Chapter 3 of Mrs. Skagg's Husbands and Other Stories is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Mrs. Skagg's Husbands and Other Stories is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Whar's the mare?” “Bill and Jack's holdin' her at the crossin'.” “Let 'em hold on a minit longer,” said Dick. He turned and re-entered the house softly. By the light of the guttering candle and dying fire he saw that the door of the little room was open.
Chapter 3 of Mrs. Skagg's Husbands and Other Stories is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading “By the light of the guttering candle and dying fire he saw that the door of the little room was open.”
someone who is a detective
From this reading ““Let 'em hold on a minit longer,” said Dick.”
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading “By the light of the guttering candle and dying fire he saw that the door of the little room was open.”
-ing form of “gutter” — burn unsteadily, feebly, or low; flicker
From this reading “By the light of the guttering candle and dying fire he saw that the door of the little room was open.”
possessive form of “jack” — a small worthless amount
From this reading ““Bill and Jack's holdin' her at the crossin'.””
female equine animal
From this reading ““Whar's the mare?””
past form of “re-enter” — enter again
From this reading “He turned and re-entered the house softly.”
with low volume
From this reading “He turned and re-entered the house softly.”
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 “Let 'em hold on a minit longer,” said Dick.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Bill and Jack's holdin' her at the crossin'.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Bill and Jack's holdin' her at the crossin'.”
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “Bill and Jack's holdin' her at the crossin'.”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By the light of the guttering candle and dying fire he saw that the door of the little room was open.
stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading By the light of the guttering candle and dying fire he saw that the door of the little room was open.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Bill and Jack's holdin' her at the crossin'.”
someone who is a detective
From this reading “Let 'em hold on a minit longer,” said Dick.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading By the light of the guttering candle and dying fire he saw that the door of the little room was open.
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading By the light of the guttering candle and dying fire he saw that the door of the little room was open.
a quad with a square body
From this reading “Let 'em hold on a minit longer,” said Dick.
start firing a weapon
From this reading By the light of the guttering candle and dying fire he saw that the door of the little room was open.
-ing form of “gutter” — burn unsteadily, feebly, or low; flicker
From this reading By the light of the guttering candle and dying fire he saw that the door of the little room was open.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He turned and re-entered the house softly.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Bill and Jack's holdin' her at the crossin'.”
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading “Let 'em hold on a minit longer,” said Dick.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Bill and Jack's holdin' her at the crossin'.”
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading He turned and re-entered the house softly.
possessive form of “jack” — a small worthless amount
From this reading “Bill and Jack's holdin' her at the crossin'.”
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading “Let 'em hold on a minit longer,” said Dick.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading By the light of the guttering candle and dying fire he saw that the door of the little room was open.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading By the light of the guttering candle and dying fire he saw that the door of the little room was open.
for more time
From this reading “Let 'em hold on a minit longer,” said Dick.
female equine animal
From this reading “Whar's the mare?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Let 'em hold on a minit longer,” said Dick.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading By the light of the guttering candle and dying fire he saw that the door of the little room was open.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Let 'em hold on a minit longer,” said Dick.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading By the light of the guttering candle and dying fire he saw that the door of the little room was open.
past form of “re-enter” — enter again
From this reading He turned and re-entered the house softly.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading By the light of the guttering candle and dying fire he saw that the door of the little room was open.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Let 'em hold on a minit longer,” said Dick.
cut with a saw
From this reading By the light of the guttering candle and dying fire he saw that the door of the little room was open.
with low volume
From this reading He turned and re-entered the house softly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading By the light of the guttering candle and dying fire he saw that the door of the little room was open.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Whar's the mare?”
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He turned and re-entered the house softly.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading By the light of the guttering candle and dying fire he saw that the door of the little room was open.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Whar's the mare?”
Chapter 3 of Mrs. Skagg's Husbands and Other Stories by Bret Harte holds 443 sentences, grouped into 89 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.
Chapter 3 holds 443 sentences of Mrs. Skagg's Husbands and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Mrs. Skagg's Husbands and Other Stories by Bret Harte exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 443 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 3 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 Mrs. Skagg's Husbands and Other Stories by Bret Harte on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2167 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2597 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2597, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 180 minutes of reading across 434 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mrs. Skagg's Husbands and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Mrs. Skagg's Husbands and Other Stories 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 Mrs. Skagg's Husbands and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
