登陆注册
5200800000029

第29章

ONE of the reasons why Tom's mind had drifted away from its secret troubles was, that it had found a new and weighty matter to interest itself about.Becky Thatcher had stopped coming to school.Tom had struggled with his pride a few days, and tried to "whistle her down the wind," but failed.He began to find himself hanging around her father's house, nights, and feeling very miserable.She was ill.What if she should die! There was distraction in the thought.He no longer took an interest in war, nor even in piracy.The charm of life was gone; there was nothing but dreariness left.He put his hoop away, and his bat; there was no joy in them any more.His aunt was concerned.She began to try all manner of remedies on him.She was one of those people who are infatuated with patent medicines and all new-fangled methods of producing health or mending it.She was an inveterate experimenter in these things.When something fresh in this line came out she was in a fever, right away, to try it; not on herself, for she was never ailing, but on anybody else that came handy.She was a subscriber for all the "Health" periodicals and phrenological frauds; and the solemn ignorance they were inflated with was breath to her nostrils.All the "rot" they contained about ventilation, and how to go to bed, and how to get up, and what to eat, and what to drink, and how much exercise to take, and what frame of mind to keep one's self in, and what sort of clothing to wear, was all gospel to her, and she never observed that her health-journals of the current month customarily upset everything they had recommended the month before.She was as simple-hearted and honest as the day was long, and so she was an easy victim.She gathered together her quack periodicals and her quack medicines, and thus armed with death, went about on her pale horse, metaphorically speaking, with "hell following after." But she never suspected that she was not an angel of healing and the balm of Gilead in disguise, to the suffering neighbors.

The water treatment was new, now, and Tom's low condition was a windfall to her.She had him out at daylight every morning, stood him up in the woodshed and drowned him with a deluge of cold water; then she scrubbed him down with a towel like a file, and so brought him to; then she rolled him up in a wet sheet and put him away under blankets till she sweated his soul clean and "the yellow stains of it came through his pores" -- as Tom said.

Yet notwithstanding all this, the boy grew more and more melancholy and pale and dejected.She added hot baths, sitz baths, shower baths, and plunges.The boy remained as dismal as a hearse.She began to assist the water with a slim oatmeal diet and blisterplasters.She calculated his capacity as she would a jug's, and filled him up every day with quack cure-alls.

Tom had become indifferent to persecution by this time.This phase filled the old lady's heart with consternation.This indifference must be broken up at any cost.Now she heard of Pain-killer for the first time.She ordered a lot at once.She tasted it and was filled with gratitude.It was simply fire in a liquid form.She dropped the water treatment and everything else, and pinned her faith to Pain-killer.She gave Tom a teaspoonful and watched with the deepest anxiety for the result.Her troubles were instantly at rest, her soul at peace again; for the "indifference" was broken up.The boy could not have shown a wilder, heartier interest, if she had built a fire under him.

Tom felt that it was time to wake up; this sort of life might be romantic enough, in his blighted condition, but it was getting to have too little sentiment and too much distracting variety about it.So he thought over various plans for relief, and finally hit pon that of professing to be fond of Pain-killer.He asked for it so often that he became a nuisance, and his aunt ended by telling him to help himself and quit bothering her.If it had been Sid, she would have had no misgivings to alloy her delight; but since it was Tom, she watched the bottle clandestinely.She found that the medicine did really diminish, but it did not occur to her that the boy was mending the health of a crack in the sitting-room floor with it.

One day Tom was in the act of dosing the crack when his aunt's yellow cat came along, purring, eying the teaspoon avariciously, and begging for a taste.Tom said:

"Don't ask for it unless you want it, Peter."But Peter signified that he did want it.

"You better make sure."

Peter was sure.

