Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Heart of the West
Heart of the West

Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of Heart of the West is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Heart of the West
Context Illustration Reading 1/38 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
You used to think right much of him,” said Sandridge.
Tonia dropped the lariat, twisted herself around, and curved a lemon-tinted arm over the ranger’s shoulder.
But then,” she murmured in liquid Spanish, I had not beheld thee, thou great, red mountain of a man!
And thou art kind and good, as well as strong.
Could one choose him, knowing thee?
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Heart of the West

Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of Heart of the West is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
You used to think right much of him,” said Sandridge.
Line 2
Tonia dropped the lariat, twisted herself around, and curved a lemon-tinted arm over the ranger’s shoulder.
Line 3
But then,” she murmured in liquid Spanish, “I had not beheld thee, thou great, red mountain of a man!
/bʌt ðen ʃiː ˈmɜːrmərd ɪn ˈlɪkwəd ˈspænɪʃ aɪ hæd nɑːt biˈheld ðiː ðaʊ ɡreɪt red ˈmaʊntən ʌv ə mæn/
Line 4
And thou art kind and good, as well as strong.
/ənd ðaʊ ɑːrt kaɪnd ənd ɡʊd æz wel æz strɔːŋ/
Line 5
Could one choose him, knowing thee?
/kʊd wʌn tʃuːz hɪm ˈnoʊɪŋ ðiː/

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.

beheld verb US /biˈheld/

inflected form of “behold” — see with attention

From this reading ““But then,” she murmured in liquid Spanish, “I had not beheld thee, thou great, red mountain of a man!”

choose verb US /tʃuːz/

pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives

From this reading “Could one choose him, knowing thee?”

curved adjective US /kɜːrvd/

having or marked by a curve or smoothly rounded bend

From this reading “Tonia dropped the lariat, twisted herself around, and curved a lemon-tinted arm over the ranger’s shoulder.”

lariat noun US /ˈleriət/

a long noosed rope used to catch animals

From this reading “Tonia dropped the lariat, twisted herself around, and curved a lemon-tinted arm over the ranger’s shoulder.”

liquid adjective US /ˈlɪkwəd/

existing as or having characteristics of a liquid; especially tending to flow

From this reading ““But then,” she murmured in liquid Spanish, “I had not beheld thee, thou great, red mountain of a man!”

ranger's noun US /ˈreɪndʒərz/

possessive form of “ranger” — a member of the Texas state highway patrol; formerly a mounted lawman who maintained order on the frontier

Spanish noun US /ˈspænɪʃ/

the Romance language spoken in most of Spain and the countries colonized by Spain

From this reading ““But then,” she murmured in liquid Spanish, “I had not beheld thee, thou great, red mountain of a man!”

twisted adjective US /ˈtwɪstɪd/

having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented

From this reading “Tonia dropped the lariat, twisted herself around, and curved a lemon-tinted arm over the ranger’s shoulder.”

All words in this reading · 52

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 Tonia dropped the lariat, twisted herself around, and curved a lemon-tinted arm over the ranger’s shoulder.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Tonia dropped the lariat, twisted herself around, and curved a lemon-tinted arm over the ranger’s shoulder.

armnounUS /ɑːrm/

a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb

From this reading Tonia dropped the lariat, twisted herself around, and curved a lemon-tinted arm over the ranger’s shoulder.

aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading Tonia dropped the lariat, twisted herself around, and curved a lemon-tinted arm over the ranger’s shoulder.

artauxiliary verbUS /ɑːrt/

an old form of “are”, used with “thou”

From this reading And thou art kind and good, as well as strong.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading And thou art kind and good, as well as strong.

beheldverbUS /biˈheld/

inflected form of “behold” — see with attention

From this reading “But then,” she murmured in liquid Spanish, “I had not beheld thee, thou great, red mountain of a man!

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading “But then,” she murmured in liquid Spanish, “I had not beheld thee, thou great, red mountain of a man!

chooseverbUS /tʃuːz/

pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives

From this reading Could one choose him, knowing thee?

Couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Could one choose him, knowing thee?

curvedadjectiveUS /kɜːrvd/

having or marked by a curve or smoothly rounded bend

From this reading Tonia dropped the lariat, twisted herself around, and curved a lemon-tinted arm over the ranger’s shoulder.

droppedverbUS /drɑːpt/

inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground

From this reading Tonia dropped the lariat, twisted herself around, and curved a lemon-tinted arm over the ranger’s shoulder.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading And thou art kind and good, as well as strong.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading “But then,” she murmured in liquid Spanish, “I had not beheld thee, thou great, red mountain of a man!

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading “But then,” she murmured in liquid Spanish, “I had not beheld thee, thou great, red mountain of a man!

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

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

From this reading Tonia dropped the lariat, twisted herself around, and curved a lemon-tinted arm over the ranger’s shoulder.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading “You used to think right much of him,” said Sandridge.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading “But then,” she murmured in liquid Spanish, “I had not beheld thee, thou great, red mountain of a man!

