Mark Twain

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Mark Twain

"Hang the boy, can't I never learn anything? Ain't he played me tricksenough like that for me to be looking out for him by this time? Butold fools is the biggest fools there is. Can't learn an old dog newtricks, as the saying is. But my goodness, he never plays themalike, two days, and how is a body to know what's coming? He 'pearsto know just how long he can torment me before I get my danderup, and he knows if he can make out to put me off for a minute ormake me laugh, it's all down again and I can't hit him a lick. I ain'tdoing my duty by that boy, and that's the Lord's truth, goodnessknows. Spare the rod and spoil the child, as the Good Book says. I'm alaying up sin and suffering for us both, I know. He's full of the OldScratch, but laws-a-me! he's my own dead sister's boy, poor thing, and I ain't got the heart to lash him, somehow. Every time I let him off, my conscience does hurt me so, and every time I hit him my oldheart most breaks. Well-a-well, man that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble, as the Scripture says, and I reckon it's so. He'll play hookey this evening, and I'll just be obliged to make him work, tomorrow, to punish him. It's mighty hard to make him work Saturdays, when all the boys is having holiday, but he hates work more than he hates anything else, and I've got to do some of my duty by him, or I'll be the ruination of the child.