精彩内容 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 overit. His aunt Polly stood surprised a moment.and men broke into a gentle laugh. "Hang the boy,can't I never learn anything?Ain't he played me~icks 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 offfor 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.1aying up sin and suffering for us both,I know.He's full ofthe 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 1et 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'11 play hooky this evening,and I'11 just be obleeged to make him work,to-morrow,to punish him.It's mighty hard to make him work Saturdays,when a11 the boys is having holiday,but he hates work more than he hates anything else,and I've got to do some ofmy duty by him,or I'll be the ruination ofthe child" Tom did play hooky,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 verydeep――for she wanted to trap him into damaging revealments.Likemany 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 tocontemplate her most transparent devices as marvels of low cunning.Saidshe: "Tom,it was middling warlll 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 uncomfortablesuspicion.He searched Aunt Polly'S face,but it told him nothing.So hesaid: ‘'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 warlnow,though."And it flattered her to reflectthat she had discovered that the shirt was dry without anybody knowingthat that was what she had in her mind.But in spite of her.Tom knewwhere the wind lay,now.So he forestalled what might be the next move: "Some ofus pumped on our heads―mine'S damp yet.See?" Aunt Polly was vexed to think she had overlooked that bit ofcircumstantial evidence,and missed a trick.Then she had a newinspiration: "Tom,you didn't have to undo your shirt collar where I sewed it.topump on your head,did you?Unbutton your jacket!" The trouble vanished out of Tom'S face.He opened his jacket.Hisshirt collar was securely sewed. "Bother!Well,go'long with you.I'd made sure you'd played hookyand been a-swimming.But I forgive ye.Tom.I reckon you're a kind of asinged cat,as the saying is―better'n you look.This time." She was half sorry her sagacity had miscarried,and half glad that Tomhad stumbled into obedient conduct for once.P1-P2
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