Learn English (ESOL) Episode 2 Baxter Family Lesson
Learn English Language with Study Coach presents episode 2 of the Baxter Family story. To help you progress do try to listen, read and answer questions in part 1 before moving on to this episode (2). If you want to check your answers directly with Study Coach, you can do so on a number of social media applications when Morel at Study Coach is available to talk with you, and provide feedback.
Here is the Audio for the first part of episode 2, the final part of the story will soon follow.
“Then, after they had helped their mother to tidy the rooms, they got permission to go to market for her. She told them what to buy, and Paul was glad when his mother told them to get some cranberries for sauce, and a plum-pudding that came in a tin can. With their turkey, what a feast these would make!
The market was not far away, but it was so crowded that Paul and Kate had to hold hands tight. For a long time they could get no attention, but at last, by pulling one of the market-men’s aprons, Paul made him listen. Paul bought all the things on their list, and then said, proudly:
“Please show me some of the biggest turkeys.”
The market-man, pointing to a long row, and he remarked:”
“There they are—all weighed and marked. Pick out the one you want.”
Questions:
- What is the meaning of ‘permission’?
- What is a ‘market’?
- What is ‘sauce’?
- What do you understand by the word ‘feast’?
- What is ‘apron’?
- What is the meaning of ‘weighed and marked’?
Paul examined the tickets stuck on the turkeys—$2.20, $3.50, $2.40, $4.00 (he was a perfect giant of a gobbler!) and so on. Paul felt a lump in his throat, he was so disappointed! Then little Kate made it worse by pointing to the very biggest and saying, “Oh, Paul, buy that!—it’s the best of all!”
Paul whispered to her, “It costs four dollars. Isn’t that awful? The cheapest one is two dollars! What can we do?”
Kate shook her head. Then she had a bright idea.
“I know!” she said. “If we can’t have the biggest, let’s get the very littlest that ever was! It will be cunning, and that will make mamma laugh.”
“But I don’t see any very little ones,” Paul replied.
“Ask the man,” Kate urged.”
“It was some time before Paul could get the man’s attention, and then the question was put.
“The littlest turkey?” repeated the market-man, with a grin. “That’s a queer order, now. Why do you want the littlest one, my boy?”
Questions:
- What do you understand by ‘he was a perfect giant of a gobbler’?
- What is the meaning ‘Paul felt a lump in his throat’?
- What is the price for the biggest turkey?
- What does Kate mean by using the word ‘cunning’?
- What is the meaning of ‘grin’?
- What does the market-man mean by ‘That’s a queer order…”
FINAL PART OF THE STORY
“’Cause we’re buying it for mamma,” said Kate eagerly. “She can’t get one at all, because papa’s gone away, and he may not come back, and we got the money out of our banks, and we’ve only one dollar and fifteen cents, and we can’t have the biggest, you see.”
“Hello!” said the marketman, “here’s a talker for a little one! Haven’t I seen you before?”
“Yes, sir,” Kate answered. “I’m Katie Baxter, and I used to come with papa.”
“You Jack Baxter’s girl?” asked the marketman, stooping down and picking the child up.
Question:
– 1) What is the meaning of “here’s a talker for a little one”?
– 2) What is the meaning of ‘stooping’?
“Yes, sir,” said Kate, “but please put me down.” But instead the man called to a marketman in the next stall: “See here O’Neil, this is the Baxter girl. She’s come with another little kid to buy the littlest turkey for her mother. They’ve got the money out of their banks, and it’s a dollar fifteen. Can’t we fill the order?”
“Well, I guess we can,” said the other marketman heartily. “We’ll send them a bird—with the stuffing, too!”
“It’ll be all right,” said the first marketman, putting little Kate on her feet again. “Give me the number, and we’ll send the bird around to-morrow.”
Paul gave the number, untied the money from his handkerchief, and away they went through the noisy street home.”
Questions:
- 1) What is the meaning of ‘stall’?
- 2) What is the meaning of ‘heartily’?
- 3) What is the meaning of ‘bird’ and ‘stuffing’?
“Paul and Kate had hard work to keep the secret of their marketing, but they did, all that day, and the next. About four o’clock there was a knock at the door, and when the door was opened, there was nobody there. But there was something. A big, big market-basket, and in it was the giant turkey, and on the turkey’s breast a piece of paper, saying:
“From the friends of John Baxter to Mrs. Baxter and the little Baxters, hoping they’ll enjoy their Thanksgiving.”
And that wasn’t all, for when Mrs. Baxter came to prepare the turkey it was stuffed with silver dollars. Then Mrs. Baxter cried; and Paul and Kate were puzzled by that. But she was thankful, for she told them so.
Questions:
- 1) What is the meaning of ‘turkey breast’?
- 2) Explain Mrs. Baxter’s behaviour
“When the great bird was properly browned and smoking, Paul took his place ready to carve. He had just raised the knife and fork when the door opened and a big, hearty sailor came in, saying:“Here, here, young man, this won’t do! That is my place!”
And, of course, it was John Baxter; and the turkey was not nearly so hot by the time he had been hugged and kissed (meaning John Baxter, of course), and had told how his boat had been sunk, but he and his mates were picked up by a steamer.
That was a Thanksgiving dinner.
Next day John Baxter took his boy and girl down to the market, and they made another giving of thanks to the market-men, and that is a good ending to the story, isn’t it?
There is one more thing. The market-men would not take back their silver, and so it went into the bank—a real bank this time—for Paul and Kate.”
Questions:
- 1) What is the meaning of ‘browned and smoking’?
- 2) What happened to John Baxter’s boat?
- 3) What is your understanding of a ‘real bank’?
Word: marketmen
