The Adventures of the Little Boy Learn English through story level 1

chapter one

tom and his friends

tom

where are you

no answer

where is that boy

when i find him

i’m going to

aunt paulie looked under the bed

then she opened the door

and looked out into the garden

home

she heard something behind her

a small boy ran past

but aunt paulie put out her hand

and stopped him

there you are

and what’s that in your pocket

nothing aunt polly

nothing

it’s an apple

i can see it

now listen tom

those apples are not for you

and i

oh aunt polly

quick

look behind you

so aunt paulie looked

and tom was out of the house in a second

she laughed quietly

i never learned

i love that tom

my dead sister’s child

but he isn’t an easy boy for an old lady

well

it’s saturday tomorrow

and there’s no school

but it isn’t going to be a holiday for

tom

he’s going to work tomorrow

saturday was a beautiful day

it was summer

and the sun was hot

and there were flowers in all the

gardens

it was a day for everybody

to be happy

tom came out of his house with a brush

and a big pot of white paint in his hand

he looked at the fence

it was three meters high

and 30 meters long

he put his brush in the paint

and painted some of the fence

he did it again

then he stopped and looked at the fence

put down his brush

and sat down

there were hours of work in front of him

and he was the unhappiest boy

in the village

after 10 minutes

tom had an idea

a wonderful idea

he took up the brush again

and began work

he saw his friend joe harper

in the street

but he didn’t look at him

joe had an apple in his hand

he came up to tom

and looked at the fence

i am sorry tom

tom said nothing

the paintbrush moved up and down

working for your aunt said joe

i’m going down to the river

i’m sorry you can’t come with me

tom put down his brush

you call this work

he said

painting of fans

said joe

of course it’s work

perhaps it is

and

perhaps it isn’t

but i like it

said tom

i can go to the river any day

i can’t paint a fence very often

joe watched tom for about five minutes

tom painted very slowly and carefully

he often stopped

moved back from the fence

and looked at his work

with a smile

joe began to get very interested

and said

tom

can i paint a little

tom thought for a second

i’m sorry joe

you see my aunt wants me to do it

because i’m good at painting

my brother sid wanted to paint too

but she said no

oh please tom

just a little

i’m good at painting too

hey

do you want some of my apple

no joe

i can’t

okay

you can have all my apple

tom gave joe the brush

he did not smile

but for the first time that day

he was a very happy boy

he sat down

and ate joe’s apple

more friends

came to laugh at tom

but soon they all wanted to paint too

by the afternoon

tom had

three balls

an old knife

a cat with one eye

an old blue bottle

and a lot of other exciting things

he was the richest boy in saint

petersburg

and the fence

all 30 meters of it

was a beautiful white

he went back to the house

aunt polly

can i go and play now

aunt paulie came out of the house to

look

when she saw the beautiful white fence

she was very pleased

she took tom into the house

and gave him an apple

well

you can go and play

but don’t come home late

tom quickly took a second apple

and ran off

on monday morning

tom didn’t want to go to school

but aunt paulie got him out of bed

and then out of the house

in the street near the school

he met his friend

huckleberry finn

huck had no mother

and his father drank whiskey all the

time

so huck lived in the streets

he didn’t go to school

he was always dirty

and he never had a new shirt

but he was happy

the mothers of saint petersburg didn’t

like huck

but tom and his friends did

hello huck

said tom

what have you got there

a dead cat

what are you gonna do with it

ask tom

i’m gonna take it to the graveyard

tonight

huck said

at midnight

a dead cat

can call ghosts out of their graves

i never heard that

said tom

is it true

well

i don’t know said huck

old mrs hopkins told me

come with me and see

are you afraid of ghosts

of course not

said tom

come and meow for me at my window at

eleven o’clock

after this tom was late for school

and the teacher looked at him angrily

thomas sawyer

why are you late again

said

tom began to speak

and then stopped

there was a new girl in the school room

a beautiful girl

with blue eyes

and long yellow hair

tom looked

and looked

how beautiful she was

and in two seconds

tom

was in love

he must sit next to her

but how

in the girls half of the room

there was only one empty chair

and it was next to the new girl

tom thought quickly

and then looked at the teacher

i stopped to talk with huckleberry finn

he said

the teacher was very

very

angry

boys were often late for school

that was bad

but talking with huckleberry finn

was worse

much worse

