Chapter 8 of Guilt of the Brass Thieves is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Guilt of the Brass Thieves is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper. Wet and plastered with mud, they had lost one of the paddles. "If you ain't sights!" Harper cackled upon seeing them. He slapped his thigh in glee.
Chapter 8 of Guilt of the Brass Thieves is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
past form of “bail” — release after a security has been paid
From this reading “As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.”
someone who plays the harp
From this reading “As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.”
plural of “paddle” — small wooden bat with a flat surface; used for hitting balls in various games
From this reading “Wet and plastered with mud, they had lost one of the paddles.”
-ing form of “paddle” — propel with a paddle
From this reading “As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.”
(of hair) made smooth by applying a sticky or glossy substance
From this reading “Wet and plastered with mud, they had lost one of the paddles.”
inflected form of “slap” — hit with something flat, like a paddle or the open hand
From this reading “He slapped his thigh in glee.”
an employee who sweeps (floors or streets etc.)
From this reading “As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.”
the part of the leg between the hip and the knee
From this reading “He slapped his thigh in glee.”
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 “Wet and plastered with mud, they had lost one of the paddles.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If you ain't sights!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
past form of “bail” — release after a security has been paid
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Harper cackled upon seeing them.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
United States explorer who (with Meriwether Lewis) led an expedition from St. Louis to the mouth of the Columbia River; Clark was responsible for making maps of the area (1770-1838)
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
great merriment
From this reading He slapped his thigh in glee.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
someone who plays the harp
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He slapped his thigh in glee.
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He slapped his thigh in glee.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If you ain't sights!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He slapped his thigh in glee.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
evidencing the possession of inside information
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading Wet and plastered with mud, they had lost one of the paddles.
come together
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
water soaked soil; soft wet earth
From this reading Wet and plastered with mud, they had lost one of the paddles.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Wet and plastered with mud, they had lost one of the paddles.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Wet and plastered with mud, they had lost one of the paddles.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
plural of “paddle” — small wooden bat with a flat surface; used for hitting balls in various games
From this reading Wet and plastered with mud, they had lost one of the paddles.
-ing form of “paddle” — propel with a paddle
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
(of hair) made smooth by applying a sticky or glossy substance
From this reading Wet and plastered with mud, they had lost one of the paddles.
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading Harper cackled upon seeing them.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
an optical instrument for aiding the eye in aiming, as on a firearm or surveying instrument
From this reading "If you ain't sights!"
inflected form of “slap” — hit with something flat, like a paddle or the open hand
From this reading He slapped his thigh in glee.
an employee who sweeps (floors or streets etc.)
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Wet and plastered with mud, they had lost one of the paddles.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Harper cackled upon seeing them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Wet and plastered with mud, they had lost one of the paddles.
the part of the leg between the hip and the knee
From this reading He slapped his thigh in glee.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Harper cackled upon seeing them.
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading Wet and plastered with mud, they had lost one of the paddles.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
which person or people
From this reading As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Sweeper Joe and Clark Clayton, who had bailed out their boat, came paddling out to meet Harper.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Wet and plastered with mud, they had lost one of the paddles.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "If you ain't sights!"
Chapter 8 of Guilt of the Brass Thieves by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 8 holds 426 sentences of Guilt of the Brass Thieves, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Guilt of the Brass Thieves by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 8 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 Guilt of the Brass Thieves by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3780 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34831 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34831, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 315 minutes of reading across 756 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Guilt of the Brass Thieves section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Guilt of the Brass Thieves 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 Guilt of the Brass Thieves, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
