Predictions: Something will go wrong on the trip back from the fair and Pinky won't make it back. Ira's dog will lose against the weasel and die or get really hurt.
Images:
This pie is like the one that the Peck's shared after Rob's return from the Rutland fair.
The Peck's kept their hens in a chicken coop similar to the one shown here.
This weasel represents the one that Ira's dog fought with.
Clarify: Back in the 1920's and 1930's, the term "bitch" was used to describe a female dog. But in today's society it is used in another way. The thing that was rustling around in the hen house was a weasel.
Try: Who was rustling around the hen coop late at night? What does it mean to weasel a dog? Was it considered a sin in the Shaker religion to weasel a dog?
Use: I once had a dog that was hurt immensely by a wolf. The dog was in so much misery and would've died a slow and painful death but thankfully my dad called the vet; he was able to put my dog to sleep peacefully.
Review: In Chapter 11, Rob and the Tanner's return back from their trip to Rutland. Rob tells his parents about all the fun he had. They converse over some of his mom's blackberry pie, but it gets late very quickly and so Rob must go to bed. In the middle of the night, Rob heard a strange noise in the hen house but quickly fell back asleep. In the morning, Rob finds out that it was a weasel in the hen house and that to protect the hens every man needs a dog to kill them. So, Rob goes and gets Ira Long and his dog in order to perform a dog weaseling. When Ira arrived, Haven, Ira and Rob got the weasel and the dog and put them into a bin. For what seemed like forever, they battled it out. After a dog whimper and the end to all the rustling, they opened the bin. Ira's dog has won, but once he tried to pick him up the dog bit him. To put the dog out of it's misery, they shot him. Rob and Haven vowed to never weasel a dog again.