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In the Clouds for Uncle Sam
In the Clouds for Uncle Sam

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of In the Clouds for Uncle Sam is here in full — 179 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By H. L. (Harry Lincoln) Sayler • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for In the Clouds for Uncle Sam
Context Illustration Reading 1/35 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
AN EARLY MORNING GALLOP.
“Hey dar, come along.
What’s detainin’ yo’ all?”
Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.
“You black rascal!” panted the white rider, “what d’you mean?
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.

In the Clouds for Uncle Sam

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of In the Clouds for Uncle Sam is here in full — 179 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
AN EARLY MORNING GALLOP.
/æn ˈɜːrli ˈmɔːrnɪŋ ˈɡæləp/
Line 2
“Hey dar, come along.
Line 3
What’s detainin’ yo’ all?”
Line 4
Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.
Line 5
“You black rascal!” panted the white rider, “what d’you mean?

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.

dashing adjective US /ˈdæʃɪŋ/

lively and spirited

From this reading “Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gallop verb US /ˈɡæləp/

ride at a galloping pace

From this reading “AN EARLY MORNING GALLOP.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gaunt adjective US /ɡɔːnt/

very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold

From this reading “Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mare noun US /mer/

female equine animal

From this reading “Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mule noun US /mjuːl/

hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse; usually sterile

From this reading “Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
panted verb US /ˈpæntɪd/

past form of “pant” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted

From this reading ““You black rascal!” panted the white rider, “what d’you mean?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
puffing noun US /ˈpʌfɪŋ/

blowing tobacco smoke out into the air

From this reading “Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rascal noun US /ˈræskəl/

a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel

From this reading ““You black rascal!” panted the white rider, “what d’you mean?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

EARLY MORNING adjective + noun

In this reading “AN EARLY MORNING GALLOP.”

7,183 times in 225,867 chapters
black rascal adjective + noun

In this reading ““You black rascal!” panted the white rider, “what d’you mean?”

227 times in 225,867 chapters
come along verb + particle

come into being or existence, or appear on the scene

In this reading ““Hey dar, come along.”

26,587 times in 225,867 chapters
country road noun + noun

In this reading “Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.”

1,238 times in 225,867 chapters
came dashing verb + adjective counted as “come dashing”

In this reading “Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.”

480 times in 225,867 chapters
Two boys noun + noun counted as “two boy”

In this reading “Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.”

7,826 times in 225,867 chapters

All words in this reading · 50

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 Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading What’s detainin’ yo’ all?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading “Hey dar, come along.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ANdeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading AN EARLY MORNING GALLOP.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
barefootedadjective

without shoes

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bestriding

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

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

Pending verification
blackadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading “You black rascal!” panted the white rider, “what d’you mean?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
boysnounUS /bɔɪz/

plural of “boy” — a youthful male person

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
coloredadjectiveUS /ˈkʌlərd/

having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading “Hey dar, come along.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
countrynounUS /ˈkʌntri/

a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
d'you

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

From this reading “You black rascal!” panted the white rider, “what d’you mean?

Pending verification
dar

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

From this reading “Hey dar, come along.

Pending verification
dashingadjectiveUS /ˈdæʃɪŋ/

lively and spirited

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
detainin

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

From this reading What’s detainin’ yo’ all?”

Pending verification
downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
EARLYadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/

at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

From this reading AN EARLY MORNING GALLOP.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fatadjectiveUS /fæt/

having an (over)abundance of flesh

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
GALLOPverbUS /ˈɡæləp/

ride at a galloping pace

From this reading AN EARLY MORNING GALLOP.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gauntadjectiveUS /ɡɔːnt/

very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Hey

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

From this reading “Hey dar, come along.

Pending verification
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
kneesnounUS /niːz/

plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ladnounUS /læd/

a boy or man

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
leanverbUS /liːn/

to incline or bend from a vertical position

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
long-leggedadjective

having long legs

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
marenounUS /mer/

female equine animal

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
meanverbUS /miːn/

mean or intend to express or convey

From this reading “You black rascal!” panted the white rider, “what d’you mean?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MORNINGnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading AN EARLY MORNING GALLOP.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mountedadjectiveUS /ˈmaʊntəd/

assembled for use; especially by being attached to a support

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mulenounUS /mjuːl/

hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse; usually sterile

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pantedverbUS /ˈpæntɪd/

past form of “pant” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted

From this reading “You black rascal!” panted the white rider, “what d’you mean?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
puffingnounUS /ˈpʌfɪŋ/

blowing tobacco smoke out into the air

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rascalnounUS /ˈræskəl/

a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel

From this reading “You black rascal!” panted the white rider, “what d’you mean?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ridernounUS /ˈraɪdər/

a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)

From this reading “You black rascal!” panted the white rider, “what d’you mean?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
roadnounUS /roʊd/

an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sway-backed

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

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

Pending verification
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
TwonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
VirginianounUS /vərˈdʒɪnjə/

a state in the eastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies; one of the Confederate States in the American Civil War

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading “You black rascal!” panted the white rider, “what d’you mean?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
What's

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

From this reading What’s detainin’ yo’ all?”

Pending verification
whitenounUS /waɪt/

a Caucasian

From this reading Two boys, one, a gaunt, long-legged, barefooted colored lad, mounted on a lean mule, and the other a white lad, knees in and bestriding a fat, puffing, sway-backed mare, came dashing down a country road in Virginia.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
yo

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

From this reading What’s detainin’ yo’ all?”

Pending verification
YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “You black rascal!” panted the white rider, “what d’you mean?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 1 of In the Clouds for Uncle Sam by H. L. (Harry Lincoln) Sayler holds 179 sentences, grouped into 36 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 1 of In the Clouds for Uncle Sam contain?

Chapter 1 holds 179 sentences of In the Clouds for Uncle Sam, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of In the Clouds for Uncle Sam by H. L. (Harry Lincoln) Sayler exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 179 sentences, grouped into 36 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 1 of In the Clouds for Uncle Sam?

Work through the 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 36 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 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 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 In the Clouds for Uncle Sam

Common questions about reading In the Clouds for Uncle Sam by H. L. (Harry Lincoln) Sayler on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of In the Clouds for Uncle Sam?

Yes. All 3232 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54056 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of In the Clouds for Uncle Sam is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #54056, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does In the Clouds for Uncle Sam take to read?

About 269 minutes of reading across 647 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read In the Clouds for Uncle Sam section by section

How to work through In the Clouds for Uncle Sam section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 18 chapters of In the Clouds for Uncle Sam 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 In the Clouds for Uncle Sam

Words and structures a reader meets early in In the Clouds for Uncle Sam, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Early
A word that appears in the opening chapter of In the Clouds for Uncle Sam; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Morning
A word that appears in the opening chapter of In the Clouds for Uncle Sam; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Gallop
A word that appears in the opening chapter of In the Clouds for Uncle Sam; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Along
A word that appears in the opening chapter of In the Clouds for Uncle Sam; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.