Narrator: It is a bright Saturday morning. But Tom is not happy. He stands in front of a long fence with a big bucket of whitewash. He has to paint the whole fence!

Narrator: Ben Rogers comes down the street. He is eating a juicy apple. He is pretending to be a big steamboat.

Ben: Stop the ship! Ting-a-ling! Hello, Tom! You have to work today? That is too bad!

Narrator: Tom looks at the fence. He paints it very carefully, like an artist.

Tom: Work? This isn't work, Ben. Does a boy get a chance to whitewash a fence every day?

Narrator: Ben stops eating his apple. He looks interested.

Ben: Tom, let me paint a little? Please?

Tom: No, no. Aunt Polly is very strict. This fence must be perfect.

Ben: Oh, please, Tom! I will give you my apple!

Narrator: Tom takes the apple. He sits in the shade and eats it. Ben works hard in the hot sun. Soon, more boys come. They all pay Tom with toys to paint the fence. By the afternoon, the fence has three coats of paint, and Tom is rich!