The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 

Table of Contents
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CHAPTER 2: Tom Meets Becky

It was Monday morning and Tom Sawyer was miserable. He was always miserable on Monday mornings because it meant he had to go to school. Tom began to scheme. There had to be a way, some way, to avoid going to school. He could be sick and stay home. But as much as he tried, Tom could not find the least little thing wrong with himself.

He thought for a little while longer and then realized that one of his upper front teeth was loose. This was really a lucky break. Just as he was about to begin groaning and writhing in

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pain, he remembered Aunt Polly’s way of pulling loose teeth, and Tom was in no hurry to suffer that particular pain again.

So he went back to thinking. He remembered hearing the doctor describe an illness that had laid up a patient for two weeks and threatened to make him lose a finger. Tom had a sore toe—something he hadn’t looked at or thought about in days. Now he wondered if he could possibly fool Aunt Polly. Since he didn’t know the details about the illness, he figured a few loud cries of pain might do the trick. So Tom began to groan and moan with considerable spirit.

Sid, who lay sleeping in the next bed, did not even stir. Tom increased the volume and frequency of his cries, but his half brother snored on. Finally, Tom shook Sid until his sleepy eyes opened in surprise. Tom began to groan again.

“Tom! What’s going on?” shouted Sid.

“Oh, don’t jump around so,” moaned Tom.

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Tom Moans and Groans.

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Despite Tom’s protestations, Sid ran downstairs to tell Aunt Polly about Tom’s apparent agony.

“I…I think he’s dying,” stammered Sid.

“Rubbish! I don’t believe it,” snapped Aunt Polly. But she ran up the stairs as fast as she could. By the time she reached Tom’s bedside, her face was white with fear.

“What’s the matter with you, Tom?”

“Oh, Aunt Polly, it’s my sore toe. It feels as if it’s about to fall off.”

Aunt Polly sank into a chair with relief. She laughed a little, then cried a little, and then did both together. This made her feel so much better that she snapped at Tom, “Stop this nonsense, get out of bed, and get off to school immediately!”

All this made Tom feel quite foolish, and he stopped his awful groaning immediately.

“Oh, Aunt Polly,” he said, “it just hurt so much I never minded my tooth at all.”

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“I…I Think He’s Dying.”

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No sooner were the words out of his mouth than Aunt Polly was carefully examining the loose tooth. In minutes, she had tied a loop of silk thread to the tooth and the other end of the thread to the bedpost. Tom pleaded with Aunt Polly not to pull it this way, but it was no use. She left the room, only to return moments later with a hot log from the kitchen stove. She thrust the log dangerously close to Tom’s face. He jumped back and gazed in horror at the tooth dangling by a thread from the bedpost.

On the way to school, the obvious gap in Tom’s front row of teeth attracted the attention and envy of all the other boys. Maybe the pain was worth it after all, thought Tom.

As he neared the school, he came upon Huckleberry Finn. Huck was the son of the town drunkard and was free to come and go as he pleased. He was always dressed in cast off clothes and incredible rags. He slept in

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Pulling Tom’s Tooth

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doorways or empty barns and never had to go to school or church. In short, Huck was the envy of every boy in town, but he was treated as an outcast by their mothers.

Tom waved to Huck, and the two boys got involved in a serious conversation about the best way to cure warts. Then Huck showed Tom a tiny tick that he had managed to capture. Tom’s eyes lit up at the sight of the little creature, and he made a quick trade—his tooth for the tick.

This little transaction made Tom late for school, and when he entered the classroom, Mr. Dobins, the teacher, demanded an explanation.

Tom was about to concoct a wonderful lie when he noticed the lovely girl with the long blonde braids. Tom also noticed that the only empty desk in the room was on the girls’ side, next to this mysterious beauty.

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Huck Finn Shows Tom His Tick.

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Without a moment’s hestitation, Tom answered, “I was with Huckleberry Finn,”

Everyone in the class gasped! Even the teacher was astonished. No one would ever actually admit being with the town renegade. In an instant, the teacher brought out the switch of hickory twigs and whipped Tom as a punishment. Then he ordered Tom to sit with the girls. This, of course, was exactly what Tom wanted. He quickly slid into the empty seat next to the new girl.

Tom tried desperately to attract her attention. He offered her a lovely ripe peach, but she only tossed her head and looked away. Next, Tom began to draw something on his slate. He covered his work with his hand and appeared to be very involved in this activity.

Soon, the girl’s curiosity got the best of her, and she made an attempt to see the drawing. But Tom kept on working and pretended to be totally unaware of her attentions. At last, she

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A Switch of Hickory Twigs

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gave in and hesitatingly whispered, “Let me see it!”

Tom partly uncovered a drawing of a house with a brick chimney and smoke curling into a blue sky. The girl’s interest grew. Soon she asked Tom to draw in people.

“It’s such a nice drawing,” she said. “I wish I could draw.”

“It’s easy,” whispered Tom. “I’ll teach you.”

The girl told him that her name was Becky Thatcher. Tom and Becky agreed to spend the lunch recess together, with Tom teaching her how to draw.

Tom went back to his drawing, but this time he hid the slate from Becky. She begged to see it, but he refused. Finally, he gave in and showed Becky the slate. The words “I love you” were printed in Tom’s own steady handwriting. Becky blushed, but anyone could see she was pleased.

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“It’s Such a Nice Drawing.”

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Tom Watches the Tick.