ELA Unit 1 G8

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A great story can nlake you laugh, cry, or gasp in surprise, but one
thing is for sure: yoi.u'll give it your full attention. You might even
forget your own trQubles as the story unfolds or gain an insight
that will change thp wayyou viewyour life. Something aboutthe

fabulous setting, tf e compelling characters, or the unusual situations
presented will stat with you long after you close the book or turn
away from the scr$en.

ACTIVITY Think alout the last time you thought to yourself, "That's
a great story!" wlih a group of classmates, discuss the following:

. What story did ylu think was special?
.i

Why did you like that story so much?

. How do your ,"lron, for liking it compare with others' reasons for

liking what tfrey]didl

l

Based on your disf ussion, come up with a list of qualities that make
a story worth tell!ng.

1

COMMON
CORE

WgilTIMC &TUF Analyze how incidents in a storf, or drama propel the action,
[.&*d*u"]&ffi8 reveal aspects of a character, orJ provoke a decision
ldentify plot stages, conflicts, arfrd subplots
Analyze suspense

l

ldentify and analyze sequence lnd cause-effect relationships
Make inferences and cite eviderice to support them

Write a personal narrative I

I

Use and understand perfect anf progressive tense
Maintain pronoun-antecedent f Breement

Use coordinating conjunctions nd semicolons correctly
f

. Present an oral narrative

VOCABULARY Use knowledge of word roots, ibase words, and affixes
to understand word meaning
ACADEMIC
VOCABUTARY Use reference aids, including a !ictiona ry and a thesaurus
Use context clues to figure out]the meanings of words

affect . imply
. initlal
concl ude
evident

MEDIA AND ldentify and analyze film elem nts; analyze a director's choices
VIEWING Present a narrative

Plot and Confl ct

Willthe hero save the world win the girl? Can the young soldier survive the war?
How will the family stay alive o the deserted island? Cood stories are all around
on television, and in movies. How do they capture
you-in novels and short sto
Read on to find out.
your imagination and keep you

i COMMONCORE Part 1: Conflict-' Fuel of a Story

lncluded in this workshop: A knight must slay a fierce . A girl faces the consequences of betraying
her friend. No matter hey're about, all good stories are fueled by conflict.
IRL Citethe textual evidence that A conflict, or a struggle
n opposing forces, can be external or internal.
supports inferences drawn from the
text. RL3 Analyze howincidents in . An external conflict invo a struggle between a character and an outside
a story propel the action.
force, such as another racter, a force of nature, or society.

. An internalconflict is a ruggle that takes place within a character's own

mind, as he or she wrest with difficult thoughts, feelings, or choices.

Whether it is external or i rnal, a conflict is what drives a story forward, from
its beginning to its end. will the characters handle the conflict? What
obstacles will they face? questions prompt you to keep turning the pages.

Examine the different pes of conflicts described in this graphic.

Character vs. Character Character vs. Character vs. Society Character vs. Self
Ling overhears Julian Force of Nature
bragging about his Theyearis196r. Sarah Hannah accepted Raj's
malicious plan to ridicule A blinding snowstorm works in a factory at a time
her bestfriend. Angered, hits while Yoni is hiking when workers must put in marriage proposal against
she confronts Julian and in unfamiliar territory. long hours and deal with the strong wishes of her
becomes even more Suddenly, he loses his dismal, even dangerous, family. lf she marries him,
incensed when he denies bearings and has no idea conditions on the job. they will never speak to
every word. (Ling vs. )ulian) how to find his way home. (5arah vs. poor working her again. lt's one day
(Yoni vs. snowstorm\ before the wedding, and
conditions) Hannah is doubting her
decision. (marry Raj and

olienqte her family vs. coll
off the wedding and lose

her true love)

28 UNIT 1: PLOT AND CONFLICT

MODEL 1: EXTERNAT CONFLICT eves he is related to the
cup engraved with the
Johnny Tremain, a poor orphaned silversmith,
wealthy merchant Mr. Lyte. Johnny has news?
Lyte family name. How does Mr. Lyte react to

t"-##hilgngf

Novel by Esther Forbes

"I think," said Mr. Lyte quietly, "all ofyou ladies nd gentlemen will agree that Close Read

this cup our-ah, cousin, is it?-has brought back r ight is one of this set?" 1. ln your own words,
describe the conflict
There was a murmur of assent. Johnny could h r the tiny tinkle, that Johnny is facing.

seemingly far a-way, of Miss Lavinia's spinet.r 2. Johnny's conflict isn't
fully revealed until lines
"It is perfectly obvious that this cup now sta where it belongs. The rr-rz. What details earlier
in the excerpt suggest
question is how was it ever separated from its fello that a problem
is brewing?
Johnny felt that everyone there except himself ew the answer to this

question.

"In fact," the merchant's voice was as smooth oil, "I declare this to be the

very cup which was stolen from me by thieves. broke through yonder

window on the twenty-third of last August. Sheri , I order you to arrest this

boy for burglary."

1. spinet: a small, compact upright piano.

MODEL 2: INTERNAL CONFLICT to town. Most of the
to acknowledge
Eva is thrilled when herfriend Kenisha moves
time, Kenisha is too involved with the popular she wants to copy Eva's
her old friend. ln fact, Kenisha is only nice isha copy her work?
homework. How does Eva feel after she lets

rrom f,rA andthe M?yor l

Short by Jean Davies Okimoto i

)

Eva knew it wasn't right to copy other people' work, but it wasn't as bad Close Read

as cheating on a test, and a lot of people did it. knew that didn't make it 1. What details suggest that
Eva is conflicted about
righ,, br. r.ill i, didr', t besides, she wasn't the her decision to let Kenisha

copier. The whole thine made her copy her homework? One
She didn't know for sure if she had let Kenis copy her work because of detail islboxed.l

all that stuff Gramma Evelyn said about being ice to Kenisha or because she 2. ln your opinion, is Eva
overcome with guilt?
wanted to get in with Kenisha and be one of cool people.
Support your answer.

TExr ANALYSIS \roRKSHop 29

Part 2: Stages of Plot

To draw readers into a story and maintain tfleir interest, a writer must do more
than simply introduce an intriguing conflictf He or she has to create a plot in
which every development builds upon the tonflict. A plot, or the series of events
in a story, typically includes five stages of dpvelopment. ln a linear plot, the
order in which these stages occur follows a ]pattern. lt's important to remember,
though, that not every story follows the paftern exactly.

Take a look at the following graphic, whilch shows a linear structure. Notice
what happens to the conflict at the differe[t stages.

cLrMAx ]

] RISING ACTION . ls the turning point]in the FALLING ACTION

'. r . lntroducesobstacles storv and the moment of . Reveals the outcome

,: [loIQ complicated greatest suspense of the story's climax
. lncludes incidents and i

dialogue that propel . Presents the conflilt at its
the action
most intense and

EXPOSITION [riir i , !{:li]r:rti,

. lntroduces the setting

and the characters

. Reveals the conflict or

sets the stage for it

RESOLUTION

. Reveals the

story's final
outcome

. Ties up any

loose ends

Of course, the plot's development dops not have to follow this traditional
pattern to be effective. A plot's develoflment just needs to be suspenseful,
coherent, constantly moving ahead, an{ satisfying. When evaluating plot
development, you might want to keep {hose qualities in mind.

30 UNIT 1: PLOT AND CONFLICT

Part 3: Analyze the Text

"The Elevator" is about a boy named Martin who moved with his father

to a new apartment. Living on the seventeenth ; Martin has no choice

but to take the elevator. The idea of the elevator fies him. What exactly is

Martin so afraid of? Use whatyou've learned abou plot and conflict to analyze

this unsettling story.

S t story by William Sleator I

It was an old building with an old elevator-a small elevator, with

a maxlmum itv of three artin, a th Exposition (lines 1-40)

nervous in it from the first day he and his father into the apartment. 1. Reread the Eoxedl
details. What do you
Of course he was always uncomfortable in , afraid that they would learn about the main
character Martin in the
t there was something especially u n aDout tnIS one. exposition?

balefull atmosphere was due to the light from the ingle fluorescent ceiling

strip, bleak and dim on the dirty brown walls. aps the problem was the

door, which never stayed open quite long enough, d slammed shut with

such ominous, clanging finality. Perhaps it was t way the mechanism

10 shuddered in a kind of exhaustion each time it a floor, as though it

might never reach the next one. Maybe it was si y the dimensions of the

contraption that bothered him, so small that it uncomfortably crowded

even when there was only one other person in it.

Coming home from school the day after they in, Martin tried the

15 stairs. But they were almost as bad, windowless, adowy, with several dark

landings where the light bulbs had burned out. footsteps echoed behind

him like slaps on the cement, as though there wa another person climbing,

getting closer. By the time he reached the seven nth floor, which seemed to

take forever, he was winded and gasping.

His father, who worked at home, wanted to k why he was so out of

breath. "But why didn't you take the elevator?" asked, frowning at Martin

when he ined about the stairs. Not only are skinny and weak and

at sports, his expression seemed to say, but 're also a coward. After tha

Martin forced himself to take the elevator. He ld have to get used to it, he

told himselC just the way he got used to being bu ied at school, and alw

icked last when they chose teams. iable fact

1. baleful: sinister; ominous.

TExr ANALYsIs woRKSHop 31

l
l

/ 2. Consider what you've
read so far about the
He didn't get used to it. He remained tense in the trembfing little box, his setting and Martin's
feelings about his
eyes fixed on the numbers over the door that blinked on artd off so haltingly, surroundings. What
do you think the main
as if at any moment they might simply give up. SometimesJhe forced himself conflict will be about?

30 to look away from them, to the Emergency Stop button, or]the red Alarm

button. \7hat would happen if he pushed one of them? \Xrduld a bell ring?

\7ould the elevator ,.op'b.,*..n fioors? And if it did, howlwould th.y get
him out?
l

That was what he hated about being alone on the thingf-the fear of being

35 trapped there for hours by himself. But it wasn't much betfer when there were

other passengers. He felt too close to any other rider, too i{rtimate. And he was

always very conscious of the effort people made not to looft at one anothet

staring fixedly at nothing. Being short, in this one situati(n, was an advantage,

since his face was below the eye level of adults, and after a] brief glance they

40 ignored him.

jG rththee fat lady got on. She wore a threadbare green (oat that ballooned Close Read
Rising Action
around her; her ankles bulged above dirty sneakers. As st{e waddled into the begins (lines 4r-8o)
elevator, Martin was sure h; felr it sink under her weight.l She was so big that
she filled the cubicle; her coat brushed against him, and fre had to squeeze into {Ir.sd-H*-@-
the corner to make room for her-there certainly wouldjr't have been room for
another passenger. The door slammed quickly behind h!r. And rhen, unlike -@--"@F
everyone else, she did not stand facing the door. She stogd with her back to
3. What event sets the
the door, wheezing, staring directly at Martin. rising action in motion?
I
For a moment he met het gaze. Her features seemed {ery small, squashed Martin seems to perceive
the strange lady as a
together by the loose fleshy mounds of her cheeks. She llad no chin, only a threat. ln your opinion,
is this conflict real or in
grl", ,*oli.., mass of neck, barely contained by the coll{r of her coat. Her his head? Supportyour

sparse red hair was pinned back by a plastic barrette. Arid her blue eyes, answer.

though tiny, were sharp and penetrating, boring into Martin's face.

55 Abruptly he looked away from her to the numbers oler th. door. She didn't
turn around. \7as she still looking at him? His eyes slipped back to hers,
then quickly away. She was xillwatching him. He wan{ed to close his eyes;
he wanted to turn around and stare intolhe corner, bu{ how could he? the

elevator creaked down to twelve, down to eleven. Mart{n looked at his watch;

he looked at the numbers again. They weren't even dor{,n to nine yet. And
then, against his will, his eyes slipped back to her face. lshe was still watching

him. Her nose tilted. up; rhere *", , lr.g. ,pr.. b.,*.qn her nostrils and hei

upper lip, giving her a piggish look. He looked away a$ain, clenching his

teeth, fighting the impulse to squeeze his eyes shut aga]inst her.

She had to be crazy. \7hy else would she stare at hi+ this way? \7hat was

she going to do next?
I
She did nothing. She only watched him, breathing {udibly, until the

elevator reached the first floor at last. Martin would h{ve rushed past her to get

32 uNrr 1: pI-or AND coNFr-rcr

out, but there was no room. He could only wait as turned-reluctantly, it
. And then he ran. He
seemed to him-and moved so slowly out inro the

didn't care what she thought. He ran past her, o into the fresh air, and he

ran almost all the way to school. He had never felt relief in his life.

He thought about her all day. Did she live in t building? He had never

seen her before, and the building wasn't very big ly four apartments

i 75 on each floor. It seemed likely that she didn't live t , and had only been

visiting somebody.

