The following passage is meant to be read after Chapter 7 of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. This passage also acknowledges the omission of the beginning of Chapter 8 to “Tom presently began to . . .” for an appropriate transition into the remainder of the book. “A Capricious Temper – The Elixir of Nature” As with most youthful attraction, Tom felt a sudden burden of mingled emotions. He had suppressed his initial outburst, for it was weak to show such feelings as a man, especially around his particularly sensitive counterpart, but as he sulked down the earthen path, the sentiments of his juvenile mind spilled. He had been betrayed. His fickle tongue had cheated him, delivering the most expendable news at the worst possible time. He could have spoken of her beautiful hair, her sparkling eyes, her exquisite smile, or even her damn ears! But his once loyal tongue had dug him into the very hole he often buried others in. His delightful afternoon had turned into the dreariest of days; every second saddened his poor, woeful heart. The immeasurable strain of heartache on the youth was only understood by the youth themselves, incomprehensible by ignorant men, who knew of nothing but lust. Ah, the complexities of fresh love! However, …show more content…
He cursed under his breath at the futility of the attempt, but was not surprised one bit. All those “memorized” Bible verses were bound to be thrown into an eternal pit of vain, yet the glory at the time seemed as seductive as a cool lake in the intolerable flame of the summer sun. What did he get for all that? A Bible to further “enrich” his religious intellect and fervor. The Bible had earned an honorary position in the uppermost shelf of Tom’s magnificent display of trinkets, but was fated to find its way out in exchange for a couple of white alleys or perhaps a fine apple. But for now, Tom moped over the fact that once again, he failed to come up with an adequate explanation of his agonizing