Tom's Great Escape and First Fight — The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Aunt Polly calls for Tom and hunts him through the house. She catches him with jam on his face and grabs a switch. Tom yells, "Look behind you, aunt!" She turns, and he runs over the fence. Polly laughs even though she is angry. She knows she should punish Tom, but she loves him too much to stay mad for long.

That afternoon Tom skips school and goes swimming. At supper Aunt Polly asks if he got wet. Tom says he only pumped water on his head. She checks his shirt collar, which she sewed shut that morning. Tom passes because he carries two needles with black and white thread so he can fix the collar either way. Sid spots the wrong colour thread and almost gets Tom in trouble again.

Tom forgets his problems when he meets a new boy in fancy clothes. The boy's neat outfit makes Tom feel shabby. They trade insults, fight in the dirt, and Tom pins the boy until he hollers "nuff." The boy throws a stone at Tom's back and runs home. Tom chases him, learns where he lives, and comes home late with torn clothes. Aunt Polly is waiting to take away his Saturday.