THE LOVE CHARM

 THE LOVE CHARM


 Phoebe, too, lowered her voice, but the full sweetness of its quality
thrilled out.
"Mary Frances Giles is going to be married next week. I've been down to
see her things. She's real pleased."
"You don't suppose they'll ask father to
marry 'em?" Miss Dorcas spoke
quite eagerly.
"Oh, no, they can't! It's a real wedding, you know. It's got to be at the
house."
"Yes, of course it's got to! I knew that myself, but I couldn't help hoping.
Well, goodnight. You come Sunday."
Phoebe lifted her pink skirts about her, and stepped, rustling and stately,
down the garden walk. Miss Dorcas drew one deep breath of the outer
fragrance, and turned back into the house. A thin voice, enfeebled and
husky from old age, rose in the front roo
m, as she entered:
"Dorcas! Dorcas! you had a caller?"
Her father, old Parson True, lay in the great bed opposite the window. A
thin little twig of a man, he was still animated, at times, by the power of a
strenuous and dauntless spirit. His hair, brus
hed straight back from the
overtopping forehead, had grown snowy white, and the eager, delicate
face beneath wore a strange pathos from the very fineness of its
nervously netted lines. Not many years after his wife's death, the parson
had shown some wander
ing of the wits; yet his disability, like his loss,
had been mercifully veiled from him. He took calmly to his bed, perhaps
through sheer lack of interest in life, and it became his happy invention
that he was "not feeling well," from one day to another, b
ut that, on the
next Sunday, he should rise and preach. He seemed like an unfortunate
and uncomplaining child, and the village folk took pride in him as
something all their own; a pride enhanced by his habit, in this weak
estate, of falling back into the h
omely ways of speech he had used long
ago when he was a boy "on the farm." In his wife's day, he had stood in
the pulpit above them, and expounded scriptural lore in academic English;
now he lapsed into their own rude phrasing, and seemed to rest content
i
n a tranquil certainty that nothing could be better than Tiverton ways and
Tiverton's homely speech.
"Dorcas," he repeated, with all a child's delight in his own cleverness,
"you've had somebody here. I heard ye!"
Dorcas folded the sheet back over the
quilt, and laid her hand on his hair,
with all the tenderness of the strong when they let themselves brood over
the weak.
"Only Phoebe, on her way home," she answered, gently. "The doctor
visited her school to
-
day. She thinks he may drop in to see you to
-
night. I
guess he give her to understand so."
The minister chuckled.
"Ain't he a smart one?" he rejoined. "Smart as a trap! Dorcas, I 'ain't
finished my sermon. I guess I shall have to preach an old one. You lay me
out the one on the salt losin' its s
avor, an' I'll look it over."
"Yes, father."
The same demand and the same answer, varied but slightly, had been
exchanged between them every Saturday night for years. Dorcas replied
now without thinking. Her mind had spread its wings and flown out into
the sweet stillness of the garden and the world beyond; it even hastened
on into the unknown ways of guesswork, seeking for one who should be
coming. She strained her ears to hear the beating of hoofs and the rattle
of wheels across the little, bridge. Th
e dusk sifted in about the house,
faster and faster; a whippoorwill cried from the woods. So she sat until
the twilight had vanished, and another of the invisible genii was at hand,
saying, "I am Night."
"Dorcas!" called the parson again. He had been asl
eep, and seemed now
to be holding himself back from a broken dream. "Dorcas, has your
mother come in yet?"
"No, father."
"Well, you wake me up when you see her down the road; and then you go
an' carry her a shawl. I dunno what to make o' that cough!" His voice
trailed sleepily off, and Dorcas rose and tiptoed out of the room. She felt
the blood in her face; her ears thrilled
noisily. The doctor's, wagon, had
crossed the bridge; now it was whirling swiftly up the road. She stationed
herself in the entry, to lose no step in his familiar progress. The horse
came lightly along, beating out a pleasant tune of easy haste. He was
dr
awn up at the gate, and the doctor threw out his weight, and jumped
buoyantly to the ground. There was the brief pause of reaching for his
medicine
-
case, and then, with that firm step whose rhythm she knew so
well, he was walking up the path. Involuntarily
, as Dorcas awaited him,
she put her hand to her heart with one of those gestures that seem so
melodramatic and are so real; she owned to herself, with a throb of
appreciative delight, how the sick must warm at his coming. This new
doctor of Tiverton was n
o younger than Dorcas herself, yet with his erect
carriage and merry blue eye she seemed to be not only of another
temperament, but another time. It had never struck him that they were
contemporaries. Once he had told Phoebe, in a burst of affection and
pi
tying praise, that he should have liked Miss Dorcas for a maiden aunt.
"Good evening," he said, heartily, one foot on the sill. "How's the
patient?"
At actual sight of him, her tremor vanished, and she answered very
quietly,
--
"Father's asleep. I tho
ught you wouldn't want he should be disturbed; so I
came out."
The doctor took off his hat, and pushed back his thick, unruly hair.
"Yes, that was right," he said absently, and pinched a spray of
southernwood that grew beside the door. "How has he seem
ed?"
"About as usual."
"You've kept on with the tonic?"
"Yes."
"That's good! Miss Dorcas, look up there. See that moon! See that wisp of
an old blanket dragging over her face! Do you mind coming out and
walking up and down the road while we talk? I
may think of one or two
directions to give about your father."
Dorcas stepped forward with the light obedience given to happy tasking.
She paused as! quickly.
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I can't. Father might wake up. I never leave him
alone."
"Never mind
, then! let's sit right down here on the steps. After all,
perhaps it's pleasanter. What a garden! It's like my mother's. I could pick
out every leaf in the dark, by the smell. But you're alone, aren't you? I'm
not keeping you from any one?"
"Oh, no! I'm
all alone, except father."
"Yes. The fact is, I went into your school to
-
day, and the teacher said she
was coming here to
-
night. She offered to bring you a message, but I said
I should come myself. I'm abominably late. I couldn't get here any
earlier."
"Oh, yes! Phoebe! She was here over an hour ago. Phoebe's a real
comfort to me." She was seated on the step above him, and it seemed
very pleasant to her to hear his voice, without encountering also the
challenge of his eyes.
"No, is she though?" The doctor suddenly faced round upon her. "Tell me
about it!"
Then, quite to her surprise, Dorcas found herself talking under the spell of
an interest so eager that it bore her on, entirely without her own
guidance.
"Well, you see
there's a good many things I keep from father. He never's
been himself since mother died. She was the mainstay here. But he thinks
the church prospers just the same, and I never've told him the
attendance dropped off when they put up that 'Piscopal buildin
g over to
Sudleigh. You 'ain't lived here long enough to hear much about that, but
it's been a real trial to him. The summer boarders built it, and some rich
body keeps it up; and our folks think it's complete to go over there and
worship, and get up and d
own, and say their prayers out loud."
The doctor laughed out.
"I've heard about it," said he. "You know what Brad Freeman told Uncle
Eli Pike, when they went in to see how the service was managed?
Somebody found the places in the prayer
-
book for them,
and Brad was
quick
-
witted, and got on very well; but Eli kept dropping behind. Brad
nudged him. 'Read!' he said out loud. 'Read like the devil!' I've heard that
story on an average of twice a day since I came to Tiverton. I'm not tired
of it yet!"
Miss D
orcas, too, had heard it, and shrunk from its undisguised profanity.
Now she laughed responsively.
"I guess they do have queer ways," she owned. "Well, I never let father
know any of our folks go over there. He'd be terrible tried. And I've made
it my pa
rt in our meeting to keep up the young folks' interest as much as
I can. I've been careful never to miss my Sunday
-
school class. They're all
girls, nice as new pins, every one of 'em! Phoebe was in it till a little while
ago, but now she comes here and sit
s in the kitchen while I'm gone. I
don't want father to know that, for I hope it never'll come into his head
he's so helpless; but I should be worried to death to have him left alone.
So Phoebe sits there with her book, ready to spring if she should hear
a
nything out o' the way."
The doctor had lapsed into his absent mood, but now he roused himself,
with sudden interest.
"That's very good of her, isn't it?" he said "You trust her, don't you?"
"Trust Phoebe! Well, I guess I do! I've known her ever sinc
e she went to
Number Five, and now she's keeping the school herself. She's a real noble
girl!"
"Tell me more!" said the doctor, warmly. "I want to hear it all. You're so
new to me here in Tiverton! I want to get acquainted."
Miss Dorcas suddenly felt a
s if she had been talking a great deal, and an
overwhelming shyness fell upon her.
"There isn't much to tell," she hesitated. "I don't know's anything'd
happened to me for years, till father had his ill
-
turn in the spring, and we
called you in. He don't
seem to realize his sickness was anything much.
I've told the neighbors not to dwell on it when they're with him. Phoebe
won't; she's got some sense."
"Has she?" said the doctor, still eagerly. "I'm glad of that, for your sake!"
He rose to go, but stood a moment near the steps, dallying with a
reaching branch of jessamine; it seemed persuading him to stay. He had
always a cheery manner, but to
-
night it w
as brightened by a dash of
something warm and reckless. He had the air of one awaiting good news,
in confidence of its coming. Dorcas was alive to the rapt contagion, and
her own blood thrilled. She felt young.
"Well!" said he, "well, Miss Dorcas!" He to
ok a step, and then turned
back. "Well, Miss Dorcas," he said again, with an embarrassed laugh,
"perhaps you'd like to gather in one more church
-
goer. If I have time
tomorrow, I'll drop in to your service, and then I'll come round here, and
tell your fathe
r I went."
Dorcas rose impulsively. She could have stretched out her hands to him,
in the warmth of her gratitude.
"Oh, if you would! Oh, how pleased he'd be!"
"All right!" Now he turned away with decision. "Thank you, Miss Dorcas,
for staying out. I
t's a beautiful evening. I never knew such a June. Good
-
night!" He strode down the walk, and gave a quick word to his horse, who
responded in whinnying welcome. An instant's delay, another word, and
they were gone.
Dorcas stood listening to the scatter o
f hoofs down the dusty road and
over the hollow ledge. She sank back on the sill, and, step by step, tried
to retrace the lovely arabesque the hour had made. At last, she had some
groping sense of the full beauty of living, when friendship says to its
mate
, "Tell me about yourself!" and the frozen fountain wells out, every
drop cheered and warmed, as it falls, in the sunshine of sympathy. She
saw in him that perfection of life lying in strength, which he undoubtedly
had, and beauty, of which he had little o
r much according as one chose to
think well of him. To her aching sense, he was a very perfect creature,
gifted with, infinite capacities for help and comfort.
But the footfalls ceased, and the garden darkened by delicate yet swift
degrees; a cloud had g
one over the moon, fleecy, silver
-
edged, but still a
cloud. The waning of the light seemed to her significant; she feared lest
some bitter change might befall the moment; and went in, bolting the
door behind her. Once within her own little bedroom, she loo
sened her
hair, and moved about aimlessly, for a time, careless of sleep, because it
seemed so far. Then a sudden resolve nerved her, and she stole back
again to the front door, and opened it. The night was blossoming there,
glowing now, abundant. It was s
o rich, so full! The moonlight here, and
star upon star above, hidden not by clouds but by the light! Need she
waste this one night out of all her unregarded life? She stepped forth
among the flower
-
beds, stooping, in a passionate fervor, to the blossoms
s
he could reach; but, coming back to the southernwood, she took it in her
arms. She laid her face upon it, and crushed the soft leaves against her
cheeks. It made all the world smell of its own balm and dew. The
fragrance and beauty of the time passed into
her soul, and awakened
corners there all unused to such sweet incense. She was drunken with the
wine that is not of grapes. She could not have found words for the
passion that possessed her, though she hugged it to her heart like
another self; but it was e
lemental, springing from founts deeper than
those of life and death. God made it, and, like all His making, it was
divine. She sat there, the southernwood still gathered into her arms, and
at last emotion stilled itself, and passed into thought; a wild tem
ptation
rose, and with its first whisper drove a hot flush into her cheeks, and
branded it there. Love! she had never named the name in its first natal
significance. She had scarcely read it; for romance, even in books, had
passed her by. But love! she kne
w it as the insect knows how to spread
his new sun
-
dried wings in the air for which he was create. Sitting there,
in a happy drowse, she thought it all out. She was old, plain, unsought;
the man she exalted was the flower of his kind. He would never look o
n
her as if she might touch the hem of wifehood's mantle; so there would
be no shame in choosing him. Just to herself, she might name the Great
Name. He would not know. Only her own soul would know, and God who
gave it, and sent it forth fitted with delica
te, reaching tentacles to touch
the rock set there to wound them. She began to feel blindly that God was
not alone the keeper of eternal Sabbaths, but the germinant heat at the
heart of the world. If she were a young girl, like Phoebe, there would be
shame
. Even a thought of him would be a stretching forth her hand to
touch him, saying, "Look at me! I am here!" but for her it was quite
different. It would be like a dream, some grandmother dreamed in the
sun, of rosy youth and the things that never came to p
ass. No one would
be harmed, and the sleeper would have garnered one hour's joy before
she took up her march again on the lonesomest road of all,
--
so lonesome,
although it leads us, home! Thus she thought, half sleeping, until the
night
-
dews clung in drops
upon her hair; then she went in to bed, still
wrapped about with the drapery of her dreams.
Next morning, when Dorcas carried in her father's breakfast, she walked
with a springing step, and spoke in a voice so full and fresh it made her
newly glad.
"
It's a nice day, father! There'll be lots of folks out to meeting."
"That's a good girl!" This was his commendation, from hour to hour; it
made up the litany of his gratitude for what she had been to him. "But I
dunno's I feel quite up to preachin' to
-
da
y, Dorcas!"
"That'll be all right, father. We'll get somebody."
"You bring me out my sermon
-
box after breakfast, an' I'll pick out one,"
said he, happily. "Deacon Tolman can read it."