But if she were only visiting somebody, why was leaving the building at

seven thirty in the morning? People didn't make vi its at that time of day. Did

that mean she didlive in the building? If so, it was ikely-it was a certainty-

that sometime he would be riding with her on the vator again.

e was apprehensive as he approached the ilding after school. In the Close Read
Rising Action
il lobby, he considered the stairs. But that ridiculous. \7hy should contin ues (lines 8r-r74)

he be afraid of an old lady? If he was afraidof her, f he let it control him, then 5. What internal conflict is
plaguing Martin in lines
he was wors€ than all the names they called him school. He pressed the 8r-84?

button; he stepped into the empty elevator. He sta at the lights, urging the 6. Tension builds as Martin

elevator on. It stopped on three. and the lady meet again.
What details in lines
At least it's not fourteen, he told himself; the son she was visiting lives 88-ro5 help to create
suspense about what
on fourteen. He watched the door slide lng a green coat, a might happen? One
detail is Eoxedfl
piggish face, blue eyes already fixed on him as h she knew he'd be there.

lt wasn't possible. It was like a nightmare. But re she was, massively real.

"Going upl" he said, his voice a humiliating sq

She nodded, her flesh quivering, and stepped . The door slammed. He

watched her pudgy hand move toward the bu She pressed, not fourteen,

but eighteen, the top floor, one floor above his . The elevator trembled

and began its ascent.2 The fat lady watched him.

He knew she had gotten on at fourteen this m{rning. So why was she

on three, going up to eighteen now? The only flo{rs he ever went to were

seventeen and one. \What was she doing? Had she]been waiting for him? \7as

she riding with him on purpose?

100 But that was crazy. M"yb. she had a lot of fri in the building. Or else

she was a cleanins ladv who worked in different rtments. That had to be

lt. He fblt her eyes on him as he blinkins on

nd off--slower than usual, it seemed to him. was having

trouble because of how heavy she was. It was to carry three adults,

but it was old. \7hat if it got stuck between floo ? \What if it fell?

They were on five now. It occurred to him to ress seven, get offthere, and

walk the rest of the way. And he would have it, if he could have reached

the buttons. But there was no room to get past without squeezing against

her, and he could not bear the thought of any ical contact with her. He

concentrated on being in his room. He would home soon, only another

2. ascent: the act of climbing or rising upward.

TExr ANALYSTs riroRKsHop 33

minute or so. He could stand anything for a minute, even is crazy lady

watching him. ld he do? He
Unless the elevator got stuck between floors. Then what

tried to push the thought away, but it kept coming back. Iooked at her. She
1r5 was still staring at him, no expression at all on her squa little features.
out of the way.
\When the elevator stopped on his floor, she barely
y coat, terrified
He had to inch past her, rubbing against her horrible scra

the door would close before he made it through. She qui y turned and

watched him as the door slammed shut. And he thought, she knows I liue

r20 on seaenteen,

"Did you ever notice a strange fatlady on the elevator?' he asked his father

that evening.

"Can't say as I have," he said, not looking away from t

He knew he was probably making a mistake, but he to tell somebodv.

125 "\7ell, she was on the elevator with me twice today. And funny thing was,

she just kept staring at me, she never stopped looking at for a minute. You
Iady or anything?"
think . . . you know of anybody who has a weird cleani
"\7hat are you so worked up about now?" his father , turning

impatiently away from the television. staring at me. You
130 "I'm not worked up. It was just funny the way she -Mell, she just kept

know how people never look at each other in the elev

, looking at me."

"\[hat am I going to do with you, Martin?" his fat said. He sighed and

shook his head. "Honestly, now you're afraid of some r old lady."
t35 "I'm not afraid."

"You're afraid," said his father, with total assurance. " n are you golng

to grow up and act like a man? Are you going to be tim all your life?" 7. What details in lines
121-139 suggest a conflict
He managed not to cry until he got to his room his father probably between father and son?

knew he was crying a\yway. He slept very little. 8. Review your answer
to question 4. Then
t when the elevator door oPe , the fat lady was consider the lady's
behavior each time
,l4t) *,',1*il;il':' Martin sees her on
the elevator. Has your
: She was expecting him. She knew he lived on seven , He stood there, answer changed?
l unable to move, and then backed away. And as he did , her expression Explain.

changed. She smiled as the door slammed.

145 He ran for the stairs. Luckily, the unlit flight on h he fell was between

sixteen and fifteen. He only had to drag himself up o and a half flights with

the terrible pain in his leg. His father was silent on t way to the hospital,

disappointed and annoyed at him for being such a and a fool.

It was a simple fracture. He didn't need a wheelcha r, only a cast and

I 150 crutches. But he was condemned to the elevator now. as that why the fat
lady had smiled? Had she known it would happen thi way?

At least his father was with him on the elevator on way back from the

hospital. There was no room for the fat lady to get And even if she did, his

34 UNIT I: PLOT AND CONFLICT

f*t55father would see her, he would realize how peculia she was, and then maYbe 9. ln lines 45-t6o, the storY
he would understand' And once they got home' h
could stay in the aPartment takes an unexPected
u f.* days-the doctor had said he should use
he leg as little as Possible'. turn. How might this
A week, maybe-a whole week without going on .l.urto.. Riding uP with develoPment affect
the little cubicle and felt Martin's conflict?
hi, f"rt.., leaning on his crutches' he looked arou
the fat lady, for the time Close Read
a kind of triumph. He had beaten the elevator' anr Climax (line r75)
very
160 i.irr;g6.hA, .rtdalmthoesetnfdorogfott,h"e-hwiseefaktwhaesr o^u*t^,h',i hand and Pressed nine' 0
reache^d: you?" he asked him, trYing
10. Line r75 is the climax,
"Wnr, are you dJing? You're not getting off, ar or turning Point, ofthe
storY. Do You think
n^o'-ti'tiopsroou-nidr.Pi anickY' I'd drop in on her"' is father said, looking at his Martin is in danger?
ExPlain Your oPinion'
T.r,y Ullman

165 wa-1tcih.,as he stePPed off' too"'
-. go *ith you'
I want to visit her'

forward on his crutches' closing' 'Afraid to on the elevator alone?" his
But the door was already rtin." The door slammed
father said, with a look of total scorn' "Grow up'

e, but it didn't do anY good'
s waiting for him. She

his crutches to work his

elevator started uP.
the Stop button.

Close Read

Falling Action and
Resolution

11. The author ends this
storY at the climax. What
is Your oPinion of the
plot's develoPment and
of leaving the conflict
unresolved? ExPlain'

TExr ANALYSIS woRKSHoP 35

Before Reading

Raymond's Run

Short Story by Toni Cade dambara

(.)

rHINK KEYWoRD: f rvrLs-:z
rentra I

-fufuw

bg.e#-B-a-mru*:t+ Fd,[lHE-fuB.

EFHORT?

i. COMMONCORE Have you ever wanted somethilg so badly you'd do anything to achieve

RLI Citethe evidencethat it? lf so, you've felt motivationlthe drive that causes people to strive
supports inferences drawn from
the text. RL 3 Analyze how toward a goal. ln the story youiare about to read, a
incidents in a story propel the
action or provoke a decision. spunky young girl does what itltakes to be the fastest t Ho/a record {or
runner in her neighborhood.
uost chin_ups

Z. Learn hew /4412

QIJICKWRITE Jot down a list o! things you've been

willing to work for. Choose a ffvorite and write a short

paragraph telling what motivates you.

O TExr ANALYSTS: P[or Toni Cade Bambara

A plot is the series of events that happen in a story. 1939-1995

a story develops in a linear way, it progresses th the Creativity and Concern
Raised in urban neighborhoods of New York
following plot stages in the order in which they are isted: and New Jersey in the tg4os and tg5os,Toni
Cade spent much time daydreaming and
. Exposition-introduces the main characters, the exploring her world. Her mother encouraged
her to do so. ln the dedication of her award-
and sometimes the conflict winning novel The Salt Eoters,Bambara
thanks her "mama ... who intg48, having
Rising action-increases tension and builds the ict come upon me daydreaming in the middle of
the kitchen floor, mopped around me." One
Climax-the point of greatest interest, or the tur ing point day, while looking through an old trunk,Toni
in the story where the conflict begins to be found her great-gra nd mother's sketch book.
The name inscribed there was "Bambara."
Falling action-shows the result of the climax a brings lmpressed with her ancestor's creative drive,
the story to a close and ties she decided to add that name to her own.

. Resolution-reveals the finaloutcome of the 'A Tremendous ResponsibilitY"
Toni Cade Bambara went on to careers
up loose ends as a teacher, community activist, and
documentary filmmaker. She continued
As you read "Raymond's Run," notice the incide that occur to write, sharing her personal concern for
at each stage ofthe Plot. and understanding of the lives of African-
American families and communities. 5he
t READING SKtLL: MAKE INFERENCES clues from was always aware of the influence that
things the writers, artists, and cultural workers have
When you make an inference while reading, you 's Run," on others. "lt's a tremendous
the story and your own knowledge to guess responsibility," she said. "One's
author doesn't say directly. As you read "Raym acter's got to see what the factory
make inferences to better understand the main worker sees, what the
feelings, thoughts, and ideas. Record your infe tn prisoner sees, what the
welfare children see ... in
equations. order to tell the truth and

Squeaktl saqs her Kids like when not get trapped."
dad is the onlq one their parents
faster tha.n she is. are talented,

A vocaeuIARY !N coNTExr I a story about
se context
The boldfaced words help Toni Cade Bambara
a race that's important in more ways than one.
clues to figure out what each word means.

1. Teams of three or four usually compete in races.

2. The talented young sprinter was conside a track

prodigy.

3. Mai's teammate is also her good friend, or

4. Ben is liable to get injured if he doesn't wa up before

the race.

5. At the start of a race, runners crouch close the ground.

5. The winner might clutch the blue ribbon her chest.

& complete the activities in your Reader/writer

RAYM N DT5

ffi#ffi

ni Cade Bamb ara

some girls. My mother ptllfii,",

by hustling; George From her posture and
her expression, what ca n
runs errands for the big boys and sells Christmas ca s. And anything else you infer about the girl
in this photograph?
that's got to get done, my father does. All I have to in life is mind my
PLOT: EXPOSITION
brother Raymond, which is enough. What have you learned
about Squeaky so far?
Sometimes I slip and say my little brother Ray But as any fool can
relay (re'la) n. a race
see he's much bigger and he's older too. But a lot of feople call him my little in which severalteam
brother cause he needs looking after cause he's not {uite right. And a lot of members take turns
smart mouths got lots to say about that too, especially when George was running to complete
the race
r0 minding him. But now, if anybody has anything tolsay to Raymond, anything

to say about his big head,l they have to come by mef And I don't play the

dozens'or believe in standing around with som in my face doing a lot of

talking. I much rather just knock you down and ta$e my chances even if I am

a little girl with skinny arms and a squeaky voice, {hich is how I got the name
Squeaky. And if things get too rough, I run. And af anybody can tell you, I'm

the fastest thing on two feet. @ medal. I used to
There is no track meet that I don't win the first

win the twenty-yard dash when I was a little kid i kindergarten. Nowadays,

it's the fifty-yad dash. And tomorrow I'm subject run the quarter-meter

20 relay all by myself and come in first, second, and ird. The big kids call me

Mercury3 cause I'm the swiftest thing in the neigh . Everybody knows

that-except two people who know better, my fat and me. He can beat

me to Amsterdam Avenue with me having a two hydrant headstart and

him running with his hands in his pockets and istling. But that's private

information. Cause can you imagine some thirty- ve-year-old man stuffing

himself into PAL shorts to race little kids? So as as everyonet concerned, I'm

big head: a result of hydrocephalus, or fluid in parts ofthe br that causes enlargement ofthe skull.
play the dozens: exchange rhyming insults.
Mercury: in Roman mythology, the swift messenger of the

UNIT 1: PLOT AND CONFLICT

:::ffi q

irI 'i:

,.iI @\

...' : ffi

:i ::r:,:..i.i t:1i!r:lr, ffffiii

i

the fastest and that goes for Gretchen, too, who has put]our the tale that she is

going to win the first-place medal this year. Ridiculous.lln the second place, shet

got short legs. In the third place, shet got freckles. In th{e first place, no one can

:o beat me and that's all there is to it.

