The Adventures of Tom Sawyer


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up to the judicial one's altitude, and the school had two marvels to  
gaze upon in place of one. The boys were all eaten up with envy--but  
those that suffered the bitterest pangs were those who perceived too  
late that they themselves had contributed to this hated splendor by  
trading tickets to Tom for the wealth he had amassed in selling  
whitewashing privileges. These despised themselves, as being the dupes  
of a wily fraud, a guileful snake in the grass.  
The prize was delivered to Tom with as much effusion as the  
superintendent could pump up under the circumstances; but it lacked  
somewhat of the true gush, for the poor fellow's instinct taught him  
that there was a mystery here that could not well bear the light,  
perhaps; it was simply preposterous that this boy had warehoused two  
thousand sheaves of Scriptural wisdom on his premises--a dozen would  
strain his capacity, without a doubt.  
Amy Lawrence was proud and glad, and she tried to make Tom see it in  
her face--but he wouldn't look. She wondered; then she was just a grain  
troubled; next a dim suspicion came and went--came again; she watched;  
a furtive glance told her worlds--and then her heart broke, and she was  
jealous, and angry, and the tears came and she hated everybody. Tom  
most of all (she thought).  
Tom was introduced to the Judge; but his tongue was tied, his breath  
would hardly come, his heart quaked--partly because of the awful  
greatness of the man, but mainly because he was her parent. He would  
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Quick Jump
1 85 170 254 339