Tom Sawyer joined a new group called the Cadets of Temperance. He liked their regalia. He promised he would not smoke. He promised he would not use bad words.
But soon, Tom wanted to smoke very much. He wanted to use bad words, too. He only stayed in the group because he wanted to wear the red sash in a parade.
Tom waited for a big parade. He hoped Judge Frazer would die soon. The Judge was a very important man and he was very sick. If the Judge died, there would be a big funeral with a parade.
Tom checked the news every day. Sometimes the Judge was worse. Sometimes the Judge was better. Tom was angry because the Judge did not die.
Tom left the group. He gave back his regalia. That night, Judge Frazer died. Tom was very upset.
The funeral was very big. The Cadets of Temperance walked in the parade. Tom was not with them. But Tom was a free boy now.
He could smoke and use bad words again. But now, Tom did not want to do those things. He only wanted to do them when they were against the rules.
Vacation was boring for Tom. He tried to keep a diary. But nothing happened for three days. So, Tom stopped writing.
A music show came to town. Tom and Joe Harper started a band, and it lasted for two days. They were happy for a short time.
The Fourth of July was not a good day. It rained very hard. There was no parade. Tom saw a famous man named Senator Benton. Tom thought the man would be very tall, but he was not.
Later, a circus came to town. The boys played circus for three days. They used old carpets for tents. They charged three pins to let other boys inside.
Becky Thatcher was not in town. She went away with her family for the vacation. Tom was very sad without her.
Tom also thought about the murder. He remembered Indian Joe and Dr. Robinson. The secret made him feel terrible every day.
Then, Tom got the measles. He stayed in bed for two weeks. He was very ill and did not care about the world.
When he felt better, he went outside. Everything was different. Many people in the town became very religious while Tom was sick. Even the children were different.
Tom looked for a friend. He saw Joe Harper, but Joe Harper was reading the Bible. He saw Ben Rogers, but Ben Rogers was helping poor people.
He saw Jim Hollis. Jim Hollis said the measles was a warning from God. Tom felt very sad.
Finally, Tom saw Huckleberry Finn. But Huck said a prayer from the Bible. Tom felt very lonely. He felt like the only bad person in the whole town.
That night, there was a big storm. There was loud thunder and bright lightning. Tom was very afraid. He covered his head with a blanket.
Tom thought the storm was a punishment for him. He thought God was angry with him. But the storm ended and Tom was still alive.
The next day, Tom was sick again. He stayed in bed for three more weeks. Finally, he was well enough to walk outside.
He walked down the street and saw Jim Hollis. Jim Hollis and some other boys were playing court. They were judging a cat for killing a bird.
He saw Joe Harper and Huck in an alley. They were eating a stolen melon. His friends were not acting "good" anymore. Tom was happy because he was not alone.