Where the Red Fern Grows: Chapters 14–20

by Wilson Rawls
Billy saves enough money to buy two pups, Old Dan and Little Ann. Together they become one of the best hunting teams in the Ozarks—and devoted friends as well. But when the unthinkable happens, Billy must learn how to nurture hope in a time of tragedy.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–9, Chapters 10–13, Chapters 14–20
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. jubilant
    full of high-spirited delight
    “That’s six days from now,” he said in a jubilant voice.
  2. bashful
    self-consciously timid
    Looking down at the floor, in a bashful voice, she asked, “Can I have the gold cup?”
  3. gloat
    dwell on with satisfaction
    Back in her chair she gloated over the others. “You just wait and see,” she said. “It’ll be all mine, nobody’s but mine, and I’ll put my banty eggs in it.”
  4. sulk
    be in a huff and display one's displeasure
    He was sulking because I hadn’t been taking him hunting.
  5. heedless
    marked by or paying little attention
    the solemn old boy just jogged along, heedless of everything.
  6. fleeting
    lasting for a markedly brief time
    The excitement of the hunt was so strong in me, even the sight of the ax brought back only a fleeting remembrance of Rubin’s accident.
  7. monotonous
    sounded or spoken in a tone unvarying in pitch
    From far back in the flinty hills, the monotonous call of a hoot owl floated down in the silent night.
  8. bayou
    a swampy arm or slow-moving outlet of a lake
    They came from the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, the bayou country of Louisiana, the Red River bottoms of Texas, and the flinty hills of the Ozarks.
  9. impulsive
    proceeding from natural feeling without external stimulus
    Impulsively I reached down and raked her from shoulder to hip with the brush.
  10. commotion
    confused movement
    During the commotion I felt hands slapping me on the back, and heard the word “congratulations” time after time.
  11. flit
    move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
    She was as silent as a ghost and as quick as a flitting shadow.
  12. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    Grandpa very gingerly started picking his way.
  13. fidget
    move restlessly
    Hearing the word beat, Grandpa began to fidget.
  14. falter
    be or become weak, unsteady, or uncertain
    Regardless of all the discouraging talk, the love and belief I had in my little red hounds never faltered.
  15. douse
    put out, as of a candle or a light
    We could tell they were coming back so we doused all the fires and, sure enough, they came right through camp.
  16. pry
    move or force in an effort to get something open
    Little Ann had wiggled up as close to Old Dan as she could. Prying them apart, I lay down between them and fell asleep.
  17. strut
    walk in a proud, confident way
    Men were looking at me, and talking in low tones. I strutted like a turkey gobbler.
  18. leeward
    on the side away from the wind
    Finding three large sycamores growing close together, we stopped on the leeward side.
  19. lull
    a pause during which things are calm
    Once during a momentary lull of the storm, I thought I heard the baying of a hound.
  20. timber
    land that is covered with trees and shrubs
    “The way that wind is whipping the sound through this timber,” the judge said, “we’d be lucky if we ever found them.”
  21. loom
    come into view indistinctly, often threateningly
    Like ghostly figures, large trees loomed out of the almost solid mass.
  22. gawk
    look with amazement
    “There’s no use standing around gawking at me,” Grandpa said.
  23. haggard
    showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
    The first one to reach us was Mr. Kyle. He looked haggard and tired.
  24. squabble
    a quarrel about petty points
    Just when they were on the verge of sawing it in two, so each would have her allotted share, Papa settled the squabble by giving the oldest one a silver dollar.
  25. predatory
    living by preying on other animals
    The only good I could see in killing one was getting rid of a vicious predatory animal.
  26. petrify
    cause to become stunned or immobile, as with fear or awe
    I stopped, petrified with fear.
  27. sinew
    a band of tissue connecting a muscle to its bony attachment
    Sinews tightened and razor-sharp claws dug inward.
  28. berserk
    frenzied as if possessed by a demon
    I went berserk, and charged into the fight.
  29. lithe
    moving and bending with ease
    The long, lithe body dipped low to the ground.
  30. bellow
    make a loud noise, as of an animal
    The screams of the big cat and the deep bellowing voices of my dogs echoed through the mountains as if the demons of hell had been turned loose.
  31. cleave
    separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument
    Behind the shoulders, in the broad muscular back, the heavy blade sank with a sickening sound. The keen edge cleaved through the tough skin.
  32. scourge
    something causing misery or death
    It was the end of the trail for the scourge of the mountains.
  33. convulsion
    a violent uncontrollable contraction of muscles
    In his dying convulsions the ax had become dislodged from the wound.
  34. feeble
    lacking strength or vigor
    Then with one last sigh, and a feeble thump of his tail, his friendly gray eyes closed forever.
  35. painstaking
    characterized by extreme care and great effort
    Then, with painstaking care, I carved their names deep in its red surface.
Created on Wed Sep 16 19:58:27 EDT 2015 (updated Wed May 11 09:02:34 EDT 2022)

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