Chapter 30 of Frank Merriwell's Backers is here in full — 295 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXX
Chapter 30 of Frank Merriwell's Backers is here in full — 295 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
OLD JOE TAKES A DRINK. Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry. "There he is!" cried Frank. "We mustn't lose him! We must keep him in view and run him down before nightfall.
Chapter 30 of Frank Merriwell's Backers is here in full — 295 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/59 · 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.
a member of the British order of honor; ranks below a baron but above a knight
From this reading “Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.”
past form of “gallop” — ride at a galloping pace
From this reading “Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.”
a man skilled in equitation
From this reading “Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.”
plural of “mount” — a lightweight horse kept for riding only
From this reading “Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.”
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading “We must keep him in view and run him down before nightfall.”
past form of “secure” — get by special effort
From this reading “Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.”
the compass point midway between south and east; at 135 degrees
From this reading “Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.”
a very small spot
From this reading “Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.”
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 “Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.”
In this reading “We must keep him in view and run him down before nightfall.”
In this reading “Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.”
In this reading “Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.”
In this reading “We must keep him in view and run him down before nightfall.”
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 OLD JOE TAKES A DRINK.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
a member of the British order of honor; ranks below a baron but above a knight
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading We must keep him in view and run him down before nightfall.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "There he is!" cried Frank.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading We must keep him in view and run him down before nightfall.
take in liquids
From this reading OLD JOE TAKES A DRINK.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
past form of “gallop” — ride at a galloping pace
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "There he is!" cried Frank.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "We mustn't lose him!
the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
a man skilled in equitation
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We must keep him in view and run him down before nightfall.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "There he is!" cried Frank.
a small worthless amount
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading OLD JOE TAKES A DRINK.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading We must keep him in view and run him down before nightfall.
fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading "We mustn't lose him!
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
plural of “mount” — a lightweight horse kept for riding only
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading We must keep him in view and run him down before nightfall.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We mustn't lose him!
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading We must keep him in view and run him down before nightfall.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading OLD JOE TAKES A DRINK.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
the sport of sitting on the back of a horse while controlling its movements
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading We must keep him in view and run him down before nightfall.
past form of “secure” — get by special effort
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
the compass point midway between south and east; at 135 degrees
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
a very small spot
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
From this reading OLD JOE TAKES A DRINK.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There he is!" cried Frank.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading We must keep him in view and run him down before nightfall.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Away on the horizon, riding to the southeast, was a black speck of a horseman as Frank, Bart, Jack, and Ephraim galloped out of town on fresh mounts secured by Merry.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We mustn't lose him!
Chapter 30 of Frank Merriwell's Backers by Burt L. Standish holds 295 sentences, grouped into 59 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 30 holds 295 sentences of Frank Merriwell's Backers, unabridged, divided into 59 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 30 of Frank Merriwell's Backers by Burt L. Standish exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 295 sentences, grouped into 59 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 59 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 59 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 30 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 Frank Merriwell's Backers by Burt L. Standish on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5574 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39433 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39433, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 464 minutes of reading across 1115 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Frank Merriwell's Backers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Frank Merriwell's Backers 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 Frank Merriwell's Backers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