['m standing on the corner admiring the weather arid about to take a

stroll down Broadway so I can practice my breathing fxercises, and I've got
Raymond walking on the inside close to the building!, cause he's subject to

fits of fantasy and starts thinking he's a circus perforqler and that the curb is

a tightrope strung high in the air. And sometimes aft{r a rain he likes to step

down off his tightrope right into the gutter and slosh nd getting his shoes

and cuffs wet. Then I get hit when I get home. Or times if you don't

watch him he'll dash across traffic to the island in th{ middle of Broadway

and give the pigeons a fit. Then I have to go behind t]Lim apologizing to all

40 the old people sitting around trying to get some sun {nd getting all upset with

the pigeons fluttering around them, scattering their pers and upsetting

the waxpaper lunchesa in their laps. So I keep Ray on the inside of me,

and he plays like he's driving a stage coach which is Q.K. by me so long as he
doesn't run me over or interrupt my breathing exerci$es, which I have to do on

account of I'm serious about my running, and I don'{ care who knows it. @ o MAKE TNFERENCES
Now some people like to act like things come easlito them, won't let on
Reread lines 3r-45. How
that they practice. Not me. I'll high-prance down 3{th Street like a rodeo do you think Squeaky
feels about taking care
pony to keep my knees strong elren if it does get my fnother uptight so that of her brother? Use an
she walks ahead like shet not with me, don't know rfe, is all by herself on a equation to note your

50 shopping trip, and I am somebody else's crazy child.lNow you take Cynthia i nference.
Procter for instance. She's just the opposite. If there'$ a test tomorrow she'll
say something like, "Oh, I guess I'll play handball ttfis afternoon and watch clutch (klUch) v. to grasp
and hold tightly
television tonight," just to let you know she ain't thijrking about the test. Or
like last week when she won the spelling bee for the]millionth time, 'A good prodigy (prdd'e-j6)
n. a person with an
thing you got 'receive,' Squeaky, cause I would have]got it wrong. I completely exceptional talent

forgot about the spelling bee." And she'll clutch thellace on her blouse like it liable (ll'e-bel)adi.
likely to
was a narrow escape. Oh, brother. But of course I pass her house on my

early morning trots around the block, she is pract the scales on the piano

over and over and over and over. Then in music she always lets herself get

60 bumped around so she falls accidentally on pur onto the piano stool and is

so surprised to find herself sitting there that she just for fun to try out

the ole keys. And what do you know-Chopin's w{ltzess just spring out of her

fingertips and she's the most surprised thing in thelworld. A regular prodigy.

I could kill people like that. I stay up all night stud,lring the words for the

spelling bee. And you can see me any time of day icing running. I never

walk if I can trot, and shame on Raymond if he cafr't keep up. But of course

he does, cause if he hangs back someone's liable to]walk up to him and get

4. waxpaper lunches: sandwiches wrapped in wax paper.
5. Chopin's (sho'pdnz') waltzes: music by composer Fr6d6ric Chopi

40 UNIT 1: PLOT AND CONFLICT

smart, or take his allowance from him, or ask him here he got that great big

pumpkin head. People are so stupid sometimes.

So I m strolling down Broadway breathing out a breathing in on counts

of seven, which is my lucky number, and here co Gretchen and her

sidekicks: Mary Louise, who used to be a friend mine when she first moved sidekick (sid'kYk') n.
a close friend
to Harlem from Baltimore and got bear up by e till I took up for her
@ PLOT: RlSlNG
on account of her mother and my mother used to in the same choir when
ACTION
they were young girls, but people ain't grateful, so she hangs out with the What is the conflict
between Gretchen and
new girl Gretchen and talks about me like a dog; a Rosie, who is as fat as I
Sq uea ky?
am skinny and has a big mouth where Raymond i concerned and is too stupid
V!5UAL
to know that there is not a big deal of difference tween herself and Raymond VOCABULARY

and that she can'r afford to throw stones. So they steady coming up ventriloquist-dum my n.
so Broadway and I see right away that it's going to be of those Dodge City6 A ventriloq u ist controls
his or her voice and
scenes cause the street ain't that big and they're c to the buildings just as moves the mouth of a
puppet, or dummy, to
we are. First I think I'll step into the candy store a look over the new comics make it appear to be
ta lking.
and let them pass. But that's chicken and I've got reputation to consider.

So then i think i'll just walk straight on through or even over them if

necessary. But as they get to me, they slow down. m ready to fight, cause like
I said I don't feature a whole lot of chit-chat, I m
down right from the jump and save everybody a prefer to just knock you

"You signing up for the May Day races?" smi ta precious time. @

Mary Louise, only itt not

a smile at all. A dumb question like that doesn't an answer. Besides,

there's just me and Gretchen standing there reall so no use wasting my breath

talking to shadows. Rosie, tryingto signify
"I don't think youte going to win this time,"

with her hands on her hips all salty, completely rgetting that I have whupped

her behind many times for less salt than that.

"I always win cause I'm the best," I say straigh at Gretchen who is, as far

as I'm concerned, the only one talking in this triloquist-dummy routine.

Gretchen smiles, but itt not a smile, and I m thi king that girls never really

smile at each other because they dont know and dont want to know how

and there's probably no one to teach us how, grown-up girls don't know

r00 either. Then they all look at Raymond who has j brought his mule team to a

standstill. And they're about to see what trouble can get into through him.
"\7hat grade you in now, Raymond?"

"You got anything to say to my brother, you y it to me, Mary Lourse

\Tilliams of Raggedy Town, Baltimore." anybody and I'll be their
"\(hat are you, his mother?" sasses Rosie.

"That's right, Fatso. And the next word out

mother too." So they just stand there and Gretc en shifts from one leg to

the other and so do they. Then Gretchen puts hands on her hips and is

about to say something with her freckle-face sel but doesn't. Then she walks

6. Dodge City: an Old West town, famous for showdowns be outlaws and lawmen.

RAYMOND S RUN

110 around me looking me up and down but keeps walki up Broadway, and

her sidekicks follow her. So me and Raymond smile at other and he says,

"Gidyap" to his team and I continue with my breathi exercises, strolling

down Broadway toward the ice man on 145th with a care in the world

cause I am Miss Quicksilve/ herself. the track meet is
I take my time getting to the park on May Day

the last thing on the program. The biggest thing on t$e program is the May

Pole dancing, which I can do without, thank you, evefr if my mother thinks

it's a shame I don't take part and act like a girl for a c{ange. You'd think my

mother'd be grateful not to have to make me a white {rgandy dress with a big
120 satin sash and buy me new white baby-doll shoes that]can't be taken out of

the box till the big day. You'd think she'd be glad her ldaughter ain'r our there

prancing around aMay Pole getting the new clothes {ll dirty and sweaty and

trying to act like a fairy or a flower or whatever you'r( supposed to be when

you should be trying to be yourself whatever that is, {vhich is, as far as I am

concerned, a poor Black girl who really can't afford t{ buy shoes and a new

dress you only wear once a lifetime cause it won't fit rfrext year. @ o MAKE TNFERENCES
Reread Iines tt5-t26.
I was once a strawberry in a Hansel and Gretel pagfeant when I was in What do you think
5q uea ky's relationship
nursery school and didn't have no better sense than t{ dance on tiptoe with my with her mother is like?

arms in a circle over my head doing umbrella steps arfd being a perfect fool just B MAKE INFERENCES

r30 so my mother and father could come dressed up and lclap. You'd think they'd Reread lines r35-r36.
know better than to encourage that kind of nonsens!. I am not a strawberry. I How is Squeaky's life
affected by having to
do not dance on my toes. I run. That is what I am alfl about. So I always come take care of Raymond?
Think about how
late to the May Day program, just in time to get my frumber pinned on and she might dealwith
lay in the grass till they announce the fifty-yard da Raymond next year.

I put Raymond in the little swings, which is a tig{t squeeze this year and

will be impossible next year. Then I look around forlMr. Pearson, who pins

the numbers on. I'm really looking for Gretchen, if]you wanr to know the

truth, but she's not around. The park is jam-packe{. Parents in hats and

corsages and breast-pocket handkerchiefs peeking {p. Kids in white dresses
140 and light-blue suits. The parkees8 unfolding chairs land chasing the rowdy

kids from Lenoxe as if they had no right to be there.lThe big guys with their

caps on backwards, leaning against the fence swirli]ng the basketballs on

the tips of their fingers, waiting for all these crazy to clear out the

park so they can play. Most of the kids in my classlare carrying bass drums

and glockenspielsl0 and flutes. You'd think they'd fut in a few bongos or

something for real like that. @

Then here comes Mr. Pearson with his clipboa and his cards and pencils

and whistles and safety pins and 50 million other t ings he's always dropping

all over the place with his clumsy self. He sticks ou in a crowd because he's

7. Miss Quicksilver: a reference to how fast quicksilver (mercury) bars played with light hammers.
8. parkees: people who regularly gather in the park.
9. Lenox: street in Harlem in New York City.
10. glockenspiels igl6k'en-spelz'): musical instruments with tuned

UNIT I: PLOT AND CONFLICT

l '*$lH:,"

l How does the boy in this
picture compare with
l the way you imagine

t50 on stilts. tWe used to call him Jack and the Beanstalft to get him mad. But I'm Raymond?
the only one that can outrun him and ger away, andll'm roo grown for that

silliness now.

"\fell, Squeaky," he says, checking my name off qh. list and handing me
number seven and two pins. And I'm thinking he's $ot no right to call me

Squeaky, if I can't call him Beanstalk.
]
"Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker," I correcr himiand tell him to wrire it

down on his board.
"tVell, Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker, going tQ give someone else a break

this year?" I squint at him real hard to see if he is s{riously thinking I should
roo lose the race on purpose jusr ro give someone else aibreak. "Only six girls

running this time," he continuei, shaking his head sadly like it'i my iault all

RAYMOND S RUN 43

of New York didn't turn out in sneakers. "That new gi]rl should give you a run € fiRAffi'UIAR t&r
for your money." He looks around the park for Gretchpn like a periscopelr in a EOPdTilXT
submarine movie. "\Touldn't it be a nice gesture if yotiwere . . . to ahhh , . ." Line t65 is a complete
sentence because it
I give him such a look he couldn't finish putting th[t idea into words. contains both a subject
Grownups got a lot of nerve sometimes. I pin numberlseven to myself and
stomp away, I'm so burnt. And I go straight for the tr{ck and stretch out on and a predicate. A
the grass while the band winds up with "Oh, the Morfkey \X/rapped His Tail sentence fragment
would be missing one of
Around the Flag Pole," which my teacher calls by sorrie other name. The man these two elements.
170 on the loudspeaker is calling everyone over to the tra(k and I'm on my back

looking at the sky, trying to pretend I'm in the count{y, but I can't, because
even grass in the city feels hard as sidewalk, and ther!'s just no pretending you

are anywhere but in a "concrete jungle" as my grandf{ther says. $

7h. twentv-vard dash takes all of two minutes ca se most of the little kids
I dorr, k.ro* no better than to run off the track c run the wrong way or

run smack into the fence and fall down and cry. O little kid, though, has got

the good sense to run straight for the white ribbon u ahead so he wins. Then

the second-graders line up for the thirty-yard dash a I don't even bother to

turn my head to watch cause Raphael Perez always ns. He wins before he

180 even begins by psyching the runners, telling them re going to trip on their

shoelaces and fall on their faces or lose their shorts something, which he

doesn't really have to do since he is very fast, almost fast as I am. After that

is the forty-yard dash which I used to run when I in first grade. Raymond

is hollering from the swings cause he knows I'm a to do my thing cause

the man on the loudspeaker has just announced the ifty-yard dash, although

he might just as well be giving a recipe for angel cake cause you can

hardly make out what he's sayin for the static. I get and slip off my sweat

pants and then I see Gretchen standing at the starti line, kicking her legs

out like a pro. Then as I get into place I see that ole nd is on line on

1e0 the other side of the fence, bending down with his ngers on the ground just

like he knew what he was doing. I was going to yell him but then I didnt. It

burns up your energy to holler. @ P[OT: RISING
Every time, just before I take off in a race, I alwa feel like I'm in a dream, ACTION
What details in this
the kind of dream you have when you're sick with ver and feel all hot and paragraph increase the

weightless. I dream I m flying over a sandy beach i the early morning sun, excitement a nd tension?

kissing the leaves of the trees as I fly by. And there' always the smell of apples, crouch v. to stoop with
bent knees
just like in the country when I was little and used thinklwasachoo-choo

train, running through the fields of corn and chu ing up the hill to the

orchard. And all the time I'm dreaming this, I get ter and lighter until I'm

zoo flying over the beach again, getting blown throu the sky like a feather that

weighs nothing at all. But once I spread my fi in the dirt and crouch over

the Get on Your Mark, the dream goes and I am id again and am telling

11. periscope: a tube with mirrors or prisms inside through which a can seethe reflection ofan
object at the other end.

