Buffalo Bill's Bold Play

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of Buffalo Bill's Bold Play is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Prentiss Ingraham • Curated US English Learning Edition

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THE SHERIFF’S WARNING.

Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

His full jaws had a sleek, round, well-fed look, which, with his eyes, gave him a fancied resemblance to the thick-cheeked, pouched gopher of the West, and had conferred on him the name by which he was best known.

In another respect the saloon keeper was like the gopher: He worked underground.

Though in secret connection with most of the “bad” men of Blossom Range, he had managed to hide the fact from the general knowledge of the public.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XVI Reading 1/26

Buffalo Bill's Bold Play Prentiss Ingraham

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of Buffalo Bill's Bold Play is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

THE SHERIFF’S WARNING. Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him. His full jaws had a sleek, round, well-fed look, which, with his eyes, gave him a fancied resemblance to the thick-cheeked, pouched gopher of the West, and had conferred on him the name by which he was best known. In another respect the saloon keeper was like the gopher: He worked underground. Though in secret connection with most of the “bad” men of Blossom Range, he had managed to hide the fact from the general knowledge of the public.

Buffalo Bill's Bold Play

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of Buffalo Bill's Bold Play is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/26 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

THE SHERIFF’S WARNING.

/ðə ˈʃerəfs ˈwɔːrnɪŋ/

Line 2

Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

Line 3

Line 4

In another respect the saloon keeper was like the gopher: He worked underground.

/ɪn əˈnʌðər rɪˈspekt ðə səˈluːn ˈkiːpər wɑːz laɪk ðə ˈɡoʊfər hiː wɜːrkt ˈʌndərɡraʊnd/

Line 5

Though in secret connection with most of the “bad” men of Blossom Range, he had managed to hide the fact from the general knowledge of the public.

/ðoʊ ɪn ˈsiː.krət kəˈnekʃən wɪð moʊst ʌv ðə bæd men ʌv ˈblɑːsəm reɪndʒ hiː hæd ˈmænədʒd tuː haɪd ðə fækt frʌm ðə ˈdʒenərəl ˈnɑːlədʒ ʌv ðə ˈpʌblɪk/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Blossom verb US /ˈblɑːsəm/

produce or yield flowers

From this reading “Though in secret connection with most of the “bad” men of Blossom Range, he had managed to hide the fact from the general knowledge of the public.”

conferred verb US /kənˈfɜːrd/

inflected form of “confer” — have a conference in order to talk something over

From this reading “His full jaws had a sleek, round, well-fed look, which, with his eyes, gave him a fancied resemblance to the thick-cheeked, pouched gopher of the West, and had conferred on him the name by which he was best known.”

gopher noun US /ˈɡoʊfər/

a zealously energetic person (especially a salesman)

From this reading “Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.”

jaws noun US /dʒɔːz/

plural of “jaw” — the part of the skull of a vertebrate that frames the mouth and holds the teeth

keeper noun US /ˈkiːpər/

someone in charge of other people

From this reading “In another respect the saloon keeper was like the gopher: He worked underground.”

sheriff's noun US /ˈʃerəfs/

possessive form of “sheriff” — the principal law-enforcement officer in a county

sleek adjective US /sliːk/

well-groomed and neatly tailored; especially too well-groomed

underground adjective US /ˈʌndərɡraʊnd/

under the level of the ground

From this reading “In another respect the saloon keeper was like the gopher: He worked underground.”

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

on the table preposition + article + noun counted as “on … table”

able to be negotiated or arranged by compromise

In this reading “Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.”

conferred on verb + particle counted as “confer on”

In this reading “His full jaws had a sleek, round, well-fed look, which, with his eyes, gave him a fancied resemblance to the thick-cheeked, pouched gopher of the West, and had conferred on him the name by which he was best known.”

general knowledge adjective + noun

knowledge that is available to anyone

In this reading “Though in secret connection with most of the “bad” men of Blossom Range, he had managed to hide the fact from the general knowledge of the public.”

All words in this reading · 70

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading His full jaws had a sleek, round, well-fed look, which, with his eyes, gave him a fancied resemblance to the thick-cheeked, pouched gopher of the West, and had conferred on him the name by which he was best known.

anotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading In another respect the saloon keeper was like the gopher: He worked underground.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

badadjectiveUS /bæd/

having undesirable or negative qualities

From this reading Though in secret connection with most of the “bad” men of Blossom Range, he had managed to hide the fact from the general knowledge of the public.

beernounUS /bɪr/

a general name for alcoholic beverages made by fermenting a cereal (or mixture of cereals) flavored with hops

From this reading Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

bestnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

BlossomverbUS /ˈblɑːsəm/

produce or yield flowers

From this reading Though in secret connection with most of the “bad” men of Blossom Range, he had managed to hide the fact from the general knowledge of the public.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

conferredverbUS /kənˈfɜːrd/

inflected form of “confer” — have a conference in order to talk something over

connectionnounUS /kəˈnekʃən/

a relation between things or events (as in the case of one causing the other or sharing features with it)

