Great Scenes from Great Novels
Great Scenes from Great Novels - How Tom Whitewashed the Fence - Mark Twain (Abridged and Simplified)
Great Scenes from Great Novels -
How Tom Whitewashed the Fence
How Tom Whitewashed the Fence
Mark Twain
(Abridged and Simplified)
Tom Sawyer was an intelligent boy, but he was very mischievous. He had lost his mother and was living with his Aunt Polly, his cousin Mary and his half brother Sid. Aunt Polly was kind to him though he was naughty.
She wanted him to be a good boy. Tom wanted to be good too, but he could not. He was always playful and loved to be a hero among his friends.
Tom Sawyer loved adventures. Anything would be interesting if it was thrilling. Aunt Polly found out from Sid that he had played hookey from school and gone swimming instead. She decided to punish him by keeping in on a holiday.
It was Saturday. The school was shut. All the boys in the village were free. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining. The birds were singing. The trees and flowers looked so fresh and lovely! Tom, of course, wanted to go swimming. All the other boys were going.
Aunt Polly asked him to whitewash a broad fence. He was unhappy. He came sadly out of the fence. In one hand he held a long brush.
In the other he carried a bucket which was full of whitewash. Tom looked sadly at the fence. "How high it is! How long it is!" he thought. Indeed the height of the fence was nine feet and its length was thirty yards.
Tom put his brush into the whitewash. He drew it slowly across the fence. It made a very small white mark. Tom tried again. Another small white mark. Tom sat down. He sighed heavily.
Then Tom saw Jim. Jim was the boy who helped his aunt with the rougher work of the house. He came skipping out of the house with a bucket in his hand. He was going to fetch water from the town pump. Tom never liked carrying water from the pump. But he thought it was better than white washing.
Moreover there were boys and girls at the town pump to play with. He told Jim: "Jim! I'll fetch water if you whitewash for a while?" "Oh no!" replied Jim. "He was afraid of Aunt Polly. He said, "The old lady said that I mustn't help you. She said that you must do the whitewashing yourself."
"I'll give you a marble, Jim, if you let me fetch the water". "A marble! Let me see it!".
Tom held out the marble in his hand. Jim looked at it. He could not resist the temptation. He put down his bucket. He took the marble. Just then, Aunt Polly, who was coming that way, gave a slap on Jim's back.
Jim quickly picked up the bucket and went running down the street. Tom picked up his brush and continued to whitewash.
Tom soon stopped working. He sat down again. He took out all the things he had in his pockets. He had some marbles, some pieces of string and two or three broken toys.
"No one will whitewash the fence", he thought. "No! I must think of a better plan". He thought and thought. Soon he had an idea.
He picked up his brush again. Again he began working hard. Soon he saw Ben Rogers. He was coming towards Tom with an apple in his hand.
Tom pretended not to see him. He worked harder than ever. He came up to Tom. He rubbed his eyes. Why! Tom', he cried in great surprise, "You' are working!".
Tom said nothing. He went on with his whitewashing. He looked very interested in his work. "Tom! You're working!" Ben repeated. "Oh! It's you, Ben I didn't notice you". "Hey, Tom. I am going for a swim. You have work to do. You cannot come, can you?"
Ben said: "Oh, it's a pity you are working on a Saturday".
"This isn't work", Tom said quietly and he went on whitewashing. "Not work!" Ben exclaimed. "Oh, no! I like it. Whitewashing is fun. You've never whitewashed a fence, have you?"
"Well, no! I haven't".
For a while Ben stood there watching Tom. Tom paid no attention to him. All his attention was given to his work.
This was enough to create in Ben a liking for whitewashing.
He said: "Tom, will you let me whitewash for a little?"
"Oh, Tom. I will be careful. Please, I'll let you have my apple if you let me whitewash".
Tom with a lot of hesitation gave him the brush and took his apple from him. Ben worked hard. He soon grew hot, but he went on working. Tom sat under a tree and started eating the apple while Ben was whitewashing.
Soon a number of boys came one after another. They all wanted to whitewash. They offered Tom what they had in turn. Tom accepted their offerings and allowed them to whitewash.
They gave him their best things twelve marbles, a tin soldier, a key, a dog's collar, the handle of a knife and four pieces of orange. Tom had a lazy time. He did no work but soon the fence had three coats of whitewash on it.
Whitewashing, Aunt Polly meant, would be a punishment. But it turned out to be all enjoyment for Tom.
Tom had learned something important day. He had discovered two important laws. The first was: If a man must do something, hard, then that is work. If he likes to do something hard, then that is not work.
The second law was: If we cannot get something we want it badly. If we can get something easily, we do not want it.
Tom went in - doors when the fence was done. He asked Aunt Polly if he could go out and play.
"How much whitewashing have you done?
"All of it. The fence is quite finished".
"Finished? Let me see".
Aunt Polly went outside to see. She was very surprised. She could hardly believe her eyes. "Well, Tom" she said, "you've worked well. You can work when you want to.
But it's not often that you want to, is it?. All right; go and play. Aunt Polly smiled at Tom very kindly. She rewarded Tom with an apple.
How clever was the little adventurer!.
She wanted him to be a good boy. Tom wanted to be good too, but he could not. He was always playful and loved to be a hero among his friends.
