What was Tom Chaney's crime?
Chaney killed Frank Ross by shooting him in the forehead, and he stole Frank Ross's money and his horse.
Why did Frank Ross go to Fort Smith?
He went to buy cowponies that he planned to train as deer hunting ponies.
Describe Tom Chaney.
Tom Chaney was a tenant; rode a gray horse with a filthy saddle blanket and rope halter; was from Louisiana; was short; had cruel features; carried a Henry rifle; was a bachelor; was about twenty-five years old; carried his rifle on a piece of cotton plow
Describe Frank Ross.
Frank Ross had a kindly disposition; was gentle and honorable; had a common-school education; was a Cumberland Presbyterian; was a Mason; was a Confederate veteran; was wounded at the Battle of Chickamauga and nearly died from the wound; like to gad about
Describe Yarnell Poindexter.
Yarnell Poindexter lived near the Rosses; rented land from the bank; was born free in Illinois; was kidnapped and taken to Arkansas; looked in on the Rosses while Frank was gone to Fort Smith; was a good man; was thrifty; was industrious; became a housepa
Describe Fort Smith.
Fort Smith was small compared to Little Rock. There were numbers on the houses. Mattie thought that Fort Smith looked like a western town and should be in
Oklahoma instead of Arkansas.
Why was Mattie unable to find the sheriff or the undertaker?
The sheriff and the undertaker were at the hanging.
What did Mattie say to Yarnell to persuade him to go to the hanging?
She told him that they would not tell her mother that they went to the hanging.
What food did Mattie eat for the first time at the hanging?
Hot tamalies
What business did Mattie take care of at the undertaker's?
She arranged for her father's body to be sent by train to Dardanelle.
What did Mattie learn from the sheriff?
Mattie learned that the description of the man that the sheriff said murdered her father matched Tom Chaney. She was given her father's gun. The sheriff gave her his opinions of the marshals working for Judge Parker's court.
How did Yarnell feel about Mattie's decision to stay in Fort Smith?
He thought it was unwise
Why did Mattie think it was all right for her to go after Chaney instead of attending her father's funeral?
Mattie thought she had to attend to her father's business.
Why did Mattie feel that Mrs. Floyd was taking advantage of her?
Mattie was being overcharged for the room she was sharing with Grandma Turner.
How did Mattie solve the problem of Grandma Turner stealing the covers?
Mattie used her father's slicker and blankets to cover herself.
What did Mattie have against "Federal people "?
She thought they were "puffed up" (arrogant), and
they were Republicans.
Describe Judge Parker.
He was tall and big; had blue eyes; had a brown billy-goat beard; seemed to be old but was only forty years old.
Describe Rooster Cogburn.
He was one-eyed, built like Grover Cleveland, about forty years of age but looked old. He was so heavy, he made the floor boards squeak. He wore a dusty black suit of clothes and wore his badge on his vest. He had a mustache like Grover Cleveland.
How did Mattie get Cogburn's attention?
She rolled his cigarette for him.
Why did Rooster put Mattie's cup in the floor?
Rooster was teaching Mattie some manners about
accepting what your host serves you.
What did Mattie think of the job Rooster did of loading her gun?
He did not do a good job.
Who was Columbus Potter?
Rooster's former partner in the marshals.
What were Mattie's opinions of Al Smith and Woodrow Wilson?
She supported Smith, although he was in favor of repealing Prohibition and he was a Catholic. Mattie thought Smith would "do the right thing." Mattie thought that Woodrow Wilson was the "greatest Presbyterian gentleman of the age" and was driven to an ear
Describe LaBoeuf
LaBoeuf was nice looking; was about thirty years old; had a cowlick on the crown of his hair; had pale-blue eyes; had auburn hair; wore a long corduroy coat; was stuck-up; had a smug grin; wore spurs; had a fancy gun belt and pistols.
By what name did LaBoeuf know Tom Chaney?
Theron Chelmsford
How did Mattie know that she and LaBoeuf were searching for the same man?
LaBoeuf showed her a picture of Chelmsford. Even without the black mark, she could tell it was Tom Chaney.
In what ways did LaBoeuf and Mattie disagree?
LaBoeuf wanted to take Chaney to Texas to be
hanged, but Mattie wanted Chaney to be hanged in Fort Smith to avenge the murder of her father.
For each of the characters, Mattie, Rooster, and LaBoeuf, what was the purpose of their trip in the Indian
Territory?
Mattie wanted to bring Chaney to justice for killing her father; Rooster was in search of the Pepper gang and could make extra money by capturing Chaney, too; LaBoeuf wanted to capture Chaney and take him to Texas for the rewards.
