Chapter 3 Chapter 1 Tom is fighting and hiding

"Tom!" No one agreed. "Tom!" No one agreed. "What's the matter with the boy, I don't know? You Tom!" Still no answer. The old lady lowered her glasses and looked over the lenses into the room, then she raised them and looked under them.She seldom or simply said she never wore correct glasses to look for something so small as a little boy.This pair of glasses is very elegant, and it is also her pride. She wears this pair of glasses not for practicality, but for "decoration" and "beauty".When she saw things, she could see clearly even with two stove covers on.She froze for a moment in bewilderment.Then, though not threateningly, but in a voice that could be heard from every corner, she said:

"Okay, I swear if I catch you, I'll—" She didn't finish her sentence because she was bending over and pounding the broom under the bed, and she needed to stop to catch her breath with each blow.As a result, only one cat came out. "I have never seen such an astonishing child!" She went to the open door and stood there looking through the tomato vines and gibson grass that filled the garden, trying to find Tom, but there was none.So she opened her voice to the distance and shouted loudly: "Tom, Tom!" Then there was a slight noise behind her, and she turned around and grabbed the hem of a little boy's short coat, making him unable to escape even if he wanted to.

"Hey! I should have thought of that closet. What are you doing hiding in there?" "Nothing." "Nothing?! Look at your hands, look at your mouth, and what's all over your body?" "I don't know, Auntie." "Why, I know, it's candied fruit—yes, it is. I've told you forty times, don't touch my candied fruit, or I'll skin you. Pass me the whip." The whip was dangling in the air—the situation was urgent. "Amazing! Look what's behind you, Auntie!" The old lady thought she was in danger, so she hurriedly lifted her skirt and turned around.Tom ran away, climbed over the high wooden fence in an instant, and disappeared without a trace in an instant.

His Aunt Polly stood there for a moment, then suddenly laughed softly. "Damn it, why don't I always learn my lesson? I don't know how many times I have made such a joke with me. Shouldn't I be wary? When people are old, the biggest fool is the fool. As the saying goes Well said, an old dog can't learn new tricks. But man! He never does a trick twice the same, who can guess what the next trick will be? He seems to know how long he can torture me , I will get angry, and he also knows that as long as he finds a way to coax me and make me laugh, everything will be over, and I will not beat him up. I dare not beat him up. I didn't do my duty to that kid, God knows that's true. The bible says, 'A child can't be a weapon.' I dote on that kid too much, and I know it's not good for either of us. He's full of ideas Oh, but he's the son of my dead sister, poor boy, and I can't bear to beat him. Every time I spare him, my conscience hurts; but every time I beat him, it hurts me a little. I can’t bear it. Hey, hey, it’s like what the Bible says, when a man is born to a mother, time flies and is full of suffering. I think this is not wrong at all. If he skips school this afternoon, I’ll try to get him to do some work tomorrow. Punish him. Put him to work on Saturday, I'm afraid it's a bit harsh, because all the kids are off, and he hates work more than anything else. But I have to do my duty to him, or else I'm going to ruin this kid."

Tom really didn't go to class, and had a good time playing.He came home just in time to help little black boy Jim, sawing wood for the next day and splitting kindling before supper--at least he got there in time to tell what he had done Jim listened, and Jim did three-quarters of the work.Tom's brother (half-brother, to be exact) Sid had done his part (picking up splinters), for he was a quiet boy who never took risks, nor What trouble. Aunt Polly began to ask Tom, who always looked for a chance to steal a candy at supper, and asked him very artfully, very cleverly—for she was trying to set him up to tell the truth.Like so many other simple minds, she was vain, and believed herself to be clever, to play cunning and cunning, and to make her most obvious cunning, she said:

"Tom, it's hot in school, isn't it?" "Yes, Aunt." "It's hot, isn't it?" "Yes, Aunt." "Do you want to go swimming, Tom?" Suddenly Tom felt a little flustered—a tinge of uneasiness and doubt passed over him.He stole a look at Aunt Polly's face, but saw nothing.So he said: "No, Auntie—well, not much to go." The old lady put her hand out and touched Tom's shirt, and said: "But you're not so hot now, are you!" She had found out that the shirt was dry, but no one knew her true intentions, and she was very proud of it.And Tom read her mind, so he pre-empted the old lady's next move.

"Someone's throwing water over everyone's heads—look, my hair's still wet!" Aunt Polly was vexed that she should have missed an opportunity by not noticing this obvious fact.But then she had an idea and thought of it: "Tom, you don't have to take off the collar I sewed on your shirt when you're pouring water on your head, do you? Unbutton your blouse!" The uneasiness on Tom's face disappeared immediately.He unbuttoned his jacket, but the collar of his shirt was still sewn on. "That's weird. Come on, forget it! I see you cut school to go swimming! I think you're like the old saying about a burnt-haired cat--not as bad as you seem. Just this one time, never mind. .”

On the one hand, she was sad that her plan had failed, and on the other hand, she was happy that Tom was so docile and obedient this time. But Sid said: "Hmph, I remember you used white thread to sew his collar, but now it's black thread." "Hey, I did sew it with white thread! Tom!" But Tom left before he had finished listening.As he walked out the door, he said: "Sid, I'm gonna beat you up for this." In a safe place Tom examined carefully the two large needles fastened to the lapel of his coat, which were still threaded, one with white thread and the other with black thread.

