PRESENTATION
Here is a story that tells about two people playing a game. (The selection is read aloud by the teacher.)
What is the story about? An "old lady" and a little boy playing "Hide-and-Go-Seek".
What relation were they? The old lady was the boy's "Grandma".
Let us look at the story again, and see if they enjoyed their game as much as you do yours. Is there anything in the first stanza that tells us they were having a good time? "The way that they played together was beautiful to see."
What was beautiful about it? They were so kind to each other. It was pleasant to see an old lady and a little boy having such a happy time playing together, and understanding each other so well.
How do you feel, as you read the second stanza? I feel sorry for the boy because he is lame.
Any other reason for feeling sorry for him? He is "thin", as though he had been sick a long time.
In what way are he and his Grandma alike? Neither of them can run or jump.
Do you feel more sorry for the Grandma or for the little boy? I feel more sorry for the boy, because he may never be able to run around, and his Grandma could when she was young.
Describe the picture you see in the third stanza. I see an old lady and a little boy sitting "under the maple tree". The little boy has a pair of crutches beside him. The "sunlight" is shining through the leaves, and it is a warm summer's day, or they would not be sitting out. There is a house near them.
What game were they playing? "Hide-and-Go-Seek."
Would you know it from looking at them? No, because they are sitting still, and when we play the game, we run around and hide.
How did they play it? They thought in turn of some place to hide and imagined they were hiding in it; they had three guesses to find out the place.
Whose turn was it to hide? The old lady's, because the boy is guessing where she is.
Where did he find her at last? In "Papa's big bed-room", in "the clothes-press".
Is there anything else spoken about that was in the bed-room? There was a "little cupboard".
Why does he mention the cupboard? He often thinks of it. He likes it.
Why? His mother's "things used to be" in it.
Why does he say "used to be"? That tells us that they are not there any longer.
Why? I think his mother is dead.
Who takes care of him now? His grandmother lives with him and looks after him.
Why does the boy say "It can't be the little cupboard"? They both think too much of it to want to use it in connection with their play.
How did the boy enjoy the game? Very much, because it says he laughed "with glee".
How did the Grandma enjoy it? She was glad to see the boy happy.
Do old ladies usually like to play games? No, they generally prefer to read or sew.
Why was she playing with the boy? She loved him and was sorry he was lame.
Could he do anything for his Grandma? He could talk to her, and keep her from being lonely. When he grows older, he can read to her.
Describe the picture you see in the ninth stanza. I see the old lady, with her hands covering her face, while she guesses where the boy is hidden.
In the last stanza, why does the author use so many "olds", in speaking of the Grandmother? He wants to make us feel she is quite old.
Why does he say "dear" so often? He wants to show how very kind she was to the lame boy.
Why does he say the boy was "half-past three", instead of three and a half years old? It sounds better the way he says it. It suggests the clock's time.
Give me some other titles for this poem. "The Chums", "A Queer Game", "The Two Playmates".
DANDELIONS
(Second Reader, page 30)