When Tom Sawyer was faced with whitewashing a fence on a summer day, he made the task look so appealing that his friends begged to help. Soon Tom was rolling in wealth, and the fence had three ...

Frontispiece from the first edition of 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,' 1876 ... He surveyed the fence, and all gladness left him and a deep melancholy settled down upon his spirit.

In Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain described how Tom got his friends to do his work--in this case, painting a fence--for free. Tom was onto something; getting talented people to contribute to your ...

What did we care about a mischievous boy always playing hooky, running away from home, hiding in the graveyard or tricking others into doing his chores, like painting a fence? This “Tom Sawyer ...