Stone Fox: "Stone Fox" by John Reynolds Gardiner

by John Reynolds Gardiner
In this classic novel, a boy enters a dogsled race in the hopes of winning enough money to save his grandfather's farm.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. palomino
    a horse of light tan or golden color
    He was a handsome palomino.
  2. hitch
    connect to a vehicle
    Little Willy hitched Rex to the wagon, and then they rode back to Grandfather’s farm.
  3. irrigation
    the act of supplying dry land with water by artificial means
    Hadn’t he gotten up in the middle of the night to check the irrigation?
  4. mare
    an adult female horse
    But most important, because Grandfather’s old mare had died last winter, a horse to pull the plow had to be located and rented.
  5. harness
    an arrangement of leather straps fitted to a draft animal
    In her mouth was the harness she wore during the winter when she pulled the snow sled.
  6. crisp
    pleasantly cold and invigorating
    The air is clear and crisp, and the rivers are all frozen.
  7. stock
    amass so as to keep for future use or sale
    He had stocked enough food.
  8. outskirts
    area relatively far from the center, as of a city or town
    Little Willy rode on the sled standing up and Searchlight would pull him five miles across the snow-covered countryside to the schoolhouse, which was located on the outskirts of town.
  9. deposit
    put into a bank account
    Every month Grandfather had deposited the money little Willy had earned working on the farm.
  10. loom
    appear very large or occupy a commanding position
    Today again he waited, eyes glued on the big church clock that loomed high overhead.
  11. whereabouts
    the general location of someone or something
    She had run this race a hundred times before, and she knew the whereabouts of every fallen tree and hidden gully.
  12. gully
    a deep ditch cut by running water
    She had run this race a hundred times before, and she knew the whereabouts of every fallen tree and hidden gully.
  13. enable
    provide the means to perform some task
    This enabled her to travel at tremendous speed even though it was getting dark and more dangerous.
  14. forge
    move or act with a sudden increase in speed or energy
    She forged ahead with such speed that the sled seemed to lift up off the ground and fly.
  15. ricochet
    spring back; spring away from an impact
    The voice cut through the air like the twang of a ricocheting bullet.
  16. derringer
    a pocket pistol of large caliber with a short barrel
    He was holding a small derringer and pointing it at Searchlight.
  17. apparently
    seemingly; as far as one can tell
    Apparently he had gotten worse during the day.
  18. figure
    an element in a system of numeration
    There were so many figures and columns and numbers that he couldn’t make any sense out of what he was looking at.
  19. jab
    poke or thrust abruptly
    The short man jabbed his short finger at the bottom of the page.
  20. represent
    be a delegate or spokesperson for
    People came from all over to enter the race, and some of the finest dog teams in the country were represented.
  21. pry
    move or force in an effort to get something open
    “Sure,” Lester said as he pried the nail loose and handed little Willy the poster.
  22. tonic
    a medicine that strengthens and invigorates
    The mayor’s office was large and smelled like hair tonic.
  23. amateur
    someone who pursues a study or sport as a pastime
    “This is not a race for amateurs. Some of the best dog teams in the Northwest will be entering.”
  24. strut
    walk in a proud, confident way
    The dogs held their heads up proudly and strutted in unison.
  25. unison
    the state of corresponding exactly
    The dogs held their heads up proudly and strutted in unison.
  26. moccasin
    soft leather shoe; originally worn by Native Americans
    The man was an Indian—dressed in furs and leather, with moccasins that came all the way up to his knees.
  27. cunning
    showing inventiveness and skill
    His face was solid granite, but his eyes were alive and cunning.
  28. reservation
    a district that is set aside for a particular purpose
    His tribe, the Shoshone, who were peaceful seed gatherers, had been forced to leave Utah and settle on a reservation in Wyoming with another tribe called the Arapaho.
  29. treacherous
    dangerously unstable and unpredictable
    This was a treacherous road at night, but the moon was out and Searchlight could see well.
  30. abrupt
    exceedingly sudden and unexpected
    As he turned onto Main Street, he brought the sled to an abrupt halt.
  31. turnout
    attendance for a particular event or purpose
    Little Willy hadn’t expected such a big turnout.
  32. abreast
    alongside each other, facing in the same direction
    They stood nine abreast.
  33. odds
    the likelihood of a thing occurring
    The odds were as high as a hundred to one that he’d win.
  34. disqualify
    declare unfit
    Little Willy had asked Mayor Smiley if he was permitted to go across the lake, not wanting to be disqualified.
  35. effortless
    requiring or apparently requiring no work
    The five Samoyeds looked magnificent as they moved effortlessly across the snow.
Created on Tue Dec 11 13:23:17 EST 2018 (updated Tue May 03 09:24:40 EDT 2022)

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