Innocence Honore de Balzac

Innocence Honore de Balzac
 

 By the double crest of my fowl, and by the rose lining of my sweetheart's
slipper! By all the horns of well
-
beloved cuckolds, and by the virtue of
their blessed wives! the finest work of man is neither poetry, nor painted
pictures, nor music, nor castles,
nor statues, be they carved never so
well, nor rowing, nor sailing galleys, but children.
Understand me, children up to the age of ten years, for after that they
become men or women, and cutting their wisdom teeth, are not worth
what they cost; the worst
are the best. Watch them playing, prettily and
innocently, with slippers; above all, cancellated ones, with the household
utensils, leaving that which displeases them, crying after that which
pleases them, munching the sweets and confectionery in the house
,
nibbling at the stores, and always laughing as soon as their teeth are cut,
and you will agree with me that they are in every way lovable; besides
which they are flower and fruit
--
the fruit of love, the flower of life. Before
their minds have been unsett
led by the disturbances of life, there is
nothing in this world more blessed or more pleasant than their sayings,
which are naive beyond description. This is as true as the double chewing
machine of a cow. Do not expect a man to be innocent after the manne
r
of children, because there is an, I know not what, ingredient of reason in
the naivety of a man, while the naivety of children is candid, immaculate,
and has all the finesse of the mother, which is plainly proved in this tale.
Queen Catherine was at tha
t time Dauphine, and to make herself
welcome to the king, her father
-
in
-
law, who at that time was very ill
indeed, presented him, from time to time, with Italian pictures, knowing
that he liked them much, being a friend of the Sieur Raphael d'Urbin and
of
the Sieurs Primatice and Leonardo da Vinci, to whom he sent large
sums of money. She obtained from her family
--
who had the pick of these
works, because at that time the Duke of the Medicis governed Tuscany
--
a precious picture, painted by a Venetian named
Titian (artist to the
Emperor Charles, and in very high flavour), in which there were portraits
of Adam and Eve at the moment when God left them to wander about the
terrestrial Paradise, and were painted their full height, in the costume of
the period, in
which it is difficult to make a mistake, because they were
attired in their ignorance, and caparisoned with the divine grace which
enveloped them
--
a difficult thing to execute on account of the colour, but
one in which the said Sieur Titian excelled. The p
icture was put into the
room of the poor king, who was then ill with the disease of which he
eventually died. It had a great success at the Court of France, where
everyone wished to see it; but no one was able to until after the king's
death, since at his
desire it was allowed to remain in his room as long as
he lived.
One day Madame Catherine took with her to the king's room her son
Francis and little Margot, who began to talk at random, as children will.
Now here, now there, these children had heard this
picture of Adam and
Eve spoken about, and had tormented their mother to take them there.
Since the two little ones at times amused the old king, Madame the
Dauphine consented to their request.
"You wished to see Adam and Eve, who were our first parents;
there they
are," said she.
Then she left them in great astonishment before Titian's picture, and
seated herself by the bedside of the king, who delighted to watch the
children.
"Which of the two is Adam?" said Francis, nudging his sister Margot's
elbow.
"You silly!" replied she, "to know that, they would have to be dressed!"
This reply, which delighted the poor king and the mother, was mentioned
in a letter written in Florence by Queen Catherine.
No writer having brought it to light, it will remain, li
ke a sweet flower, in a
corner of these Tales, although it is no way droll, and there is no other
moral to be drawn from it except that to hear these pretty speeches of
infancy one must beget the children

an-occurrence-at-owl-creek-bridge

 An-occurrence-at-owl-creek-bridge.


