Learn English Through Story
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
By MARK TWAIN
Retold by Nick Bullard
Illustrated by Paul Fisher Johnson
Level 1
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OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
Introduction
Tom Sawyer likes adventures. When other people are sleeping in their
beds, Tom Sawyer is climbing out of his bedroom window to meet his
friends. He and Joe Harper and Huckleberry Finn have an exciting life.
They look for ghosts, they dig for treasure, and they take a boat down the
Mississippi to Jackson's Island -to swim, and fish, and sleep under the
stars.
But Tom's adventures can be dangerous, too. One night in the graveyard he
and Huck Finn see three men. Who are they? And what are they doing in
the graveyard, in the middle of the night? Then the boys see that one of the
men is Injun Joe . . .
Tom and Huck never forget that night. They are afraid of Injun Joe - and
they are right to be afraid. Because Injun Joe is very quick with a knife . . .
Chapter one
Tom and his friends
'Tom! Tom! Where are you?'
No answer.
'Where is that boy? When I find him, I'm going to...'
Aunt Polly looked under the bed. Then she opened the door and looked out into
the garden.
'Tom!'
She heard something behind her. A small boy ran past, but Aunt Polly put out her
hand and stopped him.
'Ah, there you are! And what's that in your pocket?'
'Nothing, Aunt Polly.'
Aunt Polly put out her hand and stopped him.
'Nothing! It's an apple! I can see it. Now listen, Tom. Those apples are not for
you, and I —'
'Oh, Aunt Polly! Quick - look behind you!'
So Aunt Polly looked, and Tom was out of the house in a second. She laughed
quietly. 'I never learn. I love that Tom, my dead sister's child, but he isn't an easy boy
for an old lady. Well, it's Saturday tomorrow and there's no school, but it isn't going to
be a holiday for Tom. Oh no! He's going to work tomorrow!'
Saturday was a beautiful day. It was summer and the sun was hot and there were
flowers in all the gardens. It was a day for everybody to be happy.
Tom was the unhappiest boy in the village.
Tom came out of his house with a brush and a big pot of white paint in his hand.
He looked at the fence; it was three meters high and thirty meters long. He put his
brush in the paint and painted some of the fence. He did it again. Then he stopped
and looked at the fence, put down his brush and sat down. There were hours of work
in front of him and he was the unhappiest boy in the village.
After ten minutes Tom had an idea, a wonderful idea. He took up the brush again
and began work. He saw his friend Joe Harper in the street, but he didn't look at him.
Joe had an apple in his hand. He came up to Tom and looked at the fence.
'I am sorry, Tom.'
Tom said nothing. The paint brush moved up and down.
'Working for your aunt?' said Joe. 'I'm going down to the river. I'm sorry you can't
come with me.'
Tom put down his brush. 'You call this work?' he said.
Tainting a fence?' said joe. 'Of course it's work!'
'Perhaps it is and perhaps it isn't. But I like it,' said
Tom. 'I can go to the river any day. I can't paint a fence very often.'
Joe watched Tom for about five minutes. Tom painted very slowly and carefully.
He often stopped, moved back from the fence and looked at his work with a smile. Joe
began to get very interested, and said:
'Tom, can I paint a little?'
Tom thought for a second. I'm sorry, Joe. You see, my aunt wants me to do it
because I'm good at painting. My brother Sid wanted to paint, too, but she said no.'
'Oh, please, Tom, just a little. I'm good at painting, too. Hey, do you want some
of my apple?'
'No, Joe, I can't —'
'OK, you can have all my apple!'
Tom gave Joe the brush. He did not smile, but for the first time that day he was a
very happy boy. He sat down and ate Joe's apple.
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