Tom Sawyer loved adventures. Anything would be interesting if it was thrilling. Aunt Polly found out from Sid that he had played hookey from school and gone swimming instead. She decided to punish him by keeping in on a holiday.
It was Saturday. The school was shut. All the boys in the village were free. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining. The birds were singing. The trees and flowers looked so fresh and lovely! Tom, of course, wanted to go swimming. All the other boys were going.
Aunt Polly asked him to whitewash a broad fence. He was unhappy. He came sadly out of the fence. In one hand he held a long brush.
In the other he carried a bucket which was full of whitewash. Tom looked sadly at the fence. "How high it is! How long it is!" he thought. Indeed the height of the fence was nine feet and its length was thirty yards.
Tom put his brush into the whitewash. He drew it slowly across the fence. It made a very small white mark. Tom tried again. Another small white mark. Tom sat down. He sighed heavily.
Then Tom saw Jim. Jim was the boy who helped his aunt with the rougher work of the house. He came skipping out of the house with a bucket in his hand. He was going to fetch water from the town pump. Tom never liked carrying water from the pump. But he thought it was better than white washing.
Moreover there were boys and girls at the town pump to play with. He told Jim: "Jim! I'll fetch water if you whitewash for a while?" "Oh no!" replied Jim. "He was afraid of Aunt Polly. He said, "The old lady said that I mustn't help you. She said that you must do the whitewashing yourself."
"I'll give you a marble, Jim, if you let me fetch the water". "A marble! Let me see it!".
Tom held out the marble in his hand. Jim looked at it. He could not resist the temptation. He put down his bucket. He took the marble. Just then, Aunt Polly, who was coming that way, gave a slap on Jim's back.
Jim quickly picked up the bucket and went running down the street. Tom picked up his brush and continued to whitewash.
Tom soon stopped working. He sat down again. He took out all the things he had in his pockets. He had some marbles, some pieces of string and two or three broken toys.
"No one will whitewash the fence", he thought. "No! I must think of a better plan". He thought and thought. Soon he had an idea.
He picked up his brush again. Again he began working hard. Soon he saw Ben Rogers. He was coming towards Tom with an apple in his hand.
Tom pretended not to see him. He worked harder than ever. He came up to Tom. He rubbed his eyes. Why! Tom', he cried in great surprise, "You' are working!".
Tom said nothing. He went on with his whitewashing. He looked very interested in his work. "Tom! You're working!" Ben repeated. "Oh! It's you, Ben I didn't notice you". "Hey, Tom. I am going for a swim. You have work to do. You cannot come, can you?"
Ben said: "Oh, it's a pity you are working on a Saturday".
"This isn't work", Tom said quietly and he went on whitewashing. "Not work!" Ben exclaimed. "Oh, no! I like it. Whitewashing is fun. You've never whitewashed a fence, have you?"
"Well, no! I haven't".
For a while Ben stood there watching Tom. Tom paid no attention to him. All his attention was given to his work.
This was enough to create in Ben a liking for whitewashing.
He said: "Tom, will you let me whitewash for a little?"
"Oh, Tom. I will be careful. Please, I'll let you have my apple if you let me whitewash".
Tom with a lot of hesitation gave him the brush and took his apple from him. Ben worked hard. He soon grew hot, but he went on working. Tom sat under a tree and started eating the apple while Ben was whitewashing.
Soon a number of boys came one after another. They all wanted to whitewash. They offered Tom what they had in turn. Tom accepted their offerings and allowed them to whitewash.
They gave him their best things twelve marbles, a tin soldier, a key, a dog's collar, the handle of a knife and four pieces of orange. Tom had a lazy time. He did no work but soon the fence had three coats of whitewash on it.
Whitewashing, Aunt Polly meant, would be a punishment. But it turned out to be all enjoyment for Tom.
Tom had learned something important day. He had discovered two important laws. The first was: If a man must do something, hard, then that is work. If he likes to do something hard, then that is not work.
The second law was: If we cannot get something we want it badly. If we can get something easily, we do not want it.
Tom went in - doors when the fence was done. He asked Aunt Polly if he could go out and play.
"How much whitewashing have you done?
"All of it. The fence is quite finished".
"Finished? Let me see".
Aunt Polly went outside to see. She was very surprised. She could hardly believe her eyes. "Well, Tom" she said, "you've worked well. You can work when you want to.
But it's not often that you want to, is it?. All right; go and play. Aunt Polly smiled at Tom very kindly. She rewarded Tom with an apple.
How clever was the little adventurer!.
Tags : #great stories for children ruskin bond, #great stories for children, #101 all time great stories, #great stories in easy english, #great stories by nobel prize winners, #all time great stories deep trivedi, #adrishya stories of great indian spies, #great stories by ruskin bond, #collection of 50 great short stories, #all time great stories deep trivedi, #great detective stories, # all time great stories, #great horror stories, #great stories, #josiah the great the true story of the man who would be king, #the great kapok tree story book, #stories great leaders tell, #life stories of great people, #stories of great leaders, #great the major story, #making great stories happen, #the great indian obsession the untold story of india's engineers, #ruskin bond great stories for 16year old, #portfolio of great indian business stories, #great big story t shirt, #the shadow of the great game the untold story of india's partition, #great short stories of the world, #democracy's xi the great indian cricket story, #great inspiring stories, #great moral stories, # great short stories
){kind=link}
Post a Comment
0 Comments