the teacher took his stick

and two minutes later

tom’s trousers were very hot

and the teacher’s arm

was very tired

now tom sawyer

you go and sit with the girls

some of the children

laughed

tom walked to the chair

next to the new girl

sat down

and opened his book

the other children began to work again

after 10 minutes

the girl looked up

there was an apple on the table

in front of her

she put it back on tom’s half of the

table

a minute later

the apple

was in front of her again

now

it stayed

tom drew a picture of a house

and put it in front of her

that’s nice

the girl said

now draw a man

tom drew a man next to the house

the man was taller than the house

and he had very big hands

and very long legs

but the girl liked him

can you draw me now

she asked

tom drew a girl next to the man

you draw beautifully

i can’t draw pictures

i can teach you

said tom

after school

please

what’s your name

tom asked

becky

becky thatcher

just then

tom felt a hand on his head

it was the teacher

he took tom by the ear

and moved him back to his chair

in the boys half of the room

chapter 2

in the graveyard

that night

tom went to bed at half past nine

he waited for hux meow

and at eleven o’clock

it came

he climbed quietly out of the bedroom

window

and then he and huck

walked out of the village

with the dead cat

the graveyard was on a hill

about a mile from saint petersburg

when the boys got there

they put the dead cat on a

grave and sat down behind some trees

they watched

and waited

it was very dark

and very quiet

do you see that new grave there

whispered huck

that’s hoss william’s grave

he died last week

perhaps he can hear us

tom whispered back

do you think he can huck

i don’t know

but i

shh

oh tom

what is it

shh

whisper tom

i can see something

look

huck move near to tom

ghose

he said

three of them

they’re coming here tom

let’s go home

they can’t see us

tom whispered

not here

ghosts can see through trees

said huck unhappily

they can see through

everything

the ghosts moved quietly through the

graveyard

and came nearer to the trees

huck and tom watched

very afraid

then

after a minute

huck said

tom

they’re not ghosts

that’s muff potter

so it is

and that’s engine joe

and the other man

is dr robinson

what are they doing here

they’re grave robbers tom

they’re going to rob a grave

my father told me about it

the doctor wants a dead body you see

he cuts it up

because he wants to learn about

shh

said tom

they’re getting near

the three men

stopped at haas williams grave

and joe and muff potter

began to dig

ten minutes later

the grave was open

now

doctor

said muff potter

you want us to take the body

to your house

that’s five dollars more

said the doctor

i gave you the money this morning

i’m not giving you any more

now you listen to me

doctor

said joe

i want that money

do you remember a day

five years ago

i came to your house

and asked for something to eat

and you gave me nothing

nothing

so give me that money

he took the doctor’s arm

but suddenly

the doctor hit him

and joe

fell to the ground

don’t hit my friend

cried muff potter

he jumped on the doctor

and the two men

began to fight

it all happened very quickly

and the two boys

watched with open mouths

joe got up

he had muff potter’s knife in his hand

now

and he moved behind the doctor

then the doctor hit muff potter on the

head

muff fell to the ground

and at the same moment

the knife in joe’s hand

went into the doctor’s back

the doctor fell to the ground

on top of muff potter

and he did not move again

the two boys could watch no more

very quietly

they moved away from the trees

and then ran out of the graveyard

and back to the village

joe

stood by hoss williams grave

and looked down at the two men

then he put the knife into muff potter’s

hand

and sat down

three

four

five minutes

went by

potter moved a little

and opened his eyes

what

what happened joe

he asked

this is bad muff

said joe

why did you kill him

muff looked at the doctor’s dead body

then

at the knife in his hand

did i kill him

his face went white

and the knife fell from his hand

it’s the whiskey joe

i never fight with knives usually

why did i drink all that whiskey tonight

i don’t remember anything

it’s okay muff

said joe

i’m not going to tell anyone

you get away quickly

go on

go now

muff potter got up

and ran away

joe watched him for a minute

then he carefully put the knife

next to the doctor’s body

then he too

left the graveyard

the next day

the sheriff’s men found the doctor’s

body in the graveyard

and

muff potter’s knife

that night

muff came to the graveyard to get his

knife

but the sheriff’s men were there

and they took muff to saint petersburg’s

little jail

and there muff sat

for four weeks

and waited for his trial

tom and huck could not forget that night

in the graveyard

they were very unhappy