UNIT 1: PLOT AND CONFLICT

myself, Squeaky you must win, you must win, you {re the fastest thing in o MAKE TNFERENCES
the world, you can even beat your father up Amsterflam if you really try. @
And then I feel my weight coming back just behind]my knees then down to Why do you think
Squeaky always feels
my feet then into the earth and the pistol shot e in my blood and I am this way before a race?

off and weightless again, flying past the other runnprs, my arms pumping up tanguageCoach

and down and the whole world is quiet except for tlre crunch as I zoom over Similes A simile is
a comparison using
the gravel in the track. I glance to my left and ther( is no one. To the right, a the words /ike or
as. Reread line zzo.
zro blurred Gretchen, whot got her chin jutting out as iif it would win the race all A simile compares
by itself And on the other side of the fence is Rayrlrond with his arms down to the voice on the
loudspeaker to the
his side and the palms tucked up behind him, runrfing in his very own style, sound of a bell. Would
it be easy or hard to
and it's the first time I ever saw that and I almost siop to watch my brother hear a voice that is
"clear as a bell"?
Raymond on his first run. But the white ribbon is pouncing toward me and I
PLOT: CLIMAX
tear past it, racing into the distance till my feet witftr a mind of their own start What decision does

digging up footfuls of dirt and brake me short. all the kids standing on Squeaky make as
she waits for the
the side pile on me, banging me on the back and sfapping my head with their announcement? Note

May Day programs, for I have won again and ever[rbody on 151st Street can what incidents influence
this decision.
walk tall for another year.

220 "In first place . . ." the man on the loudspeaker jis clear as a bell now. But

then he pauses and the loudspeaker starts to whinf. Then static. And I lean

down to catch my breath and here comes Gretchefi walking back, for she's

overshot the finish line too, huffing and puffing {,ith her hands on her hips
taking it slow, breathing in steady time like a real ]pro and I sort of like her a
little for the first time. "In first place . . ." and the]n three or four voices get all

mixed up on the loudspeaker and I dig my sneak(r into the grass and stare at

Gretchen who's staring back, we both wondering fust who did win. I can hear

old Beanstalk arguing with the man on the lo ker and then a few others

running their mouths about what the stopwatchef say. Then I hear Raymond

z:o yanking at the fence to call me and I wave to shuih him, but he keeps rattling

the fence like a gorilla in a cage like in them gorifla movies, but then like a

dancer or something he starts climbing up nice afrd easy but very fast. And

it occurs to me, watching how smoothly he clim$s hand over hand and

remembering how he looked running with his arfns down to his side and with

the wind pulling his mouth back and his teeth sliowing and all, it occurred to

me that Raymond would make a very fine runn(r. Doesn't he always keep up

with me on my trots? And he surely knows how lto breathe in counts of seven

cause he's always doing it at the dinner table, wh]ich drives my brother George

up the wall. And I m smiling to beat the band c{use if I ve lost this race, or if

240 me and Gretchen tied, or even if I've won, I can jalways retire as a runner and

begin a whole new career as a coach with Raym{nd as my champion. After all,

with a little more study I can beat Cynthia and frer phony self at the spelling
bee. And if I bugged my mothe5 I could get pia]no lessons and become a star.

And I have a big rep as the baddest thing arounp. And I've got a roomful of

ribbons and medals and awards. But what has $aymond got to call his own? @

n,A.vIuIoNo's nuN

'Ptfrllii,"

What can you infer
about how the girl in red
feels about herself? Tell
what clues you used to
make your inference.

So I stand there with my new plans, laughing out foud by this time as
Raymond jumps down from the fence and runs overlwith his teeth showing

and his arms down to the side, which no one before frim has quite mastered as
a running style. And by the time he comes over I'm Jumping up and down so

glad to see him-my brother Raymond, a great run{er in the family tradition.

But of course everyone thinks I m jumping up and because the men on

the loudspeaker have finally gotten themselves and compared notes

and are announcing, "In first place-Miss Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker."

(Dig that.) "In second place-Miss Gretchen P. is." And I look over at

Gretchen wondering what the "P" stands for. And I lsmile. Cause she's good,

no doubt about it. Maybe she'd like to help me Raymond; she obviously

is serious about running, as any fool can see. And s$e nods to congratulate me o PLOT: FALLING
ACTION AND
and then she smiles. And I smile. \7e stand there h this big smile of respect RESOLUTION
How does Squeaky react
between us. Itt about as real a smile as girls can do fior each other, considering to the announcement
that she won the race?
260 we don't practice real smiling every day, you know, maybe we too busy

being flowers or fairies or strawberries instead of ing honest and worthy

of respect . . . you know . . . like being people. cs,,

46 uNrr 1: PLor AND coNFLICT

Afte, Reading

Comprehension and whY? I COl,ttttOX COnt
is a waste of time?
1. Recall What nickname have the big kids given Raymond running Parallel RL1 Citethe evidencethat supports
inferences drawn from the text'
2. Clarify Why does Squeaky feel the May Pole d RL3 AnalYze howincidents in a
story Profel the action or Provoke a
3. Clarify Describe Squeaky's reaction when she s decision'
to her in the race'

IText AnalYsis you created as You read the
+. make lnUfseerethnecseesinRfeevreienwcetshetoinafenrsewnecretenqltu:a:t:i:o1n in, why might SqueakY react
story.
to oiher people the way she does? Support r.

5. Compare and Contrast What are some differen between SqueakY and

Cretchen? What are some similarities? s around SqueakY's desire
one shown, note the events
! e. lnalyze Plot The plot of "Raymond.'S Run" rev'
to win the May Day race' Using a diagram like e conflict resolved?
that happen at each stage ofthe
plot' How is

6d ?'''t.,

gr4^9

Exposition

7. Draw Conclusions How do the events in the change the waY SqueakY

views comPetition? t, well-Paced, and
,f "Raymond's Run"? Be sure
Evaluate PIot A plot should be suspenseful' co
l]::a) 8. ,, *"ll as the other structural
satisfying. What is your evaluatl"" o"fllt,h!e: stor
to assesithe climax and resolution

elements of the Plot'

Ex-tension and Challenge9. vmond has a "big head"' Find
lnquiry and Research According to Squeaky' t
oui mtre about hydrocephalus' the condition f"orf,rhry.dWrocitehPthhaelums?edWicahlat
a treatment or cul
advances of today, is there of it? Present you findings to the class'
is known about the causes

lffhat's Etrsrth the EffORT? SqueakY were in Your class'
would be? Make sure You
Review the Quickwrite activity on page 36'
wf,at ao yorlf,intt her to this activ
respose

explain her motivation'

s.Av\4oNo's R'uN 47

Vocabulary in Context vocabulary words.

A VOCABULARY PRACTICE

Answer each question to show your understanding of

1. ls a sidekick likely to be a friend or someone you met?

2. lf you were to clutch something, would you be tos ng it away or holding

it close?

3. Which would you expect a sports prodigy to sy or talented?

4. When are you more likely to crouch-picking a from the garden

or reaching for a glass in the cabinet?

5. lf a person is liable to do something, does that me n it's likely or unlikely

to happen?

6. What's more important in a relay race-one good nner or a team effort?

ACADEMIC VOCABUTARY !N WRITING

. affect . conclude . evident . imply . initial

How does Squeaky's attitude toward Gretchen over the course of the

story? Using at least one Academic Vocabulary word, pare Squeaky's initial

reaction to Gretchen to her feelings toward her rival the end ofthe story.

VOCABUTARY STRATEGY: FOREIGN WORDS IN NGI.ISH i COMMONCORE

The English language includes words from diverse la including French, L 6 Use accurately grade-appropriate
's Run," Squeaky uses
Cerman, Spanish, Japanese, and many others. ln rd dash when lwas words.
Dictionary entries
a foreign word when she says, "l used to win the t Go to thinkcentral.com.

in kindergarten." Kindergartenis borrowed from Ge KEYWORD: HML8-48

include a word's origin.

PRACTICE For each sentence, identify the word that mes from a
foreign language. Use a dictionary to find the word' origin, and write it
next to the word.

l. His directions were vague, and we got lost tryin follow them.

2. She liked to sing karaoke, but she didn't like to si with a band.
3. When skateboarding becomes pass6, he'll move to another sport.
4. They went to see their sister perform at the
5. He liked sauerkraut on his hotdog.

48 uNIT l: PLor AND coNFLICT

Language ntence fragment is an i COMMONCORE
O cnannnnAR EN (oNTEXT: Avoid Sentence what the sentence is
L 1 Demonstrate command of
Review the Grammar in Context anno on page 44. A The missing part(s) standard English grammar when
incomplete sentence. lt is missing a subject (whom writing. L 3 Use knowledge of
about), a predicate (what the subject is or does), or languagewhen writing. W2 Write
must be added in order to fix, or complete, the se informative texts.

Original: My brother. (This is a sentence because it is missing
a predicate.) He likes movies with a of action.

Revised: My brother likes movies with a lot action. (This is now
s the subject "My
a complete sentence because it with a lot of action.")

brother" and the predicate "likes

PRACTICE Decide whether the following sentence nts in bold are missing

a subject, a predicate, or both. Then combine each agment with the sentence

before it, inserting any additional words as needed

1. The crowd gathered in the park. For the May festivities.
2. They gathered, as usual. The regulars, or others, the races.
3. For many, the May Pole dance is the highlight. Raymond.

4. l'm sure l'llwin again. Always do.

5. He was the surprise of the day. Squeaky's

For more help with fragments, see page R64 in Grammar Hondbook.

EEAD' hI6-l,\dRITING €ON N ECTION 's Run" by responding to this
your writing.
Y0uR lncrease your understanding of "Raymo

@ prompt. Then use the revising tip to im

TURII

Extended Constructed Response: Article Reviewyour article. Go to thinkcentral.com.
lmagine you are a newspaper writer covering the lfyou have used any
Day events at the park. Write a two- or three- KEYWORD: HML8-49
paragraph article that will appear in the next day's iYl" sentence fragments,
paper. Be sure to tell where and when events took add the missing parts
place, who participated, and what happened. to make your sentences
complete.

uvvroNo's RUN 49

Before Reading

The Ransom

Short StorY bY O. Hen

Hm ffiffiffi pRmm

FOOL ROOF?

I COttttttOX CORE You can make a list. You ca check it twice. You can go over every last
But even when you think you've thought
RL 3 AnalYze how dialogue detail of a PIan in Your mi
or incidents in a storY ProPel of everything, the unexPect can change the outcome in surprising,
the action and reveal asPects
of a character. L 5b Use the terrible, or sometimes 'ically funny ways. ln the story you are
relationshiP between Particular about to read, the main acters have a plan for making some quick
words to better understand each
of the words. money, but things don't out the waY theY had hoPed.

L|ST tT With a Partner, Plan surprise PartY for a friend Lis?art/.
by making a list of what need to do. Then, next to
ing unexpected that could
each item, write down

possibly haPPen to sPoil t t part of the Plan.

,r\

5.o

o TEXT ANALYSIS: CONFTICT AND RESOLUTION O. Henry

A story's plot centers on conflicts, or struggles n two r85z-r9ro
opposingforces. Bythe end ofthe story, the confl
usually resolved, or settled. For example, a fight Unexpected Twists
The early life of O. Henry, whose real name
characters might be resolved when one character and one was William Sydney Porter, was filled with
ups, downs, and unexpected turns. As a
character loses. As you read "The Ransom of Red ief," pay young man, he held many different jobs.
He clerked in his uncle's drugstore,worked
attention to the conflicts and note how they are lved. as a ranch hand, and became a bank teller.
Severalyears after leaving his position
! nraotruc STRATEGY: PREDtcr at the bank, he was convicted of having
embezzled, or stolen, money from his
One way to monitor your understanding is by ma t. As you employer. lt certainly wasn't his plan to be
predictions, or guesses about what will happen put in jail, but that's where he found his
read this story, use clues from the text and your common next occupation.
sense to make predictions. Keep track of whether
predictions were right, or whether you were surpr by the A Trailblazing Storyteller
While behind bars, Porter began penning
way events unfolded. stories to help support his young
daughter. Upon his release, he changed
' tv\Prcnictioa : Actual Eveft , Correct or 'prisd? his name to O. Henry, became a fiction
correct writer, and contributed weekly stories
The boq wtll boq fiqhts ba* to newspapers. He grew into one of the
country's best-loved authors. O. Henry
fight backwhen wrote adventure stories, humorous stories,
and slice-of-life tales of ordinary people.
ktdna-Pped. The stories often had surprise endings.
Today, stories that end with
Review: Make lnferences an unexpected twist are
said to be written in
A VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT racters the "O. Henry style."
how many
O. Henry's characters use the words listed, but
aren't as smart as their big vocabulary suggests.
words you can match with their numbered defin

woRD collaborate diatribe
LIST commend impudent
comply proposition

t. payment demanded for the release of a n or property
2. to act according to a command or request
3. verbal attack; harsh criticism
4. bold and disrespectful
5. to work together on a project
6. to praise
7. necessary supplies, especially food
8. a suggested plan