A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down
into the swift water twenty feet below. The man's hands were behind his
back, the wrists bound with a cord. A rope closely encircled his neck. It
was attached to
a stout cross
-
timber above his head and the slack fell to
the level of his knees. Some loose boards laid upon the sleepers
supporting the metals of the railway supplied a footing for him and his
executioners
--
two private soldiers of the Federal army, direc
ted by a
sergeant who in civil life may have been a deputy sheriff. At a short
remove upon the same temporary platform was an officer in the uniform
of his rank, armed. He was a captain. A sentinel at each end of the bridge
stood with his rifle in the posi
tion known as "support," that is to say,
vertical in front of the left shoulder, the hammer resting on the forearm
thrown straight across the chest
--
a formal and unnatural position,
enforcing an erect carriage of the body. It did not appear to be the duty
of these two men to know what was occurring at the center of the bridge;
they merely blockaded the two ends of the foot planking that traversed it.
Beyond one of the sentinels nobody was in sight; the railroad ran straight
away into a forest for a hundred
yards, then, curving, was lost to view.
Doubtless there was an outpost farther along. The other bank of the
stream was open ground
--
a gentle acclivity topped with a stockade of
vertical tree trunks, loopholed for rifles, with a single embrasure through
whi
ch protruded the muzzle of a brass cannon commanding the bridge.
Midway of the slope between the bridge and fort were the spectators
--
a
single company of infantry in line, at "parade rest," the butts of the rifles
on the ground, the barrels inclining sligh
tly backward against the right
shoulder, the hands crossed upon the stock. A lieutenant stood at the
right of the line, the point of his sword upon the ground, his left hand
resting upon his right. Excepting the group of four at the center of the
bridge, n
ot a man moved. The company faced the bridge, staring stonily,
motionless. The sentinels, facing the banks of the stream, might have
been statues to adorn the bridge. The captain stood with folded arms,
silent, observing the work of his subordinates, but m
aking no sign. Death
is a dignitary who when he comes announced is to be received with
formal manifestations of respect, even by those most familiar with him. In
the code of military etiquette silence and fixity are forms of deference.
The man who was eng
aged in being hanged was apparently about thirty
-
five years of age. He was a civilian, if one might judge from his habit,
which was that of a planter. His features were good
--
a straight nose, firm
mouth, broad forehead, from which his long, dark hair was c
ombed
straight back, falling behind his ears to the collar of his well
-
fitting frock
coat. He wore a mustache and pointed beard, but no whiskers; his eyes
were large and dark gray, and had a kindly expression which one would
hardly have expected in one who
se neck was in the hemp. Evidently this
was no vulgar assassin. The liberal military code makes provision for
hanging many kinds of persons, and gentlemen are not excluded.
The preparations being complete, the two private soldiers stepped aside
and each d
rew away the plank upon which he had been standing. The
sergeant turned to the captain, saluted and placed himself immediately
behind that officer, who in turn moved apart one pace. These movements
left the condemned man and the sergeant standing on the tw
o ends of
the same plank, which spanned three of the cross
-
ties of the bridge. The
end upon which the civilian stood almost, but not quite, reached a fourth.
This plank had been held in place by the weight of the captain; it was now
held by that of the ser
geant. At a signal from the former the latter would
step aside, the plank would tilt and the condemned man go down
between two ties. The arrangement commended itself to his judgment as
simple and effective. His face had not been covered nor his eyes
bandag
ed. He looked a moment at his "unsteadfast footing," then let his
gaze wander to the swirling water of the stream racing madly beneath his
feet. A piece of dancing driftwood caught his attention and his eyes
followed it down the current. How slowly it appe
ared to move, What a
sluggish stream!
He closed his eyes in order to fix his last thoughts upon his wife and
children. The water, touched to gold by the early sun, the brooding mists
under the banks at some distance down the stream, the fort, the soldiers
,
the piece of drift
--
all had distracted him. And now he became conscious of
a new disturbance. Striking through the thought of his dear ones was a
sound which he could neither ignore nor understand, a sharp, distinct,
metallic percussion like the stroke o
f a blacksmith's hammer upon the
anvil; it had the same ringing quality. He wondered what it was, and
whether immeasurably distant or near by
--
it seemed both. Its recurrence
was regular, but as slow as the tolling of a death knell. He awaited each
stroke w
ith impatience and
--
he knew not why
--
apprehension. The
intervals of silence grew progressively longer, the delays became
maddening. With their greater infrequency the sounds increased in
strength and sharpness. They hurt his ear like the thrust of a knife;
he
feared he would shriek. What he heard was the ticking of his watch.
He unclosed his eyes and saw again the water below him. "If I could free
my hands," he thought, "I might throw off the noose and spring into the
stream. By diving I could evade the bullets and, swimming vigorously,
reach the bank, take to the woods and get
away home. My home, thank
God, is as yet outside their lines; my wife and little ones are still beyond
the invader's farthest advance."
As these thoughts, which have here to be set down in words, were flashed
into the doomed man's brain rather than evolv
ed from it the captain
nodded to the sergeant. The sergeant stepped aside.
II
Peyton Farquhar was a well
-
to
-
do planter, of an old and highly respected
Alabama family. Being a slave owner and like other slave owners a
politician he was naturally an origin
al secessionist and ardently devoted to
the Southern cause. Circumstances of an imperious nature, which it is
unnecessary to relate here, had prevented him from taking service with
the gallant army that had fought the disastrous campaigns ending with
the f
all of Corinth, and he chafed under the inglorious restraint, longing
for the release of his energies, the larger life of the soldier, the
opportunity for distinction. That opportunity, he felt, would come, as it
comes to all in war time. Meanwhile he did
what he could. No service was
too humble for him to perform in aid of the South, no adventure too
perilous for him to undertake if consistent with the character of a civilian
who was at heart a soldier, and who in good faith and without too much
qualificat
ion assented to at least a part of the frankly villainous dictum
that all is fair in love and war.
One evening while Farquhar and his wife were sitting on a rustic bench
near the entrance to his grounds, a gray
-
clad soldier rode up to the gate
and asked f
or a drink of water. Mrs. Farquhar was only too happy to serve
him with her own white hands. While she was fetching the water her
husband approached the dusty horseman and inquired eagerly for news
from the front.
"The Yanks are repairing the railroads,"
said the man, "and are getting
ready for another advance. They have reached the Owl Creek bridge, put
it in order and built a stockade on the north bank. The commandant has
issued an order, which is posted everywhere, declaring that any civilian
caught int
erfering with the railroad, its bridges, tunnels or trains will be
summarily hanged. I saw the order."
"How far is it to the Owl Creek bridge?" Farquhar asked.
"About thirty miles."
"Is there no force on this side the creek?"
"Only a picket post half a
mile out, on the railroad, and a single sentinel
at this end of the bridge."
"Suppose a man
--
a civilian and student of hanging
--
should elude the
picket post and perhaps get the better of the sentinel," said Farquhar,
smiling, "what could he accomplish?"
The soldier reflected. "I was there a month ago," he replied. "I observed
that the flood of last winter had lodged a great quantity of driftwood
against the wooden pier at this end of the bridge. It is now dry and would
burn like tow."
The lady had now b
rought the water, which the soldier drank. He thanked
her ceremoniously, bowed to her husband and rode away. An hour later,
after nightfall, he repassed the plantation, going northward in the
direction from which he had come. He was a Federal scout.
III
As Peyton Farquhar fell straight downward through the bridge he lost
consciousness and was as one already dead. From this state he was
awakened
--
ages later, it seemed to him
--
by the pain of a sharp pressure
upon his throat, followed by a sense of suffocati
on. Keen, poignant
agonies seemed to shoot from his neck downward through every fiber of
his body and limbs. These pains appeared to flash along well
-
defined lines
of ramification and to beat with an inconceivably rapid periodicity. They
seemed like stream
s of pulsating fire heating him to an intolerable
temperature. As to his head, he was conscious of nothing but a feeling of
fulness
--
of congestion. These sensations were unaccompanied by
thought. The intellectual part of his nature was already effaced; he
had
power only to feel, and feeling was torment. He was conscious of motion.
Encompassed in a luminous cloud, of which he was now merely the fiery
heart, without material substance, he swung through unthinkable arcs of
oscillation, like a vast pendulum. Th
en all at once, with terrible
suddenness, the light about him shot upward with the noise of a loud
splash; a frightful roaring was in his ears, and all was cold and dark. The
power of thought was restored; he knew that the rope had broken and he
had fallen
into the stream. There was no additional strangulation; the
noose about his neck was already suffocating him and kept the water
from his lungs. To die of hanging at the bottom of a river!
--
the idea
seemed to him ludicrous. He opened his eyes in the darkne
ss and saw
above him a gleam of light, but how distant, how inaccessible! He was still
sinking, for the light became fainter and fainter until it was a mere
glimmer. Then it began to grow and brighten, and he knew that he was
rising toward the surface
--
kne
