CHAPTER I

No answer .

" Ton ! "

No answer .

" What's gone with that boy , I wonder ? You TOM ! "

No answer .

The old lady pulled her spectacles down and looked over them about the room ; then she put them up and looked out under them . She seldom or never looked through them for so small a thing as a boy ; they were her state pair , the pride of her heart , and were built for " style , " not service she could have seen through a pair of stove-lids just as well . She looked perplexed for a moment , and then said , not fiercely , but still loud enough for the furniture to hear :

" Well , I lay if I get hold of you I'll "

She did not finish , for by this time she was bend - ing down and punching under the bed with the broom , and so she needed breath to punctuate the punches with . She resurrected nothing but the cat .

" I never did see the beat of that boy ! "

She went to the open door and stood in it and looked out among the tomato vines and " jimpson " weeds that constituted the garden . No Tom . So she lifted up her voice at an angle calculated for distance , and shouted :

" Y-o-u-u Tom ! "

There was a slight noise behind her and she turned just in time to seize a small boy by the slack of his roundabout and arrest his flight .

" There ! I might ' a ' thought of that closet . What you been doing in there ? "

" Nothing . "

" Nothing ! Look at your hands . And look at your mouth . What is that truck ? "

" I don't know , aunt . "

" Well , I know . It's jam that's what it is . Forty times I've said if you didn't let that jam alone I'd skin you . Hand me that switch . "

The switch hovered in the air the peril was desperate

" My! Look behind you , aunt ! "

The old lady whirled round , and snatched her skirts out of danger . The lad fled , on the instant , scrambled up the high board fence , and disappeared over it .

His aunt Polly stood surprised a moment , and then broke into a gentle laugh .

' Hang the boy , can't I never learn anything ? Ain't he played me tricks enough like that for me to be looking out for him by this time ? But old fools is the biggest fools there is . Can't learn an old dog new tricks , as the saying is . But my goodness , he never plays them alike , two days , and how is a body to know what's coming ? He ' pears to know just how long he can torment me before I get my dander up , and he knows if he can make out to put me off for a minute or make me laugh , it's all down again and I can't hit him a lick . I ain't doing my duty by that boy , and that's the Lord's truth , goodness knows . Spare the rod and spile the child , as the Good Book says . I'm a-laying up sin and suffering for us both , I know . He's full of the Old Scratch , but laws-a-me ! he's my own dead sister's boy , poor thing , and I ain't got the heart to lash him , somehow . Every time I let him off , my conscience does hurt me so , and every time I hit him my old heart most breaks . Well-a-well , man that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble , as the Scripture says , and I reckon it's so . He'll play hookey this evening , 1 and I'll just be obleeged to make him work , to-morrow , to punish him . It's mighty hard to make him work Saturdays , when all the boys is having holiday , but he hates work more than he hates anything else , and I've got to do some of my duty by him , or I'll be the ruination of the child . "

Tom did play hookey , and he had a very good time . He got back home barely in season to help Jim , the small colored boy , saw next-day's wood and split the kindlings before supper at least he was there in time to tell his adventures to Jim while Jim did three-fourths of the work . Tom's younger brother ( or rather , half-brother ) , Sid , was already through with his part of the work ( picking up chips ) , for he was a quiet boy , and had no adventurous , troublesome ways .

While Tom was eating his supper , and stealing sugar as opportunity offered , Aunt Polly asked him questions that were full of guile , and very deep for she wanted to trap him into damaging reveal - ments . Like many other simple-hearted souls , it was her pet vanity to believe she was endowed with a talent for dark and mysterious diplomacy , and she loved to contemplate her most transparent devices as marvels of low cunning . Said she :

" Tom , it was middling warm in school , warn't it ? "

" Yes'm . "

" Powerful warm , warn't it ? ' *

" Yes'm . "

" Didn't you want to go in a-swimming , Tom ? "

A bit of a scare shot through Tom a touch of uncomfortable suspicion . He searched Aunt Polly's face , but it told him nothing . So he said :

" No'm well , not very much . "

The old lady reached out her hand and felt Tom's shirt , and said :

" But you ain't too warm now , though . " And it flattered her to reflect that she had discovered that the shirt was dry without anybody knowing that that was what she had in her mind . But in spite of her , Tom knew where the wind lay , now . So he forestalled what might be the next move : " Some of us pumped on our heads mine's damp yet . See ? "

Aunt Polly was vexed to think she had over - looked that bit of circumstantial evidence , and missed a trick . Then she had a new inspiration :

" Tom , you didn't have to undo your shirt - collar where I sewed it , to pump on your head , did you ? Unbutton your jacket ! ' *

The trouble vanished out of Tom's face . He opened his jacket . His shirt - collar was securely sewed .

" Bother ! Well , go 'long with you . I'd made sure you'd played hookey and been a-swimming . But I forgive ye , Tom . I reckon you're a kind of a singed cat , as the saying is better ' n you look . This time . "

She was half sorry her sagacity had miscarried , and half glad that Tom had stumbled into obedient conduct for once .

But Sidney said :

" Well , now , if I didn't think you sewed his collar with white thread , but it's black . "

" Why , I did sew it with white ! Tom ! "

But Tom did not wait for the rest . As he went out at the door he said :

" Siddy , I'll lick you for that . "

In a safe place Tom examined two large needles which were thrust into the lapels of his jacket , and had thread bound about them one needle carried white thread and the other black . He said .

" She'd never noticed if it hadn't been for Sid . Confound it ! sometimes she sews it with white , and sometimes she sews it with black . I wish to gee - miny she'd stick to one or t'other I can't keep the run of ' em . But I bet you I'll lam Sid for that . I'll learn him ! "

He was not the Model Boy of the village . He knew the model boy very well though and loathed him .

