Sleepy (Metaphor)
Mary Alice didn’t like the town her Grandma lived in. She said “there was nothing to do and nobody to do with.” It was really a rather small place. The whole uptown consisted of “the bank, the insurance agency, Moore’s Store, and the Coffee Pot Cafe, where the old saloon had stood.” Prohibition was “on” in those days, which meant that “selling liquor was against the law.” It looked like “a slow pace” to the kids, for there were not many cars. Most farmers came to town “horse-drawn,” though there were “Fords,” and the banker, L.J. Weidenbach, drove “a Hupmobile.”
Gossip (Metaphor)
According to Mrs. Dowdel, Effie Wilcox, her old enemy, was a terrible gossip. She wouldn’t be able to keep her mouth shut even if her life depended on it. Just like Mrs. Dowdel said, Effie Wilcox’s tongue was “attached in the middle” and could “flap at both ends.” Mrs. Dowdel’s words were harsh, but it wasn’t far from the truth.
A story to tell (Metaphor)
The reporter wanted to talk to Mrs. Dowdel about Shotgun Cheatham. The woman “got flesh to spare,” though she agreed to share her knowledge of Cheatham’s story rather reluctantly. However, as it turned out to be later, Mrs. Dowdel invented a story to confuse the reporter. Come to think of it, she didn’t promise him that her story was going to be true.
Not attractive (Simile)
Mrs. Dowdel’s low opinion of Effie Wilcox was not a secret for anyone. However, the main reason of their feud was a mystery. Mrs. Dowdel didn’t only dislike the other woman’s personality, but her appearance too. She believed that Effie was “ugly as sin.”
Scared (Simile)
Mary Alice was scared out of her wits and there was a reason for that. Her Grandma held a mouse-trap in her hand, “with the mouse still in it.” That was “a good-sized mouse.” The spring on the trap had caught the mouse at the neck and “nearly pulled his head loose.” Mary Alice’s eyes were “big as quarters,” for the girl “gone into shock.”
Huge (Simile)
Joey was really embarrassed. The boy couldn’t understand why it was he who fainted. According to him, it would be really better if it was Mary Alice, for she was a girl and it was more girly thing to do. However, that snake in their boat was “thick as tire” and really looked threateningly. He just couldn’t help himself.
