Chapter XXVIII of Little Hickory, “The Skeleton in the Cellar,” is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XXVIII
Chapter XXVIII of Little Hickory, “The Skeleton in the Cellar,” is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mrs. Bayne was wild with grief, as she saw Rob taken away in this heartless way. “This is the worst blow yet,” she moaned. “Oh, why have they taken my boy--our support?” “And my poor Mary,” cried Mrs. Little. “And my boys, Tom and Jerry,” added Aunt Vinnie.
Chapter XXVIII of Little Hickory, “The Skeleton in the Cellar,” is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
exhale hard
From this reading ““This is the worst blow yet,” she moaned.”
intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death)
From this reading “Mrs. Bayne was wild with grief, as she saw Rob taken away in this heartless way.”
lacking in feeling or pity or warmth
From this reading “Mrs. Bayne was wild with grief, as she saw Rob taken away in this heartless way.”
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading ““And my boys, Tom and Jerry,” added Aunt Vinnie.”
past form of “moan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading ““This is the worst blow yet,” she moaned.”
take something away by force or without the consent of the owner
From this reading “Mrs. Bayne was wild with grief, as she saw Rob taken away in this heartless way.”
the activity of providing for or maintaining by supplying with money or necessities
From this reading ““Oh, why have they taken my boy--our support?””
the least favorable outcome
From this reading ““This is the worst blow yet,” she moaned.”
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 “Mrs. Bayne was wild with grief, as she saw Rob taken away in this heartless way.”
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.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading “And my boys, Tom and Jerry,” added Aunt Vinnie.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And my poor Mary,” cried Mrs. Little.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Mrs. Bayne was wild with grief, as she saw Rob taken away in this heartless way.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading “And my boys, Tom and Jerry,” added Aunt Vinnie.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Mrs. Bayne was wild with grief, as she saw Rob taken away in this heartless way.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Bayne was wild with grief, as she saw Rob taken away in this heartless way.
exhale hard
From this reading “This is the worst blow yet,” she moaned.
a youthful male person
From this reading “Oh, why have they taken my boy--our support?”
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading “And my boys, Tom and Jerry,” added Aunt Vinnie.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “And my poor Mary,” cried Mrs. Little.
intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death)
From this reading Mrs. Bayne was wild with grief, as she saw Rob taken away in this heartless way.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Oh, why have they taken my boy--our support?”
lacking in feeling or pity or warmth
From this reading Mrs. Bayne was wild with grief, as she saw Rob taken away in this heartless way.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mrs. Bayne was wild with grief, as she saw Rob taken away in this heartless way.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “This is the worst blow yet,” she moaned.
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading “And my boys, Tom and Jerry,” added Aunt Vinnie.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “And my poor Mary,” cried Mrs. Little.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading “And my poor Mary,” cried Mrs. Little.
past form of “moan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading “This is the worst blow yet,” she moaned.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Bayne was wild with grief, as she saw Rob taken away in this heartless way.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Oh, why have they taken my boy--our support?”
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, why have they taken my boy--our support?”
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “Oh, why have they taken my boy--our support?”
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading “And my poor Mary,” cried Mrs. Little.
take something away by force or without the consent of the owner
From this reading Mrs. Bayne was wild with grief, as she saw Rob taken away in this heartless way.
cut with a saw
From this reading Mrs. Bayne was wild with grief, as she saw Rob taken away in this heartless way.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mrs. Bayne was wild with grief, as she saw Rob taken away in this heartless way.
the activity of providing for or maintaining by supplying with money or necessities
From this reading “Oh, why have they taken my boy--our support?”
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading Mrs. Bayne was wild with grief, as she saw Rob taken away in this heartless way.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “This is the worst blow yet,” she moaned.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Oh, why have they taken my boy--our support?”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Bayne was wild with grief, as she saw Rob taken away in this heartless way.
male cat
From this reading “And my boys, Tom and Jerry,” added Aunt Vinnie.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “And my boys, Tom and Jerry,” added Aunt Vinnie.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mrs. Bayne was wild with grief, as she saw Rob taken away in this heartless way.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Mrs. Bayne was wild with grief, as she saw Rob taken away in this heartless way.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Oh, why have they taken my boy--our support?”
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading Mrs. Bayne was wild with grief, as she saw Rob taken away in this heartless way.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Mrs. Bayne was wild with grief, as she saw Rob taken away in this heartless way.
the least favorable outcome
From this reading “This is the worst blow yet,” she moaned.
but in spite of that
From this reading “This is the worst blow yet,” she moaned.
Chapter 28 of Little Hickory by George Waldo Browne holds 92 sentences, grouped into 19 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 28 holds 92 sentences of Little Hickory, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 28 of Little Hickory by George Waldo Browne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 92 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 28 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 Little Hickory by George Waldo Browne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2631 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #68532 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #68532, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 219 minutes of reading across 527 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Little Hickory section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Little Hickory 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 Little Hickory, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
