Na m e : ___ _
Directions:Date:As you read the story, look for clues the author uses to set the tone. Follow the directions.Every day on my way home from school I pass old Mrs. Victor’s house. It has looked the same
for as long as I can remember. Someone once said it was even older than Mrs. Victor herself,
and she must be about a hundred.
I often wonder about Mrs. Victor and that run-down house. They seem so much alike that
they are almost one thing. I have seen her a few times—walking slowly up the path with her
rolling pull-cart containing just one bag of groceries. The walkway that leads to the house is
stone but full of cracks—not unlike Mrs. Victor’s face. The wood sides of the home are
buckling and weathered, as is Mrs. Victor’s skin. And what is inside? A lonely empty place
where no one comes to visit. Yet, there they are—Mrs. Victor and her house—each a living
relic in a modern world.
This morning as I passed by, I saw old Mrs. Victor through the sheer curtains behind which
she leads her veiled life. She was sitting in a chair, perhaps knitting, perhaps doing nothing
at all. She happened to look up and saw me walking by but didn’t really notice me. Am I just
another part of a world she feels left out of? A person moving through time who has left her
behind? I felt a pang of sadness for her and right then decided to do something about it.
My friend Kerry’s cat had kittens a few weeks ago, and he’s been looking
for homes for them. After school, I stopped by and asked to “borrow” two
of them. I took them home, fixed up a basket with a big bow, and went to
Mrs. Victor’s.
As I rang her bell, I wondered if I was being presumptuous. Perhaps we
would not be welcome. But, to my delight, when she opened the door and
saw us, her pallid face positively turned to glowing. She accepted my gift
and new life seemed to pour into not only Mrs. Victor, but her house as well.- Describe the mood of the story. __
- Underline four or more words/phrases that set the tone of the story.
- What does the author mean by a living relic? _
a veiled life? ___ - In what ways does the author compare Mrs. Victor to her house? _____
- Why did the author ask to “borrow” the kittens instead of just saying he’d found them a
home? _____ - Read the last sentence again. Life cannot actually pour. Which kind of expression is this: a
simile or a metaphor? _____ - What shift in mood does the author create from the beginning to the end of the story?