She was jealous of Mrs. Boyer's pretty things.

Mrs. Boyer wouldn't loan her a cup of sugar.

Mrs. Boyer looked down on the Slaters for being poor.

She thought Mrs. Boyer was a gossip.

The people hadn't built a school yet

The people were too poor to hire a teacher

The Slater boys beat up the teacher.

There weren't enough children to go to school.

The hogs ran wild because the Slaters didn't feed them.

Mr. Slater wanted to make trouble for the Boyers

Shoestring wanted to show Birdie she couldn't grow strawberries.

The strawberry field was near the common watering hole.

It was used to pay his debts.

He bought himself a fancy new gun.

It was stolen.

He gambled most of it and then got drunk.

their main food was cracked corn

the sun made them look leathery and cracked

of the cowmen who cracked their whips herding cattle

of the way they talked

Grasshoppers stripped every plant

The Slaters came at night and trampled them

It got cold and they froze and were ruined.

A flock of robins ate them.

threw rotten eggs at the Boyers' house.

threw a snake at Birdie.

was cutting Mr. Boyer's fence.

wouldn't take care of his father's cow.

He was too lazy.

She decided he was too dumb

The school burned in a fire started by the Slaters.

She wanted to hurt his feelings after what he'd done.

He wanted to warn Mr. Boyer that his pas was looking for him.

His ma and sisters were sick.

His pa was drunk and he wanted to get away from him.

he was planning on causing trouble.

an organ

a radio

a pony

a new mule