Nascent Drama

[The Dork Lord]

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Chapter XXII​

 

[The Dork Lord]

TOM joined the new order of Cadets of Temperance, being attracted by the showy character of their "regalia."

 

[The Dork Lord]

He promised to abstain from smoking, chewing, and profanity as long as he remained a member.

 

[The Dork Lord]

Now he found out a new thing -- namely, that to promise not to do a thing is the surest way in the world to make a body want to go and do that very thing.

 

[The Dork Lord]

Tom soon found himself tormented with a desire to drink and swear; the desire grew to be so intense that nothing but the hope of a chance to display himself in his red sash kept him from withdrawing from the order.

 

[The Dork Lord]

Fourth of July was coming; but he soon gave that up -- gave it up before he had worn his shackles over forty-eight hours -- and fixed his hopes upon old Judge Frazer, justice of the peace, who was apparently on his deathbed and would have a big public funeral, since he was so high an official.

 

[The Dork Lord]

During three days Tom was deeply concerned about the Judge's condition and hungry for news of it.

 

[The Dork Lord]

Sometimes his hopes ran high -- so high that he would venture to get out his regalia and practise before the looking-glass.

 

[The Dork Lord]

But the Judge had a most discouraging way of fluctuating.

 

[The Dork Lord]

At last he was pronounced upon the mend -- and then convalescent.

 

[The Dork Lord]

Tom was disgusted; and felt a sense of injury, too.

 

[The Dork Lord]

He handed in his resignation at once -- and that night the Judge suffered a relapse and died.

 

[The Dork Lord]

Tom resolved that he would never trust a man like that again.

 

[The Dork Lord]

The funeral was a fine thing.

 

[The Dork Lord]

The Cadets paraded in a style calculated to kill the late member with envy.

 

[The Dork Lord]

Tom was a free boy again, however -- there was something in that.

 

[The Dork Lord]

He could drink and swear, now -- but found to his surprise that he did not want to.

 

[The Dork Lord]

The simple fact that he could, took the desire away, and the charm of it.

 

[The Dork Lord]

Tom presently wondered to find that his coveted vacation was beginning to hang a little heavily on his hands.

 

[The Dork Lord]

He attempted a diary -- but nothing happened during three days, and so he abandoned it.