John Larrysson's Column: Summer Story Chapter 8 Part 8: Grandmother is the Best Dancer
The Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
文章日期:2020年8月25日

Chapter 8 Dance at Grandmother & Grandfather's House

Part 8: Grandmother is the Best Dancer

"I can't leave the syrup," she said.

But her father began to play "The Arkansas Traveller," and everybody began to clap in time to the music. So Grandmother bowed to them all and did a few steps by herself. She could dance as prettily as any of them. The clapping almost drowned the music of her father's fiddle.

Suddenly Uncle George jumped up and clicked his heels together. Then bowed low before Grandmother; he began to dance. Grandmother tossed her spoon to somebody. She put her hands on her hips and faced Uncle George. Everybody shouted and Grandmother was dancing.

[audio 1]

Laura clapped her hands in time to the music, with all the other clapping hands. The fiddle sang as it had never sung before. Grandmother's eyes were snapping and her cheeks were red. Underneath her skirts her heels were clicking as fast as the thumping of Uncle George's boots.

Everybody was excited. Uncle George kept on dancing and Grandmother kept on facing him, dancing too. The fiddle did not stop. Uncle George began to breathe loudly as he wiped sweat off his forehead. Grandmother's eyes twinkled.

"You can't beat her, George!" somebody shouted.

[audio 2]

Uncle George danced faster. He danced twice as fast as he had been dancing. So did Grandmother. Everybody cheered. All the women were laughing and clapping their hands. All the men were teasing George. George did not care, but he did not have breath enough to laugh. He was dancing.

Her father's blue eyes were snapping and sparking. He was standing up, watching George and Grandmother. The bow danced over the fiddle strings. Laura jumped up and down, squealed and clapped her hands.

[audio 3]

Grandmother kept on dancing. Her hands were on her hips and her chin was up and she was smiling. George kept on dancing, but his boots did not thump as loudly as they had thumped at first. Grandmother's heels kept on clickety-clacking gaily. A drop of sweat dripped off George's forehead and shone on his cheek.

All at once he threw up both arms and gasped, "I'm beat!" He stopped dancing.

[audio 4]

Everyone made a terrific noise, shouting and yelling and stamping, cheering Grandmother. Grandmother danced just a little minute more and then she stopped. She laughed in gasps. Her eyes sparkled just like father's eyes when he laughed. George was laughing, too and wiping his forehead on his sleeve.

Suddenly Grandmother stopped laughing. She turned and ran as fast as she could into the kitchen. The fiddle had stopped playing. All the women were talking at once and all the men teasing George.

[audio 5]

Little House in the Big Woods

Chapter 1 - Part 1: Introduction

Chapter 1 - Part 2: Wolves in the Night

Chapter 1 - Part 3: Venison

Chapter 1 - Part 4: Smoked Meat

Chapter 1 - Part 5: Food for Winter

Chapter 1 - Part 6: Butchering Time

Chapter 1 - Part 7: After Butchering Time

Chapter 1 - Part 8: Winter

Chapter 1 - Part 9: Winter Night

Chapter 1 - Part 10: About the Author & Where to Find the Book

Chapter 2 - Part 1: Winter Days and Winter Nights

Chapter 2 - Part 2: Jack Frost

Chapter 2 - Part 3: Laura and Mary Helped Mother with the Housework

Chapter 2 - Part 4: Churn on Thursday

Chapter 2 - Part 5: The Best Time of All

Chapter 2 - Part 6: Her Father Began to Play his Fiddle and Sing

Chapter 2 - Part 7: Father Told Stories

Chapter 2 - Part 8 - The Story of Grandfather and the Panther

Chapter 3 - Part 1: Introduction (The Long Rifle)

Chapter 3 - Part 2: Making Bullets

Chapter 3 - Part 3: Cleaning the Gun

Chapter 3 - Part 4: Loading the Gun

Chapter 3 - Part 5: Where and Why to Keep a Gun

Chapter 3 - Part 6: The Story of her Father and the Voice in the Forest Part 1

Chapter 3 - Part 7: The Story of her Father and the Voice in the Forest Part 2

Chapter 4 - Part 1: Christmas in the Forest

Chapter 4 - Part 2: Making a Gift for his Wife

Chapter 4 - Part 3: Christmas is Coming

Chapter 4 - Part 4: Children Make Pictures in the Snow

Chapter 4 - Part 5: Prince & the Blue Dress (part 1 of 3)

Chapter 4 - Part 6: Prince & the Blue Dress (part 2 of 3)

Chapter 4 - Part 7: Prince & the Blue Dress (part 3 of 3)

Chapter 4 - Part 8: Christmas Morning

Chapter 4 - Part 9: Santa Claus Only Gives Presents to Children

Chapter 5 - Part 1: Sundays

Chapter 5 - Part 2: The Weekly Bath

Chapter 5 - Part 3: Being Quiet

Chapter 5 - Part 4: The Story of Grandfather's Sledge and the Pig (part 1 of 4)

Chapter 5 - Part 5: The Story of Grandfather's Sledge and the Pig (part 2 of 4)

Chapter 5 - Part 6: The Story of Grandfather's Sledge and the Pig (part 3 of 4)

Chapter 5 - Part 7: The Story of Grandfather's Sledge and the Pig (part 4 of 4)

Chapter 5 - Part 8: Sunday Music

Chapter 5 - Part 9: Birthday Spanking

Chapter 6 - Part 1 - Introduction (Two Big Bears)

Chapter 6 - Part 2 - Getting Ready to Go

Chapter 6 - Part 3 - Milking Sukey the Cow (1 of 2)

Chapter 6 - Part 4a - Milking Sukey the Cow (2 of 2)

Chapter 6 - Part 4b - Review Questions: Milking Sukey

Chapter 6 - Part 4c - Answers for Review Questions

Chapter 6 - Part 5 - Her Father Has Not Come Home

Chapter 6 - Part 6 - The Story Of Her Father And The Bear In The Way (1 of 2)

Chapter 6 Part 7a - The Story of Her Father and the Bear in the Way (2 of 2)

Chapter 6 Part 7b - Review Questions: The Bear in the Way

Chapter 6 Part 7c - Answers for Review Questions

Chapter 6 Part 8 - Evening with Father

Chapter 6 Part 9 - When idiots see a bear: Hey let's feed the real live teddy bear!

Chapter 7 Part 1 Introduction - Maple Syrup

Chapter 7 Part 2 - The snow is melting

Chapter 7 Part 3 - Sugar Snow

Chapter 7 Part 4 - Grandfather prepares to make maple syrup

Chapter 7 Part 5 - Grandfather harvests maple syrup

Chapter 7 Part 6 - Why is it called a sugar snow?

Chapter 7 Part 7 - Delaine Dress

Chapter 8 Part 1 - Going to Grandmother and Grandfather's House

Chapter 8 Part 2 - Grandmother and Grandfather's House

Chapter 8 Part 3 - The Wildman

Chapter 8 Part 4a: Made themselves pretty – Hair

Chapter 8 Part 4b: Made themselves pretty - Corsets

Chapter 8 Part 5: Made themselves pretty – Dresses

Chapter 8 Part 6: Competition - The Babies on the Bed

Chapter 8 Part 7: Dancing

by John Larrysson

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A native English speaker who has been teaching practical English in Hong Kong for over two decades.

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