Bea and the New Deal Horse: Chapters 14–21

by L.M. Elliott
Abandoned by her father during the Great Depression, thirteen-year-old Beatrice Davis works out a deal with the owner of a Virginia farm that would allow her and her younger sister a chance at a new home.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–8, Chapters 9–13, Chapters 14–21, Chapters 22–30
40 words 7 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. earnest
    characterized by a firm, sincere belief in one's opinions
    “It must be hard to do things when you can’t see,” she said in that earnest voice of hers.
  2. skittish
    unpredictably excitable, especially of horses
    The man was determined to lead the pack, and the chestnut was set off by the hounds’ ballyhoo. Rearing and refusing. He was young and skittish.
  3. temperamental
    subject to sharply varying moods
    They’d trotted off together, calm, sweet. Horses could be like that, I reminded myself. They didn’t have to be temperamental handfuls.
  4. braggadocio
    vain and empty boasting
    Then, after he’d herded and chased everyone else to his braggadocio satisfaction, he turned and galloped back toward me.
  5. mercurial
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
    Could this mercurial, quarrelsome, but beautiful chestnut save Mrs. Scott?
  6. squelch
    suppress or crush completely
    She rubbed her forehead, like there were things crawling around up there she wanted to squelch.
  7. prudent
    marked by sound judgment
    “And as for you and your sister, I can’t have a child around my stable who doesn’t have the sense to stay away from a—”
    I broke in before she could say what was logical and prudent, but spelled doom for Vivian and me.
  8. derisive
    expressing contempt or ridicule
    “He just needs a good rider. A rider he likes. Did you see how he just came back to me? I...I think...”
    “That he likes you?” Mrs. Scott let out a derisive scoff.
  9. insolence
    the trait of being rude and impertinent
    “A horse liking you doesn’t guarantee he will take a jump safely, or listen to you in a moment of doubt, or go through a whole course at a collected pace,” her voice was getting weirdly quivery, “or won’t dump you in a fit of insolence or...”
  10. insubordinate
    not submissive to authority
    “What do you mean, that’s that?” I knew my voice was too challenging, insubordinate even.
  11. cantankerous
    having a difficult and contrary disposition
    “It’s your own fault for being so cantankerous,” I grumbled, “that you have to be all the way down the aisle, isolated from everyone else.” I braced myself for his tantrum as I reached for the latch to his stall.
  12. pragmatic
    concerned with practical matters
    I never want to give up a horse that good and kind. But the property taxes are due. On top of the loan I had to take to get us through the drought two years ago. I must be pragmatic.
  13. conformation
    any spatial attributes, especially as defined by outline
    If you’re thinking of going to the Warrenton show, with the goal of selling Caspian after he competes, you should think about this, Mrs. Scott—from everything you’ve told me, that chestnut is as gorgeous as he is wild. Perfect conformation, you said. Those monied hunt riders would love to possess that fancy a horse.
  14. brusque
    rudely abrupt or blunt in speech or manner
    When Mrs. Scott spoke again, her voice had returned to brusque.
  15. jaunty
    having a cheerful, lively, and self-confident air
    She held a cascade of lilies, her other hand tucked in the arm of a handsome man, quite jaunty in his stance.
  16. apprehension
    fearful expectation or anticipation
    If I were a poet, I could explain it better—but there was a what-the-heck-will-this-darn-day-want-of-me apprehension about him, a bring-it defensiveness.
  17. desolation
    sadness resulting from being forsaken or abandoned
    Somehow, seeing his angst, his desolation, in a moment all the other horses were sleeping blissfully—just like I had snuck out into the night, twitchy with disappointments and questions, while my sister and Mrs. Scott slumbered—made my heart ache.
  18. ruse
    a deceptive maneuver, especially to avoid capture
    I slammed the door on my imaginings and feelings to keep her from seeing them, how sick to my stomach I felt. If she did, she might ask again where I thought Daddy might find a job, when he would come back to get us. And I wasn’t sure I could manage to keep up the ruse for her this time.
