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Las aventuras de Tom Sawyer
Capítulo 21, Página 1
Vacation
was
coming
soon.
The
schoolmaster
was
always
strict,
but
now
he
was
even
stricter.
He
wanted
the
school
to
do
well
on
“Examination”
day.
He
used
his
rod
and
stick
often,
especially
on
the
younger
students.
Only
the
older
boys
and
young
ladies
were
safe
from
his
beatings.
Mr.
Dobbins
was
strong,
even
though
he
was
bald
and
middle-aged.
As
the
big
day
got
closer,
he
punished
every
little
mistake.
The
younger
boys
were
scared
and
unhappy,
and
they
planned
revenge
at
night.
They
tried
to
play
tricks
on
him,
but
he
always
caught
them.
His
punishments
were
big
and
made
the
boys
lose
every
time.
Finally,
they
made
a
plan
for
a
big
victory.
They
told
the
signpainter’s
boy
about
it
and
asked
for
his
help.
He
wanted
to
help
because
the
master
lived
with
his
family
and
had
been
mean
to
him
too.
The
master’s
wife
would
soon
visit
the
country,
so
nothing
would
stop
their
plan.
The
master
would
get
drunk
on
Examination
Evening,
and
the
signpainter’s
boy
said
he
would
handle
everything
while
the
master
napped.
Then
they
would
wake
him
up
and
send
him
to
school.
Finally,
the
special
day
arrived.
At
eight
in
the
evening,
the
schoolhouse
was
bright
with
lights
and
decorated
with
leaves
and
flowers.
The
master
sat
in
his
big
chair
on
a
platform
with
a
blackboard
behind
him.
He
looked
happy
and
relaxed.
Important
people
from
the
town
and
the
pupils’
parents
filled
the
benches
around
him.
To
his
left,
behind
the
important
guests,
was
a
big
platform
with
students
who
would
perform.
Small
boys
were
clean
and
uncomfortable
in
their
clothes.
Big
boys
looked
awkward.
Girls
and
young
ladies
wore
nice
dresses
and
old
jewelry,
with
ribbons
and
flowers
in
their
hair.
The
rest
of
the
school
was
full
of
students
who
would
not
perform.
The
performances
started.
A
very
small
boy
stood
up
and
nervously
recited,
“You’d
scarce
expect
one
of
my
age
to
speak
in
public
on
the
stage,”
and
made
stiff
gestures
like
a
broken
machine.
He
was
very
scared,
but
he
finished
and
got
a
lot
of
applause
when
he
bowed
and
left.
A
shy
little
girl
said,
“Mary
had
a
little
lamb,”
and
made
a
cute
curtsy.
She
got
applause
too
and
sat
down,
happy
and
blushing.
Tom
Sawyer
stepped
forward,
very
confident,
and
began
the
“Give
me
liberty
or
give
me
death”
speech.
He
was
full
of
energy
and
made
wild
gestures,
but
he
forgot
the
words
halfway
through.
He
got
scared,
his
legs
shook,
and
he
almost
choked.
The
audience
felt
sorry
for
him,
but
they
were
silent,
which
made
it
worse.
The
master
frowned,
and
Tom
was
finished.
He
tried
but
then
left,
very
embarrassed.
There
was
a
little
applause,
but
it
stopped
quickly.
“Next
came
“The
Boy
Stood
on
the
Burning
Deck”
and
“The
Assyrian
Came
Down,”
and
other
speeches.
Then
there
were
reading
exercises
and
a
spelling
contest.
The
small
Latin
class
recited
well.
The
main
part
of
the
evening
was
the
original
“compositions”
by
the
young
ladies.
Each
girl
went
to
the
front,
cleared
her
throat,
held
her
paper
tied
with
ribbon,
and
read
with
care.
The
themes
were
old
ones
like
“Friendship,”
“Memories
of
Other
Days,”
“Religion
in
History,”
and
“Dream
Land.”
These
compositions
often
had
a
sad
feeling
and
used
fancy
words.
They
also
added
favorite
phrases
until
they
were
overused.
At
the
end
of
each,
there
was
always
a
long
sermon.
No
matter
the
topic,
they
tried
to
make
it
into
something
moral.
The
fake
nature
of
these
sermons
did
not
stop
this
tradition
in
schools.
Even
the
least
religious
girl
made
her
sermon
the
longest
and
most
serious.
But
enough
about
that.
The
truth
is
not
always
nice.
Let's
go
back
to
the
“Examination.”
The
first
composition
was
called
“Is
this,
then,
Life?”
Maybe
you
can
handle
a
part
of
it:
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Las aventuras de Tom Sawyer — A2 Inglés | Cuentana