Chapter 3 of Bessie Costrell is here in full — 536 sentences across 108 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Bessie Costrell is here in full — 536 sentences across 108 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"'Ow did any of us know what yer'd got in your box? Did yer ever show it to me, or Mary Anne there, or any livin' soul in Clinton? Did yer?" She waited, hawk-like, for the answer. "Did yer, John?" repeated Saunders, judicially.
Chapter 3 of Bessie Costrell is here in full — 536 sentences across 108 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/107 · 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.
Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading “Did yer ever show it to me, or Mary Anne there, or any livin' soul in Clinton?”
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading “"'Ow did any of us know what yer'd got in your box?”
wife of President Clinton and later a woman member of the United States Senate (1947-)
From this reading “Did yer ever show it to me, or Mary Anne there, or any livin' soul in Clinton?”
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “"Did yer, John?" repeated Saunders, judicially.”
as ordered by a court
From this reading “"Did yer, John?" repeated Saunders, judicially.”
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading “Did yer ever show it to me, or Mary Anne there, or any livin' soul in Clinton?”
recurring again and again
From this reading “"Did yer, John?" repeated Saunders, judicially.”
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “She waited, hawk-like, for the answer.”
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.
Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading Did yer ever show it to me, or Mary Anne there, or any livin' soul in Clinton?
react verbally
From this reading She waited, hawk-like, for the answer.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "'Ow did any of us know what yer'd got in your box?
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading "'Ow did any of us know what yer'd got in your box?
wife of President Clinton and later a woman member of the United States Senate (1947-)
From this reading Did yer ever show it to me, or Mary Anne there, or any livin' soul in Clinton?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "'Ow did any of us know what yer'd got in your box?
at any time
From this reading Did yer ever show it to me, or Mary Anne there, or any livin' soul in Clinton?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She waited, hawk-like, for the answer.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "'Ow did any of us know what yer'd got in your box?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She waited, hawk-like, for the answer.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "'Ow did any of us know what yer'd got in your box?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Did yer ever show it to me, or Mary Anne there, or any livin' soul in Clinton?
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading "Did yer, John?" repeated Saunders, judicially.
as ordered by a court
From this reading "Did yer, John?" repeated Saunders, judicially.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "'Ow did any of us know what yer'd got in your box?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Did yer ever show it to me, or Mary Anne there, or any livin' soul in Clinton?
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading Did yer ever show it to me, or Mary Anne there, or any livin' soul in Clinton?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Did yer ever show it to me, or Mary Anne there, or any livin' soul in Clinton?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "'Ow did any of us know what yer'd got in your box?
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Did yer ever show it to me, or Mary Anne there, or any livin' soul in Clinton?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'Ow did any of us know what yer'd got in your box?
recurring again and again
From this reading "Did yer, John?" repeated Saunders, judicially.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Did yer, John?" repeated Saunders, judicially.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She waited, hawk-like, for the answer.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Did yer ever show it to me, or Mary Anne there, or any livin' soul in Clinton?
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading Did yer ever show it to me, or Mary Anne there, or any livin' soul in Clinton?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She waited, hawk-like, for the answer.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Did yer ever show it to me, or Mary Anne there, or any livin' soul in Clinton?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Did yer ever show it to me, or Mary Anne there, or any livin' soul in Clinton?
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "'Ow did any of us know what yer'd got in your box?
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading She waited, hawk-like, for the answer.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "'Ow did any of us know what yer'd got in your box?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Did yer ever show it to me, or Mary Anne there, or any livin' soul in Clinton?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'Ow did any of us know what yer'd got in your box?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "'Ow did any of us know what yer'd got in your box?
Chapter 3 of Bessie Costrell by Humphry, Mrs. Ward holds 536 sentences, grouped into 108 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 3 holds 536 sentences of Bessie Costrell, unabridged, divided into 108 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Bessie Costrell by Humphry, Mrs. Ward exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 536 sentences, grouped into 108 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 108 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 108 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 3 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 Bessie Costrell by Humphry, Mrs. Ward on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1590 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22128 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22128, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 132 minutes of reading across 318 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Bessie Costrell section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Bessie Costrell 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 Bessie Costrell, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
