1 Look Behind you !
Tom
There was no reply.
Tom
There was no reply.
Where is he ? said Aunt Polly.
She went to the door of the kitchen and looked into the garden. Tom ! she shouted again.
There was no reply from the garden.
Then Aunt Polly heard a noise in the kitchen. She turned round and she saw Tom. He came out of the food cupboard. He ran towards the door. Aunt Polly grabbed his jacket and stopped.
‘Why were you in the food cupboard?’ she asked.
Then she saw Tom’s mouth. It was bright red.
‘I know! ’She said. ‘You were eating my fruit! Tom you are a bad boy !’
The old lady lifted her hand. She was going to hit Tom.
‘Look behind you, Aunt Polly ! ‘ said Tom.
Aunt Polly let go of Tom‘s jacket and turned round quickly. Tom ran away. He ran into the garden and climbed over the fence.
‘Tom sawyer!’ said Aunt Polly . Then she laughed.
‘He Always plays tricks on me ‘ she said herself. ‘ I never learn.’
It was 1844. Tom was eleven years old. He lived in St Petersburg, Missouri. St Petersburg was a town on the Mississippi River, in North America.
Tom’s parents were dead. He lived with his father’s sister, Aunt Polly. Tom was not clean and tidy. He did not help Aunt Polly with the housework. He often behaved badly. But Aunt Polly loved him very much.
Aunt Polly loved Tom but she worried about him too.
‘Tom must behave better’ she said to herself. ‘ He must obey me . He must be a good boy. He stole my fruit and I will punish him. He must do some work. Tomorrow is Saturday. There’s on Saturday. Tomorrow, Tom will paint the fence.’