One morning, Aunt Polly was searching for her mischievous nephew, Tom.
“Tom! Where are you?” she called, but there was no answer. She checked his room, the kitchen, and the yard, but Tom was nowhere to be found. Aunt Polly knew that when she couldn’t see him, it usually meant he was causing trouble.
“When I catch you, young man, you’re going to get a scolding!” Aunt Polly grumbled, picking up a broom.
Then, she noticed something move under the bed. “Aha! Got you!” she said, pushing the broom under the bed. But instead of Tom, an angry cat came screeching out, making her jump. Just then, Aunt Polly heard soft footsteps. She turned and saw Tom sneaking out of the closet.
“Tom!” she shouted, grabbing him by his shirt. His hands were dirty, and he was grinning from ear to ear.
“What were you doing in the closet?” Aunt Polly asked.
“Nothing,” Tom said, pretending to look innocent.
“Nothing? Then why are your hands and mouth covered in jam?” Aunt Polly asked, narrowing her eyes.
“I don’t know,” Tom said, trying to act innocent.
“You don’t know?” Polly said, raising her eyebrows. “How many times have I told you not to touch that jam? Go get me the stick.”
Tom slowly walked to fetch the willow stick. “I’m in big trouble now,” he thought. As Aunt Polly raised the stick to punish him, Tom shouted, “Look behind you! What’s that?”
Aunt Polly turned to look, and in a flash, Tom darted out the door and jumped over the fence. Aunt Polly sighed, then started laughing.
“That boy fooled me again!” she said. “I should know better by now.”
Even though she found him funny sometimes, Aunt Polly worried about Tom. He skipped school often and got into trouble. “If I find out he missed school again, I’ll have to punish him,” she muttered. “The Bible says, ‘Spare the rod and spoil the child,’ and I don’t want him to grow up wild.”
Meanwhile, Tom was off having fun, proud of how he had tricked his aunt again. “I deserve a break,” he thought. “School doesn’t teach you tricks like that!” He spent the day playing, exploring, and swimming in the river with his friends.
Later, Tom came home just in time to help Jim, the young servant, with chores. Tom told Jim exciting stories about his adventures while his half-brother Sid listened quietly. Sid was the complete opposite of Tom—always well-behaved and never in trouble.
At dinner, Aunt Polly decided to catch Tom in a lie. “It was warm at school today, wasn’t it?” she asked casually.
“Yes, ma’am, very warm,” Tom replied confidently.
“Didn’t you want to go for a swim in the river?” she asked, watching him closely.
Tom felt nervous but kept calm. “I thought about it,” he said, “but I had to go to school.”
Aunt Polly reached out and touched his shirt collar. It was dry. She stared at him, unsure whether to believe him. Tom tried to keep a straight face, knowing he had fooled her again by keeping his collar dry. Polly shook her head in confusion, while Tom felt proud that he had once again outsmarted her.
Moral: You can trick others with clever thinking, but honesty and responsibility will always be more important. Being truthful builds trust and respect.
