At half-past ten, the old bell of the small church started to ring. Soon, the people began to arrive for the morning sermon. The Sunday-school children moved to different seats. They sat in the pews with their parents. This way, the parents could watch the children.
Aunt Polly came to the church. Tom Sawyer, Sid, and Mary sat with Aunt Polly. Aunt Polly put Tom next to the aisle. She wanted Tom to be far from the open window. Outside, the summer trees and sun were very beautiful. Aunt Polly did not want Tom to look at them.
Many people walked up the aisles. The old postmaster came first. He was a poor man now, but he was important in the past. Then the mayor and his wife arrived. Next came the justice of the peace and the Widow Douglas.
The Widow Douglas was forty years old. She was a kind and rich woman. She lived in a mansion on the hill. Her house was like a palace. She was the most generous person in the town of St. Petersburg.
Major Ward and Mrs. Ward came next. They were old and walked with bent backs. Then a lawyer named Riverson arrived. He was a new and important person from another town. After him, the most beautiful girl in the village walked in. Many young women followed her. They wore pretty dresses and ribbons in their hair.
All the young clerks from the town followed the girls. Before the service, these young men stood at the door. They held their walking sticks and watched the girls walk past. Finally, Willie Mufferson arrived. Willie Mufferson was the Model Boy.
Willie Mufferson walked very carefully with his mother. He took care of his mother as if she were made of glass. He always brought his mother to church. All the other mothers were proud of him. However, all the boys hated Willie Mufferson because he was too good.
The parents always told the other boys to be like Willie Mufferson. Today, Willie Mufferson had a white handkerchief in his pocket. It hung out a little bit so people could see it. Tom did not have a handkerchief. Tom thought that boys with handkerchiefs were not cool.
Now all the people were inside. The bell rang one more time for the late people. Then the church became very quiet. Only the choir made noise. They sat in the high gallery and whispered to each other. They always whispered and laughed during the service.
The minister announced a hymn. He read the words of the song first. He had a very strange way of reading. People in this part of the country liked his style. His voice started at a normal level. Then his voice climbed up very high.
The minister shouted the most important words. Then his voice dropped quickly. People thought he was a wonderful reader. At parties, people always asked him to read poems. When he finished, the women lifted their hands. They shook their heads because the reading was so beautiful.
After the people sang the hymn, the minister read some notices. He talked about meetings and different groups in the town. He read for a very long time. There were many notices to read. This was a common custom in America.
Then the minister began to pray. It was a very long and detailed prayer. He prayed for the church and the children. He prayed for the village and the county. He prayed for the state and the government. He even prayed for the President of the United States.
The minister prayed for sailors on the stormy sea. He prayed for people in Europe and the East. He prayed for people on far islands. Finally, he asked God to bless his words today. He said "Amen" at the end.
The women smoothed their dresses, and everyone sat down. Tom did not like the prayer. He only waited for it to finish. Tom did not listen to the words. But he knew the prayer very well. He knew every part of it.
If the minister added a new word, Tom noticed it. Tom hated when the minister added new parts. He thought it was unfair. During the prayer, a fly had landed on the seat in front of Tom. It had bothered him the whole time.
The fly rubbed its front legs together and cleaned its head with them. Then it cleaned its wings with its back legs. The fly was very calm. It felt safe in the church. Tom wanted to catch the fly very much. But he was afraid to move.
Tom believed God would punish him if he caught a fly during a prayer. He waited for the very last words. When the minister said "Amen," Tom moved his hand quickly. He caught the fly. But Aunt Polly saw him. She made Tom let the fly go.
The minister began his sermon. He spoke in a slow and boring voice. Soon, many people started to fall asleep. The minister talked about fire and bad people. He said that only a few people would go to heaven. Tom did not listen. He only counted the pages of the talk.
Tom usually knew how many pages there were. But today, he was interested for a short time. The minister described a beautiful picture. He talked about a day when a lion and a lamb would lie down together. He said a little child would lead them.
Tom did not care about the lesson. He only thought about the child. He wanted to be that child. He thought it would be cool to lead a lion. But he wanted the lion to be tame and friendly. Soon, the minister became boring again. Tom felt sad and bored.
Then Tom remembered a treasure in his pocket. He took out a large black beetle. Tom called it a pinchbug. He kept it in a small box. Suddenly, the beetle bit Tom’s finger. Tom hit the beetle away.
The beetle fell into the aisle. It landed on its back. Tom put his hurt finger in his mouth. The beetle moved its legs, but it could not turn over. Tom watched it. He wanted his beetle back, but it was too far away.
Other people were also bored. They looked at the beetle too. Just then, a poodle dog walked into the church. The dog was sad and bored because it was a hot summer day. The dog saw the beetle on the floor and wagged its tail.
The dog walked around the beetle. It smelled the beetle from a safe distance. The dog grew brave. It tried to catch the beetle with its mouth, but it missed. The dog began to enjoy the game. It lay down on the floor with the beetle between its paws.
After some time, the dog got tired. It forgot about the beetle. The dog’s head dropped down, and its chin touched the beetle. The beetle bit the dog’s chin! The dog cried out in pain. It shook its head, and the beetle fell away. The beetle landed on its back again.
The people in the church watched and smiled. They hid their faces behind their handkerchiefs. Tom was very happy. The dog felt stupid and angry. It wanted to attack the beetle again. The dog jumped at the beetle from different sides.
The dog tried to bite the beetle, but it was careful. Then the dog got tired again. It tried to catch a fly. Then it followed an ant on the floor. Finally, the dog sighed and sat down. It sat right on top of the beetle, and the beetle bit it and held on to its fur!
The dog gave a loud cry of pain. It ran fast up the aisle. It ran past the front of the church. Then it ran down the other side. The dog looked like a fast, furry ball. It cried and ran in circles.
Finally, the dog jumped into its master’s lap. The master grabbed the dog and threw it out of the window. The dog ran away, and its cries faded in the distance. Now everyone in the church was red in the face from trying not to laugh.
The minister tried to continue his sermon, but he could not speak well. The people could not hold back their laughter anymore, and they laughed after everything he said. It was a very funny situation. Everyone felt happy when the service finally ended. They all went home.
Tom went home feeling very cheerful. He thought church was good when there was something fun to see. He only had one sad thought. He was happy the dog played with the beetle. But he did not like that the dog took his pinchbug away.