w it with reluctance, for he was now very
comfortable. "To be hanged and drowned," he thought? "that is not so
bad; but I do not wish to be shot. No; I will not be shot; that is not fair."
He was not conscious of an effort, but a sharp pain in his wrist a
pprised
him that he was trying to free his hands. He gave the struggle his
attention, as an idler might observe the feat of a juggler, without interest
in the outcome. What splendid effort!
--
what magnificent, what
superhuman strength! Ah, that was a fine e
ndeavor! Bravo! The cord fell
away; his arms parted and floated upward, the hands dimly seen on each
side in the growing light. He watched them with a new interest as first
one and then the other pounced upon the noose at his neck. They tore it
away and th
rust it fiercely aside, its undulations resembling those of a
water snake. "Put it back, put it back!" He thought he shouted these
words to his hands, for the undoing of the noose had been succeeded by
the direst pang that he had yet experienced. His neck
ached horribly; his
brain was on fire; his heart, which had been fluttering faintly, gave a
great leap, trying to force itself out at his mouth. His whole body was
racked and wrenched with an insupportable anguish! But his disobedient
hands gave no heed to
the command. They beat the water vigorously
with quick, downward strokes, forcing him to the surface. He felt his head
emerge; his eyes were blinded by the sunlight; his chest expanded
convulsively, and with a supreme and crowning agony his lungs engulfed
a great draught of air, which instantly he expelled in a shriek!
He was now in full possession of his physical senses. They were, indeed,
preternaturally keen and alert. Something in the awful disturbance of his
organic system had so exalted and refined
them that they made record of
things never before perceived. He felt the ripples upon his face and heard
their separate sounds as they struck. He looked at the forest on the bank
of the stream, saw the individual trees, the leaves and the veining of each
l
eaf
--
saw the very insects upon them: the locusts, the brilliant
-
bodied
flies, the grey spiders stretching their webs from twig to twig. He noted
the prismatic colors in all the dewdrops upon a million blades of grass.
The humming of the gnats that danced a
bove the eddies of the stream,
the beating of the dragon flies' wings, the strokes of the water
-
spiders'
legs, like oars which had lifted their boat
--
all these made audible music. A
fish slid along beneath his eyes and he heard the rush of its body parting
the water.
He had come to the surface facing down the stream; in a moment the
visible world seemed to wheel slowly round, himself the pivotal point, and
he saw the bridge, the fort, the soldiers upon the bridge, the captain, the
sergeant, the two private
s, his executioners. They were in silhouette
against the blue sky. They shouted and gesticulated, pointing at him. The
captain had drawn his pistol, but did not fire; the others were unarmed.
Their movements were grotesque and horrible, their forms giganti
c.
Suddenly he heard a sharp report and something struck the water smartly
within a few inches of his head, spattering his face with spray. He heard a
second report, and saw one of the sentinels with his rifle at his shoulder,
a light cloud of blue smoke
rising from the muzzle. The man in the water
saw the eye of the man on the bridge gazing into his own through the
sights of the rifle. He observed that it was a grey eye and remembered
having read that grey eyes were keenest, and that all famous marksmen
h
ad them. Nevertheless, this one had missed.
A counter
-
swirl had caught Farquhar and turned him half round; he was
again looking into the forest on the bank opposite the fort. The sound of a
clear, high voice in a monotonous singsong now rang out behind hi
m and
came across the water with a distinctness that pierced and subdued all
other sounds, even the beating of the ripples in his ears. Although no
soldier, he had frequented camps enough to know the dread significance
of that deliberate, drawling, aspirat
ed chant; the lieutenant on shore was
taking a part in the morning's work. How coldly and pitilessly
--
with what
an even, calm intonation, presaging, and enforcing tranquillity in the
men
--
with what accurately measured intervals fell those cruel words:
"At
tention, company! . . Shoulder arms! . . . Ready! . . . Aim! . . . Fire!"
Farquhar dived
--
dived as deeply as he could. The water roared in his ears
like the voice of Niagara, yet he heard the dulled thunder of the volley
and, rising again toward the surfa
ce, met shining bits of metal, singularly
flattened, oscillating slowly downward. Some of them touched him on the
face and hands, then fell away, continuing their descent. One lodged
between his collar and neck; it was uncomfortably warm and he snatched
it
out.
As he rose to the surface, gasping for breath, he saw that he had been a
long time under water; he was perceptibly farther down stream nearer to
safety. The soldiers had almost finished reloading; the metal ramrods
flashed all at once in the sunshin
e as they were drawn from the barrels,
turned in the air, and thrust into their sockets. The two sentinels fired
again, independently and ineffectually.
The hunted man saw all this over his shoulder; he was now swimming
vigorously with the current. His br
ain was as energetic as his arms and
legs; he thought with the rapidity of lightning.
The officer," he reasoned, "will not make that martinet's error a second
time. It is as easy to dodge a volley as a single shot. He has probably
already given the comman
d to fire at will. God help me, I cannot dodge
them all!"
An appalling splash within two yards of him was followed by a loud,
rushing sound, diminuendo, which seemed to travel back through the air
to the fort and died in an explosion which stirred the ver
y river to its
deeps!
A rising sheet of water curved over him, fell down upon him, blinded him,
strangled him! The cannon had taken a hand in the game. As he shook
his head free from the commotion of the smitten water he heard the
deflected shot humming t
hrough the air ahead, and in an instant it was
cracking and smashing the branches in the forest beyond.
"They will not do that again," he thought; "the next time they will use a
charge of grape. I must keep my eye upon the gun; the smoke will
apprise me
--
the report arrives too late; it lags behind the missile. That is
a good gun."
Suddenly he felt himself whirled round and round
--
spinning like a top.
The water, the banks, the forests, the now distant bridge, fort and men
--
all were commingled and blurred.
Objects were represented by their
colors only; circular horizontal streaks of color
--
that was all he saw. He
had been caught in a vortex and was being whirled on with a velocity of
advance and gyration that made him giddy and sick. In a few moments
he was
flung upon the gravel at the foot of the left bank of the stream
--
the southern bank
--
and behind a projecting point which concealed him
from his enemies. The sudden arrest of his motion, the abrasion of one of
his hands on the gravel, restored him, and he w
ept with delight. He dug
his fingers into the sand, threw it over himself in handfuls and audibly
blessed it. It looked like diamonds, rubies, emeralds; he could think of
nothing beautiful which it did not resemble. The trees upon the bank were
giant garde
n plants; he noted a definite order in their arrangement,
inhaled the fragrance of their blooms. A strange, roseate light shone
through the spaces among their trunks and the wind made in their
branches the music of olian harps. He had no wish to perfect hi
s escape
--
was content to remain in that enchanting spot until retaken.
A whiz and rattle of grapeshot among the branches high above his head
roused him from his dream. The baffled cannoneer had fired him a
random farewell. He sprang to his feet, rushed up the sloping bank, and
plunged into the forest.
All that day he travele
d, laying his course by the rounding sun. The forest
seemed interminable; nowhere did he discover a break in it, not even a
woodman's road. He had not known that he lived in so wild a region.
There was something uncanny in the revelation.
By nightfall he
was fatigued, footsore, famishing. The thought of his wife
and children urged him on. At last he found a road which led him in what
he knew to be the right direction. It was as wide and straight as a city
street, yet it seemed untraveled. No fields bordere
d it, no dwelling
anywhere. Not so much as the barking of a dog suggested human
habitation. The black bodies of the trees formed a straight wall on both
sides, terminating on the horizon in a point, like a diagram in a lesson in
perspective. Overhead, as h
e looked up through this rift in the wood,
shone great garden stars looking unfamiliar and grouped in strange
constellations. He was sure they were arranged in some order which had
a secret and malign significance. The wood on either side was full of
singu
lar noises, among which
--
once, twice, and again
--
he distinctly heard
whispers in an unknown tongue.
His neck was in pain and lifting his hand to it found it horribly swollen. He
knew that it had a circle of black where the rope had bruised it. His eyes
fe
lt congested; he could no longer close them. His tongue was swollen
with thirst; he relieved its fever by thrusting it forward from between his
teeth into the cold air. How softly the turf had carpeted the untraveled
avenue
--
he could no longer feel the roa
dway beneath his feet!
Doubtless, despite his suffering, he had fallen asleep while walking, for
now he sees another scene
--
perhaps he has merely recovered from a
delirium. He stands at the gate of his own home. All is as he left it, and all
bright and be
autiful in the morning sunshine. He must have traveled the
entire night. As he pushes open the gate and passes up the wide white
walk, he sees a flutter of female garments; his wife, looking fresh and
cool and sweet, steps down from the veranda to meet him
. At the bottom
of the steps she stands waiting, with a smile of ineffable joy, an attitude
of matchless grace and dignity. Ah, how beautiful she is! He springs
forward with extended arms. As he is about to clasp her he feels a
stunning blow upon the back
of the neck; a blinding white light blazes all
about him with a sound like the shock of a cannon
--
then all is darkness
and silence!
Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently
from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek
bridge.

