Chapter 1 of Old Kaskaskia is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Old Kaskaskia is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AUTHOR OF "THE LADY OF FORT ST. JOHN," "THE ROMANCE OF DOLLARD," ETC. By HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO., and MARY HARTWELL CATHERWOOD. Early in the century, on a summer evening, Jean Lozier stood on the bluff looking at Kaskaskia. He loved it with the homesick longing of one who is born for towns and condemned to the fields.
Chapter 1 of Old Kaskaskia is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
a high steep bank (usually formed by river erosion)
From this reading “Early in the century, on a summer evening, Jean Lozier stood on the bluff looking at Kaskaskia.”
past form of “condemn” — express strong disapproval of
From this reading “He loved it with the homesick longing of one who is born for towns and condemned to the fields.”
a fortified military post where troops are stationed
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE LADY OF FORT ST.”
longing to return home
From this reading “He loved it with the homesick longing of one who is born for towns and condemned to the fields.”
United States publisher who founded a printing shop that became an important book publisher (1823-1895)
From this reading “By HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO., and MARY HARTWELL CATHERWOOD.”
United States physician who in 1863 founded a medical school for women (1813-1888)
From this reading “Early in the century, on a summer evening, Jean Lozier stood on the bluff looking at Kaskaskia.”
a relationship between two lovers
From this reading “JOHN," "THE ROMANCE OF DOLLARD," ETC.”
plural of “town” — an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading “He loved it with the homesick longing of one who is born for towns and condemned to the fields.”
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 Early in the century, on a summer evening, Jean Lozier stood on the bluff looking at Kaskaskia.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading By HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO., and MARY HARTWELL CATHERWOOD.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Early in the century, on a summer evening, Jean Lozier stood on the bluff looking at Kaskaskia.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE LADY OF FORT ST.
a high steep bank (usually formed by river erosion)
From this reading Early in the century, on a summer evening, Jean Lozier stood on the bluff looking at Kaskaskia.
brought into existence
From this reading He loved it with the homesick longing of one who is born for towns and condemned to the fields.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO., and MARY HARTWELL CATHERWOOD.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO., and MARY HARTWELL CATHERWOOD.
a period of 100 years
From this reading Early in the century, on a summer evening, Jean Lozier stood on the bluff looking at Kaskaskia.
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading By HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO., and MARY HARTWELL CATHERWOOD.
past form of “condemn” — express strong disapproval of
From this reading He loved it with the homesick longing of one who is born for towns and condemned to the fields.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JOHN," "THE ROMANCE OF DOLLARD," ETC.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading Early in the century, on a summer evening, Jean Lozier stood on the bluff looking at Kaskaskia.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JOHN," "THE ROMANCE OF DOLLARD," ETC.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading Early in the century, on a summer evening, Jean Lozier stood on the bluff looking at Kaskaskia.
United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)
From this reading He loved it with the homesick longing of one who is born for towns and condemned to the fields.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He loved it with the homesick longing of one who is born for towns and condemned to the fields.
a fortified military post where troops are stationed
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE LADY OF FORT ST.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO., and MARY HARTWELL CATHERWOOD.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He loved it with the homesick longing of one who is born for towns and condemned to the fields.
longing to return home
From this reading He loved it with the homesick longing of one who is born for towns and condemned to the fields.
United States publisher who founded a printing shop that became an important book publisher (1823-1895)
From this reading By HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO., and MARY HARTWELL CATHERWOOD.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Early in the century, on a summer evening, Jean Lozier stood on the bluff looking at Kaskaskia.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He loved it with the homesick longing of one who is born for towns and condemned to the fields.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He loved it with the homesick longing of one who is born for towns and condemned to the fields.
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading Early in the century, on a summer evening, Jean Lozier stood on the bluff looking at Kaskaskia.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading JOHN," "THE ROMANCE OF DOLLARD," ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Early in the century, on a summer evening, Jean Lozier stood on the bluff looking at Kaskaskia.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE LADY OF FORT ST.
prolonged unfulfilled desire or need
From this reading He loved it with the homesick longing of one who is born for towns and condemned to the fields.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Early in the century, on a summer evening, Jean Lozier stood on the bluff looking at Kaskaskia.
held dear
From this reading He loved it with the homesick longing of one who is born for towns and condemned to the fields.
United States physician who in 1863 founded a medical school for women (1813-1888)
From this reading Early in the century, on a summer evening, Jean Lozier stood on the bluff looking at Kaskaskia.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading By HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO., and MARY HARTWELL CATHERWOOD.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO., and MARY HARTWELL CATHERWOOD.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE LADY OF FORT ST.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Early in the century, on a summer evening, Jean Lozier stood on the bluff looking at Kaskaskia.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He loved it with the homesick longing of one who is born for towns and condemned to the fields.
a relationship between two lovers
From this reading JOHN," "THE ROMANCE OF DOLLARD," ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE LADY OF FORT ST.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Early in the century, on a summer evening, Jean Lozier stood on the bluff looking at Kaskaskia.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading Early in the century, on a summer evening, Jean Lozier stood on the bluff looking at Kaskaskia.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE LADY OF FORT ST.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He loved it with the homesick longing of one who is born for towns and condemned to the fields.
plural of “town” — an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading He loved it with the homesick longing of one who is born for towns and condemned to the fields.
which person or people
From this reading He loved it with the homesick longing of one who is born for towns and condemned to the fields.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He loved it with the homesick longing of one who is born for towns and condemned to the fields.
Chapter 1 of Old Kaskaskia by Mary Hartwell Catherwood holds 425 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.
Chapter 1 holds 425 sentences of Old Kaskaskia, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Old Kaskaskia by Mary Hartwell Catherwood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 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.
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.
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.
Common questions about reading Old Kaskaskia by Mary Hartwell Catherwood on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2164 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18423 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18423, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 180 minutes of reading across 433 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Old Kaskaskia section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Old Kaskaskia 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 Old Kaskaskia, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
