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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Little House in the Big Woods
Chapter 1 - Part 1: Introduction
Chapter 1 - Part 2: Wolves in the Night
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 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 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 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
by John Larrysson
JohnLarrysson@gmail.com
A native English speaker who has been teaching practical English in Hong Kong for over two decades.
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