scorcher [Colloquial] a very hot day.
composition-paper suitcase a cheap cardboard suitcase.
vagrant a person who wanders from place to place without a regular job, supporting himself by begging, etc.
extradite to turn over (a person accused or convicted of a crime) to the jurisdiction of another country, state, etc. where the crime was allegedly committed.
Chautauqua meeting one of various late 19th and early 20th century meetings that were often held outdoors in tents and featured lectures, concerts, and plays, in addition to popular education.
rig to put together, prepare for use, or arrange, esp. in a makeshift or hurried fashion.
halyards a rope or tackle for raising or lowering a flag, sail, etc.
caricatured rubes unsophisticated people whose characteristics have been exaggerated.
Coxey’s Army In 1894, Jacob Sechler Coxey (1854-1951), an entrepreneur, joined with Carl Browne, a revivalist, to lead a group of 500 unemployed people, a “living petition,” from Massillon, Ohio, to Washington, D.C., in support of his plan for national reconstruction. The marchers became known as “Coxey’s Army,” and the demonstration when Coxey was arrested for demonstrating on the Capitol lawn.
hawker one who advertises or peddles (goods) in the streets by shouting.
hoist to raise aloft; lift or pull up, esp. by means of a cable, pulley, crane, etc.
toots a ragged fanfare plays a song on a trumpet or horn.
frond the leaf of a palm or fern.
privy a toilet; esp. an outhouse.
Bible Belt [coined (c.1925) by Henry Louis Mencken] those regions of the U.S., particularly areas in the South, where fundamentalist beliefs prevail and Christian clergy are especially influential.
Elijah a Hebrew prophet mentioned in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.
monkeyshines [Colloquial] a mischievous or playful trick, joke, or prank.
Lion-Hearted Richard I (1157-1199), King of England. His courage in battle earned him the title of Coeur de Lion (Lion-Hearted).
county cooler a county jail.
pith helmet a light-weight hat made from the soft, spongy, tissue that is often worn in hot, humid climates.
suffrage the right to vote, esp. in political elections.
President Wilson (1856-1924), 28th president of the United States (1913-1921).
agape with the mouth wide open, in surprise, wonder, etc., gaping.
repast food and drink for a meal.
fit on the old armor prepare for battle.
heathen dogma a doctrine, tenet, or belief that does not relate to God or the Bible.
agnostic a person who believes that the human mind cannot know whether there is a God or an ultimate cause, or anything beyond material phenomena.
Goliath a gigantic Philistine warrior who taunted Israelis forces. Because of his large size, people were frightened of him. Finally, David fought Goliath with his sling and five smooth stones. He hit Goliath in the head causing him to fall and then took Goliath’s sword and killed him.
St. George a figure in a legend similar to that of David and Goliath. In this legend, the only source of water for a great city was an oasis that was guarded by a dragon that would kill the youths who tried to get water. Finally, the king’s daughter, the only youth left to try to get water, went to the oasis. St. George rode up on a white horse and killed the dragon with a lance. The king gave St. George half of his kingdom and his daughter’s hand in marriage.
fray a noisy quarrel or fight; brawl.
Sodom and Gomorrah two cities mentioned in the Bible, well known for their wicked and inhospitable ways, that were destroyed by God. The cities are symbols of human sinfulness and God’s punishment for such.
tear sheet a sheet torn, or taken in unbound form, from a publication for special distribution.
Happy Hooligan, Barney Google, and Abe Kabibble famous newspaper comic strips.
Socrates (469-399 b.c.) Greek philosopher and mentor of Plato. He developed the Socratic method of inquiry, based on reason and self-knowledge. He believed in doing what one thought was right, even if it meant facing the opposition of all others. Socrates was charged with impiety and corruption of youth and sentenced to death.
Dreyfus a scapegoat or one who is wrongly accused. Captain Alfred Dreyfus (1859-1935), a Jewish officer in the French Army, was accused of sending secret military documents to the German military. He was convicted of treason, court-martialed, and exiled. Later, it was discovered that Major Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy, a Hungarian with German connections, was the guilty party. Dreyfus had been a convenient scapegoat. In 1906, he was proclaimed innocent.
Romeo a character from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. A Montague, he was in love with the daughter of a Capulet, Juliet, enemy of his family.
Little Eva an angelic child in the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1851-1852) by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Of frail health, she dies. Also a possible reference to Eve, Adam’s wife, in the Book of Genesis of the Bible
Tree of Knowledge the tree in the Garden of Eden from which Adam and Eve ate.
hinterland an area far from big cities and towns; back country.
plumbing in their heads brains.
Henry’s Lizzie Henry Ford’s first automobile model, the Model T, also known as the “Tin Lizzie.”
flivver a small, cheap automobile, esp. an old one.
Marconi Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937), an Italian electrical engineer who invented the first radio-signaling system.
Montgomery Ward the oldest mail-order business in the United States, launched by Aaron Montgomery Ward in 1872.
