{"id":"01KG16R204TZN5PSQ6TVAXX043","cid":"bafkreicn62ycgv7imjjjfqfh7ilujptqezkq3gk52au7gj5q6nqu625bgy","type":"chunk","properties":{"end_line":1131,"extracted_at":"2026-01-28T02:25:59.958Z","extracted_by":"structure-extraction-lambda","label":"Chunk 1","source_file":"01KG0K71QZ8KK7RGEGSNTB5534","start_line":1066,"text":"CHAPTER III\r\n\r\n\r\nTom presented himself before Aunt Polly, who was sitting by an\r\nopen window in a pleasant rearward apartment, which was bedroom,\r\nbreakfast-room, dining-room, and library, combined. The balmy summer\r\nair, the restful quiet, the odor of the flowers, and the drowsing\r\nmurmur of the bees had had their effect, and she was nodding over her\r\nknitting—for she had no company but the cat, and it was asleep in her\r\nlap. Her spectacles were propped up on her gray head for safety. She had\r\nthought that of course Tom had deserted long ago, and she wondered at\r\nseeing him place himself in her power again in this intrepid way. He\r\nsaid: “Mayn’t I go and play now, aunt?”\r\n\r\n“What, a’ready? How much have you done?”\r\n\r\n“It’s all done, aunt.”\r\n\r\n“Tom, don’t lie to me—I can’t bear it.”\r\n\r\n“I ain’t, aunt; it _is_ all done.”\r\n\r\nAunt Polly placed small trust in such evidence. She went out to see for\r\nherself; and she would have been content to find twenty per cent. of\r\nTom’s statement true. When she found the entire fence white-washed, and\r\nnot only whitewashed but elaborately coated and recoated, and even a\r\nstreak added to the ground, her astonishment was almost unspeakable. She\r\nsaid:\r\n\r\n“Well, I never! There’s no getting round it, you can work when you’re a\r\nmind to, Tom.” And then she diluted the compliment by adding, “But it’s\r\npowerful seldom you’re a mind to, I’m bound to say. Well, go ’long and\r\nplay; but mind you get back some time in a week, or I’ll tan you.”\r\n\r\nShe was so overcome by the splendor of his achievement that she took\r\nhim into the closet and selected a choice apple and delivered it to him,\r\nalong with an improving lecture upon the added value and flavor a treat\r\ntook to itself when it came without sin through virtuous effort.\r\nAnd while she closed with a happy Scriptural flourish, he “hooked” a\r\ndoughnut.\r\n\r\nThen he skipped out, and saw Sid just starting up the outside stairway\r\nthat led to the back rooms on the second floor. Clods were handy and\r\nthe air was full of them in a twinkling. They raged around Sid like a\r\nhail-storm; and before Aunt Polly could collect her surprised faculties\r\nand sally to the rescue, six or seven clods had taken personal effect,\r\nand Tom was over the fence and gone. There was a gate, but as a general\r\nthing he was too crowded for time to make use of it. His soul was at\r\npeace, now that he had settled with Sid for calling attention to his\r\nblack thread and getting him into trouble.\r\n\r\nTom skirted the block, and came round into a muddy alley that led by the\r\nback of his aunt’s cow-stable. He presently got safely beyond the reach\r\nof capture and punishment, and hastened toward the public square of the\r\nvillage, where two “military” companies of boys had met for conflict,\r\naccording to previous appointment. Tom was General of one of these\r\narmies, Joe Harper (a bosom friend) General of the other. These two\r\ngreat commanders did not condescend to fight in person—that being better\r\nsuited to the still smaller fry—but sat together on an eminence\r\nand conducted the field operations by orders delivered through\r\naides-de-camp. Tom’s army won a great victory, after a long and\r\nhard-fought battle. Then the dead were counted, prisoners exchanged,\r\nthe terms of the next disagreement agreed upon, and the day for the\r\nnecessary battle appointed; after which the armies fell into line and\r\nmarched away, and Tom turned homeward alone.\r\n\r","title":"Chunk 1"},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KG16PT28AXSFYY37QFHBCVG6","peer_label":"CHAPTER III","peer_type":"chapter","predicate":"in"},{"peer":"01KG0K71QZ8KK7RGEGSNTB5534","peer_label":"tom_sawyer.txt","peer_type":"file","predicate":"extractedFrom"},{"peer":"01KFXT0KM64XT6K8W52TDEE0YS","peer_label":"More Classics","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KG16R204C8W43KEMWA21MP4J","peer_label":"Chunk 2","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"next"}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-01-28T02:26:01.011Z","ts":"2026-01-28T02:26:02.032Z","edited_by":{"method":"manual","user_id":"01KFF0H3YRP9ZSM033AM0QJ47H"}}