and very afraid

what are we gonna do

said tom

muff potter didn’t kill the doctor

joe did

we saw him

i know

hux said

but what can we do

we can’t tell anyone

i’m afraid of joe

he’s dangerous

and he’s a killer

do you want enough in your back

yes

i’m afraid of him too

tom said

he thought for a minute

i’m sorry for muff potter

but you’re right huck

we can’t tell anyone

about joe

chapter three

on jackson’s island

the summer holidays came

and there was no school

tom didn’t want to think about muff

potter and joe

but it wasn’t easy

at night

when he was in bed

he saw joe’s face in the dark

and he couldn’t sleep

but he couldn’t talk to anyone about it

one hot summer’s day he and joe harper

were down by the mississippi river

they sat and watched the boats

and fished

and talked

let’s get away from here

said tom suddenly

let’s go and do something exciting

somewhere

okay

said

joe but what

and where

i know

tom said

let’s run away

let’s go and live on jackson’s island

we can sleep out under the trees

jackson’s island was in the mississippi

three miles south of st petersburg

nobody lived there

let’s ask huck finn too

said tom

but don’t tell your mother or father or

anyone go home

and get some things to eat

and meet me here at midnight

so that night

three boys in a small boat

went down the river

to jackson’s island

they had some bread

and some meat

and huck had his pipe too

when they got there

they carried everything onto the island

and made a fire

under a big old tree

then they cooked some of the meat over

the fire

and oh

that meat was

good

the best dinner in the world

soon they stopped talking

their eyes closed

and they slept

the next morning

tom woke up with the sun on his head

and a smile on his face

then hawk and joe woke up

and the three boys ran down to the river

to swim

after that

they fished

and soon they had about six big fish for

their breakfast

they cooked the fish on their fire

and ate them all

they were very hungry

that

said joe happily

was a wonderful breakfast

after breakfast

they walked through the island

swam some more

talked

fished

and swam again

they came back to their fire in the

afternoon

suddenly

tom looked up and said

listen

can you hear boats

they listened

and then ran across the island to look

down the river

there were 20 or more boats on the water

every boat in saint petersburg was out

what are they doing

ask joe

they’re looking for a dead body i think

said huck

they did that last summer

when bill turner fell in the river and

drowned

who’s dead do you think

ask joe

the boys watched the boats

suddenly

tom cried

i know who’s dead

it’s us

they’re looking for us

this was wonderful

tom looked at his friends

we’re famous

he said

everybody in saint petersburg is talking

about us

and they all feel sorry for us

night came

and the boys went to sleep

but tom did not sleep

and when morning came

he wasn’t there

huck

where’s tom

cried joe

i don’t know

huck began

but

look

there he is

he’s swimming across to the island now

hey tom

at breakfast

tom told his story

i went home last night

he said

and listened at the window

joe

your mother was there too

and she and aunt polly cried and cried

i heard some very interesting things

on sunday

there’s going to be a big funeral at the

church

for us

and listen

i’ve got a wonderful idea

huck and joe listened

and laughed

and

yes it was a wonderful idea

that night

the boys cooked some more fish

and after dinner

hot got out his pipe

and began to smoke

can we smoke too

ask tom

i want to learn

so huck made pipes for tom and joe

and the three boys sat and smoked

hey

i like smoking

said tom

it’s easy

it’s nothing

said joe

i’m going to smoke every day

but after 10 minutes

tom and joe

got quieter

and quieter

and their faces

went an interesting color

i’m

going for a little walk now

said tom

he stood up carefully

and walked away into the trees

nato

said joe

quickly

the two boys came back an hour later

but they didn’t smoke their pipes again

on sunday morning

there were no happy faces in saint

petersburg

and paulie and joe’s mother and father

were in the church

and all the boys friends

the minister said some very nice things

about the three boys

and the boys families cried and

cried

everybody cried

and little becky thatcher

did not stop crying for one second

there was a small noise at the back of

the church

but at first

nobody heard it

then the minister looked up

and suddenly stopped speaking

everybody turned to look

their mouths opened

and stayed open

and into the church

came the three dead boys

tom first

joe next

and then huck

for a second

nobody moved or spoke

and then the noise began

aunt paulie and joe’s mother ran to the

boys

and took them in their arms

aunt polly cried and laughed

and cried again

oh tom

she said

