Tom Sawyer had a new problem. He did not think about the murder secret because he was very worried about Becky Thatcher. Becky Thatcher stopped coming to school. Tom Sawyer was very sad. He walked around her father’s house at night. He felt miserable because Becky Thatcher was ill. Tom Sawyer feared that she might die.
Tom Sawyer did not want to play at war anymore. He did not want to be a pirate. Life was not fun for him. He put his toys away. Aunt Polly was very concerned about him. She loved to try new patent medicines (medicines that people buy in stores, but they are sometimes not safe). She always wanted to try new ways to make people healthy.
Aunt Polly read many magazines about health. She believed everything in the magazines. She learned about how to sleep, what to eat, and what to wear. She tried these new ideas on Tom Sawyer. Aunt Polly was a kind woman. She really wanted to help her neighbors and her family.
Now, Aunt Polly tried a new water treatment. Every morning, she took Tom Sawyer to the wood-shed at daylight. She threw a lot of cold water on him. Then she rubbed his skin with a hard towel. After that, she wrapped Tom Sawyer in a wet sheet. She put blankets over him until he began to sweat.
Tom Sawyer did not get better. He stayed pale and sad. Aunt Polly tried hot baths and sitz baths. She gave Tom Sawyer oatmeal to eat. She also gave him many different medicines every day. Tom Sawyer did not care about the treatments. This made Aunt Polly very worried. She wanted Tom Sawyer to show some emotion.
Then Aunt Polly heard about a medicine called Pain-killer. She bought many bottles of it. She tasted the medicine. It was very hot and felt like fire in her mouth. She stopped the water treatment. She gave a spoonful of Pain-killer to Tom Sawyer. Tom Sawyer felt the fire in his mouth. He was not quiet anymore. He jumped and screamed.
Tom Sawyer wanted the treatments to stop. He thought of a plan. He pretended to like the Pain-killer. He asked for the medicine many times. Aunt Polly was happy. Finally, she told Tom Sawyer to take the medicine himself. She told him to stop bothering her. Aunt Polly watched the bottle. She saw that the medicine was disappearing.
Tom Sawyer was not drinking the medicine. There was a small crack in the floor of the sitting-room. Tom Sawyer poured the medicine into the crack every day. One day, Aunt Polly’s yellow cat, Peter, came into the room. Peter purred and looked at the teaspoon. The cat wanted a taste of the medicine.
“Do not ask for it if you do not want it, Peter,” Tom Sawyer said. But the cat wanted it. “Are you sure?” Tom Sawyer asked. Peter was sure. Tom Sawyer opened the cat’s mouth. He poured the Pain-killer inside. Peter jumped three meters into the air. The cat made a loud noise and began to run around the room.
Peter hit the furniture and knocked over the flower-pots. The cat was acting crazy. He ran around the house and broke many things. Aunt Polly came into the room. She saw Peter jump through the open window. The cat took the rest of the flower-pots with him. Aunt Polly stood still and looked through her glasses. Tom Sawyer was on the floor laughing.
“Tom Sawyer, what is wrong with that cat?” Aunt Polly asked. Tom Sawyer said he did not know. Aunt Polly said she never saw a cat act so strange. Tom Sawyer said cats always act like that when they are happy. Aunt Polly did not believe him. She looked at Tom Sawyer. She was suspicious.
Aunt Polly looked under the bed. she found the teaspoon. She picked Tom Sawyer up by his ear. She hit his head with her thimble (a small metal cap used to protect a finger during sewing). “Why did you give that medicine to the cat?” Aunt Polly asked. Tom Sawyer said he felt sorry for Peter.
“I did it because Peter does not have an aunt,” Tom Sawyer said. Tom Sawyer said that if Peter had an aunt, she would give him medicine, too. He said an aunt would burn the cat’s insides with the hot liquid. Aunt Polly felt very sorry. She realized that the medicine was also cruel to a boy.
Aunt Polly’s eyes were wet. She put her hand on Tom Sawyer’s head. “I wanted to help you, Tom Sawyer,” she said. “The medicine was good for you.” Tom Sawyer smiled at her. He said the medicine was also good for Peter. Aunt Polly told Tom Sawyer to go to school. She said he did not have to take any more medicine.
Tom Sawyer went to school early. Lately, he was always early. He stood at the school gate and waited. He did not play with his friends. He looked down the road. Finally, Jeff Thatcher arrived. Tom Sawyer was happy, but then he was sad again. He asked Jeff Thatcher about Becky Thatcher. But Jeff Thatcher did not say anything important.
Tom Sawyer waited and watched every girl. He was very sad when the girls were not Becky Thatcher. Finally, the last girl walked through the gate. It was Becky Thatcher! Tom Sawyer’s heart jumped with joy. He began to shout and laugh. He wanted Becky Thatcher to look at him.
Tom Sawyer jumped over the fence. He stood on his head. He did many difficult and brave things. He watched Becky Thatcher with his eyes. He wanted to see if she was watching him. But Becky Thatcher did not look at him. Tom Sawyer ran near her and shouted. He snatched a boy’s cap and threw it.
Tom Sawyer fell on the ground right in front of Becky Thatcher. Becky Thatcher turned her head away. “Some people think they are very smart,” Becky Thatcher said. “They are always showing off!” Tom Sawyer’s face became very red. He felt very small and sad. He walked away quietly.