shop, for
instance, who appears but for a moment,--is she individualized?
How?

5. Is there a lesson in this story? State it in your own words.

6. What experiences in Whitlock's life gave him the background for
this story?

7. What new words did you gain from this? Define meritricious;
prognathic; banal; vulpine; camaraderie; vilification; ennui;
quixotic; naive; pharisaism. What can you say of Whitlock's
vocabulary?

8. Other good stories dealing with politics are found in
_Stratagems and Spoils_, by William Allen White.

HIS MOTHER'S SON

1. Note the quick beginning of the story; no introduction, action
from the start. Why is this suitable to this story?

2. Why is slang used so frequently?

3. Point out examples of humor in the story.

4. In your writing, do you ever have trouble in finding just the
right word? Note on page 123 how Edna Ferber tries one expression
after another, and how on page 122 she finally coins a
word--"unadjectivable." What does the word mean?

5. Do you have a clear picture of Emma McChesney? Of Ed Meyers?
Note that the description of Meyers in the office is not given all
at once, but a touch here and then. Point out all these bits of
description of this person, and note how complete the portrait is.

6. What have you learned in this story about the life of a
traveling salesman?

7. What qualities must a good salesman possess?

8. Was Emma McChesney a lady? Was Ed Meyers a gentleman? Why do you
think so?

9. This story is taken from the book called _Roast Beef, Medium_.
Other good books of short stories by this author are _Personality
Plus_, and _Cheerful--by Request_.

BITTER-SWEET

1. Note the introduction, a characteristic of all of Fannie Hurst's
stories. What purpose does it serve here? What trait of Gertie's is
brought out? Is this important to the story?

2. From the paragraph on page 139 beginning "It was into the
trickle of the last----" select examples that show the author's
skill in the use of words. What other instances of this do you note
in the story?

3. Read the sketch of the author. What episode in her life gave her
material for parts of this story?

4. Notice how skillfully the conversation is handled. The opening
situation developes itse