you’re a bad boy

but i love you

suddenly the minister called out

happy days

sing

good people of saint petersburg

sing

and be

happy

and everybody sang

and smiled

and laughed for a long time

it was saint petersburg’s happiest

funeral

the weeks went by

and the judge came to saint petersburg

on the day before muff potter’s trial

huck and tom met in the street near

tom’s house

huck was unhappy

tom

you didn’t tell anyone about

you know

i didn’t

but huck

what about muff

people are saying he’s the killer

and he’s going to die

but we can’t tell anyone about joe

said hawk

i don’t want to die too

do you

tom didn’t want to die

but he couldn’t forget muff potter’s

face in the jail

old

tired

and unhappy

and joe was a free man

it wasn’t right

that night

tom came home late

and very excited

he could not sleep for two or three

hours

the next morning

all the village was at muff potter’s

trial

joe was there too

muff waited

a tired old man

with a dirty face

the judge began the trial

questions

answers

and the answers were all bad for muff

potter

yes i found the knife in the graveyard

next to dr robinson’s body

yes

that’s muff potter’s knife

he always carries it

yes i saw muff potter in the village

that afternoon

he had the knife with him then

muff potter began to look more and more

unhappy

then the judge said

call

thomas sawyer

saint petersburg

sat up

what did young tom sawyer know

everybody looked at him

and waited

thomas sawyer

where were you on the 17th of june

at the hour of midnight

in the graveyard

why

i went there to see ghosts

with a

uh dead cat

saint petersburg laughed

and the judge looked angry

and where were you in the graveyard

thomas

behind the trees near hoss williams

grave

joe’s face

suddenly went white

now my boy

said the judge

tell us your story

and so tom told his story

and saint petersburg sat and listened to

him

with open mouths

and then muff potter fell

and engine joe

jumped with the knife and

crash

joe jumped through the window

and was out and away

in a second

saint petersburg loved tom for a week

but tom

was not happy

joe was not in jail

and he was a dangerous man

tom slept badly for weeks

the slow summer days went by

joe did not come back to st

petersburg

and tom

began to forget

chapter 4

treasure

there is a time in every boy’s life

when he wants to go and dig for treasure

and that time came for tom

one hot summer’s day

he went to find huck

huck liked the idea of treasure

where are we going to dig

he asked

an old dead tree is best

who puts the treasure under old trees

robbers

said tom

and then they go away

or they forget to come back for the

treasure

there’s a dead tree on cardiff hill

said huck

let’s go there

i’ve got an old pick and shovel

it was three miles to the old tree

and the boys arrived tired and hot

they dug for an hour or two

but they didn’t find any treasure

then they stopped

and tom looked down at an old house

at the foot of the hill

hey look

he said

nobody lives in that old house

let’s go there

old houses are always good for treasure

good for ghosts too

said huck

they took the pick and shovel with them

went down the hill

and into the old house

they looked in all the rooms downstairs

and then went upstairs

but there was no treasure

and no ghosts

then

they heard a noise

said tom suddenly

what’s that

ghosts

whispered huck

there were holes in the floor

and through them the boys could see into

the rooms downstairs

tom whispered

it’s two men

one is the old spaniard

he came to live in the village last week

i don’t know the other man

let’s listen to them

the two men

sat down on the floor

the spaniard had a green hat

and long white hair

the other man

was small and dark

he took out a bag

and began to open it

it’s hard in here

the spaniard said

he took off his green hat

and then

he took off his long white hair

tom

huck whispered upstairs

that’s joe

we took

650 dollars when we robbed that house

said the second man

he took some money out of the bag

we can take fifty dollars with us now

what are we going to do with the 600

leave it here

said joe

we can come back

and get it next week

here

give me the bag

he walked across the room to the

fireplace

moved two big stones from the floor

and began to dig with his knife

upstairs

the two boys watched excitedly

treasure

six hundred dollars of wonderful

treasure

joe stopped digging

hello

what’s this

he said

there’s something here

it’s an old box

the two men got the box out

and opened it

it’s money

said joe’s friend

joe put his hand into the box

there are thousands of dollars here

he said

and the two men looked at the money

with happy smiles

but who

began joe’s friend

don’t ask

joe said

it’s our money now

we can’t take it with us today

said his friend

what can we do with it

put it back under the floor

yes

said joe

happy faces upstairs