He said: "She would never have noticed if it hadn't been for Sid. What a nuisance! Sometimes she sews with white thread and sometimes black. I wish she always used one kind of thread--I can't remember No way. But I swear I'll beat Sid up, and I'll give him a good lesson." Tom was not the model boy in the village, but he knew the model boy very well and hated him. In less than two minutes, or even less, he had already forgotten all his troubles.Just as the troubles of grown-ups are troubles, he forgot them not because they were less heavy and painful to him, but because a new and stronger interest temporarily overwhelmed and dispelled the boredom in him— Just like when adults are excited by novel feelings, they will temporarily forget their misfortunes.This newfound interest was a new way of whistling, a valuable one, just learned from a Negro who was now trying to devote himself to his practice without being disturbed by others.This sound is very special, like the cry of a bird, a smooth and euphemistic tone.In blowing this tune, the tongue is intermittently pressed against the roof of the mouth--if the reader has ever been a child, he may remember how to whistle this way.Tom studied very diligently, practiced very attentively, and quickly mastered the essentials.So he strode along the street, whistling in his mouth, feeling happy in his heart. The joy was like when an astronomer discovers a new planet. The family is even more excited.

Summer afternoons are long, before it gets dark.Tom's whistle stopped suddenly, for a stranger appeared before him--a boy a little older than himself. In this poor, run-down village of St. Petersburg, any newcomer, man or woman, old or young, aroused curiosity.And the boy was very well dressed--so well-groomed for a normal working day, and that alone made Tom think of him with admiration.His hat was dainty, his blue jacket was buttoned up, and was new and neat, as were his trousers.He's still wearing shoes—you know, it's Friday!He even wore a tie, a bright silk tie.He put on a city air, which made Tom uncomfortable.Tom stared at his fine suit and turned his nose up.But the more he looked at it, the more he felt that his clothes were shabby and shabby.Neither of them said a word.One took a step, and the other took a step—but they all walked sideways in circles.They faced each other for a long time, eye to eye, and at last it was Tom who spoke:

"I can beat you!" "I would like to see and see." "Okay then, I'll call you." "Come on, you can't." "I can." "You just can't." "I'm fine." "no!" "Row!" "no!" Both men stopped uncomfortably.Then Tom asked: "What's your name?" "Maybe you don't care about it!" "Hmph, I can handle it!" "Okay, then you just take care of it." "If you talk too much, I'll show you." "Troubleshooting - longwinded - I want to be longwinded, let's see what you can do?" "Well, you think you're great, don't you? If I wanted to knock you down, I could hit you with the back of my hand." "Okay, you said you could beat me, so why didn't you do it?" "If you keep talking hard, I'll call you." "Hey——I've seen a lot of people like you, and you can't get off the stage with all your bragging!" "Ha! You think you're a man! Look at your hat!" "If you don't like it, you can take it off. If you dare to touch it, I'll beat you up!" "You brag." "You're bragging too." "You just talk big and don't dare to do it." "Oh, get the hell out of here!" "Tell you—if you curse at me again, I'll smash your head with a rock." "Okay then, come smash it!" "I sure will." "Then why don't you try it? You're always bragging and afraid to do it. Oh, I know you're scared." "I'm not afraid!" "Are you afraid!" "I'm not afraid!" "You're just afraid!" The two paused for a while, then looked at each other again, and walked a few steps sideways in circles.Suddenly the two of them were shoulder to shoulder.Tom says: "Get out of here!" "Go away!" "I'm not leaving." "I'm not leaving either." So they stood there, each leaning on one foot, trying to push the other back as hard as they could, and staring at each other resentfully.But no one has an advantage.They fought hot and flushed, and then the two relaxed a little, but they were cautiously wary of each other.Then Tom said again, "You're a coward and a son of a bitch. I'll tell my big brother about you, and he'll crush you with his little finger, and I'll let him beat you." "I'm not afraid of your big brother, I have a big brother who's older than your big brother—and my big brother can throw your big brother over that fence." (Both's so-called big brothers are fictional.) "you are lying." "What you said is not true." Tom drew a line in the dirt on the ground with his big toe, and said: "If you dare to cross this line, I will beat you to the ground and make you unable to stand up. Whoever dares will have to walk around without food." The new boy crossed the line without hesitation and said: "You said you dare to hit me, now let's see how you play." "Don't push me! You'd better be careful." "Hey, didn't you say you were going to hit me?—Why didn't you do it?" "Well, I'll do it if you'll give me two cents." The new boy did pull two cents out of his pocket and spread his hands mockingly.Tom knocked the money over.Immediately, the two of them were like two cats fighting for food, rolling and tearing in the dust on the ground, followed by pulling hair, collar, beating each other's nose and scratching each other's face desperately.Both of them were covered in dirt, but both were majestic.In the end, it became clear who would win and who lost. Tom got up from the dust, rode on the boy, and hit the boy hard with his fists. "Have you had enough? Beg for mercy!" he said. The boy just wanted to break free.He howled with anger. Tom was still beating on and on, saying, "Please forgive me!" The boy had no choice but to squeeze out a few words: "Forgive me!" Tom made him stand up, and said to him: "Now you know how powerful I am! You'd better be careful in the future, and see who you are talking to." The new boy dusted himself off and walked away weeping.Now and then he turned his head and shook his head, frightening Tom: "If I catch you next time, I will, I will..." Tom dismissed this and walked away arrogantly.As soon as his back was turned, the boy snatched up a rock and threw it at him, hitting Tom on the back, and then ran off like a gazelle with his tail between his legs.Tom pursued him all the way to his house.He stood at the gate of someone's house, yelling for the boy to come out to fight, but the opponent just winked at him from the window and refused to fight.At last the rival's mother came out, and called Tom a wicked, dirty, uneducated, bad boy, and told him to go away.So Tom went away, but when he left, he said he would find another opportunity to teach the bastard a lesson. It was late when he got home that night.When he cautiously climbed in through the window, he suddenly found someone in an ambush. After a closer look, it turned out to be his Aunt Polly.She saw the way he was dressed, and her resolve to make Tom work on his Saturday rest was strengthened now.