Chapter 2 of From Farm to Fortune is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of From Farm to Fortune is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right. "Hi! hi!" roared the farmer. "Git away! Drat the beasts! Now, Nat Nason, jest see what you've done!"
Chapter 2 of From Farm to Fortune is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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 yard adjoining a barn
From this reading “A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.”
plural of “beast” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “Drat the beasts!”
arousing or provoking laughter
From this reading “A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.”
the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)
From this reading “A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.”
a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible
From this reading “"Git away!”
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading “Now, Nat Nason, jest see what you've done!"”
a white nutritious liquid secreted by mammals and used as food by human beings
From this reading “A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.”
past form of “roar” — make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading “"Hi! hi!" roared the farmer.”
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 A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "Git away!
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
a yard adjoining a barn
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
plural of “beast” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading Drat the beasts!
arousing or provoking laughter
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Now, Nat Nason, jest see what you've done!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Drat the beasts!
a person who operates a farm
From this reading "Hi! hi!" roared the farmer.
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible
From this reading "Git away!
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
an expression of greeting
From this reading "Hi! hi!" roared the farmer.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading Now, Nat Nason, jest see what you've done!"
the sound of laughing
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
a white nutritious liquid secreted by mammals and used as food by human beings
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now, Nat Nason, jest see what you've done!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now, Nat Nason, jest see what you've done!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
above and across; more than
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
an angry dispute
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
past form of “roar” — make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading "Hi! hi!" roared the farmer.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Now, Nat Nason, jest see what you've done!"
an instance of visual perception
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Now, Nat Nason, jest see what you've done!"
in the company of; together with
From this reading A QUARREL IN THE BARNYARD The sight of Abner Balberry flat on his back, and with the milk flowing over him, was a comical one, and for the instant Nat had to laugh out-right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now, Nat Nason, jest see what you've done!"
Chapter 2 of From Farm to Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 2 holds 122 sentences of From Farm to Fortune, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of From Farm to Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 2 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 From Farm to Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4110 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22565 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22565, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 342 minutes of reading across 822 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through From Farm to Fortune section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of From Farm to Fortune 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 From Farm to Fortune, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