very unhappy faces upstairs

let’s put it under the cross

nobody goes there

we can take it there tonight

when night came

the two men carried all the money away

the boys did not go after them

because they were afraid of inch and joe

but they wanted very much

to find that cross

for a week

the two boys thought and thought about

the treasure

it was

under the cross

but where was the cross

in saint petersburg

the boys watched the spaniard carefully

but they didn’t see a cross

and they didn’t find the treasure

chapter five

in the cave

the next saturday was becky thatcher’s

birthday

and all becky’s friends were very

excited

it’s going to be a wonderful day

becky told tom

we’re going to have a picnic by the

river and after that

we can visit mcdougall’s cave

so in the morning

a big boat took becky

tom

and all their friends down the river

there were some older children on the

boat too

but all the mothers and fathers stayed

at home

picnics are better without them

and it was a very happy

noisy picnic

after the picnic

the children took out their candles

and ran up the hill

to the cave

the mouth of the cave was dark

and some of the children were afraid at

first

but caves are exciting

so in the end

everybody went in

mcdougall’s cave was very very big

with hundreds of tunnels and rooms

the tunnels went up

down

and into the hill for miles

you could walk for days in mcdougall’s

cave

nobody knew all the cave

but many people knew the tunnels near

the door

you could play all day in these tunnels

tom of course

knew them well

for hours the children walked and ran

through the cave

up and down the tunnels

in and out of the rooms

in the evening they came out

and walked down the hill to the boat

tired

but happy

when the boat arrived back in st

petersburg

it was dark

huck finn saw the boat

but he did not know about the picnic

he did not go to birthday picnics of

course

because the mothers of saint petersburg

did not like him

but tonight

huck was only interested in treasure

joe’s treasure

joe was in an old building by the

river

and huck waded in the street near the

building

perhaps

he thought

engine joe’s cross isn’t there

and the box of money

i must wait and watch

i can tell tom about it tomorrow

but joe didn’t come out

at midnight

it began to rain

and huck waited all night in the cold

street

in the morning

he could not move

and he could not speak

he felt cold

then hot

then cold

then hot again

mrs douglas

a woman from the church

found him in the street

she took him to her home

and put him to bed

and there he stayed for two weeks

he was very ill

and so he did not hear about tom and

becky

but on sunday morning

all saint petersburg knew about tom and

becky

because they were not on the boat

when he came back to the village

where were they

were they lost in the cave

and were they alive

or dead

at first

tom and becky played with their friends

in the cave

then tom wanted to go down a new tunnel

and becky went with him

they walked and talked

and went into a second tunnel

then a third

sometimes tom put a mark with candle

smoke on the tunnel wall

he wanted to find the mouth of the cave

again

then they came out of the tunnels

into a big room

there were hundreds of bats in this room

and the candles woke them up

tom took becky’s hand and they ran into

the nearest tunnel

with the bats behind them

but one bat hit becky’s candle

and it went out

the children ran and ran through the

tunnels

and at last

they got away from the bats

they stopped and sat down

suddenly

it was very

very quiet

where are we now tom

becky whispered

afraid

i don’t know

said tom

i think it’s time to go back

but we can’t go through that big room

because of the bats

let’s go down this tunnel

they went down one tunnel

then a second

a third

a fourth

then they wanted to find the big room

with the bats again

but they couldn’t

becky began to cry

tom

we can’t get out

we’re lost tom

we’re lost

they walked and walked

when they were tired

they sat down

then they got up

and walked again

time went by

was it day

or night

they didn’t know

then tom wanted to find water

they had nothing to eat

and they must have something to drink

they found a very small river

and sat down next to it

becky

said tom

we must stay here

near this river

this is our last candle and

he did not finish

but becky understood

tom

yes becky

are they going to come and look for us

of course

when the boat gets to st petersburg

but how can they find us

in these hundreds of tunnels

oh tom

tom

we’re going to die in here

becky began to cry again

then the candle went out

and the two children were in the dark

they sat for hours and hours

they slept a little

then woke up

then slept again

was it sunday now

or monday

suddenly

tom sat up

listen

somebody’s calling

the two children listened

they heard it again

