The Old Willis Place: Chapters 11–17

by Mary Downing Hahn
Siblings Diana and Georgie are not supposed to talk to strangers or leave the grounds of the house once owned by Lilian Willis. But when a new caretaker moves onto the property, Diana is tempted to break the rules and befriend Lissa, the caretaker's daughter.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–10, Chapters 11–17
35 words 23 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. gaunt
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
    She was just as I remembered—tall and gaunt, bent with arthritis, wrathful, hateful.
  2. wrathful
    filled with or characterized by extreme anger
    She was just as I remembered—tall and gaunt, bent with arthritis, wrathful, hateful.
  3. rove
    move about aimlessly or without any destination
    My brother’s eyes roved to the shed’s doorway and the dreary night darkening the field beyond.
  4. poised
    marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action
    I wished Georgie would say, “Stop,” but he lay beside me, still and tense, a rabbit poised for flight.
  5. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
    After a while Miss Lilian came to the door. She stood there a moment, glowering at Mother.
  6. poltergeist
    a ghost that creates disorder and noise
    We played the Steinway in the middle of the night, filling the darkness with half-remembered music, alarming the cats and terrifying the hired men. Poltergeists, said one. Ghosts, said another.
  7. hearse
    a vehicle for carrying a coffin to a church or a cemetery
    A week or so later, a hearse came for Miss Lilian.
  8. undertaker
    one whose business is the management of funerals
    As the undertakers prepared to leave, one said to the other, “Well, that’s that. Almost a hundred years old and not a soul to mourn her.”
  9. figment
    a contrived or fantastic idea
    Sometimes I try hard to believe Dad's right about me imagining stuff, and that's all Miss Willis was—a figment of my imagination.
  10. compulsive
    having obsessive habits or irresistible urges
    Or is she just a compulsive liar? I read a book once about a girl like that—she made up stories all the time to impress people.
  11. gait
    an animal's manner of moving
    He was showing a few signs of age, a white hair here and there in his coat, a certain stiffness in his gait.
  12. stifle
    smother or suppress
    I caught Georgie’s eye. He had his hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter.
  13. sprawl
    sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
    Georgie hung there, his face red, and laughed. Suddenly, he let himself fall. He hit the ground and lay sprawled in the weeds like a broken doll.
  14. unscathed
    not injured
    He’d knocked the feathers in his hair crooked, but otherwise he was unscathed.
  15. yield
    move in order to make room for someone or something
    The cat remained on his branch and the dog remained on the ground, as if neither wanted to yield to the other.
  16. earnest
    characterized by a firm, sincere belief in one's opinions
    “Why not?” Lissa leaned toward me, her face earnest. “I told you I’m sorry. I promise I’ll never go near that house again as long as I live.”
  17. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    Lissa studied me intently, her forehead furrowed beneath a tumble of dark hair.
  18. furrow
    make or become wrinkled or creased
    Lissa studied me intently, her forehead furrowed beneath a tumble of dark hair.
  19. squatter
    someone who lives on a property without right or title
    “I think you live right here on the farm,” she said. “Like squatters. Maybe your parents are hippies or survivalists or even fugitives. Maybe they belong to a weird cult. I don’t know and I don’t care. You’re my friend. That means your secrets are my secrets, too. I’ll never tell anyone the truth about you—or your parents. Especially not Dad.”
  20. fugitive
    someone who is sought by law officers
    “I think you live right here on the farm,” she said. “Like squatters. Maybe your parents are hippies or survivalists or even fugitives. Maybe they belong to a weird cult. I don’t know and I don’t care. You’re my friend. That means your secrets are my secrets, too. I’ll never tell anyone the truth about you—or your parents. Especially not Dad.”
  21. shaft
    a column of light
    I found Georgie in the shed. With Alfie on one side and Nero on the other, he was leafing through Lassie, studying the pictures. A shaft of autumn sunlight lit his hair and face.
  22. hunker down
    hold stubbornly to a position
    In the doorway, Nero hunkered down. His growl changed to a fierce song, its notes rising and falling along with the wind.
  23. curlicue
    a short twisting line or flourish
    He was adding finishing touches to his name—little curlicues on each letter.
  24. heedless
    marked by or paying little attention
    I hesitated on the threshold, heedless of the wind blowing through the open door.
  25. quaint
    strange in an interesting or pleasing way
    “Thanks.” Lissa opened it, releasing a slight odor of mildew. “I like the illustrations. They’re so quaint.”
  26. scuff
    poke at with the foot or toe
    Instead of answering, I kept walking, head down, scuffing leaves out of my path.
  27. indifferent
    marked by a lack of interest
    Indifferent to our worries, MacDuff followed his nose into the weeds, roaming in circles around us, happy to be outside smelling wonderful smells.
  28. relentless
    not willing or able to stop or yield
    “We opened the door,” I went on relentlessly, spinning the lie as I talked, speeding up the story.
  29. plod
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    With MacDuff bounding ahead, we plodded on through the snow until the house was in sight.
  30. gurney
    a metal stretcher with wheels
    While Mr. Morrison talked with one of the police, the men from the hearse maneuvered a gurney up the rotting steps.
  31. morbid
    suggesting the horror of death and decay
    “Because it’s morbid to stay here and watch,” I told him.
  32. idle
    lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility
    I toyed with a pencil lying on the counter, spinning it idly this way and that.
  33. retort
    answer back
    “Liar,” Georgie retorted.
  34. dwindle
    become smaller or lose substance
    “Don’t stand there like ninnies. Speak up. Say what must be said. Or, or—” Her voice dwindled and she began to fidget with her pearls again.
  35. dainty
    affectedly refined
    Halfway home, who did I see but Nero, making his way toward me, Iifting each paw daintily and giving it a little shake.
Created on Tue Dec 17 15:07:47 EST 2019 (updated Tue Dec 17 16:29:04 EST 2019)

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