| Tom Sawyer - The Fence |
| Tom Sawyer lived with his aunt because his parents had passed away. Tom disliked school and chores; he preferred playing and having adventures. One Friday, he skipped school and went to the river, which made Aunt Polly angry. As punishment, she told him he couldn't play the next day and had to paint the fence instead. |
| On Saturday, Tom reluctantly started painting the fence. His friend Jim passed by, but declined Tom's invitation to help as he was fetching water. Later, Ben came by and teased Tom about working while he was going swimming. Tom cleverly made painting seem enjoyable, leading Ben to ask if he could paint too. Tom initially refused, but eventually let Ben paint in exchange for some fruit. |
| As the day went on, more boys arrived and wanted to join in. Tom told them they could paint if they gave him food. The boys enthusiastically painted the fence three times, leaving it beautifully white, while Tom relaxed. |
| When Tom showed Aunt Polly the freshly painted fence, she was delighted and allowed him to go play. Tom then went to his friend Joe Harper's house to play. On his way home, he noticed a new girl with yellow hair and blue eyes in one yard. She was very beautiful, but she didn't see him and went inside. Tom waited for her to come out again, but she never did. |