Hattie Big Sky: Chapters 4–6

by Kirby Larson
Following the death of her uncle, sixteen-year-old Hattie Brooks travels to Montana to prove she can take care of her inherited land while dealing with anti-German sentiment during World War I.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–6, Chapters 7–11, Chapters 12–16, Chapters 17–23
40 words 24 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. meager
    deficient in amount or quality or extent
    My feet felt like clumps of ice at my ankles; two pairs of woolen socks provided a meager shield against this Montana cold.
  2. assessment
    the act of judging a person or situation or event
    To say the land was flat was not quite true, though that would be the quick and easy assessment.
  3. haphazard
    marked by great carelessness
    Gaps in the siding revealed black tar paper, like decay between haphazard teeth.
  4. soddy
    a house built of grassy turf laid in horizontal layers
    “My folks had a soddy—you know, a house built from bricks of sod. It was warm in the winter and cool in the summer, but oh, the bugs! And dirt. Dirt everywhere.”
  5. hearth
    home symbolized as a part of the fireplace
    The shack—oh, it was a shack, no poetry of home and hearth allowed—was a flimsy cage, keeping me in and very little else out.
  6. versed
    thoroughly acquainted through study or experience
    Since Aunt Ivy had been reluctant to trade in her wood cookstove, I was well versed in how to use one, at least for cooking; baking was beyond me.
  7. goodly
    large in size, amount, or degree
    Under a goodly pile of the Dakota Farmer, Popular Magazine, and Saturday Evening Post magazines, I found a serviceable empty wooden crate that was recruited as a bookcase.
  8. serviceable
    capable of being put to good use
    Under a goodly pile of the Dakota Farmer, Popular Magazine, and Saturday Evening Post magazines, I found a serviceable empty wooden crate that was recruited as a bookcase.
  9. sheen
    the visual property of something that shines
    An old rag, lukewarm water, and elbow grease soon brought a sheen to the table.
  10. sage
    aromatic fresh or dried gray-green leaves used as seasoning
    The stew tasted of sage and carrots and hope.
  11. chisel
    carve with an edge tool
    “I could chisel out the air in here and use it for ice in my lemonade next summer!”
  12. fervor
    feelings of great warmth and intensity
    I began to tug and twist with renewed fervor.
  13. astride
    with one leg on each side
    He was astride one of the horses from Karl’s wagon team and leading a large, boxy horse and a brown cow with white spots.
  14. stoke
    (of a fire) stir up or tend
    He stoked the fire, put coffee on, fed Mr. Whiskers a saucer of tinned milk, and fetched me another pail of water to fill the reservoir.
  15. humble
    cause to feel shame
    Warm, full, and humbled, I pushed back my plate. “So your mama ties a mitten to the pump handle,” I said. “Anything else I should know before I do some other foolish thing?”
  16. relish
    derive or receive pleasure from
    Chase relished his role as teacher and, for the next hour, showed me this trick and that of homestead life.
  17. tentative
    hesitant or lacking confidence; unsettled in mind or opinion
    I gave Violet a pat, though more tentative than Chase’s.
  18. vanity
    feelings of excessive pride
    Back in Iowa, my smooth hands and face had been my one vanity. No more. No amount of fancy Pond’s Cold Cream would soothe the chapped cheeks and nose that were now my badge of homestead honor.
  19. bale
    a large bundle bound for storage or transport
    The barn was a small structure, with room enough for the two animals, some bales of hay, spare parts, and a pitchfork.
  20. bovine
    of or relating to or belonging to cattle
    Violet was a cow of a completely different color. She felt it her bovine duty to make up for each and every one of Plug’s kindnesses.
  21. fare
    the food and drink regularly served or consumed
    Tiny patches of green poked optimistically out of the cold earth. It wasn’t much, but both horse and cow seemed content with the change of fare.
  22. notion
    a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
    Perilee had planted the notion that there were two or three bachelor neighbors who might pay me to do their laundry.
  23. ornery
    having a difficult and contrary disposition
    Violet couldn’t hear me from where she was, and even if she could, she was ornery enough not to budge.
  24. banshee
    a female spirit who wails to warn of impending death
    I would have scared the bejeebies out of myself had I seen me coming—dressed like a scarecrow, screeching like a banshee.
  25. haunch
    the upper part of the leg of an animal, often used for food
    The wolf had one thought: dinner. Without even a glance my way, he hunkered into a lopsided crouch, rear haunches raised, head down.
  26. reprieve
    a relief from harm or discomfort
    Seems that the wolf and I both made out okay in this affair: He got a little snack, and I got an eternal reprieve from Violet’s vicious tail.
  27. stanch
    stop the flow of a liquid
    A clean rag tied tightly seemed to stanch the bleeding.
  28. comeuppance
    a usually negative outcome or fate that is well deserved
    “Wouldn’t Chester love to know that Violet finally got her comeuppance?”
  29. poultice
    a medical dressing spread on a cloth and applied to the skin
    “My pa always swore by a poultice of brown sugar and cobwebs—though where you’d find cobwebs in this bitter cold, I have no idea. Flour paste and brown paper should work fine, too.”
  30. respective
    considered individually
    Excepting in nine of the larger cities of the state all postmasters are registrars for their respective districts.
  31. adept
    having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude
    I expect I might not do too badly in that army of yours. l am now quite adept at keeping warm no matter how low the mercury falls.
  32. stave off
    prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening
    I bathed her feet in warm water and thus staved off the “froch” bite.
  33. slog
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    There was nothing for it but to carry on with my chores, pulling my overcoat even tighter about me as I slogged to the barn.
  34. conscience
    a feeling of shame when you do something immoral
    And I didn’t have enough feed to keep him and Violet going all winter. I eased my conscience by giving him an extra-large portion of oats before opening the stable door for him.
  35. husbandry
    the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock
    I made up my mind to rummage through Uncle Chester’s books for one on animal husbandry.
  36. knack
    a special way of doing something
    I was amazed at how quickly Chase picked it up. The boy had a knack for numbers.
  37. bedraggled
    limp, untidy, and soiled
    She patted Mulie’s bedraggled yarn hair.
  38. earnestness
    the trait of being serious or sincere
    “What’s your real, true wish?” Chase asked. He came back to sit at the table, searching my face with an eight-year-old’s earnestness.
  39. elfin
    small and delicate
    Her elfin face clouded over.
  40. daub
    cover by smearing
    I wasn’t sure how he was going to get his boots back on, even after daubing the worst of the blisters with a paste made of baking soda.
Created on Tue Apr 12 12:29:18 EDT 2022 (updated Mon Apr 18 09:52:34 EDT 2022)

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