From this reading Though in secret connection with most of the “bad” men of Blossom Range, he had managed to hide the fact from the general knowledge of the public.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

factnounUS /fækt/

a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred

From this reading Though in secret connection with most of the “bad” men of Blossom Range, he had managed to hide the fact from the general knowledge of the public.

fanciedadjectiveUS /ˈfænsid/

formed or conceived by the imagination

fatadjectiveUS /fæt/

having an (over)abundance of flesh

From this reading Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Though in secret connection with most of the “bad” men of Blossom Range, he had managed to hide the fact from the general knowledge of the public.

fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

Gabe

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

From this reading Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

gaveverbUS /ɡeɪv/

inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

generaladjectiveUS /ˈdʒenərəl/

applying to all or most members of a category or group

From this reading Though in secret connection with most of the “bad” men of Blossom Range, he had managed to hide the fact from the general knowledge of the public.

GophernounUS /ˈɡoʊfər/

a zealously energetic person (especially a salesman)

From this reading Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

hideverbUS /haɪd/

prevent from being seen or discovered

From this reading Though in secret connection with most of the “bad” men of Blossom Range, he had managed to hide the fact from the general knowledge of the public.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

jawsnounUS /dʒɔːz/

plural of “jaw” — the part of the skull of a vertebrate that frames the mouth and holds the teeth

keepernounUS /ˈkiːpər/

someone in charge of other people

From this reading In another respect the saloon keeper was like the gopher: He worked underground.

knowledgenounUS /ˈnɑːlədʒ/

the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning

From this reading Though in secret connection with most of the “bad” men of Blossom Range, he had managed to hide the fact from the general knowledge of the public.

knownadjectiveUS /noʊn/

apprehended with certainty

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading In another respect the saloon keeper was like the gopher: He worked underground.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

managedverbUS /ˈmænədʒd/

past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal

From this reading Though in secret connection with most of the “bad” men of Blossom Range, he had managed to hide the fact from the general knowledge of the public.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading Though in secret connection with most of the “bad” men of Blossom Range, he had managed to hide the fact from the general knowledge of the public.

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading Though in secret connection with most of the “bad” men of Blossom Range, he had managed to hide the fact from the general knowledge of the public.

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

pouchedadjective

having a pouch

publicnounUS /ˈpʌblɪk/

people in general considered as a whole

From this reading Though in secret connection with most of the “bad” men of Blossom Range, he had managed to hide the fact from the general knowledge of the public.

RangenounUS /reɪndʒ/

an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"

From this reading Though in secret connection with most of the “bad” men of Blossom Range, he had managed to hide the fact from the general knowledge of the public.

rat-eyed

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

From this reading Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

resemblancenounUS /rɪˈzembləns/

similarity in appearance or external or superficial details

respectnounUS /rɪˈspekt/

(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point

From this reading In another respect the saloon keeper was like the gopher: He worked underground.

roomsnounUS /ruːmz/

apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)

From this reading Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

roundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

saloonnounUS /səˈluːn/

a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter

From this reading Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

satnounUS /sæt/

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

From this reading Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

schoonernounUS /ˈskuːnər/

a large beer glass

From this reading Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

secretnounUS /ˈsiː.krət/

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

From this reading Though in secret connection with most of the “bad” men of Blossom Range, he had managed to hide the fact from the general knowledge of the public.

SHERIFF'SnounUS /ˈʃerəfs/

possessive form of “sheriff” — the principal law-enforcement officer in a county

From this reading THE SHERIFF’S WARNING.

sleekadjectiveUS /sliːk/

well-groomed and neatly tailored; especially too well-groomed

tablenounUS /ˈteɪbəl/

a set of data arranged in rows and columns

From this reading Gopher Gabe, fat but rat-eyed, sat in one of the little rooms back of his saloon, a schooner of beer on the table before him.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE SHERIFF’S WARNING.

thick-cheeked

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

ThoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading Though in secret connection with most of the “bad” men of Blossom Range, he had managed to hide the fact from the general knowledge of the public.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

undergroundadjectiveUS /ˈʌndərɡraʊnd/

under the level of the ground

From this reading In another respect the saloon keeper was like the gopher: He worked underground.

WARNINGnounUS /ˈwɔːrnɪŋ/

a message informing of danger

From this reading THE SHERIFF’S WARNING.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

well-fedadjective

properly nourished

WestnounUS /west/

the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

workedverbUS /wɜːrkt/

past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading In another respect the saloon keeper was like the gopher: He worked underground.

Chapter 16 of Buffalo Bill's Bold Play by Prentiss Ingraham holds 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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.

What does chapter 16 of Buffalo Bill's Bold Play contain?

Chapter 16 holds 133 sentences of Buffalo Bill's Bold Play, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 16 of Buffalo Bill's Bold Play by Prentiss Ingraham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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.

How do I study chapter 16 of Buffalo Bill's Bold Play?

Work through the 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 27 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.

Can chapter 16 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 16 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.

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Is this the complete text of Buffalo Bill's Bold Play?

Yes. All 5616 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63705 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #63705, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 468 minutes of reading across 1124 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Buffalo Bill's Bold Play

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Author: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Buffalo Bill's Bold Play; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
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Chapter XVI

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