Latin Phrase

One at a time

jeden po druhem

they made a mistake

udělali chybu

Create a Study Set

vytvořit studijní set

Lets turn the page

pojďme obrátit list

Can i see your notes

mohu vidět tvoje poznámky

How many racers

kolik závodníků

I put the sign

dávám cedule

I used the chainsaw

používal jsem řetězovou pilu

Next race will be

příští závod bude

I will move

budu se stěhovat

This is someone else's work

je to někoho jiného práce

What is the opposite of

co je opak od

it ruined my day

zkazilo mi to den

WAnna Learn Danish ?

 

 

hvordan går det?

how are you going?

det går fint

I am going fine

det går godt

I am going well

det går dejligt

I am going really well

det går ikke så godt

I am not going so well

hvordan har du det?

how are you?

jeg har det fint

I am fine

jeg har det godt

I am well

jeg har det dejligt

I am really well

jeg har det ikke så godt

I am not so well

jeg har det nogenlunde

I am so-so

jeg har det dårligt

I am doing badly

hvad med dig?

what about you?

ENGLISH Vs Spanish

ENGLISH Vs Spanish

Excusez-moi.

Excuse me. (formal)

Excuse-moi.

Excuse me. (informal)

Je m'excuse.

Excuse me. (to apologize)

Salut!

Hi

Comment?

How?

Comment vas-tu?

How's it going? (informal)

Comment allez-vous?

How's it going? (formal)

Combien?

How much, how many?

Quel âge avez-vous?

How old are you?

Je ne sais pas.

I don't know.

Je sais.

I know.

Ça va.

I'm okay.

Je suis désolé.

I am sorry.

C'est bien.

It's fine.

C'est bon.

It's good.

Pas de problème.

No problem.

Bien sûr.

For sure.

S'il te plaît.

Please. (informal)

S'il vous plaît.

Please. (formal)

Où sont les toilettes?

Where are the toilettes?

 

Prepositional Phrase ( identify only the prepositional phrase)

 

 

 About the dragon slayer

Tell me the story about the dragon slayer.

Against all odds

Against all odds, our team won the tournament.

among many

His is only one voice among many, but it will be heard.

below deck

All rooms below deck are for sleeping.

beside the red one

The car beside the red one is the one I want to buy.

