Chapter 6 of Andiron Tales is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Andiron Tales is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Literary Bellows "What kept you so long?" asked the Poker, as the Andiron and Bellows came up. "Was our friend Bellows out of breath, or what?" "No, I wasn't out of breath," said the Bellows. "I never am out of breath. You might as well expect a groceryman to be out of groceries as a bellows to be out of breath.
Chapter 6 of Andiron Tales is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
metal supports for logs in a fireplace
From this reading “The Literary Bellows "What kept you so long?" asked the Poker, as the Andiron and Bellows came up.”
(used in the plural) a mechanical device that blows a strong current of air; used to make a fire burn more fiercely or to sound a musical instrument
From this reading “The Literary Bellows "What kept you so long?" asked the Poker, as the Andiron and Bellows came up.”
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading “"Was our friend Bellows out of breath, or what?"”
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “You might as well expect a groceryman to be out of groceries as a bellows to be out of breath.”
plural of “grocery” — a marketplace where groceries are sold
From this reading “You might as well expect a groceryman to be out of groceries as a bellows to be out of breath.”
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading “The Literary Bellows "What kept you so long?" asked the Poker, as the Andiron and Bellows came up.”
of or relating to or characteristic of literature
From this reading “The Literary Bellows "What kept you so long?" asked the Poker, as the Andiron and Bellows came up.”
fire iron consisting of a metal rod with a handle; used to stir a fire
From this reading “The Literary Bellows "What kept you so long?" asked the Poker, as the Andiron and Bellows came up.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading You might as well expect a groceryman to be out of groceries as a bellows to be out of breath.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I never am out of breath.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Literary Bellows "What kept you so long?" asked the Poker, as the Andiron and Bellows came up.
metal supports for logs in a fireplace
From this reading The Literary Bellows "What kept you so long?" asked the Poker, as the Andiron and Bellows came up.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Literary Bellows "What kept you so long?" asked the Poker, as the Andiron and Bellows came up.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading The Literary Bellows "What kept you so long?" asked the Poker, as the Andiron and Bellows came up.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading You might as well expect a groceryman to be out of groceries as a bellows to be out of breath.
(used in the plural) a mechanical device that blows a strong current of air; used to make a fire burn more fiercely or to sound a musical instrument
From this reading The Literary Bellows "What kept you so long?" asked the Poker, as the Andiron and Bellows came up.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading "Was our friend Bellows out of breath, or what?"
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The Literary Bellows "What kept you so long?" asked the Poker, as the Andiron and Bellows came up.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading You might as well expect a groceryman to be out of groceries as a bellows to be out of breath.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading "Was our friend Bellows out of breath, or what?"
plural of “grocery” — a marketplace where groceries are sold
From this reading You might as well expect a groceryman to be out of groceries as a bellows to be out of breath.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You might as well expect a groceryman to be out of groceries as a bellows to be out of breath.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "No, I wasn't out of breath," said the Bellows.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading The Literary Bellows "What kept you so long?" asked the Poker, as the Andiron and Bellows came up.
of or relating to or characteristic of literature
From this reading The Literary Bellows "What kept you so long?" asked the Poker, as the Andiron and Bellows came up.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The Literary Bellows "What kept you so long?" asked the Poker, as the Andiron and Bellows came up.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading You might as well expect a groceryman to be out of groceries as a bellows to be out of breath.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "I never am out of breath.
not any; not one
From this reading "No, I wasn't out of breath," said the Bellows.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Was our friend Bellows out of breath, or what?"
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Was our friend Bellows out of breath, or what?"
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "Was our friend Bellows out of breath, or what?"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Was our friend Bellows out of breath, or what?"
fire iron consisting of a metal rod with a handle; used to stir a fire
From this reading The Literary Bellows "What kept you so long?" asked the Poker, as the Andiron and Bellows came up.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "No, I wasn't out of breath," said the Bellows.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The Literary Bellows "What kept you so long?" asked the Poker, as the Andiron and Bellows came up.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Literary Bellows "What kept you so long?" asked the Poker, as the Andiron and Bellows came up.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You might as well expect a groceryman to be out of groceries as a bellows to be out of breath.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The Literary Bellows "What kept you so long?" asked the Poker, as the Andiron and Bellows came up.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Was our friend Bellows out of breath, or what?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No, I wasn't out of breath," said the Bellows.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading You might as well expect a groceryman to be out of groceries as a bellows to be out of breath.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading The Literary Bellows "What kept you so long?" asked the Poker, as the Andiron and Bellows came up.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading The Literary Bellows "What kept you so long?" asked the Poker, as the Andiron and Bellows came up.
Chapter 6 of Andiron Tales by John Kendrick Bangs holds 156 sentences, grouped into 32 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 6 holds 156 sentences of Andiron Tales, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Andiron Tales by John Kendrick Bangs exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 156 sentences, grouped into 32 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 6 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Andiron Tales by John Kendrick Bangs on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1416 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24130 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24130, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 118 minutes of reading across 284 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Andiron Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Andiron Tales to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Andiron Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
