She peered over her glasses.

“You can’t be finished already! How much have you done?”

“It’s all done, Aunt. Come and see.”

“Tom, don’t lie to me,” replied Aunt Polly.

Tom grabbed Aunt Polly by the hand and took her to the freshly painted fence. The long, tall fence was white as snow!

Aunt Polly was so pleased that she gave Tom a shiny apple. He thanked her, but when her back was turned, he nabbed a fresh-baked doughnut!

Tom ran outside to play with his friends. There wasn’t too much left of his Saturday.

Chapter Two
The New Girl

Monday was another school day. Tom hated school more than he hated work. There was only one good reason to go to school—the new girl in town! Tom had seen her and instantly fallen in love. He had tried all his tricks to get her to look at him. He even performed handstands. She acted as if she didn’t see him!

But even the new girl wasn’t enough to make Tom want to go to school. He pretended to be sick. Tom moaned and groaned until Aunt Polly came into his room.

“Tom, what’s the matter with you?” she asked.

“Oh, Auntie,” moaned Tom. “My sore toe is killing me!”

“Your sore toe!” cried Aunt Polly. “That’s what you’ve been complaining about? Stop this nonsense and get out of bed. I don’t want you to be late for school.”

“Oh, my tooth! My tooth!” whined Tom. He covered his right cheek with both hands.

“Now your tooth hurts?” asked Aunt Polly. She peered into Tom’s mouth and wiggled a tooth.

“That front one is loose. I’ll have to pull it out.”

Tom jumped out of bed. “Please don’t pull it, Aunt. It doesn’t hurt anymore. I don’t want to stay home from school.”

In the end Aunt Polly pulled out Tom’s loose tooth and sent Tom to school.

On the way Tom met Huckleberry Finn.

Huck’s father drank too much and didn’t care what Huck did. Huck was the only boy in town who didn’t have to go to school or church. He never had to wash or put on clean clothes. He could fish or swim whenever he wanted.

All the boys in town wanted to be like Huck. Their mothers told them not to play with him. But Tom played with Huck every chance he got.

“Hello, Huckleberry! What’s that you got?” Tom greeted him.

“A dead cat.”

“What’s a dead cat good for, Huck?”

“Good to cure warts.”

“I play with frogs so much I’ve got lots of warts,” said Tom. “Say, how do you cure warts with a dead cat?”

“Well,” replied Huck, “you take a dead cat to a graveyard at midnight. You chant some words at a freshly dug grave, and the warts fall off.”

Huck was going to the graveyard that night. Tom thought that was a fine idea and asked to tag along. Huck agreed to call for Tom just before midnight, and Tom continued on his way.

By the time Tom entered the school classroom he was late.