Despite warnings

Despite warnings, she tried to ski down Devil's Run.

during halftime

We will order pizza during halftime.

near the ocean

Me and Melissa likes to collect some sea shells near the ocean.

off the road

I love to take my jeep off the road.

outside the boundary

The area outside the boundary is dangerous to cross.

over the grass

The tiger crept slowly over the grass.

under the bed.

The extra blanket is in the box under the bed.

unlike many others

Saul, unlike many others, will remain there.

upon a high shelf

Put the fresh flowers upon a high shelf.

up the highest mountain

I will climb up the highest mountain tomorrow.

Vocabulary

 
                                                       

Vocabulary

 

Acknowledge

Accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority

 

Capsize

Overturn accidentally

 

 

 

Deceased

Someone who is no longer alive

Hurtle

To throw forcefully

Notify

Give information to someone

Recede

Become faint or farther away

 

 

 

 

Urgent

Needing immediate action

 

 

 

 

 

Void

An empty area or space

Infer

Text evidence + knowledge

 

 

 

 

Convey

To communicate or make known

Acclaim

Enthusiastic approval

 Acquire

To get as your own

Browse

To look through casually

 

 

Clamber

To climb with difficulty

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distinguish

To point out differences

 

 

 

 

Evaluate

Assess; to judge the significance

Lavish

To give in great amounts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prior

Before; earlier; previous

 

 

 

 

 

Species

A group that has common characteristics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whim

A sudden desire

 

 

500 TOEFL Words

          

                                           500 TOEFL Words

 

Affinity

a natural attraction or feeling of kinship

fledgling

young and inexperienced

hackneyed

overused, cliched

incessant

never stopping

opulence

wealth as evidenced by sumptuous living

proximity

nearness, closeness

sagacious

having or showing acute mental discernment and keen practical sense; shrewd

supplant

to take the place of, supersede

unassailable

impossible to dispute or disprove; undeniable

voluminous

large in volume or bulk

brusque

Abrupt, blunt, with no formalities

dispassionate

impartial; calm, free from emotion

effervescent

bubbly, lively

indefatigable

tireless; untiring; showing no sign of getting tired

misanthrope

someone who dislikes people in general

morose

Gloomy; sullen

nonchalance

indifference, a showing of little interest

progeny

descendants, offspring, children, followers, disciples

stoic

seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain

voracious

having a huge appetite, greedy, ravenous; excessively eager

coalesce

combine; fuse

decadence

decline, decay, or deterioration; a condition or period of decline or decay; excessive self-indulgence

exemplary

outstanding, an example to others

exuberance

joyful enthusiasm

incidental

not essential; minor

insolvent

unable to pay bills; bankrupt

parsimonious

Excessively thrifty, stingy

prodigal

wasteful, a person given to extravagance

surreptitious

secret, stealthy

writhe

twist in coils; contort in pain

brevity

conciseness; shortness of duration

clemency

mercy, humaneness; mildness, moderateness

frivolous

not serious in content or attitude or behavior

heist

commit a burglary

lampoon

ridicule with satire

querulous

inclined to complain; irritable

reproach

a mild rebuke or criticism

respite

a pause for relaxation

torpor

dormancy; sluggishness; inactivity; drowziness

unscathed

wholly unharmed, not injured

copious

large in number or quantity (especially of discourse)

dearth

a lack, scarcity, inadequate supply; a famine

eloquent

persuasive and moving, especially in speech

jargon

specialized technical terminology characteristic of a particular subject

levity

lightness of manner

meander

To wind and turn while proceeding in a course.

peripheral

marginal; outer

substantiate

to establish by evidence, prove; to give concrete or substantial form to

unobstrusive

Acting in a manner that does not attract attention

vacillate

To sway from one side to the other; oscillate

appall

dismay; shock deeply

cognizant

aware; conscious

commiserate

to feel or express sympathy or compassion

expedient

serving to promote your interest

hindrance

block; obstacle

kindle

start a fire; ignite; inspire; arouse

lavish

generous; extravagant

ludicrous

ridiculous, laughable, absurd

obtuse

dull of mind, insensitive, stupid

opaque

not clear

paucity

an insufficient quantity or number; scarcity; dearth

recapitulate

to summarize; to repeat briefly

accolade

award of merit; strong praise and approval

assuage

make less severe; ease or lessen (pain); satisfy (hunger); soothe (anger)

cacophony

loud confusing disagreeable sounds

censure

rebuke formally

diatribe

bitter verbal attack

edifice

a very large building

gravity

seriousness, importance

infraction

a breaking of a law or obligation

profane

showing disrespect toward God or sacred things

somber

dark, gloomy; depressed or melancholy in spirit; morose

negligent

careless

scrutinize

To examine closely

clamor

utter or proclaim insistently and noisily

contract

squeeze or press together

duplicity

double-dealing, hypocrisy

equivocal

ambiguous; intentionally vague

irresolute

uncertain how to act or proceed

rescind

repeal; annul; cancel (a law, decision, or agreement)

stagnant

not moving

uniform

consistent; unchanging; the same for everyone

untenable

not able to be defended

vilify

to speak evil of, defame

affable

easy-going; friendly

apocryphal

of questionable authority or authenticity

desultory

without a plan or purpose; disconnected; random

garbled

confused, mixed up

irascible

irritable, easily angered

loquacious

talkative, wordy; fond of talking

blasphemy

speech which offends religious sentiments

enmity

deep-seated hostility, often mutual

erroneous

incorrect, containing mistakes

garner

to gather and store

heretic

someone who goes against accepted religious beliefs

incite

provoke or stir up

languish

lose vigor, health, or flesh, as through grief

peruse

to read thoroughly and carefully

recluse

hermit; loner

renounce

leave (a job, post, post, or position) voluntarily

indelible

Cannot be removed, washed away or erased

duty

work that you are obliged to perform for moral or legal reasons

messy

dirty and disorderly

mend

the act of putting something in working order again

heal

provide a cure for, make healthy again

demise

a death, especially of a person in a lofty position

depleted

emptied; drained; used up

neat

clean or orderly

ruminate

ponder, reflect, mull over, muse

shrink

decrease in size, range, or extent

footstool

a low stool to rest the feet of a seated person

likely

has a good chance of being the case or of coming about

sway

move back and forth or sideways

mull

reflect deeply on a subject

resemble

appear like

concealed

put out of sight; hidden

wisdom

the trait of utilizing knowledge and experience with common sense and insight

wool

a fabric made from the hair of sheep

blazing

a strong flame that burns brightly

drowziness

state of being in torpor, sleepy

catering

providing food and services

wise

having or prompted by wisdom or discernment

deceive

to make someone believe something that is not true

shiv

a knife used as a weapon

flunk

fail to get a passing grade

impart

to make known, tell; to give, pass something on

knob

a round handle

fright

cause fear in

vanish

become invisible or unnoticeable

roll out

launch new products

seizing

the act of gripping something firmly with the hands

stem cell

unspecialized cell that can develop into a specialized cell under the right conditions

trite

repeated too often

embrace

take up the cause, ideology, practice, method, of someone and use it as one's own

remain

continue in a place, position, or situation

inmate

a person serving a sentence in a jail or prison

lame

disabled in the feet or legs

slight

insult to one's dignity; snub

among

in, into, or through the midst of more than two points,objects, etc.

