Tom did play hookey, and he had a very good time. He got back home barely in season to help Jim, the small colored boy, saw next-day’s wood and split the kindlings before supper—at least he was there in time to tell his adventures to Jim while Jim did three-fourths of the work. Tom’s younger brother (or rather half-brother) Sid was already through with his part of the work (picking up chips), for he was a quiet boy, and had no adventurous, trouble-some ways.

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Got these notes from ChatGPT:

He got back home barely in season to help Jim

"barely in season" is an old-fashioned way of saying "just in time."

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small colored boy

The phrase is outdated and considered offensive today. If race is relevant, a respectful modern rewrite might be:

a young Black boy

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saw next-day’s wood

In older English, “saw” was commonly used to mean “cut wood”. Today, it’s mostly used in technical or literal contexts. In everyday modern English, people usually say “cut the wood” or “split the logs” instead.

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supper

Back in the 18th and early 19th centuries, "dinner" wasn’t an evening meal—it was the main meal of the day, usually eaten around noon. "Supper" was a light meal people had in the evening, more like a snack or light bite before bed. People didn’t need a big dinner at night because they woke up earlier, ate heavier during the day, and went to bed much sooner. Over time, as work and social schedules changed, "dinner" shifted to the evening, and "lunch" replaced the midday meal. That's why today, "dinner" usually means the big evening meal, and "supper" is either old-fashioned or regional.

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was already through with his part of the work

The phrase “was already through with his part of the work” means he had finished his task. It’s still understandable today, but in modern English you’d usually say “had already finished his part of the work” or, more casually, “was done with his part of the work.”

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