Sentence:  I decided I hated the Pedersen kid too , dying in our kitchen while I was away where I could n't watch , dying just to entertain <WSD>Hans</WSD> and making me go up snapping steps and down a drafty hall , Pa lumped under the covers at the end like dung covered with snow , snoring and whistling . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a human being