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Frontier Stories
Frontier Stories

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of Frontier Stories is here in full — 948 sentences across 190 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Frontier Stories
Context Illustration Reading 1/189 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.
Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.
"Well," he said, gayly, "what next?"
Flip recovered herself.
"You're safe now anywhere outside the house.
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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.

Frontier Stories

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of Frontier Stories is here in full — 948 sentences across 190 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/189 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.
/ðə waɪnd tʃɑːrdʒd daʊn əˈpɑːn ðem ˈslæmɪŋ ðə dɔːr æt ðer bæks ɪkˈstɪŋɡwɪʃɪŋ ðə brɔːd ʃæft ʌv laɪt ðæt hæd ˌmoʊmənˈterəli ʃɑːt aʊt ˈɪntuː ðə ˈdɑːrknəs ənd swept ðem ə ˈdʌzən jɑːrdz əˈweɪ/
Line 2
Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.
Line 3
"Well," he said, gayly, "what next?"
Line 4
Flip recovered herself.
/flɪp rəˈkʌvərd hərˈself/
Line 5
"You're safe now anywhere outside the house.

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.

blanketed adjective US /ˈblæŋkətɪd/

covered with (or as if with) a blanket

From this reading “Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.”

extinguishing noun US /ɪkˈstɪŋɡwɪʃɪŋ/

the act of extinguishing; causing to stop burning

From this reading “The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.”

Flip verb US /flɪp/

lightly throw to see which side comes up

From this reading “Flip recovered herself.”

Gaining verb US /ˈɡeɪnɪŋ/

-ing form of “gain” — obtain

From this reading “Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.”

Lance noun US /læns/

a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon

From this reading “Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.”

momentarily adverb US /ˌmoʊmənˈterəli/

for an instant or moment

From this reading “The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.”

nestle verb US /ˈnesəl/

move or arrange oneself in a comfortable and cozy position

From this reading “Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.”

slamming verb US /ˈslæmɪŋ/

inflected form of “slam” — close violently

From this reading “The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.”

All words in this reading · 69

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 The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

animalnounUS /ˈænəməl/

a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

anywhereadverbUS /ˈeniwer/

at or in or to any place

From this reading "You're safe now anywhere outside the house.

armsnounUS /ɑːrmz/

weapons considered collectively

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

backsnounUS /bæks/

plural of “back” — the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

blanketedadjectiveUS /ˈblæŋkətɪd/

covered with (or as if with) a blanket

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

bosomnounUS /ˈbʊzəm/

the chest considered as the place where secret thoughts are kept

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

briefadjectiveUS /briːf/

of short duration or distance

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

broadadjectiveUS /brɔːd/

having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

chargedadjectiveUS /tʃɑːrdʒd/

of a particle or body or system; having a net amount of positive or negative electric charge

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

darknessnounUS /ˈdɑːrknəs/

absence of light or illumination

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

dozennounUS /ˈdʌzən/

the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

enfolded

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

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

extinguishingnounUS /ɪkˈstɪŋɡwɪʃɪŋ/

the act of extinguishing; causing to stop burning

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

FlipverbUS /flɪp/

lightly throw to see which side comes up

From this reading Flip recovered herself.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

frightenedadjectiveUS /ˈfraɪtənd/

made afraid

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

GainingverbUS /ˈɡeɪnɪŋ/

-ing form of “gain” — obtain

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

gaylyadverb

in a joyous manner

From this reading "Well," he said, gayly, "what next?"

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading "Well," he said, gayly, "what next?"

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading Flip recovered herself.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading "You're safe now anywhere outside the house.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

LancenounUS /læns/

a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

leenounUS /liː/

United States filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in America (born in 1957)

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

lightadjectiveUS /laɪt/

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

madroño

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

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

momentarilyadverbUS /ˌmoʊmənˈterəli/

for an instant or moment

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

nestleverbUS /ˈnesəl/

move or arrange oneself in a comfortable and cozy position

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading "Well," he said, gayly, "what next?"

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading "You're safe now anywhere outside the house.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

openedadjectiveUS /ˈoʊpənd/

used of mouth or eyes

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

outsideadjectiveUS /ˈaʊtˈsaɪd/

relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit

From this reading "You're safe now anywhere outside the house.

recoveredadjectiveUS /rəˈkʌvərd/

freed from illness or injury

From this reading Flip recovered herself.

safeadjectiveUS /seɪf/

free from danger or the risk of harm

From this reading "You're safe now anywhere outside the house.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Well," he said, gayly, "what next?"

shaftnounUS /ʃæft/

a line that forms the length of an arrow pointer

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

shotnounUS /ʃɑːt/

the act of firing a projectile

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

slammingverbUS /ˈslæmɪŋ/

inflected form of “slam” — close violently

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

sweptadjectiveUS /swept/

possessing sweep

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

treenounUS /triː/

a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

trembleverbUS /ˈtrembəl/

move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways

From this reading Gaining the lee of a madroño tree, Lance opened his blanketed arms, enfolded the girl, and felt her for one brief moment tremble and nestle in his bosom like some frightened animal.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

WelladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading "Well," he said, gayly, "what next?"

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading "Well," he said, gayly, "what next?"

windnounUS /waɪnd/

air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

yardsnounUS /jɑːrdz/

plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride

From this reading The wind charged down upon them, slamming the door at their backs, extinguishing the broad shaft of light that had momentarily shot out into the darkness, and swept them a dozen yards away.

You're

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

From this reading "You're safe now anywhere outside the house.

Chapter 5 of Frontier Stories by Bret Harte holds 948 sentences, grouped into 190 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 5 of Frontier Stories contain?

Chapter 5 holds 948 sentences of Frontier Stories, unabridged, divided into 190 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of Frontier Stories by Bret Harte exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 948 sentences, grouped into 190 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 5 of Frontier Stories?

Work through the 190 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 190 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 5 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 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.

Questions about reading Frontier Stories

Common questions about reading Frontier Stories by Bret Harte on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Frontier Stories?

Yes. All 7755 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12419 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Frontier Stories is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #12419, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Frontier Stories take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1551 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Frontier Stories section by section

How to work through Frontier Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 15 chapters of Frontier Stories to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Frontier Stories

Words and structures a reader meets early in Frontier Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Awoke
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Frontier Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Aroma
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Frontier Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Woods
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Frontier Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Still
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Frontier Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.