Chapter 6 of Down the Snow Stairs is here in full — 257 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Down the Snow Stairs is here in full — 257 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DADDY COAX. KITTY stood looking at him, not quite knowing what to do, for she did not like to wake him. He looked such a dear old gentleman. He wore a snuff-colored coat and brown breeches, and a wig. Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.
Chapter 6 of Down the Snow Stairs is here in full — 257 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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.
(used in the plural) trousers ending above the knee
From this reading “He wore a snuff-colored coat and brown breeches, and a wig.”
influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
From this reading “DADDY COAX.”
tilt or slant to one side
From this reading “Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “DADDY COAX.”
the combined stakes of the betters
From this reading “KITTY stood looking at him, not quite knowing what to do, for she did not like to wake him.”
naughtily or annoyingly playful
From this reading “Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.”
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “KITTY stood looking at him, not quite knowing what to do, for she did not like to wake him.”
hairpiece covering the head and made of real or synthetic hair
From this reading “He wore a snuff-colored coat and brown breeches, and a wig.”
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.
In this reading “He looked such a dear old gentleman.”
In this reading “KITTY stood looking at him, not quite knowing what to do, for she did not like to wake him.”
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 He looked such a dear old gentleman.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He wore a snuff-colored coat and brown breeches, and a wig.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading KITTY stood looking at him, not quite knowing what to do, for she did not like to wake him.
(used in the plural) trousers ending above the knee
From this reading He wore a snuff-colored coat and brown breeches, and a wig.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading He wore a snuff-colored coat and brown breeches, and a wig.
a young person of either sex
From this reading Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading He wore a snuff-colored coat and brown breeches, and a wig.
influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
From this reading DADDY COAX.
tilt or slant to one side
From this reading Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading DADDY COAX.
dearly loved
From this reading He looked such a dear old gentleman.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading KITTY stood looking at him, not quite knowing what to do, for she did not like to wake him.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading KITTY stood looking at him, not quite knowing what to do, for she did not like to wake him.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading KITTY stood looking at him, not quite knowing what to do, for she did not like to wake him.
a man of refinement
From this reading He looked such a dear old gentleman.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He looked such a dear old gentleman.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading KITTY stood looking at him, not quite knowing what to do, for she did not like to wake him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.
the combined stakes of the betters
From this reading KITTY stood looking at him, not quite knowing what to do, for she did not like to wake him.
evidencing the possession of inside information
From this reading KITTY stood looking at him, not quite knowing what to do, for she did not like to wake him.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading KITTY stood looking at him, not quite knowing what to do, for she did not like to wake him.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked such a dear old gentleman.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading KITTY stood looking at him, not quite knowing what to do, for she did not like to wake him.
naughtily or annoyingly playful
From this reading Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading KITTY stood looking at him, not quite knowing what to do, for she did not like to wake him.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading He looked such a dear old gentleman.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading KITTY stood looking at him, not quite knowing what to do, for she did not like to wake him.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading KITTY stood looking at him, not quite knowing what to do, for she did not like to wake him.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He wore a snuff-colored coat and brown breeches, and a wig.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading KITTY stood looking at him, not quite knowing what to do, for she did not like to wake him.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading He looked such a dear old gentleman.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading KITTY stood looking at him, not quite knowing what to do, for she did not like to wake him.
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading KITTY stood looking at him, not quite knowing what to do, for she did not like to wake him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading KITTY stood looking at him, not quite knowing what to do, for she did not like to wake him.
hairpiece covering the head and made of real or synthetic hair
From this reading He wore a snuff-colored coat and brown breeches, and a wig.
inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in
From this reading He wore a snuff-colored coat and brown breeches, and a wig.
but in spite of that
From this reading Although his eyes were shut, and his mouth was open, and some mischievous child had given his wig a cock on one side, he had yet the pleasantest face.
Chapter 6 of Down the Snow Stairs by Alice Corkran holds 257 sentences, grouped into 52 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 257 sentences of Down the Snow Stairs, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Down the Snow Stairs by Alice Corkran exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 257 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 Down the Snow Stairs by Alice Corkran on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2639 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57413 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57413, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 219 minutes of reading across 528 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Down the Snow Stairs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Down the Snow Stairs 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 Snow Stairs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