& Complete the activities in your Reader/Writer

ffi& ffiffiffi

ffiW ,,, ;,lri r.]i1r,, ]

I liii,ti;,riri i

O. HENRY

r",ffi t looked like a good thing; but wait till I tell |)7. were down South, in rstllii'",
ffi Alabama-Bill Driscoll and myself--when this k]dnapping idea struck us.
What persona lity traits
It was, as Bill afterward expressed it, "during a morrlent of temporary mental might the boy in the
painting possess?
apparition";l but we didn't find that out till later.
I diatribe (di'o-trib') n.
There was a town down there, as flat as a flannellcake, and called Summit, bitter, a busive criticism

of course. It contained inhabitants of as undeleterio{s2 and selFsatisfied a class ransom (rEn'sem) n.
payment demanded for
of peasantry as ever clustered around a Maypole. the release of a person
i or property
Bill and me had a joint capital of about six hundrpd dollars, and we needed
6 PREDTCT
just two thousand dollars more to pull off a fraudul{nt town-lot scheme Reread lines 17-23.
l0 in \Testern Illinois with. \We talked it over on the frf nt steps of the hotel. Based on Sam's final
comment, do you think
Philoprogenitiveness,3 says we, is strong in semi-rur{.I .or.rrntrnities; therefore, the men's plan will be
successful? Add this
and for orh., ,.rro.rs, a kidnapping prlj.ct ought ,{ do b..,., there than in prediction to your chart.

the radius of newspapers that send reporters out in plain clothes to stir up talk

about such things. \7e knew that Summit couldn't pet after us with anything

stronger than constables, and, maybe, some lackad{isical bloodhounds and a

diatribe or two in the Weekly Farmers'Budget. So, tt looked good.
\7e selected for our victim the only child of a pr$minent citizen named

Ebenezer Dorset. The father was respectable and tifht, a mortgage fancier and

a stern, upright collection-plate passer and foreclos(r. The kid was a boy of ten,

zo with bas-reliefa freckles, and hair the color of the cfver of the magazine you

buy at the news-stand when you want to catch a tr{in. Bill and me figured that

Ebenezer would melt down for a ransom of two tliousand dollars to a cent.

But wait till I tell you.Gt I

4. bas-relief (b5'rr-lef'): slightly raised. Illusrrations b1, Esao Andrews
52 UNIT I: PLOT AND CONFLICT



About two miles from Summit was a little mountai , covered wirh a dense provisions (pre-vYzh'enz)
,?. necessary su pplies;
cedar brake.5 On the rear elevation of this mountain a cave. There we food

stored provisions. i cormoxcoRE Rr3

One evening after sundown, we drove in a buggy t old Dorset's house. o CONFLICT
Remember that a
The kid was in the street, throwing rocks at a kitten the opposite fence. conflict can exist
between characters,
"Hey, little boy!" says Bill, "would you like to have bag of candy and a between characters
and society, between
30 nice ride?" characters and nature, or
within a single character.
The boy catches Bill neatly in the eye with a piece brick. As the plot develops, the
nature of the conflict
"That will cost the old man an extra five hundred Iars," says Bill, can shift, although it
does not always. Who is
climbing over the wheel. in conflict at this point
in the story?
That boy put up a fight like a welter-weight cin n bear; but, at last, we
o PREDICT
got him down in the bottom of the brggy and drove ay. \7e took him up How do you think the
boy will respond to
to the cave, and I hitched the horse in the cedar br . After dark I drove the being held in captivity?

brggy to the little village, three miles away, where had hired it, and walked

back to the mountain. @
Bill was pasting court plaster6 over the scratches a bruises on his features.

40 There was a fire burning behind the big rock at the rance ofthe cave, and

the boy was watching a pot of boiling coffee, with t buzzard tail feathers

stuck in his red hair. He points a stick at me when I up, and says:

"Ha! cursed paleface, do you dare to enter the ca of Red Chief the terror

of the plains?" @ rs and examining some
"He's all right now," says Bill, rolling up his t
king Buffalo Billt show
bruises on his shins. "\fe're playing Indian. \7e're

look like magic-lantern viewsT of Palestine in the hall. I'm Old Hank, the

tapper, Red Chief's captive, and I'm to be scalped daybreak. By Geronimo!

that kid can kick hard."

50 Yes, sir, that boy seemed to be having the time is life. The fun of
camping out in a caye had made him forget that he a captive himself. He

immediately christened me Snake-eye, the Spy, and nnounced that, when his

braves returned from the warpath, I was to be broi at the stake at the rising

of the sun.

Then we had supper; and he filled his mouth fulf of bacon and bread and

gravy, and began to talk. He made a during-dinnerlspeech something like this:
"I like this fine. I never camped out before; but Ilhad a pet 'possum once,

and I was nine last birthday. I hate to go to school. ]Rats ate up sixteen of

Jimmy Talbott aunt's speckled hen's eggs. Are ther$ any real Indians in these

60 woods? I want some more gravy. Does the trees ing make the wind blow?

\7e had five puppies. \flhat makes your nose.o t.{, Hank? My father has lots

of money. Are the stars hot? i whipped Ed \flalker iwice, Saturday. I don't like
girls. You dassents catch toads unless with a string.lDo oxen make any noise?

5. brake: a thick grouping oftrees.
6. court plaster: adhesive cloth for coverinB cuts and scratches
7. magic-lantern views: slides.
8. dassant: dare not.

54 UNIT 1: PLOT AND CONFLICT

\Vhy,are oranges round? Have you got beds to on in this cave? Amos

Murray has got six toes. A parrot can talk, but a key or a fish can't. How

many does it take to make twelve?" @ o PREDTCT
Every few minutes he would remember that was an Indian, and pick up On your chart, note
whether the boy's
his stick rifle and tiptoe to the mouth of the ca to search for the scouts ofthe response to captivity
matches you r prediction.
hated paleface. Now and then he would let out war whoop that made Old Do you think the boy's
zo Hank the tapper shiver. That boy had Bill ter rized from the start. current attitude about
his captivity will make
"Red Chief," says I to the kid, "would you li to go home?" the men's plan go more
"Aw, what for?" says he. "I don't have any fun home. I hate to go to school. smoothly?

I like to camp out. You won't take me back again, Snake-eye, will you?" i cor,tr,toxcoRE tsb
"Not right away," says I. "\7e'll stay here in LanguageCoach
'Ail right!" says he. "That'll be fine. I never cave awhile."
\7e went to bed about eleven o'clock. \We sp Synonyms Synonyms
such fun in all my life." are words that are
down some wide blankets similar in meaning.
Sometimes writers
and quilts and put Red Chief between us. \7e ren't afraid he'd run away. include synonyms

He kept us awake for three hours, jumping up reaching for his rifle and within a sentence. lf
screeching: "Histl pard," in mine and Bill-s ears as the fancied crackle of you know one ofthe

so a twig or the rustle of a leaf revealed to his you imagination the stealthy words,you can figure
out the others. ln the
approach of the outlaw band. At last, I fell into troubled sleep, and dreamed sentence that begins
in line 85, which words
that I had been kidnapped and chained to a t by a ferocious pirate with are synonymsfor howl?

red hair. o coNFLrcT
ln what way has his
Just at daybreak, I was awakened by a series {f awful screams from Bill. interaction with the boy
affected Bill?
They weren't yells, or howls, or shouts, or whoops, or yawps, such as you'd

expect from a manly set of vocal organs-they'ivere simply indecent,

terrifying, humiliating screams, such as womenlemit when they see ghosts

or caterpillars. It's an awful thing to hear a , desperate, fat man scream
Chief was sitting on Bill's
incontinently in a cave at daybreak.

e0 I jumped up to see what the matter was.

chest, with one hand twined in Bill's hair. In other he had the sharp case-

knife we used for slicing bacon; and he was i striously and realistically

trying to take Billb scalp, according to the sen that had been pronounced

upon him the evening before.

I got the knife away from the kid and made im lie down again. But, from

that moment, Bill's spirit was broken. He laid on his side of the bed, but

he never closed an eye again in sleep as long as t boy was with us. I dozed

off for a while, but along toward sun-up I red that Red Chief had

said I was to be burned at the stake at the risi of the sun. I wasn't nervous or

roo afraid; but I sat up and leaned against a rock.

"'W.hat you getting up so soon for, Sam?" as Bill.
"Me?" says L "Oh, I got a kind of a pain in shoulder. I thought sitting

up would rest it."

"You're a liar!" says Bill. "You're afraid. You to be burned at sunrise, and
Fou was afraid he'd do it. And he would, too, i he could find a match. Ain't it
awful, Sam? Do you think anybody will pay money to get a little imp like

that back home?"

THE RANSOM OF RED CHIEF 55

"Sure," said I. 'A rowdy kid like that is iust the kind th{t parents dote on. il.@
Now, you and the Chief get up and cook breakfast, while LI go up on the top of qj
rro this mountain and reconnoiter."e ,E [,j ;[ irir i,E fir i F,j

I went up on the peak of the little mountain and ,rn .rrf, eye over the ,l_3}i,{:1 g'lq'{'

contiguous vicinity. Over toward Summit I expected to tl. the sturdy Reread the sentence that
yeomanry of the village armed with scythes and pitchforlis beating the
begins in line rt5 with
countryside for the dastardly kidnappers. But what I saw was a peaceful "Nobodywas...."
landscape dotted with one man plowing with a dun mulef Nobody was
Notice how the two
dragging the creek; no couriers dashed hither and yon, brflnging tidings of no
news to the distracted parents. There was a sylvanl0 attitqde of somnolent independent clauses are
sleepiness pervading that section of the external outward surface of Alabama
separated by a semicolon.
that lay .rpor.d to my view. "Perhaps," says I to myself "]it h", not yet been
Without the semicolon,
ruo discovered that the wolves have borne away the tender larhbkin from the fold.
the sentence would be a
Heaven help the wolvesl" says I, and I went down the -o[rnt"in to breakfast. ffi
run-on sentence.
'When I got to the cave I found Bill backed up against]the side of it,
breathing hard, and the boy threatening to smash him wit[r a rock half as big ? a-1{raisl}uzaels

as a coconut. Who seems to be
winning the conflict in
"He put a red-hot boiled potato down my back," ."11"i.r.d Bill, "and the painting? Tell how
then mashed it with his foot; and I boxed his ears. Have yfu got a gun about you know.

you, Sam?"

I took the rock away from the boy and kind of prt.h.f, up the argument.
"I'll fix you," says the kid to Bill. "No man errer yet stru(k the Red Chief but

r:o what he got paid for it. You better beware!"

9. reconnoiter (re'ke-noi'ter): to seek information about an enemv's wherdabouts.

10. sylvan (sil'ven): like woods or forests.

ffiJr':i::: j

g-iilri:riii,i.1,r

$1!g..ifffi i ;1irr,1;,q;, 1,,1

;iilr::ar. ,,. ir.!:l',i-li:.-l'- r' l

';iihl!il;: n

After breakfast the kid takes a piece of leat with strings wrapped around
it out of his pocket and goes outside rhe cave un inding it.

"'W'hat's he up to now?" says Bill anxiously. " bu don't think he'll run away,

do you, Sam?" @ of a homebody. But o MAKE TNFERENCES

"No fear of it," says I. "He don't seem to be How do you think Bill
is starting to feel about
we've got to fix up some plan about the ransom.lThere don'r seem to be much the plan to get two
thousand dollars?
excitement around Summit on accounr of his di rance; but maybe they
o PREDTCT
haven't realized yet that he's gone. His folks mai,lthink he's spending the Doyou expect that the
boy will behave better
night with Aunt Jane or one of the neighbors. , he'll be missed today. going forward? Add the
prediction to your chart.
rao Tonight we must get a message to his father anding the two thousand
o coNFLrcT
dollars for his return." ln what ways has
the conflict changed
Just then we heard a kind of war whoop, suc as David might have emitted since the beginning
when he knocked out the champion Goliath. It s a sling that Red Chief had ofthe story? Note the
incidents that have
pulled out of his pocket, and he was whirling it round his head. caused this change to
occu r.
I dodged, and heard a heavy thud and a kind a sigh from Bill, like a horse

gives out when you take his saddle off. A rock t size ofan egg had caught

Bill just behind his left ear. He loosened himsel all over and fell in the fire

across the frying pan of hot water for washing t dishes. I dragged him out

and poured cold water on his head for half an

150 By and bn Bill sits up and feels behind his ea and says: "Sam, do you know

who my favorite Biblical character is?"

"Take it easy," says L "You'll come to your presently."
"King Herod,"11 says he. "You won't go away
leave me here alone, will

you, Sam?"

