Charlotte’s Web
(Fry Grade Level: Fifth Grade)
By E.B. White
Chapter 1
1. “Where’s Papa going with that ax?” said Fern to her mother as they
were setting the table for breakfast.
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2. “Out to the hoghouse,” replied Mrs. Arable.
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3. “Some pigs were born last night.”
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4. “I don’t see why he needs an ax,” continued Fern, who was only
eight.
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5. “Well,” said her mother, “one of the pigs is a runt.
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6. It’s very small and weak, and it will never amount to anything.
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7. So your father has decided to do away with it.”
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8. “Do away with it?” shrieked Fern. 9. “You mean kill it?
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10. Just because it’s smaller than the others?”
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11. Mrs. Arable put a pitcher of cream on the table.
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12. “Don’t yell, Fern!” she said. 13. “Your father is right.
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14. The pig would probably die anyway.”
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15. Fern pushed a chair out of the way and ran outdoors.
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16. The grass was wet and the earth smelled of springtime.
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17. Fern’s sneakers were sopping by the time she caught
up with her father.
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18. “Please don’t kill it!” she sobbed. 19. “It’s unfair.”
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20. Mr. Arable stopped walking.
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21. “Fern,” he said gently, “you will have to learn to
control yourself.”
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22. “Control myself?” yelled Fern. 23. “This is a matter of life
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and death, and you talk about controlling myself.” 24. Tears ran down
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her cheeks and she took hold of the ax and tried to pull it out of her
father’s hand.
25. “Fern,” said Mr. Arable, “I know more about raising a litter
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of pigs than you do. 26. A weakling makes trouble. 27. Now run along!” 25. _________
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28. “But it’s unfair,” cried Fern. 29. “The pig couldn’t help being 28. _________
born small, could it? 30. If I had been very small at birth, would you
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have killed me?”
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31. Mr. Arable smiled. “Certainly not,” he said, looking down at
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his daughter with love. 32. “But this is different. 33. A little girl is one
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thing, a little runty pig is another.”
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34. “I see no difference,” replied Fern, still hanging on to the ax.
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35. “This is the most terrible case of injustice I ever heard of.”
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36. A queer look came over John Arable’s face.
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37. He seemed almost ready to cry himself.
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38. “All right,” he said, “You go back to the house and I will
bring the runt when I come in. 39. I’ll let you start it on a bottle, like a
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baby. 40. Then you’ll see what trouble a pig can be.”
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41. When Mr. Arable returned to the house half an hour later,
he carried a carton under his arm. 42. Fern was upstairs changing her
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sneakers. 43. The kitchen table was set for breakfast, and the room
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smelled of coffee, bacon, damp plaster, and wood smoke from the stove.
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44. “Put it on her chair!” said Mrs. Arable. 45. Mr. Arable set the 44. _________
carton down at Fern’s place. 46. Then he walked to the sink and washed
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his hands and dried them on the roller towel.
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47. Fern came slowly down the stairs. 48. Her eyes were red
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from crying. 49. As she approached her chair the carton wobbled, and
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there was a scratching noise. 50. Fern looked at her father. 51. Then she
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lifted the lid of the carton. 52. There, inside, looking up at her, was the
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newborn pig. It was a white one. 53. The morning light shone through
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its ears, turning them pink.
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54. “He’s yours,” said Mr. Arable. 55. “Saved from an untimely
death. 56. And may the good Lord forgive me for this foolishness.”
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57. Fern couldn’t take her eyes off the tiny pig.
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58. “Oh,” she whispered. “Oh, look at him! 59. He’s absolutely perfect.”
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60. She closed the carton carefully. 61. First she kissed her
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father, then she kissed her mother. 62. Then she opened the lid again,
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lifted the pig out, and held it against her cheek. 63. At this moment her
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brother Avery came into the room. 64. Avery was ten. 65. He was
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heavily armed--an air rifle in one hand, a wooden dagger in the other.
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66. “What’s that?” he demanded. 67. “What’s Fern got?”
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68. “She’s got a guest for breakfast,” said Mrs. Arable.
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69. “Wash your hands and face, Avery!”
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70. “Let’s see it!” said Avery, setting his gun down.
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71. “You call that miserable thing a pig? 72. That’s a fine specimen
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of a pig--it’s no bigger than a white rat.”
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73. “Wash up and eat your breakfast, Avery!” said his mother.
74. “The school bus will be along in half an hour.”
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75. “Can I have a pig too, Pop?” asked Avery
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76. “No, I only distribute pigs to early risers,” said Mr. Arable.
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77. “Fern was up at daylight, trying to rid the world of injustice.
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78. As a result, she now has a pig. 79. A small one, to be sure, but
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nevertheless a pig. 80. It just shows what can happen if a person gets
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out of bed promptly. 81. Let’s eat!”
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82. But Fern couldn’t eat until her pig had had a drink of milk.
83. Mrs. Arable found a baby’s nursing bottle and a rubber nipple.
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84. She poured warm milk into the bottle, fitted the nipple over the top,
and handed it to Fern.
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85. “Give him his breakfast!” she said.
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86. A minute later, Fern was seated on the floor in the corner of
the kitchen with her infant between her knees teaching it to suck from a
bottle. 87. The pig, although tiny, had a good appetite and caught on
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quickly.
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88. The school bus honked from the road.
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89. “Run!” commanded Mrs. Arable, taking the pig from Fern
and slipping a doughnut into her hand. 90. Avery grabbed his gun and
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another doughnut.
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91. The children ran out to the road and climbed into the bus.
92. Fern took no notice of the others in the bus.
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93. She just sat and stared out of the window, thinking what a
blissful world it was and how lucky she was to have entire charge of a
pig. 94. By the time the bus reached school, Fern had named her pet,
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selecting the most beautiful name she could think of.
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95. “Its name is Wilbur,” she whispered to herself.
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96. She was still thinking about the pig when the teacher said:
“Fern, what is the capital of Pennsylvania?”
97. “Wilbur,” replied Fern, dreamily. 98. The pupils giggled.
99. Fern blushed.
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