You can Enjoy Your Work

     This is the story about a little American boy, Tom Sawyer.

It is from a novel called The Adventure of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Tom lives with his aunt Polly. He is a naughty boy, but he makes you laugh. Tom Sawyer lay in the cool grass and looked at the blue sky. He looked at the white clouds and at the green mountains. It was a Saturday. 

There was no school and no work. He felt lazy and sleepy.

"It's a holiday!", thought Tom, happily. Then he rolled over and went to sleep, right there on the grass.

"Tom! TOM!' It was his Aunt Polly's voice. "Where are you, Tom? I have work for you. Come and do it." Tom heard her, but he did not open his eyes. He lay very still. He said, "Perhaps Aunt Polly won't find me - then I can sleep all morning" But in a moment, she was standing next to him, "Get up," she said. Tom Opened his eyes slowly. " I want you to paint the fence, Tom. It's a nice bright day. Try to paint the whole fence today". Before Tom could reply, Aunt Polly went away. Tom looked at the fence. It was very long. He looked at the pot of paint. Such a lot of paint! He felt sad. "I'll never, never finish. What a waste of a holiday!" He dipped the paint brush in the pot of paint and started to work. Then he had a clever idea. "I know what, I'll get the help of Johnny and Ben and all the others and I can go back to sleep!" He smiled and sang and painted. Soon, his friend Ben slowly walked up to him. Thee was an apple in Ben's hand and Tom's mouth watered. Ben looked at him and laughed. 

"Tom," he said, "Why does your aunt want you to work on a holiday?" "Work?", said Tom. "This is not work, Ben, This is an art. You need the right kind of paint and the right kind of brush. And only some people can do it really well. Aunt Polly didn't allow Sid to do it, or Jim."

"Really, Tom?", said Ben. "Can I try, please?"

"Oh no," said Tom, "I don't think so. No, you can't. My aunt will know at once!"

"Come on, Tom. Give me that brush and pot of paint - and I'll give you half my apple."

But Tom dipped his brush in the pot and painted a little of the fence. Then he stood back and looked at his work. He nodded to himself and put some more paint on. 

"You can have the whole apple, Tom", said Ben.

"Well," said Tom. He thought a little. "Well, you can try," he said.

Tom gave Ben the paint brush and took the apple. Ben painted and Tom ate. After some time he said, "You are ding well, Ben. You aren't a really good painter yet. Look, paint this part." So Ben painted it. Soon Billy came along. He had his hands in his pockets and was whistling a tune. He stopped when he saw Ben with a brush in one hand and a pot of paint in the other. "Why are you working on a holiday?", Billy asked.

"I'm not working. I'm painting". Said Ben.

Billy came over and looked at the fence. "It isn't easy, is it?", he said.

"Oh no," said Ben. "Everybody can't do it,  but Tom likes my works."

"Please can I try, Tom?", said Billy.

Tom smiled. His plan was working well. "No, I didn't so. My aunt will know", he said. He bit a piece of his apple. "Your apple is a tasty one, Ben."

"I have two marbles," said Billy. He took them out of his pocket and showed them to Tom. They were big blue ones. "Here," said Billy, you can try."

Tom took them and said. "Thanks. Ben, don't you feel tired? Billy, you can try."

Latter Johny came along and many other friends too. All of them wanted to paint the fence. "Please may I try?", each said. Each time, he thought for a while and then he said 'yes'. But first they gave him something for the chance. 

At he end of the day, Tom had a ball, a bag of sand, a coin, sweets and some toy soldiers. The whole fence was white and shining. Tom smiled and he thought, "Work can be fun. Yes, it can be fun when others do it." Then he ran inside to tell Aunt Polly.