I went out and caught that boy and shook hi until his freckles rattled.
"If you don't behave," says I, "I'11 take you ight home. Now, are you

going to be good, or not?"

"I was only funning," says he, sullenly. "I di n't mean to hurt Old Hank.

But what did he hit me for? I'll behave, Snake-e , if you won't send me home,

6r60 and if you'll let me play the Scout today." and Mr. Bill to decide. He's

"I dont know the game," says I. "That's for

your playmate for the day. I'm going away for a ile, on business. Now, you

come in and make friends with him and say are sorry for hurting him, or

home you go, at once." g

I made him and Bill shake hands, and then I took Bill aside and told him

I was going to Poplar Cove, a little village threelmiles from the cave, and find

out what I could about how the kidnapping had been regarded in Summit.

Also, I thought it best to send a peremptory lettpr to old man Dorset that day,

demanding the ransom and dictating how it ld be paid.

t70 "You know, Sam," says Bill, "I've stood by yoi, without batting an eye in

earthquakes, fire, and flood-in poker games, flynamite outrages, police raids,
train robberies, and cyclones. I never lost my n(rve yet till we kidnapped that

11. King Herod: an ancient king of Judea who once ordered the tion of all Bethlehem boys
under the age oftwo.

THE RANSOM OF RED CHIEF 57

two-legged skyrocket of a kid. He's got me going. You t leave me long

with him, will you, Sam?"
"I'll be back sometime this afternoon," says I. "You m keep the boy

amused and quiet till I return. And now we'll write the I to old Dorset."

Bill and I got paper and pencil and worked on the lett while Red Chiel

with a blanket wrapped around him, strutted up and , guarding the

mouth of the cave. Bill begged me tearfully to make the r nsom fifteen
180 hundred dollars instead of two thousand. "I ain't attempt g," says he, "to

decryl2 the celebrated moral aspect of parental affection, we're dealing with

humans, and it ain't human for anybody to give up two t nd dollars for

that forty-pound chunk of freckled wildcat. I m willing take a chance at

fifteen hundred dollars. You can charge the difference u to me. ,,

So, to relieve Bill, I acceded, and we collaborated a that ran this way: collaborate
(ke-l5b'e-rat') v. to work
EsBNnzpn Donsrr, Esq.: together on a project
'We have your boy concealed in a place far from Sum it. It is useless for you
comply (kem-pli') v.
or the most skillful detectives to attempt to find him. bsolutely, the only to act according to a
command or request
terms on which you can have him restored to you are : \7e demand
O PREDICT
i90 fifteen hundred dollars in large bills for his return: t money to be left at
How do you think the
midnight at the same spot and in the same box as reply-as hereinafter boy's father will respond
to the men's demands?
described. If you agree to these terms, send your a in writing by a Add the prediction to
your chart.
solitary messenger tonight at half-past eight o'clock. ter crossing Owl

Creek on the road to Poplar Cove, there are three la trees about a

hundred yards apart, close to the fence of the wheat on the right-hand

side. At the bottom of the fence post, opposite the thi tree, will be found a

small pasteboard box.

The messenger will place the answer in this box nd return immediately

to Summit.

If you attempt any treachery or fail to comply ith our demand as
stated, you will never see your boy again.

If you pay the money as demanded, he will be urned to you safe and

well within three hours. These terms are final, and i you do not accede to

them no further communication will be attempted.

Dnsprnare MrN. !

I addressed this letter to Dorset and put it in my ket. As I was about to
start, the kid comes up to me and says:

'Aw, Snake-eye, you said I could play the Scout whi you was gone.
"Play it, of course," says I. "Mr. Bill will play with u. \7hat kind ofa

zro game is it?"

"I'm the Scout," says Red Chie[ "and I have to ride the stockade to warn
the settlers that the Indians are coming. I'm tired of ying Indian myself. I

want to be the Scout."

12. decry: to criticize.
58 UNIT 1: PLOT AND CONFLICT

'A1l right," says I. "It sounds harmless to me. guess Mr. Bill will help you rLanguageCoach
foil the enemy."
Multiple Meaning
"I7hat am I to do?" asks Bill, looking at the id suspiciously.
"You are the hoss," says Scout. "Get down on r hands and knees. How , Words Multiple

can I ride to the stockade without a hoss?" Meaning Words
"You'd better keep him interested," said I, "til we get the scheme going. have more than one

220 Loosen up." . meaning. The word
: foilin line zt5 can
Bill gets down on his all fours, and a look in his eye like a rabbit's
mean "to prevent from
when you catch it in a trap. being successful" or "a
thin piece of metal."
"How far is it to the stockade, kid?" he asks, i a huskv manner of voice.
"Ninety miles," says the Scout. 'And you ha to hurry to get there on time. Which meaningof foil

\7hoa, now!" is correct in line zt5?

The Scout jumps on Bill's back and digs his h in his side. o coNFLrcr
Who seems to be
"For Heaven's sake," says Bill, "hurry back, as soon as you can. I wish winning the struggle?

we hadn't made the ransom more than a thousa . Say, you quit kicking me or ts PREDTCT

I'll get up and warm you good." I What do you think will
happen now that the
230 I walked over to Poplar Cove and sat around post office and store, letter has been posted?

talking with the chawbacons that came in to t , One whiskerando says that o coNFLrcT
Reread lines z4r-253.
he hears Summit is all upset on account of Ebenezer Dorset's boy having Bill thinks the conflict
has been resolved. What
been lost or stolen. That was all I wanted to k r. I referred casually to the details let the reader
know that he is wrong?
price of black-eyed peas, posted my letter surre tiously and came away. The

postmaster said the mail carrier would come by an hour to take the mail on
re not to be found. I
to Summit. g

When I got back to the cave Bill and the boy

explored the vicinity of the cave, and risked a or two, but there was no

resPonse.

240 So I sat down on a mossy bank to await deve

In about halfan hour I heard the bushes rust , and Bill wabbled out into

the little glade in front of the cave. Behind him the kid, stepping softly

like a scout, with a broad grin on his face. Bill :d, took off his hat and

wiped his face with a red handkerchief The kid ped about eight feet

behind him.
"Sam," says Bill, "I suppose you think I'm a egade, but I couldn't help

it. I'm a grown person with masculine procliviti and habits of self-defense,
but there is a time when all systems of egotism a predominance fail. The
boy is gone. I have sent him home. All is off. T was martyrs in old times,"

250 goes on Bill, "that suffered death rather than gi up the particular graft they
enjoyed. None of 'em ever was subjugated to s supernatural tortures as I

have been. I tried to be faithful to our articles o depredation;13 but there came

a limit." g

"\fhat's the trouble, Bill?" I asks him.
"I was rode," says Bill, "the ninety miles to t stockade, not barring an

inch. Then, when the settlers was rescued, I was iven oats. Sand ain't a

13. depredation (d6p'rY-da'shen): robbery.

THE RANsoM oF RED cHIEF 59

palatable substitute. And then, for an hour I had
to try to explain to him why there was nothin' in

holes, how a road can run both ways and what

zeo makes the grass green. I tell you, Sam, a human
can only stand so much. I takes him by the neck

of his clothes and drags him down the mountain.
On the way he kicks my legs black and blue from

the knees down; and I ve got to have two or three

bites on my thumb and hand cauterized.l4

"But he's gone"-continues Bill-"gone home.

I showed him the road to Summit and kicked him

about eight feet nearet there at one kick. I'm sorry
we lose the ransom; but it was either that or Bill

zzo Driscoll to the madhouse."

Bill is puffing and blowing, but there is a look

of ineffable peace and growing content on his

rose-pink features.

"Bill," says I, "there isn't any heart disease in

your family, is there?"
"No," says Bill, "nothing chronic except malaria

and accidents. \7hy?"

"Then you might turn around," says I, "and have a lobk behind you."

280 Bill twguraronsusanf"drnadaidnid.o.fb,heitgshienmsbintoody,.palAunncdkdloatshimeeslnehsIisstloyclodamt hgpirmlaesxstiho"an.,t{]fmnldiyttssl.ictshsetdimcokewsw.n Fapsolurtomanpput
on the
hour I

the whole job through immediately and that we would pet the ransom and

be off with it by midnight itold Dorset fell in with our proposition. So Bill proposition
(pr6p'e-zYsh'en) n.
braced up enough to give the kid a weak sort of a smile ]and a promise to play a suggested plan
the Russian in a Japanese war with him as soon as he fglt a little better.
commend (ka-m6nd')
I had a scheme for collecting that tansom without ddnger of being caught v. to speak highly of; to
praise; to recommend
by counterplots that ought to commend itself to profes[ional kidnappers. The

tree under which the answer was to be left-and the mpney later on-was

close to the road fence with big, bare fields on all sides.llf a gang of constables

zqo should be watching for anyone"to come for the note th{l .olld L. him a long

way off crossing the fields or in the road. But no, sirreeL! At half-past eight I

was up in that tr.. ", well hidden as a tree toad, waitinfi for the messenger to

arrive.

Exactly on time, a half-grown boy rides up the roadlon a bicycle, locates the

pasteboard box at the foot of the fence post, slips a fol{ed piece of paper into it

and pedals away again back toward Summit. L

I waited an hour and then concluded the thing *ar !q.rrt". I slid down the
tree, got the note, slipped along the fence till I struck t]he woods, and was back

at the cave in another half an hour. I opened the note,lgot near the lantern,

14. cauterized (k6'te-rizd'): burned a wound to stop bleeding.
UNIT 1: PLOT AND CONFLICT

and read it to Bill. It was written with a pen in crabbed hand, and the sum
and substance of it was this:

Two DBsppnete MBN.

GBNrrBrvtpN: I received your letter today by in regard to the ransom

you ask for the return of my son. I think you a little high in your

demands, and I hereby make you a counter- ition, which I am inclined

to believe you will accept. You bring Johnny and pay me two hundred

and fifty dollars in cash, and I agree to take im offyour hands. You had @ MAKE TNFERENCES

better come at night, for the neighbors beli he is lost, and I couldnt be Reread the note from
responsible for what they would do to any they saw bringing him back. Ebenezer Dorset. From
this passage, what can

310 Very respectfully, you infer about how

EsBNEzBR Donser. @ well he knows his son?

"Great Pirates of Penzance!" says I; "of all t mpudent-" impudent
(im'pye-dentl adj. bold
But I glanced at Bill, and hesitated. He had most appealing look in his and disrespectful

eyes I ever saw on the face of a dumb or a talki brute. o coNFLtcT AND
RESOLUTION
"Sam," says he, "what's two hundred and fift dollars, after all? \We ve Who wins out in the
conflict between the
got the money. One more night of this kid will me to bed in Bedlam.15 kidnappers and the
boy's father?
Besides being a thorough gentleman, I think . Dorset is a spendthrift for
o coNFLrcT AND
making us such a liberal offer. You ain't going t let the chance go, are you?" RESOLUTION
How is the conflict
"Tell you the truth, Bill," says I, "this little ewe lamb has somewhat between the men and
the boy finally resolved?
320 got on my nerves, too. S7e'll take him home, y the ransom, and make our

getaway." 6

\7e took him home that night. \7e got him go by telling him that his

father had bought a silver-mounted rifle and a ir of moccasins for him, and

we were going to hunt bears the next day.

It was just twelve o'clock when we knocked Ebenezert front door. Just at
the moment when I should have been abstracti the fifteen hundred dollars

from the box under the tree, according to the inal proposition, Bill was

counting out two hundred and fifty dollars i Dorset's hand.
\When the kid found out we were going to ve him at home he started up

a howl like a callioper6 and fastened himself as ight as a leech to Billt leg. His

father peeled him away gradually, like a po plaster.

"How long can you hold him?" asks Bill.

"I'm not as strong as I used to be," says old rset, "but I think I can

promise you ten minutes."

"Enough," says Bill. "In ten minutes I shall ross the Central, Southern, and

Middle \(/estern States, and be legging it tri gly for the Canadian border."

And, as dark as it was, and as fat as Bill was and as good a runner as I

am, he was a good mile and a half out of Sum it before I could catch up
with him. cw O

15. Bedlam: an insane asylum.
16. calliope (ka-li'e-pe'): an instrument with steam whistles.

THE RANsoM oF RED cHIEF 61

Rea di n g fo r I nformati on

ANECDOTE O. Henry was a master of u plot twists. ln the following

anecdote, which was originally read on the radi you will learn about a happy

coincidence that involves an undiscovered O. He ry story.

\X/hen I told my father that I was moving to Des oines, he told me about the only time

hed been there. It was in the 1930s, he said, he was the business manager of the

literary magazine of Southern Methodist Universi in Dallas. His friend Lon Tinkle was

the magazine's editor. Lon also taught English at U, and there was a student in his

class who had a severely deformed back. It was Depression, and the young woman

came from a family that was so poor she couldn't the operation that would correct

the problem.

