Text Leveling System

The Red Carpet

RDQ:	794	Max Word/Sent	41	Total Words	1232		Diff Words	488
Lex	700	Ave Word/.Sent	11	Hi Freq occurs	804	65.3%	Hi freq	168	34.4%
AR	3.3	Long Sentences	15.2	Low Freq occurs	72	5.8%	Low freq	61	12.5%

At the top of a hill on La Salle Avenue
Stood a little hotel. It was called the Bellevue.
It had green window boxes full of bright flowers...
A gaily striped awning to keep off the showers.
On special occasions the doorman in blue
Rolled out a lovely red carpet too!]] 
One day the head clerk 
told the doorman Jim West:
"I want the hotel 
to look at its best.]]
The Duke of Sultana 
is coming to stay. 
Get busy and clean up 
the front right away.
Shine up the doorknobs 
and sweep up the floor 
Then roll out the carpet 
right through the front door!"]] 
So the doorman cleaned up 
with a mop and a broom
Then he put them away
in a little back room....
He took out the carpet
they kept there in store
And laid it down gently
upon the smooth floor.
He took off the string
and the covering too
Then he gave it a push
with the toe of his shoe.]]
Swiftly it rolled down the corridor floor
Right through the lobby and out through the door...]]
Over the sidewalk where people were strolling.
Out to the curb - then...]]
It kept right on rolling!
Into the street dodging buses and hacks
Way out over the trolleycar tracks!]]
The doorman and clerk ran outside in surprise.
The doorman just couldn't believe his own eyes!
"I've rolled that red carpet out times by the score
But nothing like that ever happened before!"]]
The chief clerk look puzzled and scratched his head.
"You must have pushed it too hard!" he said.]]
In the meantime the carpet
rolled on down the hill.
Second by second
it rolled faster still!
Cars slammed their brakes on
with loud grunts and squeals.
Dogs left their masters
and barked at its heels!
The doorman ran after it
shouting out "Hey!"
Everyone rushed 
to get out of the way!]]
Right by the traffic policeman it sped
Just as the light was turning to red.
The cop blew his whistle. It took no heed.
It was going fast now and gathering speed.
"Bless me!" cried Officer Mike O'Shea.
"The hotel's red carpet has run away!"]]
Then zip! - it dashed through the public square
And folks on the benches jumped up in the air!
To Tony Tortoni it gave such a start
He upset every pretzel he had on his cart!]]
It was speeding so fast that the wind whistled Wheeee!
As it whizzed past the statue of General Lee!]]
When it came to the park gates
the carpet swerved right.
Through the center of town
it continued its flight.
It turned left at Pearl Street
and traveled down Main. . .
At the corner of Plum Street
it turned left again.
It weaved to and fro
in and out like a thread...]]
And soon the whole city was colored bright red!]]
As it flashed by his office the Mayor Mr. Potts
Cried "That carpet is typing this town into knots!
Arrest it at once! And restore peace and calm!"
He pressed on a buzzer and gave the alarm. . .
And from station houses all over the place
Policemen poured out to take up the chase!]]
The carpet sped south
down De Witt Avenue.
Then it headed out east
along Route 22.
It was bowling along
like a hat in a gale
With a squad of policemen
hot on its trail!
They crouched on their cycles;
their faces were scowling!
Their motors were roaring!
Their sirens were howling!]]
Up hill and down dale in great leaps and bounds
The carpet raced on like a hare chased by hounds
Past orchards and meadows where cattle were grazing...
Past silos and barns - its speed was amazing!
Across level-crossings and bridges it sped
Leaving behind it a trail of bright red!]]
"That's going to stop it!"
the leading cop said
When he saw them repairing 
the road up ahead.
But the carpet went whoosh
past the road-mending crew.
It didn't slow down
but it swept on right through...]]
It knocked down the sign flat
and it sent the lamps spinning
Just when it seemed
like policemen were winning.]]
Cruising along in their car near St. Clair
Two cops heard a warning come over the air.
"Attention Car 4!" they heard the voice say.
"Arrest a red carpet! It's coming your way!"]]
But they dived for the ditch - not a moment too soon - 
As the carpet shot over their heads with a zoom!]]
And then at a place
about two miles from Bode
The red carpet came 
to a sign in the rode.
The left arm said Ferry
the right read New York.
The carpet dashed on
and it took the left fork.
"Boys!" yelled the Police Chief.
"We'd sure better hurry!"
The carpet has taken
the road to the ferry!"]]
Lower they crouched
and they rode faster still ...
But the carpet sped on
o'er the brow of the hill.]]
It covered the yards to the dock
in a flash
And it flew off the end of the slip 
with a splash;
The policemen behind
all pulled up in a flock ...]]
Just as the ferry came into the dock!]]
And there at the ferry boat Annabel Lou
Was the Duke of Sultana and his retinue!
"My goodness!" he beamed when he saw the display.
"This is a tremendous surprise I must say! ...
A whole squad of police and a red carpet too
To welcome me here from the Hotel Bellevue!"]]
He shook hands with the Captain again and again
And the Captain was just too polite to explain.
So he smiled at the Duke and he called to his force:
"Now that we're here we must drive back of course!
We've finished our job so we might just as well
Escort the Duke back to the Bellevue Hotel!"]]
So they formed up a line two abreast in a file
That stretched down the road for almost a mile!
At the head rode the policemen; their sirens were screaming...
At the rear rode the Duke in his motorcar beaming...
Back they all rode as folks cheered and waved
On the bright scarlet path that the carpet had paved!]]
In the village and city
the townsfolk turned out
to welcome the Duke
and his men with a shout!
Newsmen took pictures...
Reporters took notes...
Broadcasting people
got hoarse in their throats!]]
It was not time at all
before everyone knew
Of the carpet the Duke
and the Hotel Bellevue!]]
And the Duke himself said as his car came to rest
"I've had many welcomes - but this is the best!
The warmth of your greeting fills me with much cheer!
When I come to town I shall always stay here!
And you can be sure I shall well recommend
The Bellevue Hotel to all of my friends!"]]
And he certainly told
every friend that he'd got!
(And he had many friends
for he traveled a lot.)
For guests came from London
and Paris and Kobe
And big towns and cities all over the globe!
And the fame of the inn spread so far and so wide
That they soon had to add a new wing on each side!]]
When you go to town
be sure and stay too.
At the home of the carpet - 
The Hotel Bellevue!
And you'll see the carpet
that served them so well...
It's the pride and the joy 
of the Bellevue Hotel!]]

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: Some support

Dialog: Simple

Vocabulary: More decoding/definition issues

Language: Few descriptive words

Sentences: Some Long/Complex

Text structure: Story/Poem

Concept: Fanciful

Features

Rhyming

Topic

Preparation

*Fictional Ideas/Charac

Low Frequency Words

abreast	awning	bode	corridor	crossings
crouched	curb	ferry	gaily	gale
gathering	general	grunts	heed	hoarse
hotel's	knots	kobe	level	lobby
meadows	meantime	mending	motors	newsmen
o'er	o'shea	occasions	orchards	paris
peace	pearl	policemen	pretzel	public
recommend	retinue	route	salle	scarlet
scowling	showers	silos	sirens	squad
statue	strolling	sultana	swept	swerved
swiftly	thread	tortoni	townsfolk	tremendous
trolleycar	warmth	weaved	whistled	whizzed
witt