同类推荐
  • 救荒事宜

    救荒事宜

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 洪恩灵济真君集福宿启仪

    洪恩灵济真君集福宿启仪

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • THE GREAT HOGGARTY DIAMOND

    THE GREAT HOGGARTY DIAMOND

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说四愿经

    佛说四愿经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 药房樵唱

    药房樵唱

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 皇后在上

    皇后在上

    “娘娘不好了,凤栖宫被封了?”浩浩荡荡的凤栖宫人着急忙慌的来报。在外游荡的人儿漫不经心,“那我们去太后宫里蹭一蹭!”“娘娘,太后不接待!”某皇后继续心不在焉,“哦,那咱们去荣乐公主的荣乐宫蹭住”“娘娘,荣乐宫闭门不见。”奔跑相询的侍女满脸无奈。某皇后终于咬牙,“没事儿……那咱们去冷宫。”于是浩荡的人群跟着自我放逐的某皇后来到冷宫前,侍卫战战兢兢,“娘娘,冷宫如今需要重新装修,圣上的御辇在那边等着您的,您随圣上前往帝王寝宫神龙殿可好?”遥遥相对的皇帝陛下笑意盈盈的朝着这方招了招手。某皇后看着眼前快被拆成废墟的冷宫,满脸生无可恋,还能不能愉快地分居了!
  • 皓月夜行

    皓月夜行

    听闻齐国公主三岁堪书,四岁赋诗,九岁舌战群儒,十岁琴艳四座,楚宫之中一舞更是艳绝天下。但不幸的是十二岁那年,齐国灭国,自此世间再无安宁公主,二年后,六扇门却多了个女捕快。
  • 国雅品

    国雅品

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 给幸福留一扇门

    给幸福留一扇门

    本书收录了百于则经典哲理美文,其内容涉及青春、爱情、理想等方面,从不同的视角阐释了人生的种种道理。
  • 哈姆雷特

    哈姆雷特

    《哈姆雷特》是莎士比亚作于1601年的悲剧。讲述丹麦王子哈姆雷特对谋杀其父、骗娶其母并篡夺了王位的叔父进行复仇的故事。剧本塑造了体现人文主义理想的典型形象哈姆雷特,通过他与现实之间不可调和的矛盾和他在复仇过程中的犹豫彷徨、孤军作战及悲剧结局,表达了人文主义者要求冲破封建势力束缚的强烈愿望,同时也揭示了早期资产阶级的局限性。
  • 五行修神

    五行修神

    一个穿越的臭小子和五位美女的故事————————
  • 漫步榕城

    漫步榕城

    九零后男生周锦康因高考失利,致使填报志愿的范围受限,再加上过敏体质,尤其是在每年的白露期间对家乡北方的蒿草过敏,不得不填报考了南方城市福州的大学。六零后妈妈金雪莉不放心儿子独自南下,于是陪儿子周锦康来福州读大学。对于母亲的陪伴,儿子锦康从始至终都是反对的,在此期间母子俩冲突不断,令母亲金雪莉心力交瘁疲惫不堪。虽然身旁有妹妹金雪莹温情陪伴,可是没想到妹妹雪莹的个人感情因来福州后有了更大的变故……
  • 重生至尊皇后

    重生至尊皇后

    她胆小怯懦,处处忍让,讨好求全,却家破人亡,凄惨含恨而终,重生,她小心潜藏,步步为营,杀伐果断,求得真爱,终成人人敬畏的至尊皇后。对其前世之夫玉宸风,她温柔的笑着问,“秦王,我用三千杀手回你三千死士之礼,你觉得怎样?”“你果然是喜欢我,不然怎么会为了不相干的人,这样对我。”“自作多情!”而对身为帝王却身中奇毒,一直默默的守护她的玉宸轩,她傲然的说,“我的丈夫只能有我一人,是一生的承诺。”他疼她入骨,拥她入怀,“聘为妻,一人足以!”
  • 江山不抵相思半

    江山不抵相思半

    21世纪天才化妆师一朝穿越到花轿,偏偏就嫁了个相貌倾国却虐待成瘾的三皇子!大婚一月侧妃进门,反了天了!本王妃要休夫!休夫!精彩片段:休书计划第二记:火烧厨房,气死君逸胤,顺带拿到休书!行动开始!古倾韵娇小的身影在膳房四处转悠,终于在柴房找到了大量的油!娇小的身影明显提不动一大桶油,只得找个盆,一盆一盆的四处泼油。最后,缓缓的走出了膳房,手中的火棒在空中抛出了华丽的弧度。“biu~~~咣当!哗!”配合着古倾韵的声音,膳房稳稳当当的着火了,火势极大,完全控制不住!而站在角落的君逸胤早已洞晓了古倾韵的想法。邪魅一笑,出口道:“就算爱妃把整个冥王府烧了,也无碍!本王还有别院!”
  • 伤痕名爱

    伤痕名爱

    那些已然消逝的时光,是否还可以感受得到?