Within two minutes , or even less , he had for - gotten all his troubles . Not because his troubles were one whit less heavy and bitter to him than a man's are to a man , but because a new and power - ful interest bore them down and drove them out of his mind for the time just as men's misfortunes are forgotten in the excitement of new enterprises . This new interest was a valued novelty in whistling , which he had just acquired from a negro , and he was suffering to practise it undisturbed . It con - sisted in a peculiar birdlike turn , a sort of liquid warble , produced by touching the tongue to the roof of the mouth at short intervals in the midst of the music the reader probably remembers how to do it , if he has ever been a boy . Diligence and attention soon gave him the knack of it , and he strode down the street with his mouth full of har - mony and his soul full of gratitude . He felt much as an astronomer feels who has discovered a new planet no doubt , as far as strong , deep , unalloyed pleasure is concerned , the advantage was with the boy , not the astronomer .

The summer evenings were long . It was not dark , yet . Presently Tom checked his whistle . A stranger was before him a boy a shade larger than himself .

A new-comer of any age or either sex was an im - pressive curiosity in the poor little shabby village of St. Petersburg . This boy was well dressed , too well dressed on a week-day . This was simply as - tounding . His cap was a dainty thing , his close - buttoned blue cloth roundabout was new and natty , and so were his pantaloons . He had shoes on and it was only Friday . He even wore a necktie , a bright bit of ribbon . He had a citified air about him that ate into Tom's vitals . The more Tom stared at the splendid marvel , the higher he turned up his nose at his finery and the shabbier and shab - bier his own outfit seemed to him to grow . Neither boy spoke . If one moved , the other moved but only sidewise , in a circle ; they kept face to face and eye to eye all the time . Finally Tom said :

" I can lick you ! "

" I'd like to see you try it . "

" Well , I can do it . "

" No you can't , either . "

" Yes I can . "

" No you can't . "

" I can . "

" You can't . "

" Can ! "

" Can't ! "

An uncomfortable pause . Then Tom said :

" What's your name ? "

" Tisn't any of your business , maybe . "

" Well I ' low I'll make it my business . "

" Well why don't you ? "

" Much much much . There now . "

" Oh , you think you're mighty smart , don't you ? I could lick you with one hand tied behind me , if I wanted to . "

" Well why don't you do it ? You say you can do it . "

" Well I will , if you fool with me . "

" Oh yes - I've seen whole families in the same fix . "

" Smarty ! You think you're some , now , don't you ? Oh , what a hat ! "

" You can lump that hat if you don't like it . I dare you to knock it off and anybody that ' 11 take a dare will suck eggs . "

" You're a liar ! "

" You're another . "

" You're a righting liar and dasn't take it up . "

" Aw take a walk ! "

" Say if you give me much more of your sass I'll take and bounce a rock off'n your head . "

" Oh , of course you will . "

" Well I will "

" Well why don't you do it then ? What do you keep saying you will for ? Why don't you do it ? It's because you're afraid . "

" I ain't afraid . "

" You are . "

" I ain't . "

" You are . "

Another pause , and more eying and sidling around each other . Presently they were shoulder to shoulder . Tom said : " Get away from here ! "

" Go away yourself ! "

" I won't . "

" 7 won't either . "

So they stood , each with a foot placed at an angle as a brace , and both shoving with might and main , and glowering at each other with hate . But neither could get an advantage . After struggling till both were hot and flushed , each relaxed his strain with watchful caution , and Tom said :

' You're a coward and a pup . I'll tell my big brother on you , and he can thrash you with his little finger , and I'll make him do it , too . "

" What do I care for your big brother ? I've got a brother that's bigger than he is and what's more , he can throw him over that fence , too . " [ Both brothers were imaginary . ]

" That's a lie . "

" Your saying so don't make it so . "

Tom drew a line in the dust with his big toe , and said :

" I dare you to step over that , and I'll lick you till you can't stand up . Anybody that ' 11 take a dare will steal sheep "

The new boy stepped over promptly , and said : ' Now you said you'd do it , now let's see you do it . "

" Don't you crowd me now ; you better look out . "

" Well , you said you'd do it why don't you do it ? "

" By jingo ! for two cents I will do it , "

The new boy took two broad coppers out of his pocket and held them out with derision . Tom struck them to the ground , In an instant both boys were rolling and tumbling in the dirt , gripped together like cats ; and for the space of a minute they tugged and tore at each other's hair and clothes , punched and scratched each other's noses , and covered themselves with dust and glory . Presently the confusion took form and through the fog of battle Tom appeared , seated astride the new boy , and pounding him with his fists .

" Holler ' miff ! " said he .

The boy only struggled to free himself . He was crying mainly from rage ,

" Holler ' nuff ! " and the pounding went on .

At last the stranger got out a smothered " ' Nuff ! " and Tom let him up and said :

" Now that ' 11 learn you . Better look out who you're fooling with next time . "

The new boy went off brushing the dust from his clothes , sobbing , snuffling , and occasionally looking back and shaking his head and threatening what he would do to Tom the " next time he caught him out . " To which Tom responded with jeers , and started off in high feather , and as soon as his back was turned the new boy snatched up a stone , threw it and hit him between the shoulders and then turned tail and ran like an antelope . Tom chased the traitor home , and thus found out where he lived He then held a position at the gate for some time , daring the enemy to come outside , but the enemy only made faces at him through the window and declined . At last the enemy's mother ap - peared , and called Torn a bad , vicious , vulgar child , and ordered him away . So he went away , but he