Study Questions

1. What shield helped Marguerite to survive in St. Louis?

2. What did it mean when Marguerite says that she sneaked away to Robin Hood’s forest?

3. What was the honor system the children had with their mother?

4. What difficulty did Bailey begin to experience in St. Louis?

5. What difficulty did Marguerite begin to experience in St. Louis?

6. What directions did Mother give the children every night?

7. How did Marguerite feel about being held by Mr. Freeman?

8. Who did Marguerite think was the greatest writer in the world?

9. What threat did Mr. Freeman make?

10. What was the first secret that Marguerite ever kept from Bailey?

Answers

1. Marguerite tries to cope with her life in St. Louis by telling herself that she had really not come to stay. In this way she managed to survive St. Louis.

2. Marguerite was withdrawing into fantasy; she was pretending that she was in the woods of the folklore character Robin Hood whom she had read about.

3. Marguerite and Bailey had to do their homework, eat dinner and wash their dishes before they could listen to the radio; since no one was there to check on them, they had to be honest about it themselves.

4. Bailey began to stutter in St. Louis.

5. Marguerite began to have bad dreams in St. Louis.

6. Marguerite and Bailey were advised by their mother every night to say their prayers and to go to bed.

7. Marguerite liked being held by Mr. Freeman; she felt that she had found a safe home and that he would never let anything happen to her.

8. Marguerite thought that Horatio Alger was the greatest writer in the world.

9. Mr. Freeman threatened to kill Bailey if she ever told.

10. Marguerite’s first secret from Bailey was what had happened between Mr. Freeman and her.