Tom Sawyer Adventures - (New Curriculum Standards)

Author: Mark Twain
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: [American] Mark Twain
I. The Mischievous Tom
In the poor and dilapidated little village of St. Petersburg, Tom was a very famous child, known for his cleverness and mischief.
Tom's mother had passed away long ago, and he and his half-brother, Sid, lived with their aunt Polly, who took care of them.
Tom was too mischievous and restless; he hated doing chores and always found ways to play instead.
As a result, the house was often filled with Aunt Polly's shouts of anger and searches for Tom.
"Tom! Tom!"
Polly Aunt called several times without response. She lifted her glasses from her nose and searched around but found nothing. She raised her voice again:
"Tom! I swear if I catch you, I'll"
As she spoke, she picked up a broom and fiercely prodded under the bed, only to dig out a cat. She muttered curses as she walked to the wide-open door and looked into the tomato vines and Gibson grass, but still couldn't see Tom.
"Tom! Tom!"
Polly Aunt called out persistently, suddenly hearing a faint noise behind her. She quickly turned and caught Tom.
It turned out that Tom was hiding in the closet, sneaking a snack of preserves.
Polly Aunt raised the whip in her hand, ready to give the mischievous Tom a good lesson.
Tom, thinking quickly, shouted:
"Aunt, what's behind you?"
Unwitting of the trick, Polly Aunt quickly lifted her skirt and turned around. By the time she came to her senses, Tom had already climbed over the tall wooden fence and vanished without a trace.