Her mother, who ran a boardinghouse in Ga on, was cleaning out the attic one

day when she came across an old dusry manuscn . Scribbled across the top were the

words, "By O. Henry." It was a nice story, and s sent it along to her daughter at

SMU, who showed it to Lon. Lon had never see the story before, b$ it sounded like

O. Henry, it had an O. Henry story line, and knew that Villiam Sydney Porter,

aka O. Henry, had lived in Houston at one time So it was entirely possible that the

famous author had gone to the beach and sta in the Galveston boardinghouse,

had written the story while he was there, and h inadvertently left the manuscript

behind. Lon showed the manuscript to my fa , who contacted an O. Henry expert
at Columbia University in New York. The exper said hed like to see it, so my father

got on a train and took it to him.

The expert authenticated the story as O. Hen s, and my father set out to sell it.

Eventually, he found himself in Des Moines, ing with Gardner Cowles, a top editor

at the Des Moines Register. Cowles loved the s and bought it on the spot. My father

took the proceeds to the young woman in Lon let class. It was just enough for her

to have the operation she so desperately needed d, as far as we know, to live happily

ever after.

My father never told me what the O. Henry ry was about. Bur I doubt that it

could have been better than his own story: a about O. Henry that was an O. Henry

story itself.

62 UNIT I: PLOT AND CONFLICT

After Reading

Comprehension i COMMONCORE

1. Recall Why do Sam and Bill need two thou RL 3 Analyze how dialogue or
incidents in a story propel the
2. Clarify Why does the boy prefer staying with and Billto going home? action and reveal aspects of a

character.

3. Represent Reread linesz4-26 on page 54. U the details in this paragraph
to draw a simple map showing Summit, the untain, and the cave.

Text Analysis

I 4. Predict Look back at the chart you created as read. Which outcomes
ted circumstances
surprised you and which did not? Tell what

affected Bill and Sam's plan to get money.

! S. analyze Conflict and Resolution When an is the opposite of what

might be expected, it is said to be ironic. Whi of the resolutions to this

story's conflicts are ironic? Show your thinkin in two graphic organizers like

the ones shown.

6. Draw Conclusions Look back at lines 8-t6 on 52. From the vocabulary
lf and Bill to the reader at the
Sam uses, as well as the way he presents hi
beginning of the story, do you think the pa are typically successful in
their schemes? Cite evidence to support your
clusion.

Extension and Challenge

7. Creative Project: Music Choose a familiar tun and rewrite the words to retell
the story of "The Ransom of Red Chief." lnclud details that bring out the
irony in the story.

8. Text Criticism O. Henry's short stories remain pular with readers in part

because they often have surprise endings. the article "Manuscript

Found in an Attic" on page 62. What do you nk the author means when he

describes it as "a story about O. Henry that wa an O. Henry story itself"?

Xs amy pBam FOOLPROOF?

What could Bill and Sam have done to make th r plan more likely to succeed?

THE RANSOM OF RED CHIEF 53

Vocabulary in Context

A vocaaurARY PRAcrtcE

Choose the vocabulary word that best completes each lollaborate impudent
commend proposition
sentence.
comPlY provisions .
_1. The kidnappers demanded a before they the boy. ransom

_2. They had enough stashed in a cave to last a

3. Since neither of them could complete the scheme a , the diauibe
kidnappers had to

_in4. The worst they expected was a the local pa

_,5. Red Chief was so adults didn't like being him.

not6. The father did with the terms of the letter.

7. Red Chief's father had a different for the kidna

_8. You can't the parent's actions, but you can certai ly understand them.

ACADEM!C VOCABUTARY IN SPEAKING

. affect . conclude . evident . imply . initial

Reread the letter from Mr. Dorset that appears on page What does the letter
imply about how he and his neighbors feel about his son As you discuss your
answer with a partner, try to use at least one Academic bulary word.

VOCABUTARY STRATEGY: THE PREFIXES CO,,?. AN multi- i COMMONCORE

Learning to recognize common prefixes can help you ber the meanings L4b Use common Latin affixes
as clues to the meaning of a
of many words. For example, the prefix con?- means "t her" or "with." The word. L 6 Use accurately grade-
appropriate words.
vocabulary word comply contains this prefix, which can lso be spelled com-,

col-, cor-, or con-, depending on the letter that follows it Another common

prefix is multi-, which means "more than one."

PRACTICE Choose the word from the list that matches numbered
definition. lf necessary, consult a dictionary.

combine communicable concur confirm ipurpose multitude

l. transferable between persons or species; contagiou Go to thinkcentral.com.

2. the condition or quality of being numerous KEYWORD: HMLS-64
3. designed or used for several purposes
4. to establish that something is true
5. to be in agreement, or harmony
5. to join together

64 uNIT r: pI-or AND coNFlrcr

La nguage A run-on sentence, i COMMONCORE
* gmgnnru:&ft t&t e*ruTEXT: Av*id ftun-*n S* written as though they
L 1 Demonstrate command
Review the Grammar in Context note on page 5 or so, after a comma of standard English grammar
sometimes called a run-on, is two or more se whenwriting. L2 Demonstrate
were a single sentence. To correct a run-on,you command of punctuation, when

. insert an end mark and start a new sentence writing. W2 Writeexplanatory
. insert a coordinating conjunction, such as and,
texts.
. change a comma to a semicolon

Original: I thought Randy would win the ss elections,

Mary believed Ling would be the

Revised: I thought Randy would win the ss elections,
but Mary believed Ling would be wtnner.

PRACTICE Rewrite the following sentences so th are no longer run-ons.

1. I thought I wouldn't like being away from ho , it's actually really fun.
2. I promised to behave, they threatened to sen me home.

3. There weren't daily newspapers, nosy re wouldn't be coming around.

4. They didn't count on the boy's adventurous s rit they were surprised by it.

5. Parents worry about keeping their children s , they don't worry about
keeping people safe from their children.

For more help with run-on sentences, see page in the Grammar Handbook.

ffi E&*[ ri* s -wi* ETE ru G estu h] E eT] * N Ransom of Red Chief"
revising tip to improve
Y0UR Demonstrate your understanding of "Th

k-&@w by responding to this prompt. Then use

TURN your wnung.

Extended Constructed Response: Analysis Review your analysis. Go to thinkrentrai.eom.
Bill and Sam thought they had a brilliant scheme lfyou have used any
to make money, but they didn't plan for the run-on sentences, correct KEYWORD: HML8-65
unexpected. ln two or three paragraphs, tell the problem by adding
why they thought their plan would work and appropriate punctuation or a
what they were mistaken about. coordinating conjunction.

THE RANSOM OF RED CHIEF 55

Clean Sweep

Short Story by Joan Baueq

Wfuwrc #mmm'fu m,m#k,k fum,q,:,fl-aBffi dri.=qr

TREASURE?

i aornro*ao*, There is an old saying, "On. ,rf"'', trash is another man's treasure."

A scrap of cloth, a wrinkled photo, or a worn, torn book can have great
RL3 Analyzehow dialogueor value to a person if there are sppcial memOrieS attaChed. ln "Clean
I:li::tJ!1'i:tXJ3fllffi tsweep," a girt finds out not onij rt a simpre object can hord good
structureof textcontributestoits memories, but also that those rlpemories can help heal.
meaning.

WEB tT What do you value tha{ someone else might be tempted to
throw away? Create a web to s]how some memories that are connected
to that item. Expand your web]by adding details that explain what
makes the object special to yor.i.

tlue ) met her

favorlte aunt.

me lnterested lfi

r t'.l't' i:. i * Y6 le; a *,,;

{r. .,,

T,,FJEir

O rexr ANALYSTS: coNFucrs AND suBP Joan Bauer

As you may recall, there are two basic kinds of co cts. born r95r

. External conflicts are struggles between a c ter and an Laughter and Life
As a child, Joan Bauer dreamed of
outside force. The outside force could be anot r character, becoming a comedian or a comedy
writer when she grew up. The funny
society, or a force of nature. . This type adults in her life inspired her. Her
mother loved to make people laugh,
. lnternal conflicts are struggles within a char and her grandmother, Nana, was
a storyteller whose tales always
of conflict may occur when the character has make a included humor. But real life wasn't
always amusing. When Joan was
difficult decision or deal with opposing feel eight years old, her parents divorced.
This and other family troubles proved
A story may develop more than one kind of co flict. devastating. However, she continued
writing,findingthat it helped ease her
Sometimes an additional conflict is worked out i a subplot, pain. Now an award-winning author,
Joan Bauer admits to often drawing
or minor plot. from these difficult life experiences
while creating her touching, amusing
As you read "Clean Sweep," notice how a pa nt causes
stories.
both an internal and an external conflict. AIso, if you can
Hope and Humor
spot a subplot. "l want to create stories that link life's
struggles with laughter," Bauer has
t READING SKITL: SEQUENCE said. "Laughter is a gift we've been
given ... not just to make us feel good,
To follow a story, you must recognize the or order, but to empower us to overcome dark
times." Her novels and stories are
of the event described. While events are often nted about how we can help each
other by sharing
in the order in which they occur, sometimes the tion is both the struggle
and the laughter.
interrupted to present a scene from an earlier ti . This

scene, called a flashback, can help explain a char r's

actions. To help you figure out when events look

for signalwords and phrases such as these:four 490,

moments later, and while. Then keep track of th sequence

of important events by recording them on a seq chart.

Review: Predict

A vocABUIARY rN coNTExr teenager's
o see how
The boldfaced words help Joan Bauertell about rds for each.
experience with loss and familial responsibility.
many you know, substitute a different word or

1. The room was dark and dingy. e window.
2. A minuscule amount of light came through ing him.
3. Her sense of propriety kept her from interru
4. She acted calm in front of her class, but she

in turmoil.
5. I can't stand the vileness of rotten eggs.

6. lt was an aberration, not what she usually

.ltrfl

i*p Complete the activities in your Reader/Writer

Joan Bauer

'Hor" You EVER .EEN A ousr ltIrB?" i rs$lli:," 'What can you conclude

i about this girl's feelings
toward housework?
My mother always lowers her voice when she asks tliis; it adds to the
minuscule (mYn'e-
emotional impact. Never in the four years since she's lad the cleaning skyoTl') adj. very small;
tiny
business has anyone ever said they've seen one. That's [ecause the only
vileness (vil'nes) n.
people who have seen dust mites are scientists who put dust balls on slides un pleasantness;
disgusting quality
and look at them under microscopes. Personally i have petter things to do
O CONFLICTS AND
than look at minuscule animals who cause great torture lamong the allergic,
SUBPLOTS
but my mother has a photo of a dust mite blown r.rp to i.n gazillion times What conflicts do the
its size-she is holding it up now, as she always does ifr this part of her main character and her
family face with each job?
10 presentation-and the two women who sit on the flor]al couch before her

g"rp and shut their eyes, because dust mitef , trust me, are ugly.

Thin"kppInrouparsiaiotnelyof tbe BodJ Snatchers meets The Huncffback of Notre Ddme,

and you're just beginning to enter into the vileness o{ this creature.

"They're everywhere," Mom says to the women. "Urlder the bed, on the

sheets, clinging to the blinds; hiding, waiting. And at]Clean Sweep," she

offers quietly, but dramatically, "we hill rhem for you. pe hate them even

more than you do. This is why we're in business."

i

The two women look at each other and say yes, they want the cleaning

service to start immediately.

20 Mom tells them our price. One woman, ,, .rp".,.d], says, "That sounds a

little high." People are so cheap. Everyone wants q"rli1t, no one wants to pay

for it. Here's the suburban dream-to hire great workeirs who are such meek

morons that they don't have the guts to ask for a livin$ wage. @

This is not my mother's problem. She holds up the ldust mite enlargement
to make the point. "\7e cost more because we know r{rh.t. he and his army

are hiding."

UNIT 1: PLOT AND CONFLICT

,,lr;:.i,':1:.::rl

She used to say "we know where he and his friends a hiding," but "army" u SCI ENCE
sounds more fierce, and when you are serious about eli nating dust, you'd CONNECTION

better let everyone know it's war. one month to Dust mites are
"\7ell . . . ," the other woman says, unsute. microscopic organisms
Mom presses in. "\7e suggest two cleanings per week found in house dust the
world over. Some people
achieve total elimination. Then weekly cleanings shou do, unless you have are allergic to the feces
and skin shed by the
special needs." mites.

