A Boy Called Tom

Tom Sawyer lived with his Aunt Polly in the small town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, on the banks of the Mississippi River. He was not a bad boy — but he was certainly not an obedient one. He skipped school, got into fights, and was always looking for adventure instead of doing his work.

One afternoon, Aunt Polly called his name three times. No answer. She found him hiding in the closet with jam all over his mouth. She reached for a switch to punish him.

"Look behind you, Aunt!" Tom cried.

She turned around in surprise. Tom ran out of the house, jumped over the fence, and disappeared. Aunt Polly shook her head and laughed. She could never stay angry at him for long.

That evening, Tom came home late with torn, dirty clothes. He had been in a fight with a new boy in town — and had won. Aunt Polly decided to punish him: he would have to whitewash the fence on Saturday instead of playing.