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading “But then,” she murmured in liquid Spanish, “I had not beheld thee, thou great, red mountain of a man!

kindadjectiveUS /kaɪnd/

having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior

From this reading And thou art kind and good, as well as strong.

knowingadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊɪŋ/

evidencing the possession of inside information

From this reading Could one choose him, knowing thee?

lariatnounUS /ˈleriət/

a long noosed rope used to catch animals

From this reading Tonia dropped the lariat, twisted herself around, and curved a lemon-tinted arm over the ranger’s shoulder.

lemon-tinted

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

From this reading Tonia dropped the lariat, twisted herself around, and curved a lemon-tinted arm over the ranger’s shoulder.

liquidadjectiveUS /ˈlɪkwəd/

existing as or having characteristics of a liquid; especially tending to flow

From this reading “But then,” she murmured in liquid Spanish, “I had not beheld thee, thou great, red mountain of a man!

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading “But then,” she murmured in liquid Spanish, “I had not beheld thee, thou great, red mountain of a man!

mountainnounUS /ˈmaʊntən/

a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill

From this reading “But then,” she murmured in liquid Spanish, “I had not beheld thee, thou great, red mountain of a man!

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading “You used to think right much of him,” said Sandridge.

murmuredverbUS /ˈmɜːrmərd/

past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly

From this reading “But then,” she murmured in liquid Spanish, “I had not beheld thee, thou great, red mountain of a man!

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading “But then,” she murmured in liquid Spanish, “I had not beheld thee, thou great, red mountain of a man!

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading “You used to think right much of him,” said Sandridge.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Could one choose him, knowing thee?

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Tonia dropped the lariat, twisted herself around, and curved a lemon-tinted arm over the ranger’s shoulder.

ranger'snounUS /ˈreɪndʒərz/

possessive form of “ranger” — a member of the Texas state highway patrol; formerly a mounted lawman who maintained order on the frontier

From this reading Tonia dropped the lariat, twisted herself around, and curved a lemon-tinted arm over the ranger’s shoulder.

rednounUS /red/

red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood

From this reading “But then,” she murmured in liquid Spanish, “I had not beheld thee, thou great, red mountain of a man!

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading “You used to think right much of him,” said Sandridge.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “You used to think right much of him,” said Sandridge.

Sandridge

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

From this reading “You used to think right much of him,” said Sandridge.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “But then,” she murmured in liquid Spanish, “I had not beheld thee, thou great, red mountain of a man!

shoulderverbUS /ˈʃoʊldər/

lift onto one's shoulders

From this reading Tonia dropped the lariat, twisted herself around, and curved a lemon-tinted arm over the ranger’s shoulder.

SpanishnounUS /ˈspænɪʃ/

the Romance language spoken in most of Spain and the countries colonized by Spain

From this reading “But then,” she murmured in liquid Spanish, “I had not beheld thee, thou great, red mountain of a man!

strongadjectiveUS /strɔːŋ/

having strength or power greater than average or expected

From this reading And thou art kind and good, as well as strong.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Tonia dropped the lariat, twisted herself around, and curved a lemon-tinted arm over the ranger’s shoulder.

theepronounUS /ðiː/

an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person

From this reading “But then,” she murmured in liquid Spanish, “I had not beheld thee, thou great, red mountain of a man!

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading “But then,” she murmured in liquid Spanish, “I had not beheld thee, thou great, red mountain of a man!

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading “You used to think right much of him,” said Sandridge.

thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading “But then,” she murmured in liquid Spanish, “I had not beheld thee, thou great, red mountain of a man!

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading “You used to think right much of him,” said Sandridge.

Tonia

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

From this reading Tonia dropped the lariat, twisted herself around, and curved a lemon-tinted arm over the ranger’s shoulder.

twistedadjectiveUS /ˈtwɪstɪd/

having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented

From this reading Tonia dropped the lariat, twisted herself around, and curved a lemon-tinted arm over the ranger’s shoulder.

usedadjectiveUS /juːzd/

employed in accomplishing something

From this reading “You used to think right much of him,” said Sandridge.

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 And thou art kind and good, as well as strong.

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “You used to think right much of him,” said Sandridge.

Chapter 17 of Heart of the West by O. Henry holds 192 sentences, grouped into 39 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 17 of Heart of the West contain?

Chapter 17 holds 192 sentences of Heart of the West, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of Heart of the West by O. Henry exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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 17 of Heart of the West?

Work through the 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 39 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 17 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 17 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 Heart of the West

Common questions about reading Heart of the West by O. Henry on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Heart of the West?

Yes. All 5041 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1725 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Heart of the West is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1725, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Heart of the West take to read?

About 420 minutes of reading across 1009 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Heart of the West section by section

How to work through Heart of the West section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 26 chapters of Heart of the West 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 Heart of the West

Words and structures a reader meets early in Heart of the West, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Baldy
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Heart of the West; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Woods
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Heart of the West; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Reached
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Heart of the West; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Bottle
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Heart of the West; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.