Special needs in the cleaning world range from cleariing out attics to o CoNFHCTS AND
detoxificationl of teenage bedrooms. I am a specialist in cfeaning rooms of kids SUBPLOTS
who have just gone off to college. It takes nerves of ste{I. And I have them. How does the narrator
feel about her brother's
My brother Benjamin doesn't. To begin with, he's all(rgic to dust-bad behavior? Tell how she
handles it.
news when the family business is dedicated to eliminatin$ it. To end with, het
B SEQUENCE
a devoted underachiever, in stark contrast to myself. Anfl Benjamin knows
40 how to get out of work-he could give seminars on this{ He gets the perfect Reread lines 49-5r.
What words or phrases
look of abject2 pain over his face, says he's not feeling to! well, he's sorry, he show that the specific
events of this story are
doesn't want to be a burden He talks about the pain ing across his back, starting now? Record
the event on your chart.
down his leg, and into his ankle. Then he gets dizzy and [ras to sit down; lying
down comes moments later after his face gets a little palel(I don't know how he

does this) and his hand touches his forehead which, I s{vear, has small drops

of sweat on it. Then he'll try to get up and help, but by]this time, you feel like

such a snake that a sick person is going to get sicker of your insensitive

demands that you say, no, you rest, I'll do it. @

This is what he's done to me today, and I'm not in t mood for the game.

50 He tells me, groaning, he'll try to make it to Mrs. Leona t today to help her

pack up her attic, but he's not sure he can even sit. He' lying on the couch in

misery saying if he can sit, he will try to stand, and if he tempts standing, he

will attempt actual walking-Mrs. Leonardo's house ing four houses down

the street. I throw my book bag at him. Suggest he to Mrs. Leonardo's

house and he says, "Thanks, Katie. Just thanks." To hich I reply, "Look,

Benny Boy, I m getting sick of carrying your weight aro here. If vou think

I m going to do your job and mine until I die, think n." Benjamin groans

deep, turns off the light, closes his eyes and says his is cosmic and

could I please go get him some aspirin. @
I don't get the aspirin. It's a big bad world out there nd he needs to find it

out no% at fourteen. This is what big sisters are for.

So I m basically crabby and bitter all day; taking it t on random people.

After school I have mounds of homework. You wo what teachers are

thinking-l have three hundred pages of reading in t ree textbooks plus a

paper due on Friday. Have you ever noticed that it a textbook dozens of

pages to say what normal people can cover fast?

Example:

\Mhat was the full impact of \ilforld \War II?

detoxif ication (de-tbk'soJY-ka'shen): the process of removing toxic u bsta nces.
abject (5b'jEkt): of the most miserable kind; wretched.

70 UNIT I: PLOT AND CONFLICT

Clear-cut teenage answer: \7e won. and I have to help

70 So I'm close to dying young from excessive ho

Mrs. Leonardo clean out her attic. She is paying bucks for this, and, believe

me, my family needs the money.

Mrs. Leonardo wants people there on time a working like ants. Ants

carry their weight on their backs and are thrilled anything to be abused. But

that is the insect world; I am not one of them. I' not in the mood to sit with

her in her dingy attic and lug tons of garbage the stairs and listen t<r dingy (dYn'jel adj. dnty
her stories of how her familv deserted her. I k that sounds mean, but Mrs. or discolored

Leonardo is a mean person. It's easy to see why 's alone. The big joke is that o SEQUENCE
Reread lines 8z-88.
when her husband died, he had a big smile on h face in the casket that he'd What words help signal
that the narrator is
80 never had in real life. The funeral director said t tried to wipe that grin off returning to the main
story she is telling?
his face, but they couldn't do it.
propriety (pre-pri'Ytd)
So I m on my knees in the dust, putting thin$s in bags, while Mrs. n. the quality of being
proper; a ppropriateness
Leonardo tells me about her selfish brother who deserted her, and her

uncaring, money-grubbing cousin Cynthia who]backed out of the driveway

eight years ago and never came back. She tells rrie how she helped them and

loaned them money which they never paid backf She's going on and on about

how the world is a dark, dark place. I clear my tfroat: "Boy, Mrs. Leonardo,

6you've got a lot of stuff up here. Are you sure yofr want to keep it all?"

Th* * the wrong thing to say. Mrs. Leonardo's ay eyes get spitting mad and

so she says, well, shek seventy-six years old and she's had a uery interesting life and

she doesn't want to throw out anything of value. look in a box with IRS tax

forms dating back to 1955.

"Mrs. Leonardo, the IRS says you only need o keep tax records from the

last three years. \(/e could dump this whole b . . ." My mother told me this.

She lunges as much as a seventy-six-year-old rson can and says she isn't

giving her tax records to anyone so they can s t her secrets. Like tons of

thieves are out there ready to pounce on this.

But at twenty-five dollars per hour, you lear to be patient. "Think of the

money," my mother always says, "and the graci ness will come." So I'm

roo taping the box and writing IMPORIANT PA RS 1955-1963. Maybe she

could turn this attic into a museum and could walk through and learn

all the things you should never hold on to.

Benjamin would have cracked under this re. Mrs. Leonardo is kneeling

by a huge trunk, saylng how the younger gene ion (mine) doesnt understand

about manners, pfepliegy, or simple human . Her grandniece, Veronica,

walks around with her belly button showing. he pulls old clothes out of the

trunk and yanks this old lace tablecloth out just looks at it. Finally, she

says she got it when she was married and she', only used it once. She waited

for a special occasion and only one ca twentieth anniversary. No

lr0 other occasion was special enough, and then husband died right before

cLEAN s\irEEP 71

their twenty-fifth anniversary and the tablecloth has be n in this trunk ever o CoNFHCTS AND
SUBPLOTS
since-only used once, she keeps saying-beautiful Egy tian linen. She looks What causes Mrs.
kind of sad, though stiff, I say, "You could start using it ow, Mrs. Leonardo," Leonardo to be upset
which is the wrong thing to say. She shuts that trunk an asks me just who do I with Katie?
think she's going to invite to dinner since everyone she's ver done anything for

Ihas either deserted her or died.

I don't know how to answer a question like this. My her didn't cover
it during Clean Sweep boot camp training where I lea how to scour a

bathtub that a toddler spilled ink in, how to clean pet ains from any carpet

t20 known to man, how to wash windows and not leave st ks, how to open a
refrigerator with year-old meat and not gag in front of t client. I pledged that
the customer was always right and I, the lowly dust eli inator, was always,

always wrong.

But I m not sure what to do. If I agree with her, I'm lrot helping, and if I
listen, I won't get the job done. The truth is, I don't like JMrs. Leonardo-so
theret a big part of me that doesn't care-even though Ilknow this is probably
inhumane because she's a sad person, really. Kneeling]there in the dust,
surrounded by the boxes of her so-called interesting lif(, going on and on

.r"ilL':h

What do the details in
the picture tellyou
about the person or
people who live here?

72 PLOT AND CONFLICT

about people who are gone. I m thinking about next stage of the job-the

130 actual cleaning of the attic which is going to ta two people, and I know

Benjamin will be hurled inro monumental phys al aberrations up here. aberration (Eb'e-
ra'shen) n. an abnormal
I'm tired, too, and my paper is late on King r who, in my opinion, alteration

thought too much and couldn't deliver. I m think g about my personal life- o CONFLICTS AND
yes, dust eliminators have them. \We have feeli ; we have needs, dreams, SUBPLOTS
What internal and
I m feeling that I work roo much and I wish my m had another business external conflicts does
Katie face as a result of
because what I do all day at school is exhausting without having to do her dad's death?

heavy lifting after school and on the weekends. I hink about when my dad o SEQUENCE
When did Katie's mother
died four years ago, and because ofdisorganizati n-that is, getting behind form Clean Sweep?

on paying his life insurance premiums-his insu nce policy was cancelled o coNFLlcTS AND
SUBPLOTS
t40 and we got no insurance money when he died. never meant to hurt us, Reread lines t53-t58.
How does Katie react
but it was so scary not knowing if we could keep t house mixed with all the while looking through
her father's things?
pain of losing him. \(/e never got a regular time urning because we were
0 SEQUENCE
fighting to stay afloat. Mom was trying to sort gh Dadt huge piles of Reread lines r6r-r63.
Note the phrase that lets
papers.'We loved him so much, but he could get rid ofwhat Mom called you know a flashback is
coming. When do the
his "clutter demons." g events in this paragraph
take place?
It took several months, but we got his papers \We learned firsthand

how you get organized, clean up, and obliterate t. \[e became total aces at

it; learned how widespread the problem truly is. 'e knew then we needed to

share what we'd learned with others who were su ing, and felt that twenty-

r:o five dollars an hour was reasonable. @

I'm not sure if Mrs. Leonardo wants someone ]to help or someone to
complain to. Between you and me, I feel that listlning to complaining and

busting dust should earn thirty-five dollars per h{ur. But, I'm remembering

being in our attic after my dad died; trying to go ihrough his things. He had

a trunk that his grandfather had given him-insi{e were all his photos and

papers from school. I remember reading some of {is essays from high school
and just crying. I couldn't throw those out. Mom $aid going through all that
was therapeutic3 for me because it was like being r]vith him, kind of. He was

forty-one years old when he died. Had a heart attalk at work and was dead by

160 the time the ambulance came. @
Just thinking about the day makes me shaky. Qver the years I've dissected

every last thing I remember about the last mornin[ I saw him. I should have

made him breakfast-I knew how much he liked lt when I did. I should have

hugged him when he went out the door, but I was on the phone with Roger

Rugsby who was my biology partner who needed {ne to go over my lab notes

or he would fail. I missed the bus and Dad missed his train and he took me to

school. I was late, so I hurled myself out of the carl and he said, "Go get 'em,

kiddo." That's the last thing he ever said to me. But I did better than Beniamin

who overslept and didn't even see Dad that morni{rg. lt

Mrs. Leonardo leans over a trunk like the one rt'ry father had. I want to say

something encouraging to her, like, "Gee, Mrs. Lepnardo, I know how hard it

3. therapeutic (thEr'e-pyo-'tYk): having healing powers.

cLEAN swEEP 73

/

i

must be going through all these memories," or, "l hope ,or[i.rg through all this

is helping you the way it helped me." Memories are the oirly things we have

left sometimes. You can hold a photo of a person you love{ who's gone, but it

isn't alive. \,{sm61is5-the best ones-are filled with sight$, smells, love, and

happiness. I try to hold some of those in my heart for -y {ad each day. i COMMONCORE RL]

She goes through the trunk, stony-faced. I can't tell wh{t she's found, can't o coNFLlcTs AND
SUBPLOTS
tell if she's going to torch the contents or hold them to hfr heart. I lug a big Like main plots, subplots
often follow a linear
bag over and throw old newspapers inside. Mrs. Leonardolstops going through pattern. A conflict is
introduced, intensified,
r80 the trunk. She's holding something in her hands, not m{ving. I look at her and resolved. A subplot
may reflect on the main
stiff face and for a moment in the weird light of the atti!, she looks like she's plot by showing how
going to cry. But thatt impossible. Then I hear a sniff an{ she says softly, "My a similar conflict can
play out in another
mother read this book to my sister and me every night before bed." situation. Reread lines
177-193.What subplot
I look at the book-a well-worn brown leather cover. Dpesnt look like much. is introduced here? Tell
who is involved in the
"I thought she had it," Mrs. Leonardo says sadly. I subplot and what the
I central conflict seems
"\Uho had it?" to be.

"My sister, Helen. I thought she had the book. Sh. "("y, wanted ir." ts PREDTCT
In these situations
it's best to say, "Oh.' Now that she's found
the book, what do you
"I thought . . . I thought I'd sent it to her after Mother I She looks down. think Mrs. Leonardo
might do in regard to
190 I say, "It's hard to remember what youve done after {ied."
her sister?
important dies."

"But, she'd asked me for it. It was the one thing she'd fvanted."

"'S7'ell . . ."

"I haven't talked to her since Mother died. I thought

I'm not sure how to ask this. Is Helen still alive? with the book, Mrs.
I dance around it. "'\X/'hat do you think you should

Leonardo?" She doesn't answer.

I try again. "\7hy did Helen want it so bad?"

She hands me the book. "She said these stories were best memories

of childhood." I look through it. "The Naughty Little rog," "The Little

zoo Lost Tulip," "Spanky, the Black Sheep." It's amazing t we put up with

as children. But then I remember my favorite bedtime s ry-"Pu,"t,, ,n.

Church l\z[6g5s"-xbout this little mouse who lives in a hurch and polishes all

the stained glass windows every night before he goes to so the light can

come forth every morning. I heard from a cousin

"I know she lives in Vermont," Mrs. Leonardo offers.

a while ago . . ." Her voice trails offi g

"I think you should call her, Mrs. Leonardo."

She shakes her old head. No-she couldn't possibly.

"I think you should call her and tell her you've got t

210 She glares at me. "I believe we're done for today." grabs the book from

my hands, puts it back in the trunk.

"Sorry, ma'am. I didn't mean . . ."

She heads down the attic stairs.

74 uNrr 1: PLor AND coNFlrcr