Chapter 21 of Johnny Nelson is here in full — 297 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Johnny Nelson is here in full — 297 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered. "Thought mebby nobody was goin' to show up tonight," he said. "Dave's scared of me." "I never did care much for wild animals," retorted Dave. "An' I says that you shore go wild when you sees a deck of cards.
Chapter 21 of Johnny Nelson is here in full — 297 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/59 · 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 “beam” — smile radiantly; express joy through one's facial expression
From this reading “THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.”
a game played with playing cards
From this reading “THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.”
continuing forever or indefinitely
From this reading “THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.”
inflected form of “fan” — strike out (a batter), (of a pitcher)
From this reading “THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.”
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading “THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.”
past form of “retort” — answer back
From this reading “"I never did care much for wild animals," retorted Dave.”
made afraid
From this reading “"Dave's scared of me."”
On the present night.
From this reading “"Thought mebby nobody was goin' to show up tonight," he said.”
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 “"I never did care much for wild animals," retorted Dave.”
at or in the front
In this reading “THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.”
In this reading “THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.”
In this reading “THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.”
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 THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "An' I says that you shore go wild when you sees a deck of cards.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.
plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading "I never did care much for wild animals," retorted Dave.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.
past form of “beam” — smile radiantly; express joy through one's facial expression
From this reading THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.
a game played with playing cards
From this reading THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading "I never did care much for wild animals," retorted Dave.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I never did care much for wild animals," retorted Dave.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Dave's scared of me."
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading "An' I says that you shore go wild when you sees a deck of cards.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "I never did care much for wild animals," retorted Dave.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.
continuing forever or indefinitely
From this reading THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.
inflected form of “fan” — strike out (a batter), (of a pitcher)
From this reading THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I never did care much for wild animals," retorted Dave.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "An' I says that you shore go wild when you sees a deck of cards.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Thought mebby nobody was goin' to show up tonight," he said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Thought mebby nobody was goin' to show up tonight," he said.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I never did care much for wild animals," retorted Dave.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Dave's scared of me."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Thought mebby nobody was goin' to show up tonight," he said.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "I never did care much for wild animals," retorted Dave.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "I never did care much for wild animals," retorted Dave.
no person; not anyone
From this reading "Thought mebby nobody was goin' to show up tonight," he said.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.
arrange in a container
From this reading THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.
past form of “retort” — answer back
From this reading "I never did care much for wild animals," retorted Dave.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Thought mebby nobody was goin' to show up tonight," he said.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "An' I says that you shore go wild when you sees a deck of cards.
made afraid
From this reading "Dave's scared of me."
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.
plural of “see” — the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located
From this reading "An' I says that you shore go wild when you sees a deck of cards.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading "An' I says that you shore go wild when you sees a deck of cards.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading "Thought mebby nobody was goin' to show up tonight," he said.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "An' I says that you shore go wild when you sees a deck of cards.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "Thought mebby nobody was goin' to show up tonight," he said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Thought mebby nobody was goin' to show up tonight," he said.
On the present night.
From this reading "Thought mebby nobody was goin' to show up tonight," he said.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Thought mebby nobody was goin' to show up tonight," he said.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading THE MESSAGE Dailey, seated at a table, the everlasting pack of cards in front of him, beamed upon Fanning and Johnny as they entered.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Thought mebby nobody was goin' to show up tonight," he said.
at the time that
From this reading "An' I says that you shore go wild when you sees a deck of cards.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading "I never did care much for wild animals," retorted Dave.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "An' I says that you shore go wild when you sees a deck of cards.
Chapter 21 of Johnny Nelson by Clarence Edward Mulford holds 297 sentences, grouped into 60 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 21 holds 297 sentences of Johnny Nelson, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Johnny Nelson by Clarence Edward Mulford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 297 sentences, grouped into 60 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 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 60 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 21 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 Johnny Nelson by Clarence Edward Mulford on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6518 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56626 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56626, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 543 minutes of reading across 1304 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Johnny Nelson section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Johnny Nelson 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 Johnny Nelson, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
