THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY #2: THE HAUNTED HALL Chapter 10: “Duke to the Rescue”

Plot synopsis: Duke arrives on his Honda to find the helicopter on the lawn (“which looks like a strange bird”), Satan Mansion on fire and Turnbull in his bathrobe and sandals dancing on the lawn. He doesn’t see the Partridges, so he rushes to the front door of the house where he hears cries and knocking from the other side. He finds the doors locked, but after some work playing with the handles, he opens the door. (Aside: the front door lock is apparently an invention of Turnbull’s. It allows one to lock the door from the outside, so those on the inside can’t get out but a little finagling allows someone from the outside to get in. The utility of this ‘invention’ is never satisfactorily explained.) The Partridges, Kinkaid and Jingo emerge from the house (“a mass of humanity spilled on by him”.) They talk to Turnbull and discover he is the owner of the house and the starter of the fire. Turnbull goes from exhilaration to tears, realizing he is losing his mansion. He tells them about its special features, such as the sound proof bedroom that frightens visitors with scary sounds in the night (explaining the sounds that only Laurie heard.) The Larkland fire department arrives, too late to save the mansion, but able to give the Partridges a ride to the concert when they find that the vehicles have been drained of gas.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Character Development: Keith is portrayed as a child, unable to contribute in an emergency, unlike Jingo, Kinkaid, and even Duke. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Relevant Social Issues: “Fire Safety” (Duke mocks the Larkland fire department for arriving too late to save the house, but Jingo points out that it is fortunate they came at all to such a remote location.) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Hip Slang: “Pulled our fat out of the fire”, “This has been some wienie roast”, “Phew!” and bonus nonverbal slang (“Jingo looked at Duke and raised his hand in a salute – the Peace gesture.”) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Contemporary Pop Culture References: Apparently, too much action was taking place for any such references. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Favorite sentences: “Though Laurie had slept soundly through the sounds of sobs and chains, at least she knew she hadn’t imagined the sound of the horrible laughter.” “A soft cool breeze washed over the panorama of waiting people.”