  19. pell-mell
    in a wild or reckless manner
    “Viv,” I murmured, “I’m so sorry. Daddy—”
    But before I could get anything else out, Vivian bolted, as pell-mell and as whipped up with shocked and disappointed fury as the chestnut.
  20. foreboding
    an unfavorable omen
    My voice cracked from all the shouting for Viv and from a new, terrified foreboding. Didn’t the angel of death carry a lantern?
  21. ethereal
    of heaven or the spirit
    The full moon rose, bathing the room in silvery, ethereal light.
  22. whimsical
    determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity
    Memories poured out of me—of happy, whimsical times, of our home and family before it all changed, before the world fell apart, taking us with it.
  23. unequivocal
    admitting of no doubt or misunderstanding
    And as I felt Viv nod with each little anecdote, I clung to them myself, holding onto the remembrance of what life could be, of what being safe, of what love—steadfast, unblinking, unequivocal—had felt like.
  24. unrelenting
    not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
    She’d said she was going to push me. But until I experienced it, there was no way of knowing just how demanding, how unrelenting Mrs. Scott would be.
  25. infinitesimal
    immeasurably small
    Sometimes when she made me repeat a combination Caspian and I had just done perfectly or barked at me to correct some infinitesimal boo-boo, I wanted to scream back at her, calling her all sorts of bad names.
  26. gangly
    tall, thin, and awkward
    He was about my age, tall, lean, and gangly.
  27. gumption
    fortitude and determination
    Aaaaaand...that you might just need to push back on Mrs. Scott a little bit yourself to get her comfortable with the idea of you being on that hellion horse. Grandpop said that Mrs. Scott told him that you had gumption. He says to be sure and show it.
  28. painstakingly
    in a very careful manner
    The chestnut was calm through it all. All my painstakingly quiet, careful coaxing and grooming had been worth the trouble.
  29. sashay
    walk with a lofty proud gait, often to impress others
    That chestnut was fancy. I’d never before felt a horse move like that. It wasn’t a mere walk. He sashayed, he strutted.
  30. imperious
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    What about me? I fumed. If she thought the horse did well, then what in tarnation was going on in her imperious, contrary mind?
  31. impervious
    not admitting of passage or capable of being affected
    Seated below a huge propeller ceiling fan, behind a massive mahogany desk, he seemed totally impervious to the heat that was wilting everyone else.
  32. deferential
    showing courteous regard for people's feelings
    But he was nodding, listening, deferential, as Mrs. Scott talked.
  33. destitute
    poor enough to need help from others
    The family living in it had been there for forever—but these are hard times. So many people I grew up with are close to destitute and having to sell, to outsiders mainly.
  34. terse
    brief and to the point
    I was surprised by the details Mrs. Scott was sharing. She was usually a lot terser.
  35. willowy
    slender and graceful
    A willowy woman emerged from the theater’s front door.
  36. indignation
    a feeling of righteous anger
    What was it about people in this town thinking I was a dumb-kid sweetie? I was thirteen-going-on-fourteen, for pity’s sake. But I swallowed my indignation.
  37. lilt
    a jaunty rhythm in music or speech
    “Well, goodness!” Her voice carried that syrupy lilt some people use for dogs and little children.
  38. demur
    politely refuse or take exception to
    I think I may have batted my eyelashes at her.
    Not missing a beat, Mrs. Scott demurred, “Well, Caspian’s an agreeable soul. Beautiful conformation and coloring, too..."
  39. renowned
    widely known and esteemed
    “I had forgotten what a renowned trainer you are in these parts, Mrs. Scott. When we first came, I was told that I should seek you out, that you had an excellent eye for horses.”
  40. remiss
    failing in what duty requires
    I’d love to know you better. I’ve been so busy with all the improvements to the estate, I’ve been terribly remiss in chatting up my neighbors.
Created on Wed Jul 31 14:52:34 EDT 2024 (updated Thu Aug 01 15:25:46 EDT 2024)

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