What did Mattie mean when she said to LaBoeuf, "You are powerful free for a stranger?
She meant that he was rudely expressing his opinions about her and her behavior.
How did Mattie feel when she received the $325?
She felt mildly disappointed.
What did Stonehill tell Mattie about Rooster?
Rooster rode with Quantrill and Bloody Bill Anderson. He was not trustworthy. He was a criminal before he came to work for the court.
Describe Rooster and LaBoeuf's weapons.
La Boeuf wore his belt guns outside his coat,
white-handled pistols, Mexican spurs. Rooster wore his belt gun outside his coat, a deerskin jacket over his black suit coat, carried one revolver with a wooden grip on his belt and a dirk knife. Rooster had a
Describe Eastern Oklahoma
It was hilly. Trees growing there included post oak, blackjack, cedars, holly trees, and cypresses. There were meadows and prairies.
How did Mattie explain the defining characteristic of Cumberland Presbyterians?
Mattie said the Cumberlands broke off from the Presbyterians because "they did not believe a preacher needed a lot of formal education.
Was Rooster right to tell the boys to lie to Mr. Simmons?
No, they told Rooster they did not believe he was Frank or Jesse.
To whom did Rooster refer when he said, "Mr. James, the Missouri bank examiner"?
Jesse James
How did Mattie describe the ferry crossing?
The two boys from the store operated the ferry. There was a heavy fog that was waist high to a man. The ferry line was a heavy rope tied to trees on each bank of the river. The ferry swung across the river in a looping downstream curve being pulled by the
What did Rooster learn from Mr. Bagby?
Bagby told them that Ned Pepper had been at
McAlester's store three days earlier. This was on the Missouri Kansas & Texas Railroad line. He was
traveling with a robber named Haze and a Mexican
What did Rooster say to insult LaBoeuf's horse?
Rooster asked, "How long have you boys been
mounted on sheep down there?
What foodstuffs did Rooster carry?
sack of salt; sack of red pepper; sack of taffy; ground coffee beans; big slab of salt pork; 170 corn dodgers (fried balls of cornbread)
What two words did Mattie use to describe the blazing fire and showers of sparks?
Cheerful and heartening.
Why was traveling difficult in the snow?
Rooster couldn't read the trail and he couldn't see
landmarks in the distance. It was hard to find the usual trail, which would be easier to travel than a course they could set by a compass. A horse might step in a hole that was covered with snow.
Why did Rooster go to the abandoned dugout?
They could not reach McAlester's store before
dark.
Describe the dugout
It was situated at the narrow end of a v-shaped hollow. It was about 10 feet by 20 feet. It was sunk into a clay bank. The other half was made of poles and sod. It had a sod roof and a chimney made of sticks and mud. There was a brush-arbor shed and a cav
Why were Moon and Quincy living in the dugout?
They were waiting for the Pepper gang to come
there to get horses.
On p. 135, what had Mattie figured out that LaBoeuf didn't know?
Rooster was planning an ambush.
Why wouldn't Mattie eat a corn dodger?
Rooster wouldn't strike a match so she could check the corn dodger for blood.
What topics did Rooster and Mattie discuss while they were waiting for the Pepper gang?
They discussed the Civil War and Rooster's life story including the following details:
a. Rooster told Mattie about being a buffalo skinner and killing wolves for bounty in Texas.
b. Mattie told Rooster about her grandfather in California.
c. Rooster told
What was LaBoeuf's account of the attack on the Pepper gang?
LaBoeuf said he could not see well and was moving to a better location when he heard three signal shots fired by Pepper. He thought the fight had started so he took a shot at Pepper.
How was LaBoeuf injured?
A ball hit his rifle stock causing splinters and lead to strike LaBoeuf's upper arm.
What was Rooster's account of the attack on the Pepper gang?
Rooster accused LaBoeuf of falling asleep and shooting in a panic when Pepper's shot awakened him.
What evidence against the Pepper gang was found in the stock cave and on Haze's horse?
They found six horses in the cave. On Haze's horse, they found two tow-sacks containing objects stolen from the train.
What objects made Mattie think they were getting closer to Chaney?
On the ground, they found copper cartridge cases which could have come from Chaney's Henry rifle.
What does this show about Rooster?
He was jealous of Mattie's attention to LaBoeuf.
Describe the robbery of the Katy.
At Wagoner's Switch, the Pepper gang forced the train onto a cattle siding. They took the engineer and fireman hostage and threatened to kill them. The express clerk refused to open the doors of his car. The robbers killed the fireman. Then they blew open
What did LaBoeuf tell about his Civil War experience?
