Chapter XXIV of On Time, “Up the Lake,” is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter XXIV of On Time, “Up the Lake,” is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“What do you mean, Wolf?” demanded Tommy Toppleton, turning fiercely toward me. “Have you told your runners to lie to passengers?” “Certainly not,” I replied. “They are telling only the truth as I understand it.” “The truth!
Chapter XXIV of On Time, “Up the Lake,” is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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 “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading ““What do you mean, Wolf?” demanded Tommy Toppleton, turning fiercely toward me.”
in a physically fierce manner
From this reading ““What do you mean, Wolf?” demanded Tommy Toppleton, turning fiercely toward me.”
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading ““Have you told your runners to lie to passengers?””
plural of “passenger” — a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it
From this reading ““Have you told your runners to lie to passengers?””
plural of “runner” — someone who imports or exports without paying duties
From this reading ““Have you told your runners to lie to passengers?””
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading ““They are telling only the truth as I understand it.””
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading ““What do you mean, Wolf?” demanded Tommy Toppleton, turning fiercely toward me.”
any of various predatory carnivorous canine mammals of North America and Eurasia that usually hunt in packs
From this reading ““What do you mean, Wolf?” demanded Tommy Toppleton, turning fiercely toward me.”
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.
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.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “They are telling only the truth as I understand it.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “They are telling only the truth as I understand it.”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “Certainly not,” I replied.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “What do you mean, Wolf?” demanded Tommy Toppleton, turning fiercely toward me.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “What do you mean, Wolf?” demanded Tommy Toppleton, turning fiercely toward me.
in a physically fierce manner
From this reading “What do you mean, Wolf?” demanded Tommy Toppleton, turning fiercely toward me.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Have you told your runners to lie to passengers?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Certainly not,” I replied.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “They are telling only the truth as I understand it.”
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading “Have you told your runners to lie to passengers?”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “What do you mean, Wolf?” demanded Tommy Toppleton, turning fiercely toward me.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “What do you mean, Wolf?” demanded Tommy Toppleton, turning fiercely toward me.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Certainly not,” I replied.
and nothing more
From this reading “They are telling only the truth as I understand it.”
plural of “passenger” — a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it
From this reading “Have you told your runners to lie to passengers?”
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “Certainly not,” I replied.
plural of “runner” — someone who imports or exports without paying duties
From this reading “Have you told your runners to lie to passengers?”
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading “They are telling only the truth as I understand it.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “They are telling only the truth as I understand it.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “They are telling only the truth as I understand it.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Have you told your runners to lie to passengers?”
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading “Have you told your runners to lie to passengers?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What do you mean, Wolf?” demanded Tommy Toppleton, turning fiercely toward me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What do you mean, Wolf?” demanded Tommy Toppleton, turning fiercely toward me.
in the direction of
From this reading “What do you mean, Wolf?” demanded Tommy Toppleton, turning fiercely toward me.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading “They are telling only the truth as I understand it.”
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading “What do you mean, Wolf?” demanded Tommy Toppleton, turning fiercely toward me.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading “They are telling only the truth as I understand it.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What do you mean, Wolf?” demanded Tommy Toppleton, turning fiercely toward me.
any of various predatory carnivorous canine mammals of North America and Eurasia that usually hunt in packs
From this reading “What do you mean, Wolf?” demanded Tommy Toppleton, turning fiercely toward me.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What do you mean, Wolf?” demanded Tommy Toppleton, turning fiercely toward me.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Have you told your runners to lie to passengers?”
Chapter 24 of On Time by Oliver Optic holds 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 24 holds 129 sentences of On Time, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of On Time by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 24 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 On Time by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3222 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65552 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65552, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 268 minutes of reading across 645 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through On Time section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of On Time 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 On Time, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
