The Old Tree

This passage is about a very old tree that has been growing in a woman's front yard.

Lexile Level: 770L

Categories: Animals & Nature

The tree growing in Mrs. Passmore's front yard was the biggest one in town. It was a huge, old oak that towered above all the others. Its bark was grey and scaly, and it was rough to the touch. On one side of the tree was an ancient scar. It was round and as big as a pie plate. Its outer ridges stuck out five or six inches from the surface of the trunk. They were rounded and smooth. It was a scar from where a branch had grown at one time. Long ago, farther back than anyone in town could remember, the branch must have broken off. Now, all that was left was the healed-over wound. On the opposite side of the tree, about two to four feet off the ground, were three parallel grooves. These were the scars made by an old wire fence that had become embedded in the oak as it grew.