ease

make easier

snub

ignore, to treat with disdain or contempt

chimera

a grotesque product of the imagination

cease

put an end to a state or an activity

swath

A path or strip; the space created by the swing of a scythe or the cut of a mowing machine

ruse

an action designed to confuse or mislead, a trick

donor

person who makes a gift of property

snore

breathe noisily during one's sleep

muck

fecal matter of animals, fertilization

hold dear

be fond of, love

swamp

low land that is seasonally flooded

poultry

flesh of chickens or turkeys or ducks or geese raised for food

stark

Strong, severe

stage

any scene regarded as a setting for exhibiting or doing something

sage

having wisdom that comes with age and experience

stripes

Rayas, lines

hatch

emerge from the eggs

fast

abstaining from food

dye

a usually soluble substance for staining or coloring e.g. fabrics or hair

grief

something that causes great unhappiness

smear

spread, cover or spot with a sticky substance

breed

to raise and mate animals

decay

a gradual decrease

leery

suspicious; distrustful

dimple

a small natural hollow in the cheek or chin

blast

an explosion (as of dynamite)

pledge

give as a guarantee

deed

the official document transferring ownership from seller to buyer

rot

(biology) decaying caused by bacterial or fungal action

mole

a small congenital pigmented spot on the skin

groan

an utterance expressing pain or disapproval

blister

(pathology) an elevation of the skin filled with serous fluid

wart

(pathology) a firm abnormal elevated blemish on the skin

callus

thickened layer of skin

burden

Problem, trouble, an onerous or difficult concern

loaf

a shaped mass of baked bread

shriking

making a annoying noise

harsh

extremely unkind or cruel

rash

hasty, incautious, reckless

overwhelming

very intense

crotch

the angle formed by the inner sides of the legs where they join the human trunk

blade

the flat part of a tool or weapon that (usually) has a cutting edge

seam

joint consisting of a line formed by joining two pieces

upsetting

causing an emotional disturbance

screech

a high-pitched noise resembling a human cry

edge

the boundary of a surface

wedge

a block of wood used to prevent the sliding or rolling of a heavy object

hedge

a fence formed by a row of closely planted shrubs or bushes

lease

a contract granting use or occupation of property during a specified time for a specified payment

worthy

having high moral qualities

rekindle

to restart as in restarting a fire

sovereignty

power attributted to a country

burst

the act of exploding or bursting something

slaughter

kill a large number of people indiscriminately

gorgeous

magnificent, wonderful

stretch

make long, longer or bigger

spree

a lively or wild outburst of activity

bout

an occasion for excessive activity

captivity

the state of being imprisoned

spotter

a person employed to watch for something to happen

bobbing

moving up and down

gravel

rock fragments and pebbles

sentient

aware; conscious; able to perceive

binge

an occasion for excessive eating or drinking

blow

forceful exhalation through the nose or mouth

harm

any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.

plea

a humble request for help from someone in authority

claim

ask for legally, according to one's rights, as of debts, for example

pulled

attracted

haggle

to argue in a petty way, especially about a price

endowed

given from birth

thrifty

careful about money; economical

struck

(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming

sulky

(adj.) in a bad or nasty mood, resentful; gloomy; somber

tuckered

tired, exhausted

grim

stern, merciless; fierce, savage, cruel

grudge

to be unwilling to give

dire

causing fear or dread or terror

blunt

characterized by directness in manner or speech

stingy

selfishly unwilling to share with others

snail

freshwater or marine or terrestrial gastropod mollusk usually having an external enclosing spiral shell

slug

any of various terrestrial gastropods having an elongated slimy body and no external shell

dentures

artificial teeth

rinds

the chewy or crunchy outside layers on fruit. cheese, or meat

upbeat

pleasantly (even unrealistically) optimistic

fizz

an effervescent beverage (usually alcoholic), make a hissling noise

gerbil

a small rodent that is often kept as a pet

wreck

smash or break forcefully

stale

showing deterioration from age

put up with

endure, tolerate, accept

steep

having a sharp inclination

wilted

to become limp from lack of water or too much heat

shed

pour out in drops or small quantities or as if in drops or small quantities

slope

an elevated geological formation

admonition

a firm rebuke

mere

nothing more than; only

hermit

one who lives in solitude, alone

mischievous

deliberately causing harm or damage

throw up

eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth

loony

informal or slang terms for mentally irregular, lunatic, insane

prank

childish trick

squalid

sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect; morally degraded

whinning

crying like a child

stroll

a leisurely walk (usually in some public place)

clever

showing inventiveness and skill

puddle

something resembling a pool of liquid

greedy

wanting to eat or drink more than one can reasonably consume

rough

lacking refinement or finesse

keen

having a sharp cutting edge or point

dull

not having a sharp edge or point

soaked

when a cloth takes in water and becomes wet

dreary

depressing in character or appearance; gloomy

bribe

payment made to a person in a position of trust to corrupt his judgment

gloomy

depressingly dark; dreary

hen

female chicken

lagging

hang back or fall behind in movement, progress, development

wipe

to rub something lightly with a cloth or one's hand in order to clean it

frantic

excessively agitated

cock

adult male chicken

sate

fill to satisfaction

ribbing

the act of harassing someone playfully or maliciously (especially by ridicule)

bear

endure, support or hold in a certain manner

offspring

the immediate descendants of a person

dean

an administrator in charge of a division of a university or college

pouring

flowing profusely

barely

by a small margin

hasty

excessively quick

flaw

a slight fault, defect, crack

progeny

descendants, offspring, children, followers, disciples

couch

an upholstered seat for more than one person

screw

cause to penetrate, as with a circular motion

repent

feel remorse for

brash

presumptuously daring

thick

not thin

sly

stealthy, insidious, or secret; mischievous; foxy

spouting

propelled violently in a usually narrow stream

outnumber

be larger in number

squirm

to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling)

weird

strikingly odd or unusual

wriggle

to twist to and from; to squirm

regret

sadness associated with some wrong done or some disappointment

retreat

pull back or move away or backward; withdrawal

veal

meat from a calf

fidget

a feeling of agitation expressed in continual motion, move restlessly

hollow

having nothing inside

beg

call upon in supplication

bet

the act of gambling

beef

meat from an adult domestic bovine

peel

the rind of a fruit or vegetable

pinch

squeeze tightly between the fingers

calf

young of domestic cattle

lean

to incline or bend from a vertical position

shelter

a structure that provides privacy and protection from danger

misleading

tending to give a wrong idea, often on purpose

stooped

bend's one's head or body forward or downward

bend

form a curve

stir

to mix gently with a spoon in a rotary motion

maize

a type of corn

stiff

lacking ease in bending

rug

floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)

cartons

a box made of cardboard

hurtle

to move with great force and speed

mock

to laugh at, make fun of, or imitate in a teasing way

convey

make known

dairy

food made from milk

shore

support by placing against something solid or rigid

outward

toward the outside

flair

a natural talent

flare

brief blaze of light, signal light; outbreak

udder

mammary gland of bovids (cows and sheep and goats)

swallow

pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking

stride

the distance covered by a step

mood

a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling

welfare

a contented state of being happy and healthy and prosperous

bolster

to provide support or reinforcement

limb

any projection that is thought to resemble an arm

soothed

calmed or comforted

relieve

alleviate or remove

concern

something that interests you because it is important or affects you

ailing

somewhat ill or prone to illness

trustworthy

worthy of trust or belief

grip

the friction between a body and the surface on which it moves (as between an automobile tire and the road)

herd

a group of animals of a single kind

widen

extend in scope or range or area

obey

be obedient to

preach

to speak puplicly in church; to deliver a sermon, to give a lecture

whipping

beating with a whip or strap or rope as a form of punishment

mug

rob at gunpoint or with the threat of violence

clam

burrowing marine mollusk living on sand or mud

gut

the part of the alimentary canal between the stomach and the anus

burglary

breaking and entering for the purpose of committing a crime

crop

the yield from plants in a single growing season

cattle

domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age

orchard

garden consisting of a small cultivated wood without undergrowth

turd

obscene terms for feces

harvest

the gathering of a ripened crop

quarrel

an angry dispute

hassle

an angry disturbance

steady

firmly fixed, constant, not subject to change or variation especially in behavior

strain

a lineage or race of people

clutch

a pedal or lever that engages or disengages a rotating shaft and a driving mechanism

stubborn

persisting in a reactionary stand

peak

the highest point (of something)

glazed

(of foods) covered with a shiny coating by applying e.g. beaten egg or a sugar or gelatin mixture

ground

broken or pounded into small fragments

dazzling

shining intensely

ripe

fully developed or matured and ready to be eaten or used

doze

sleep lightly; nap

dumb

lacking the power of human speech

deaf

lacking the sense of hearing wholly or in part

lead

a soft heavy toxic malleable metallic element

rouse

to wake or provoke

sober

not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)

sticky

having the properties of glue

unpleasant

desagradable

grated

To reduce something to small shreds by rubbing it on a grater.