LaBoeuf enlisted at age fifteen. He
was sent to Shreveport and served under General Kirby-Smith in the supply department. He went to
Virginia with Major Burks, a commissary officer, and saw action at Five Forks and Petersburg before the
war ended.
Whom did Rooster seek out in McAlester?
Captain Boots Finch of the Choctaw Light Horse.
What did Rooster talk about in his conversation with Captain Finch?
They discussed the train robbery. They found out that Pepper, the Original Greaser Bob, and Haze had been seen at McAlester. No one had seen Chaney. Rooster asked Finch to identify the bodies of the four men who were killed at the dugout and to take care
What advice did Mattie give Rooster at the railroad agent's office?
She advised Rooster to get a written statement from Smallwood stating that the railroad company would reward him for killing the Pepper gang and returning the stolen express money. She also advised him to get a receipt for the stolen items he had delivere
Why do you think LaBoeuf was in favor of Mattie going with them when Rooster wanted her to stay at
McAlester's?
Answers will vary. Possible answer: Mattie took care of LaBoeuf when his his arm
was injured.
What news did Captain Finch bring?
Odus Wharton had broken out of the jail in Fort Smith. Rooster was happy because Wharton would have no chance of a commutation of his sentence.
What three men were involved in the corn dodgers incident?
Rooster, LaBoeuf, and Captain Finch
What was the bad result of the Captain's visit?
Rooster began drinking and drank all day
What was Rooster's opinion about a man working for a woman?
Women have no generosity. They show no trust. They won't pay their workers. A man would only work for a woman if he had "clabber for brains.
Why did Mattie blame Rooster for her unfortunate situation?
Rooster had loaded her gun
incorrectly, misdirected them to the bandits, and had abandoned her when she was captured by the bandits
How did Rooster and LaBoeuf trick Ned Pepper?
After they rode over the ridge, so Pepper could see them leave, LaBoeuf circled back to rescue Mattie, and Rooster went back to the meadow to confront the Pepper gang.
What did LaBoeuf and Mattie see in the meadow below?
Ned Pepper and the three other bandits
rode into the meadow and traveled west. A lone horseman (Rooster) came out of the brush on the western edge of the meadow. Rooster took on all four. Rooster shot Harold Permalee in the neck. The Original Greaser Bob
What weapon did Chaney use against LaBoeuf?
A rock the size of a "new cooking pumpkin.
What caused Mattie to fall into the pit?
When Mattie shot Chaney in the head, the kick of the pistolpushed her backwards and into the pit.
Describe Mattie's position in the pit
She fell into the cave and was wedged in a small hole in the floor with her feet dangling below and the lower part of her body wedged in the hole.
7. Why did Mattie have trouble using her arms?
Her right arm was wedged against her side in the hole in the floor, and her left arm was broken.
Describe what Mattie saw inside the pit.
She saw rocks, sticks, bits of paper, tobacco sack,
splotches of cooking grease, a man's blue cotton shirt, but no snakes.
While Mattie was trapped in the pit, what things frightened her?
spiders, bats, falling through the hole in the floor, snakes.
Why did Mattie try to get the shirt?
She wanted to use it to stuff around the hole she was in so she wouldn't fall through the hole to the next level of the cave.
What was inside the blue shirt?
a dead man's body
What did Mattie use to keep herself from sliding through the hole in the floor?
the upper bone of the corpse's arm.
Who was hit in the head and fell into the pit near Mattie?
Tom Chaney
Where were Rooster and Mattie when he began to work on getting the poison out of her arm?
They were still in the pit.
When Mattie saw that Little Blackie was the one used to pull her and Rooster from the pit, she quoted this
Bible verse, "The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner." Why did
Mattie think this was appropriate for the o
Rooster had made fun of her pony, but Little
Blackie was strong enough to save her life.
Why did Mattie say, "Keep your seat, trash," to Frank James?
Frank James did not stand up like
Cole Younger did and he didn't speak to Mattie. Mattie felt kinder toward Cole Younger because he saved Rooster's life during the war. She felt hard toward Frank James because he killed the bank cashier at Northfield, Min
Where did Mattie bury Rooster?
Her family plot in Yell County
What was Mattie's busines?
Banking
Did you have any idea that Mattie would be bitten by a rattlesnake? What parts of the story foreshadowed
the snakebite?
Possible answers: p. 121 LaBoeuf said, "All the snakes are asleep this time of year."; p. 187
par 2 Chaney threatened to throw Mattie into a pit of rattlesnakes.; p. 199 "Watch your step there" said
Mattie to LaBoeuf; p. 205 "There were no snakes about. T
What did Mattie say to Yarnell to persuade him to go to the hanging?
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