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Little Guzzy, and other stories
Little Guzzy, and other stories

Chapter IX

Chapter 9 of Little Guzzy, and other stories is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Little Guzzy, and other stories
Context Illustration Reading 1/84 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE HARDHACK MISTAKE.
EXCITEMENT?
The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.
And who could wonder?
Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Little Guzzy, and other stories

Chapter IX

Chapter 9 of Little Guzzy, and other stories is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/84 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE HARDHACK MISTAKE.
Line 2
EXCITEMENT?
/ɪkˈsaɪtmənt/
Line 3
The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.
Line 4
And who could wonder?
/ənd huː kʊd ˈwʌndər/
Line 5
Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

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.

Deacon noun US /ˈdiːkən/

a Protestant layman who assists the minister

From this reading “The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.”

dug noun US /dʌɡ/

an udder or breast or teat

From this reading “Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.”

inhabitant noun US /ɪnˈhæbətənt/

a person who inhabits a particular place

From this reading “The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.”

Nevada noun US /nəˈvɑːdə/

a state in the western United States

From this reading “Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.”

oldest adjective US /ˈoʊldəst/

superlative of “old” — (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading “The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.”

pocketful noun US /ˈpɑːkətfʊl/

the quantity a pocket will hold

From this reading “Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.”

steeple noun US /ˈstiːpəl/

a tall tower that forms the superstructure of a building (usually a church or temple) and that tapers to a point at the top

From this reading “The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.”

venerable adjective US /ˈvenərəbəl/

impressive by reason of age

From this reading “The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.”

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.

few years adjective + noun

In this reading “Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.”

come back verb + particle

be restored

In this reading “Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.”

full beard adjective + noun

In this reading “Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.”

oldest inhabitant adjective + noun counted as “old inhabitant”

In this reading “The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.”

larger town adjective + noun

In this reading “Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.”

at seeing preposition + noun

In this reading “Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.”

All words in this reading · 68

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 venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

agitationnounUS /ˌædʒəˈteɪʃən/

a mental state of extreme emotional disturbance

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading And who could wonder?

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

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

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

beardnounUS /bɪrd/

the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

blewverbUS /bluː/

inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

boysnounUS /bɔɪz/

plural of “boy” — a youthful male person

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

broadadjectiveUS /brɔːd/

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

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

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

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading And who could wonder?

DeaconnounUS /ˈdiːkən/

a Protestant layman who assists the minister

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

dugnounUS /dʌɡ/

an udder or breast or teat

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

equinoctialadjective

relating to the vicinity of the equator

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

EvenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

EXCITEMENTnounUS /ɪkˈsaɪtmənt/

the feeling of lively and cheerful joy

From this reading EXCITEMENT?

experiencedadjectiveUS /ɪkˈspɪriənst/

having experience; having knowledge or skill from observation or participation

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

forty-sevenadjective

being seven more than forty

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

HARDHACK

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

From this reading THE HARDHACK MISTAKE.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

hillsnounUS /hɪlz/

plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

inhabitantnounUS /ɪnˈhæbətənt/

a person who inhabits a particular place

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

largeradjectiveUS /ˈlɑːrdʒər/

large or big relative to something else

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

meeting-house

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

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

MISTAKEnounUS /mɪˈsteɪk/

a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading THE HARDHACK MISTAKE.

moneynounUS /ˈmʌni/

the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

NevadanounUS /nəˈvɑːdə/

a state in the western United States

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

oldestadjectiveUS /ˈoʊldəst/

superlative of “old” — (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

pocketfulnounUS /ˈpɑːkətfʊl/

the quantity a pocket will hold

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

pooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

seeingnounUS /ˈsiːɪŋ/

perception by means of the eyes

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

shouldersnounUS /ˈʃoʊldərz/

plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

slenderadjectiveUS /ˈslendər/

being of delicate or slender build

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

steeplenounUS /ˈstiːpəl/

a tall tower that forms the superstructure of a building (usually a church or temple) and that tapers to a point at the top

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

terribleadjectiveUS /ˈterəbəl/

causing fear or dread or terror

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE HARDHACK MISTAKE.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

townnounUS /taʊn/

an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

twentynounUS /ˈtwenti/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

Twinkham

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

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

uglyadjectiveUS /ˈʌɡli/

displeasing to the senses

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

unusualadjectiveUS /əˈnjuːʒuːəl/

not usual or common or ordinary

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

venerableadjectiveUS /ˈvenərəbəl/

impressive by reason of age

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading And who could wonder?

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

wondernounUS /ˈwʌndər/

the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising

From this reading And who could wonder?

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Even a larger town than Hardhack would have experienced unusual agitation at seeing one of its own boys, who had a few years before gone away poor, slender and twenty, come back with broad shoulders, a full beard, and a pocketful of money, dug out of the ugly hills of Nevada.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading The venerable Deacon Twinkham, the oldest inhabitant, said there had not been such an excitement at Hardhack since the meeting-house steeple blew down in a terrible equinoctial, forty-seven years before.

Chapter 9 of Little Guzzy, and other stories by John Habberton holds 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 9 of Little Guzzy, and other stories contain?

Chapter 9 holds 422 sentences of Little Guzzy, and other stories, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 9 of Little Guzzy, and other stories by John Habberton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 9 of Little Guzzy, and other stories?

Work through the 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 85 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 9 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 9 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 Little Guzzy, and other stories

Common questions about reading Little Guzzy, and other stories by John Habberton on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Little Guzzy, and other stories?

Yes. All 4977 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #67985 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Little Guzzy, and other stories is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #67985, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Little Guzzy, and other stories take to read?

About 414 minutes of reading across 996 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Little Guzzy, and other stories section by section

How to work through Little Guzzy, and other stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 12 chapters of Little Guzzy, and other 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 Little Guzzy, and other stories

Words and structures a reader meets early in Little Guzzy, and other stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Charming
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Guzzy, and other stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Published
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Guzzy, and other stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Helen
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Guzzy, and other stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Babies
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Guzzy, and other stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.