CHAPTER XXI

DICK MAKES A BOLD VENTURE

Some delicate and important work was being done, and Stuyvesant had had his lunch sent up to the dam. Bethune and Dick joined him afterwards, and sat in the shade of a big traveling crane. Stuyvesant and Dick were hot and dirty, for it was not their custom to be content with giving orders when urgent work was going on. Bethune looked languid and immaculately neat. His speciality was mathematics, and he said he did not see why the man with mental talents should dissipate his energy by using his hands.

"It's curious about that French liner," Stuyvesant presently remarked. "I understand her passengers have been waiting since yesterday and she hasn't arrived."

"The last boat cut out Santa Brigida without notice," Bethune replied. "My opinion of the French is that they're a pretty casual lot."

"On the surface. They smile and shrug where we set our teeth, but when you get down to bed-rock you don't find much difference. I thought as you do, until I went over there and saw a people that run us close for steady, intensive industry. Their small cultivators are simply great. I'd like to put them on our poorer land in the Middle West, where we're content with sixteen bushels of wheat that's most fit for chicken feed to the acre. Then what they don't know about civil engineering isn't worth learning."

Bethune made a gesture of agreement. "They're certainly fine engineers and they're putting up a pretty good fight just now, but these Latins puzzle me. Take the Iberian branch of the race, for example. We have Spanish peons here who'll stand for as much work and hardship as any Anglo-Saxon I've met. Then an educated Spaniard's hard to beat for intellectual subtlety. Chess is a game that's suited to my turn of mind, but I've been badly whipped in Santa Brigida. They've brains and application, and yet they don't progress. What's the matter with them, anyway?" What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. What was Bethune's specialty?
2. Who had his lunch sent to the dam?
3. Who joined him afterwards?
4. Who was dirty?
5. Who was not dirty?
6. Had he been working with his hands?
7. Did he want to work with his hands?
8. Was the boat they mentioned late?
9. How long were people waiting for it?
10. What nationality was in charge of that boat?
11. What does Bethune think of them?
12. Did the person who replied to Bethune agree?
13. Did they used to agree?
Answer: 1. mathematics
2. Stuyvesant
3. Bethune and Dick
4. Stuyvesant and Dick
5. Bethune
6. No
7. No
8. Yes
9. since yesterday
10. French
11. they're a pretty casual lot
12. No
13. yes

Ally was at home, sitting in her chair. She was drinking orange juice. Orange juice was her favorite drink, because she loved its sweet taste.

Ally's sister was sitting on the carpet. She was drawing a pair of pink socks. Ally's sister loved the color pink, because she thought it was cute.

Ally's brother was also sitting on the carpet. He was drinking coffee with lots of sugar in it. He loved sugar because it made him feel energetic.

All of the sudden, there was a knock at the door. Ally's sister answered it. When she opened the door, she saw an alligator wearing a suit and tie! Ally's sister screamed, and closed the door.

"Please," the alligator said, "Don't be afraid. I want to draw with you."

Ally's sister opened the door, and the alligator came inside. He sat on the carpet, and started drawing his own pair of pink socks. Ally's sister sat down, and joined him. What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. who was at home ?
2. what was she doing ?
3. and drinking ?
4. what was the sister doing ?
5. drawing what ?
6. what is ally brother doing ?
7. and drinking what ?
8. who was at the door ?
9. who answered the door ?
10. did ally scream ?
11. why?
12. did the alligator want to draw with them ?
Answer: 1. Ally
2. sitting in her chair
3. yes
4. sitting on the carpet
5. a pair of socks
6. he was also sitting on the carpet
7. coffee
8. an alligator
9. Ally's sister
10. yes
11. because she saw an alligator in a suit and tie
12. yes

Fifty-two years ago in the USA, a little black girl named Ruby Bridges arrived at her new primary school. The school was in New Orleans, Louisiana.

As she walked toward the school's front door, an angry crowd of people shouted at her. United States marshals walked with her. A marshal is a police officer. They were there to protect the first grader. That's because the people didn't want Ruby to go inside the school. But the 6-year-old walked into the school anyway. As she did, she marched into history books.

The day was Nov. 14, 1960. On that morning, little Ruby became one of the first African Americans to attend an all-white primary school in the South.

Before then, the law in many states said that black children could not attend the same schools as white children. People of different races also had to use separate public restrooms. It was called segregation. That is when people of different races are kept separate.

U.S. leaders worked to end segregation. They helped bring civil rights to all Americans. Those are the rights mean that all people should be treated equally. A few months before Ruby started school, a federal court had just ordered an end to school segregation in New Orleans.

By the time Ruby started the second grade, there were no more angry people outside her school. There were other African American students in her class. Today, children of all races go to school together.

Bridges said she was never scared to go to school during the first grade. She wasn't really afraid and she didn't really know what was going on at the time. What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. Who arrived at her new school?
2. When?
3. Where?
4. Were people happy that she was there?
5. Did she have bodyguards?
6. Who were they?
7. What grade was she in?
8. Was she five?
9. Was she black?
10. What we she one one of the first to do?
11. Did the law previously prevent black kids from going to white schools?
12. What was that separation called?
Answer:
1. Ruby Bridges
2. Nov. 14, 1960.
3. New Orleans, Louisiana.
4. no
5. Yes
6. United States marshals
7. first grade
8. She was 6
9. Yes
10. yes
11. yes
12. segregation