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Ralph’s Mother/Molly Moody
Grace Moody is Ralph’s sister. Though two years his senior, Grace does not have the same opportunities as Ralph because of her gender, a fact which she often resents. While Ralph gets to ride horses and cowherd, earning money for his family, Grace must watch over her siblings and help her mother around the house. Still, independently-minded Grace doesn’t let this stop her. Not only does she blackmail Ralph into letting her ride Fanny during his lunches, but when he goes to work for Mr. Copper, she takes his place operating the hay stacker at Fred Aultland’s. This suggests that gender barriers, while present in turn of the century Colorado, are not inflexible; so long as the work gets done, it does not matter as much who does it.
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Grace Moody Character Timeline in Little Britches
The timeline below shows where the character Grace Moody appears in Little Britches. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
...and his family are awoken by the sound of something knocking over the firewood, and Grace, Ralph’s older sister, screams that it's a mountain lion. Ralph’s mother forbids her husband from...
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...old bachelor, and Miss Wheeler, the local schoolteacher, arrive. Ralph’s parents talk about him and Grace going to school, and Ralph’s mother asks about the danger from coyotes. Carl reassures them...
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Chapter 3
Bessie Aultland takes Ralph and Grace to school. Despite Bessie’s warnings, Ralph’s mother has Ralph wear his Buster Brown suit and...
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...other schoolchildren. Miss Wheeler watches from the schoolhouse but lets the fight finish. She tells Grace to tell their mother that Ralph made his adjustment, but their mother is still upset...
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Chapter 4
...strap his feet around the donkey, and Ralph manages to stay on while it bucks. Grace is proud of Ralph and promises not to tell their mother.
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Ralph lies to Grace and his mother, claiming his father told him to take Nancy Hanks to drag crossties...
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Chapter 6
...father refinishes the new end of the bunkhouse, turning it into two bedrooms for Ralph, Grace, Philip, and Muriel. On Monday, Ralph’s father attempts to plow a new garden for his...
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Chapter 7
...At 10:00 they head over to Bear Creek, where they skip stones, swim, and fish. Grace claims to find gold, but her father recognizes it as fool’s gold. After their picnic,...
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Chapter 8
...scolds him. Ralph becomes a hero to his siblings for earning a full quarter, and Grace calculates how long it would take to buy a pony and a cart. Grace then...
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Chapter 9
At noon, Grace brings Ralph his lunch. While he eats, she tries to herd the cows herself. Ralph...
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Ralph is worried Grace “ruined” Fanny, but after only falling off her once that afternoon, he concludes Grace did...
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...he tries to herd the cows the way his father told him to, working until Grace arrives with lunch. He wants to show off to her, but ends up hurting himself...
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Chapter 10
...Mr. Thompson telling stories about his adventures fighting American Indians. Ralph’s mother lets Ralph and Grace stay up late to listen. In bed, Ralph begins to think about Two Dog sleeping...
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Chapter 14
...way to work. He reasons that a large head of water came down at night. Grace brings his dinner pail, and they speculate about what happened. Grace says their father has...
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...at Ralph’s house with many men, including Fred, Mr. Wright, and Mr. Corcoran. Ralph and Grace sneak outside to eavesdrop on the conversation. Fred asks Ralph’s father to propose a solution,...
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Chapter 15
Grace tells their parents about Mr. Lake’s visit, but she does not mention Ralph putting the...
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...she demands that he wear them all the time, a rule that Miss Wheeler and Grace reinforce. Ralph does not like wearing them, however, and after three days he mysteriously loses...
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Chapter 16
After dinner, Ralph’s parents discuss finances while Ralph and Grace do their homework. Ralph’s parents realize they are wealthier than anticipated and look the happiest...
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Chapter 17
While Grace and Ralph do schoolwork in the evening, their father also works, making plans for something...
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Chapter 18
Remembering how he and Grace used to get bags of candy in East Rochester, Ralph begins to yearn for chocolate....
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Chapter 20
...for Thanksgiving, picking up supplies and groceries from Denver. On Thanksgiving Day, Ralphs’s mother and Grace work to prepare the food, and Ralphs’ father lets Ralph drive Billy for the first...
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Christmas nears, and Ralph and Grace debate whether their parents are helping Santa get presents or not. On Christmas Day, they...
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Chapter 22
...gets a new brood mare named Lady, who soon gives birth to a colt, which Grace names Babe. Ralph’s father explains that they bought Lady with the receipts they earned from...
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...of food and make many improvements to their living situation. In the evenings, Ralph and Grace do their homework quickly to make time to play. They perform Shakespeare plays or cross-stitch...
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