Chapter I · Chapter 1

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading It was a Saturday morning in December at the Indian Mission School.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Two young Sioux girls were going up the stairs--Hannah Straight Tree and Cordelia Running Bird.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading It was a Saturday morning in December at the Indian Mission School.

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings

From this reading Two young Sioux girls were going up the stairs--Hannah Straight Tree and Cordelia Running Bird.

blowing in violent and abrupt bursts

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing

From this reading The two girls drew a heavy breath in prospect of the difficult task that confronted them.

a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

plural of “child” — a young person of either sex

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

not characterized by emotion

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

the act of making something clean

From this reading It was their Saturday for cleaning.

past form of “confront” — oppose, as in hostility or a competition

From this reading The two girls drew a heavy breath in prospect of the difficult task that confronted them.

seemingly without interruption

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Two young Sioux girls were going up the stairs--Hannah Straight Tree and Cordelia Running Bird.

a member of the Siouan people of the northern Mississippi valley; commonly called the Sioux

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

the last (12th) month of the year

From this reading It was a Saturday morning in December at the Indian Mission School.

not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

From this reading The two girls drew a heavy breath in prospect of the difficult task that confronted them.

plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

not airtight

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)

From this reading The two girls drew a heavy breath in prospect of the difficult task that confronted them.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading It was their Saturday for cleaning.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

plural of “girl” — a young female

From this reading Two young Sioux girls were going up the stairs--Hannah Straight Tree and Cordelia Running Bird.

the act of departing

From this reading Two young Sioux girls were going up the stairs--Hannah Straight Tree and Cordelia Running Bird.

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

plural of “hall” — an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Two young Sioux girls were going up the stairs--Hannah Straight Tree and Cordelia Running Bird.

of comparatively great physical weight or density

From this reading The two girls drew a heavy breath in prospect of the difficult task that confronted them.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading It was a Saturday morning in December at the Indian Mission School.

of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures

From this reading It was a Saturday morning in December at the Indian Mission School.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was a Saturday morning in December at the Indian Mission School.

(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

an organization of missionaries in a foreign land sent to carry on religious work

From this reading It was a Saturday morning in December at the Indian Mission School.

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading It was a Saturday morning in December at the Indian Mission School.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The two girls drew a heavy breath in prospect of the difficult task that confronted them.

being on the outside or further from a center

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

plural of “plain” — extensive tract of level open land

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

the possibility of future success

From this reading The two girls drew a heavy breath in prospect of the difficult task that confronted them.

worried and uneasy

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream

From this reading Two young Sioux girls were going up the stairs--Hannah Straight Tree and Cordelia Running Bird.

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading It was a Saturday morning in December at the Indian Mission School.

an educational institution

From this reading It was a Saturday morning in December at the Indian Mission School.

a member of a group of North American Indian peoples who spoke a Siouan language and who ranged from Lake Michigan to the Rocky Mountains

From this reading Two young Sioux girls were going up the stairs--Hannah Straight Tree and Cordelia Running Bird.

a flight of stairs or a flight of steps

From this reading Two young Sioux girls were going up the stairs--Hannah Straight Tree and Cordelia Running Bird.

a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

successive (without a break)

From this reading Two young Sioux girls were going up the stairs--Hannah Straight Tree and Cordelia Running Bird.

possessing sweep

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted

From this reading The two girls drew a heavy breath in prospect of the difficult task that confronted them.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The two girls drew a heavy breath in prospect of the difficult task that confronted them.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading It was a Saturday morning in December at the Indian Mission School.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading It was their Saturday for cleaning.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading The two girls drew a heavy breath in prospect of the difficult task that confronted them.

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

in every part of a place, or for the whole of a period

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms

From this reading Two young Sioux girls were going up the stairs--Hannah Straight Tree and Cordelia Running Bird.

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading Two young Sioux girls were going up the stairs--Hannah Straight Tree and Cordelia Running Bird.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Two young Sioux girls were going up the stairs--Hannah Straight Tree and Cordelia Running Bird.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was a Saturday morning in December at the Indian Mission School.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Two young Sioux girls were going up the stairs--Hannah Straight Tree and Cordelia Running Bird.

in or at the place that

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox

From this reading The great unplastered mission building was a chilly place throughout the winter, and the halls and stairway that morning were drafty from the blustering wind that swept the Dakota plains and came through the outer doors below, where restless children kept going to and fro continually.

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading Two young Sioux girls were going up the stairs--Hannah Straight Tree and Cordelia Running Bird.