God, every day he will come up with something, where is there to guess. And as if he knows how long you can torment me; he knows that if he makes me laugh or even for a minute confuse me, my hands drop, I can’t even slap him. I do not fulfill my duty, to be honest! After all, it is said in Scripture: whoever spares a baby, he destroys him. Nothing good will come of it, there is only one sin. He is a real imp, I know, but he, poor thing, is the son of my dead sister, I somehow do not have the spirit to punish him. To indulge him - the conscience will torture, and if you punish him - the heart breaks. It is not for nothing that it is said in Scripture: the human age is short and full of sorrows; I think it's true. Today he shirks from school; I'll have to punish him tomorrow - I'll put him to work. It is a pity to force the boy to work when all the children have a holiday, but it is the hardest work for him, and I have to fulfill my duty - otherwise I will ruin the child.
Tom didn't go to school and had a great time. He barely had time to get home to help Negro Jim before dinner to cut firewood for tomorrow and chop wood for kindling. In any case, he managed to tell Jim about his adventures, while he did three-quarters of the work. Tom's younger (or rather half-brother, Sid) had already done everything he was supposed to do (he picked up and carried wood chips): he was an obedient boy, not prone to pranks and pranks.
While Tom was having his supper, carrying lumps of sugar out of the sugar bowl at every opportunity, Aunt Polly asked him all sorts of tricky questions, very cunning and tricky - she wanted to catch Tom by surprise so that he let it slip. Like many simple-hearted people, she considered herself a great diplomat, capable of the most subtle and mysterious tricks, and believed that all her innocent tricks were a miracle of resourcefulness and cunning. She asked:
Tom, was it not very hot at school?
- No, aunt.
"Maybe it's too hot?"
- Yes, aunt.
“Well, don’t you feel like taking a bath, Tom?
Tom's soul went into his heels - he sensed danger.
He looked incredulously into Aunt Polly's face, but saw nothing in particular, so he said:
- No, aunt, not really.
She reached out her hand and, feeling Tom's shirt, said:
“Yeah, you probably didn’t sweat at all. She liked to think that she was able to check if Tom's shirt was dry, so that no one understood what she was driving at.
However, Tom immediately sensed which way the wind was blowing, and warned the next move:
- At our school, the boys poured water over their heads from the well. I have it and now it's still wet, look!
Aunt Polly was very upset that she had overlooked such an important piece of evidence. But then I got inspired again.
