Chapter 26 of Down the River is here in full — 693 sentences across 139 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of Down the River is here in full — 693 sentences across 139 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CONCLUSION. "You are the fellow that stole the money Ethan sent me," squealed Miss Larrabee, as I entered the office. "Not much," I replied. "O, but I know you did it; Ham Fishley says so, and I reckon he knows who took it." "I reckon he does, too," I answered, as I took a seat assigned to me by the constable.
Chapter 26 of Down the River is here in full — 693 sentences across 139 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/138 · 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.
appointed to a post or duty
From this reading “"I reckon he does, too," I answered, as I took a seat assigned to me by the constable.”
a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration
From this reading “CONCLUSION.”
a lawman with less authority and jurisdiction than a sheriff
From this reading “"I reckon he does, too," I answered, as I took a seat assigned to me by the constable.”
meat cut from the thigh of a hog (usually smoked)
From this reading “"O, but I know you did it; Ham Fishley says so, and I reckon he knows who took it."”
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading “"You are the fellow that stole the money Ethan sent me," squealed Miss Larrabee, as I entered the office.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “"O, but I know you did it; Ham Fishley says so, and I reckon he knows who took it."”
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading “"I reckon he does, too," I answered, as I took a seat assigned to me by the constable.”
a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women
From this reading “"You are the fellow that stole the money Ethan sent me," squealed Miss Larrabee, as I entered the office.”
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 "I reckon he does, too," I answered, as I took a seat assigned to me by the constable.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "O, but I know you did it; Ham Fishley says so, and I reckon he knows who took it."
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "I reckon he does, too," I answered, as I took a seat assigned to me by the constable.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You are the fellow that stole the money Ethan sent me," squealed Miss Larrabee, as I entered the office.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "You are the fellow that stole the money Ethan sent me," squealed Miss Larrabee, as I entered the office.
appointed to a post or duty
From this reading "I reckon he does, too," I answered, as I took a seat assigned to me by the constable.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "O, but I know you did it; Ham Fishley says so, and I reckon he knows who took it."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "I reckon he does, too," I answered, as I took a seat assigned to me by the constable.
a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration
From this reading CONCLUSION.
a lawman with less authority and jurisdiction than a sheriff
From this reading "I reckon he does, too," I answered, as I took a seat assigned to me by the constable.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "O, but I know you did it; Ham Fishley says so, and I reckon he knows who took it."
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I reckon he does, too," I answered, as I took a seat assigned to me by the constable.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading "You are the fellow that stole the money Ethan sent me," squealed Miss Larrabee, as I entered the office.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You are the fellow that stole the money Ethan sent me," squealed Miss Larrabee, as I entered the office.
a boy or man
From this reading "You are the fellow that stole the money Ethan sent me," squealed Miss Larrabee, as I entered the office.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "O, but I know you did it; Ham Fishley says so, and I reckon he knows who took it."
meat cut from the thigh of a hog (usually smoked)
From this reading "O, but I know you did it; Ham Fishley says so, and I reckon he knows who took it."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "O, but I know you did it; Ham Fishley says so, and I reckon he knows who took it."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "You are the fellow that stole the money Ethan sent me," squealed Miss Larrabee, as I entered the office.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "O, but I know you did it; Ham Fishley says so, and I reckon he knows who took it."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "O, but I know you did it; Ham Fishley says so, and I reckon he knows who took it."
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading "O, but I know you did it; Ham Fishley says so, and I reckon he knows who took it."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You are the fellow that stole the money Ethan sent me," squealed Miss Larrabee, as I entered the office.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You are the fellow that stole the money Ethan sent me," squealed Miss Larrabee, as I entered the office.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "You are the fellow that stole the money Ethan sent me," squealed Miss Larrabee, as I entered the office.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading "You are the fellow that stole the money Ethan sent me," squealed Miss Larrabee, as I entered the office.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "Not much," I replied.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not much," I replied.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading "O, but I know you did it; Ham Fishley says so, and I reckon he knows who took it."
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading "You are the fellow that stole the money Ethan sent me," squealed Miss Larrabee, as I entered the office.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading "O, but I know you did it; Ham Fishley says so, and I reckon he knows who took it."
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Not much," I replied.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "O, but I know you did it; Ham Fishley says so, and I reckon he knows who took it."
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading "I reckon he does, too," I answered, as I took a seat assigned to me by the constable.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading "You are the fellow that stole the money Ethan sent me," squealed Miss Larrabee, as I entered the office.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "O, but I know you did it; Ham Fishley says so, and I reckon he knows who took it."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You are the fellow that stole the money Ethan sent me," squealed Miss Larrabee, as I entered the office.
a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women
From this reading "You are the fellow that stole the money Ethan sent me," squealed Miss Larrabee, as I entered the office.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "You are the fellow that stole the money Ethan sent me," squealed Miss Larrabee, as I entered the office.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You are the fellow that stole the money Ethan sent me," squealed Miss Larrabee, as I entered the office.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I reckon he does, too," I answered, as I took a seat assigned to me by the constable.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "I reckon he does, too," I answered, as I took a seat assigned to me by the constable.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading "O, but I know you did it; Ham Fishley says so, and I reckon he knows who took it."
which person or people
From this reading "O, but I know you did it; Ham Fishley says so, and I reckon he knows who took it."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You are the fellow that stole the money Ethan sent me," squealed Miss Larrabee, as I entered the office.
Chapter 26 of Down the River by Oliver Optic holds 693 sentences, grouped into 139 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 26 holds 693 sentences of Down the River, unabridged, divided into 139 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of Down the River by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 693 sentences, grouped into 139 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 139 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 139 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 26 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 Down the River by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3858 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24283 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24283, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 321 minutes of reading across 772 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Down the River section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Down the River 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 Down the River, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