a little nearer

they called back

then they began to walk down the tunnel

in the dark

with their hands on the wall

they stopped

and listened again

but now they couldn’t hear anything

slowly

they went back to their river

they slept again

and woke up very very hungry

perhaps it’s tuesday now

tom thought

what can i do

i must do something

then he had an idea

becky

listen

i’ve got a long string in my pocket

i can go down some of the small tunnels

and get back to you with the string

you wait here

slowly and carefully

tom went down the first tunnel

on his hands and knees

then the tunnel wall on his right

finished

and there was nothing

tom put out his hand to feel the floor

and just then

away to his right

he saw a hand

a hand

with a candle

at once tom called out

help

he cried

the hand moved

and tom saw an arm

and a face

it was joe

tom was very afraid

but joe was afraid too

and he quickly ran away down the tunnel

tom went back to becky

but he did not tell her about joe

tom waited for an hour

then went into a different tunnel with a

string

then a third tunnel

it was tuesday evening

and st petersburg waited

many of the villagers were in the cave

and they looked for the children day and

night

but they heard nothing

saw nothing

and found nothing

then

late that evening

there was a sudden noise in the streets

people began to run to the thatcher’s

house

they’re here

becky and tom are here

most of the village came to listen to

tom’s story

it was in the sixth tunnel

he told them

i went to the end of my string

and suddenly

i could see daylight

there was a little hole in the cave wall

i put my head out

and there was the river

right under my nose

i went back and got becky

and we climbed out through the hole

then we stopped a boat on the river

we were five miles from the mouth of the

cave

tom was very tired after his three days

in the cave

and he went to bed

and stayed there for two

days he heard about huck

and went to see him on sunday

and then every day

but mrs douglas was always in the room

you can just say hello

she told tom

and then you must go

huck is very ill

and he needs to sleep

so tom could not talk about anything

exciting

and he could not tell huck about

joe

one day

about two weeks after the picnic

tom was in becky’s house

and her father came in

well

tom mr thatcher said

would you like to go back to the cave

again

one day

i’m not afraid of that cave

said tom

mr thatcher laughed

there are a lot of people like you tom

but nobody’s going into that cave again

there are big doors across the cave

mouth now

and nobody can open them

tom’s face went white

but mr thatcher

joe’s in that cave

an hour later

50 men were at the cave

and they opened the doors

joe was on the ground

dead

his face to the door

and his knife in his hand

chapter 6

under the cross

the day after joe’s funeral

huck was out of bed

he and tom walked slowly out of the

village

they had a good long talk

and huck heard all about the picnic

the cave

and joe

we’re never gonna find the money now

said huck

huck

said tom

the money isn’t in st petersburg

it’s in the cave

i know it is

why was joe in the cave

because he took the box of money there

right

huck looked excited

say that again tom

the money’s in the

cave and we can get to it easily

let’s go there now

i’ve got some candles and a long string

we can take a boat and put it back later

twenty minutes later the boys were in a

boat on the mississippi

they went eight miles down the river

and then tom stopped by some small trees

here we are

he said

tom’s hole was just behind the trees

tom took a candle and climbed in

huck climbed in after him

engine joe never found this hole

said tom

or he did find it and couldn’t get

through it

it’s very small

the boys went carefully through the

tunnels with their string

then tom stopped

i saw joe about here

he said

and look huck

there’s the cross

there was a big smoke cross on the

tunnel wall

the boys looked up and down the tunnel

but there was no box of money

joe said

under the cross

said tom

perhaps is under the ground

look

we can move these stones

the boys took their knives

and began to dig by the tunnel wall

very soon

they found a second smaller tunnel under

the wall

they climbed down into it

and came into a small room

there was a bed

two whiskey bottles

some old shoes

and the box of money

when somebody finds treasure

everybody hears about it very quickly

the two boys carried the box through the

village

and when they got to aunt paulie’s house

half the village was with them

everybody went into the house

oh tom

tom cried aunt polly

what is it now

and what have you got there

tom put the box on the table

and opened it

there were twelve thousand dollars in

that box

and suddenly

sawyer and huckleberry finn

were the richest people

in saint petersburg

you