The Adventures of Tom Sawyer | Audiobook | A2 English

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Tom Sawyer lived with his Aunt Polly in a small town near the Mississippi River. He was

a clever and lively boy who did not like school or work. He preferred playing with his friends,

swimming in the river, and having adventures. One Saturday morning, Aunt Polly told Tom to

paint the fence. It was a long white fence, and Tom was not happy. He wanted

to go swimming with his friends. As he stood with the brush in his hand, he began to think.

Then an idea came to him. When his friend Ben Rogers

came by eating an apple, Tom acted very serious. He painted the fence slowly and

carefully. Ben stopped and watched. “Hello, Tom. You have to work,

don’t you?” Ben said, smiling. “Work?” Tom answered.

“This isn’t work. I like it.” Ben was surprised. “You like painting?”

“Of course,” said Tom. “Does a boy get to paint a fence every day?”

Ben looked at the fence and wanted to try. “Tom, let me paint a little,” he said.

Tom thought for a moment. “I don’t know, Ben. Aunt Polly wants it to be perfect.”

“Please, Tom. I’ll give you my apple.” “Well,” Tom said, “maybe just a little part.”

Ben took the brush and began to paint. Tom sat down and ate the apple happily. Soon other boys

came. They also wanted to paint. One gave Tom a kite, another gave him a dead rat on a string,

another gave him marbles. By the end of the day, the fence was beautiful,

and Tom had many treasures. That evening, Aunt Polly was

very pleased when she saw the fence. “Good job, Tom,” she said. Tom smiled but said nothing.

He learned that to make people want something, you just have to make it look special.

The next day was Sunday. Tom and his cousin Sid got ready for church. Aunt Polly wanted them to

look clean and polite. Tom didn’t like it, but he obeyed. In church, he tried to sit still,

but it was difficult. The sermon was long, and Tom felt bored. He played with a little

black bug he had caught in a box. When the bug started to walk on the floor,

everyone in church tried not to laugh. Aunt Polly looked angry, but even she smiled a little.

After church, Tom met his best friend, Huckleberry Finn. Huck was a free boy. He had no parents, no

school, and no rules. He could go where he wanted and do what he liked. Tom admired him very much.

Huck said, “Tom, do you know how to get rid of warts?”

“No, how?” Tom asked. “You take a dead cat

to the graveyard at midnight,” Huck whispered. “When the devil comes to take a bad man’s soul,

you throw the cat after him. Then your wart will go away.”

Tom thought this was wonderful. He wanted to go with Huck that night.

Later that day, Tom saw a new girl in town. Her name was Becky Thatcher. She had yellow hair

and blue eyes. Tom fell in love at once. He wanted to impress her. He walked past

her house many times and tried to look brave. At school on Monday, Tom sat near Becky. When

the teacher turned around, Tom drew a picture on his slate. Becky looked at it and smiled.

“Do you like it?” Tom asked. “Yes,” Becky said softly.

“Then say you’ll be my friend,” said Tom. “I will,” she said, and they shook hands.