Saturday morning arrived. The summer world was bright and fresh. Everyone felt happy. There was a song in every heart. The trees had beautiful flowers. The air smelled very sweet. Cardiff Hill was beyond the village. It was green and beautiful. It looked like a wonderful place to rest and play.
Tom Sawyer appeared on the sidewalk. He had a bucket of whitewash and a brush with a long handle. He looked at the fence. All the happiness left his heart. He felt very sad. The fence was very long and very high. To Tom, life felt like a heavy burden.
Tom sighed. He dipped his brush in the paint. He moved it along the top board. He did it again and again. He looked at the small white mark. Then he looked at the rest of the long fence. He sat down on a box. He felt very discouraged.
Jim came out of the gate. He was singing a song. He carried a tin pail. He was going to get water from the town pump. Usually, Tom hated getting water. But today, the pump seemed like a fun place. Many boys and girls met there. They talked, played, and fought.
Jim usually stayed at the pump for an hour. Someone always had to go and find him. Tom said, "I will get the water, Jim. You can paint the fence for a while."
Jim shook his head. "I cannot, Master Tom. Aunt Polly told me to go. She told me not to stop and talk. She said you would ask me to paint. She told me to do my own work."
"Do not listen to her, Jim," Tom said. "Give me the bucket. I will be back in a minute. Aunt Polly will never know."
"Oh, I am afraid, Master Tom," Jim said. "Aunt Polly would be very angry with me."
"Aunt Polly? She never hits anyone hard," Tom said. "She only hits people with her thimble. Who cares about that? Jim, I will give you a marble. I will give you a special white marble!"
Tom held out the marble, and Jim looked at it. It was a very good marble. "Jim, I will also show you my sore toe," Tom added.
Jim was only human. This was too much for him. He put down his pail. He took the marble. He bent over to look at the toe. Suddenly, Jim was running down the street with his pail. Tom was painting the fence very fast. Aunt Polly was walking away with a slipper in her hand. She looked pleased with herself.
But Tom did not work fast for long. He thought about the fun he planned for the day. He felt very sad again. Soon, the free boys would walk past him. They would go on adventures. They would laugh at Tom because he had to work.
Tom looked at his treasures. He had some bits of toys and marbles. This was not enough to pay a boy to work for him. Then, a great idea came to him. It was a magnificent idea!
Tom took his brush and started to work quietly. Ben Rogers appeared. He was the boy Tom feared most. Ben was very happy. He was eating an apple. He was pretending to be a steamboat.
Ben made boat noises. "Ting-a-ling-ling!" he shouted. He moved his arms like big wheels. He was the boat, the captain, and the engine. Tom did not look at him. He continued to paint.
Ben stopped and looked at Tom. "Hi-yi! You are in trouble, aren't you?" Ben asked.
No answer. Tom looked at the fence like an artist. He moved his brush gently. Then he looked at the result. Ben came closer. Tom wanted the apple, but he stayed at his work.
"Hello," Ben said. "You have to work today, right?"
Tom turned around suddenly. "Oh, it is you, Ben! I did not see you."
"I am going swimming," Ben said. "Don't you wish you could go? But you want to work, don't you?"
Tom looked at the boy. "What do you call work?" Tom asked.
"Isn't that work?" Ben asked.
Tom started painting again. "Maybe it is work, and maybe it is not," Tom said. "But I like it. Does a boy get to paint a fence every day?"
This was a new idea. Ben stopped eating his apple. Tom moved his brush carefully. He stepped back to look at the fence. He added a little more paint. Ben watched every move. He was very interested.
"Tom, let me paint a little," Ben said.
Tom thought about it. He almost said yes. Then he changed his mind. "No, I cannot do that, Ben. Aunt Polly is very particular about this fence. It is on the main street. It must be done very carefully. Only one boy in a thousand can do it right."
"Is that true?" Ben asked. "Please, let me try. Only a little bit! I would let you try if I were you."
"Ben, I want to let you," Tom said. "But Jim wanted to do it and Aunt Polly said no. Sid wanted to do it and she said no. If you do it and something happens—"
"I will be very careful," Ben said. "I will give you the core of my apple."
"No, I am afraid—" Tom said.
"I will give you the whole apple!" Ben cried.
Tom looked sad, but he felt very happy. He gave the brush to Ben. While Ben worked in the hot sun, Tom sat on a barrel in the shade. He ate the apple. He planned how to trick more boys.
Many boys came by later. They came to laugh at Tom. But they stayed to paint the fence. Billy Fisher gave Tom a kite. Johnny Miller gave him a dead rat and a string.
By the middle of the afternoon, Tom was very rich. He had twelve marbles and part of a musical instrument. He had a piece of blue glass and a key that did not work. He had a tin soldier and a kitten with only one eye. He had a brass door-knob and a dog-collar, but he had no dog.
Tom had a very good time. He had a lot of company. And the fence had three coats of paint! Tom thought the world was a good place. He discovered a great law of human action. If you want a person to want something, you must make it difficult to get.
Work is what a person must do. Play is what a person chooses to do. Tom understood this now. He thought about his riches for a while. Then he went to see Aunt Polly to tell her that the work was finished.