arousal

Activation of the central nervous system, the autonomic nervous system, and the muscles and glands

copper

a ductile malleable reddish-brown corrosion-resistant diamagnetic metallic element

shoplift

steal in a store

rebuke

an act or expression of criticism and censure

thorn

a sharp-pointed tip on a stem or leaf

lump

a compact mass

settle

become established

mold

a fungus that produces a superficial growth on various kinds of damp or decaying organic matter

lurches

makes and uncontrolled series of movements

faint

a spontaneous loss of consciousness caused by insufficient blood to the brain

churning

moving with or producing or produced by vigorous agitation

draped

covered with or as if with clothes or a wrap or cloak

trousers

(usually in the plural) a garment extending from the waist to the knee or ankle, covering each leg separately

wholly

Completely.

sparkle

to give off small flashes of light

dare

a challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy

waist

the narrowing of the body between the ribs and hips

flood

a large flow

bared

uncovered; exposed; revealed

savants

individuals with mental retardation who are extremely talented in one domain

slum

a district of a city marked by poverty and inferior living conditions

sweepings

the act of cleaning with a broom

slump

fall heavily or suddenly

dawn

the earliest period, the first light of day

shingles

viral disease that affects the peripheral nerves and causes blisters on the skin

endure

to carry on through despite hardships; to put up with

roaring

a very loud utterance (like the sound of an animal)

craze

an interest followed with exaggerated zeal

hindsight

understanding the nature of an event after it has actually happened

bind

fasten or secure with a rope, string, or cord

squeeze

to compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition

pursuit

the act of chasing or seeking

silk

a fabric made from the fine threads produced by certain insect larvae

feather

the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds

stare

a fixed look with eyes open wide

deter

try to prevent

bend

form a curve

denim

a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric

partake

to take part; participate. Share.

slippers

low footwear that can be slipped on and off easily

coeds

a female student at a school for males and females.

miff

bad-tempered mood

curl

hair that is wrapped around the roller

scrawl

write carelessly

fancy

very nice looking; expensive

slash

a strong sweeping cut made with a sharp instrument

weeds

any plant that grows where yhou dont want it to

prudish

exaggeratedly proper

stunt

a difficult or unusual or dangerous feat

feat

a notable achievement

puffy

breathing heavily

defy

to challenge to do something considered impossible; refuse to obey

rely

have confidence or faith in

dainty

something considered pleasant to eat

dart

a small narrow piece of iron; move quickly

fair

a traveling show

cumbersome

difficult to handle or use especially because of size or weight

garments

an article of clothing

rage

something that is desired intensely

rave

praise enthusiastically

vogue

the popular taste at a given time

fad

something that is very popular for a short time, then forgotten

thigh

the part of the leg between the hip and the knee

leniency

mercifulness as a consequence of being tolerant

mild

moderate in type or degree or effect or force

complaisant

showing a cheerful willingness to do favors for others

loosely

without regard to specific details or exceptions

heel

the back part of the human foot

sew

create (clothes) with cloth

awash

covered with water

tide

the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the moon

wool

a fabric made from the hair of sheep

knack

a special talent or skill; ability to do something easily

whalebone

a horny material from the upper jaws of certain whales

uncanny

strange, mysterious, weird, beyond explanation

weave

create a piece of cloth by interlacing strands of fabric, such as wool or cotton

groping

acting with uncertainty or hesitance or lack of confidence

folly

the quality of being rash and foolish

gauntlet

a glove with long sleeve

culprit

one guilty of a crime

leather

an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning

brag

an instance of boastful talk

boast

speaking of yourself in superlatives

paw

a clawed foot of an animal especially a quadruped

aisles

spaces for walking between row of seats

nave

the central area of a church

clumsy

lacking grace in movement or posture

silly

lacking seriousness

moss

tiny leafy-stemmed flowerless plants

praise

an expression of approval and commendation

devise

arrange by systematic planning and united effort

hobbling

walking awkwardly

limp

walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury

fetter

a shackle for the ankles or feet

shackle

A ring or band put around the arm or leg to prevent free movement

groovy

(British informal) very chic

wax

type of structural lipid consisting of a long fatty acid chain joined to a long alcohol chain

chuckle

laugh quietly or with restraint

giggle

to laugh in a silly or uncontrolled way

tickle

touch (the body) lightly so as to cause laughter; please

jiggle

a slight irregular shaking motion

undergo

to endure; to experience

popsicle

ice cream or water ice on a small wooden stick

skewer

a long pin for holding meat in position while it is being roasted

downwind

towards the side away from the wind

porch

a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance

bequest

(law) a gift of personal property by will

amenable

disposed or willing to comply

come about

happen

adamant

very hard native crystalline carbon valued as a gem

trustee

a person who manages another's property

haphazard

random; by chance; happening in an unplanned manner

comprised

included; consisted of

haunt

be a regular or frequent visitor to a certain place

besiege

surround so as to force to give up

vex

to confuse or annoy

amidst

Surrounded by; in the middle of

eerie

so strange as to inspire a feeling of fear

snap

the noise produced by the rapid movement of a finger from the tip to the base of the thumb on the same hand

ridge

A long, narrow chain of hills or mountains

fulfill

accomplish, satisfy, meet, suit

convict

find or declare guilty

stony

showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings

hail

precipitation of ice pellets when there are strong rising air currents

fringe

an ornamental border consisting of short lengths of hanging threads or tassels

spurious

intended to deceive, lacking authenticity or validity; false; counterfeit

intricate

complicated; difficult to understand

beneath

in a lower place; under; below

distress

psychological suffering

underneath

under or below an object or a surface

pun

a humorous play on words

touchy

irritable and looking for trouble

disgruntled

in bad humor; displeased; discontented

lousy

infested with lice

jeopardy

danger, risk, hazard, peril

drizzling

(of rain) falling lightly in very small drops

rust

the formation of reddish-brown ferric oxides on iron by low-temperature oxidation in the presence of water

deputy

an assistant with power to act when his superior is absent

haze

atmospheric moisture or dust or smoke that causes reduced visibility

seal

make tight; stamp

odorless

having no odor

riddle

a difficult problem

poised

marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action

ladder

steps consisting of two parallel members connected by rungs

hue

the quality of a color as determined by its dominant wavelength

stickler

perfectionist; person who insists things be exactly right

onset

a start or a beginning

clash

a state of conflict between persons, colors, objects

aftermath

the consequences of an event (especially a catastrophic event)

stun

to shock; to daze

rehearse

practice for a performance, repetition of items to be remembered.