Chapter 15 of Purple Springs is here in full — 209 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Purple Springs is here in full — 209 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office. He called at the drug store before going to his private office, and inquired of the clerk: "Any one wanting me, Tommy?" "Sure--two or three--but nothing serious. Bill Snedden wanted you to come out and see his horse."
Chapter 15 of Purple Springs is here in full — 209 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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 statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “Bill Snedden wanted you to come out and see his horse."”
a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
From this reading “PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office.”
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading “He called at the drug store before going to his private office, and inquired of the clerk:”
administer a drug to
From this reading “He called at the drug store before going to his private office, and inquired of the clerk:”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “He called at the drug store before going to his private office, and inquired of the clerk:”
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading “PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office.”
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading “He called at the drug store before going to his private office, and inquired of the clerk:”
nonexistent
From this reading “"Any one wanting me, Tommy?"”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Any one wanting me, Tommy?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He called at the drug store before going to his private office, and inquired of the clerk:
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He called at the drug store before going to his private office, and inquired of the clerk:
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading Bill Snedden wanted you to come out and see his horse."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Sure--two or three--but nothing serious.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading He called at the drug store before going to his private office, and inquired of the clerk:
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office.
a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
From this reading PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office.
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading He called at the drug store before going to his private office, and inquired of the clerk:
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Bill Snedden wanted you to come out and see his horse."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office.
administer a drug to
From this reading He called at the drug store before going to his private office, and inquired of the clerk:
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office.
the act of departing
From this reading He called at the drug store before going to his private office, and inquired of the clerk:
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He called at the drug store before going to his private office, and inquired of the clerk:
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading Bill Snedden wanted you to come out and see his horse."
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading He called at the drug store before going to his private office, and inquired of the clerk:
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Any one wanting me, Tommy?"
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Sure--two or three--but nothing serious.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Any one wanting me, Tommy?"
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Sure--two or three--but nothing serious.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Bill Snedden wanted you to come out and see his horse."
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading He called at the drug store before going to his private office, and inquired of the clerk:
with speed
From this reading PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Bill Snedden wanted you to come out and see his horse."
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading "Sure--two or three--but nothing serious.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bill Snedden wanted you to come out and see his horse."
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office.
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading He called at the drug store before going to his private office, and inquired of the clerk:
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "Sure--two or three--but nothing serious.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading "Sure--two or three--but nothing serious.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Any one wanting me, Tommy?"
create by training and teaching
From this reading PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "Sure--two or three--but nothing serious.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading Bill Snedden wanted you to come out and see his horse."
nonexistent
From this reading "Any one wanting me, Tommy?"
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office.
at the time that
From this reading PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF CLAY When the train came in from the west, Dr. Clay stepped off and walked quickly to his office.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Bill Snedden wanted you to come out and see his horse."
Chapter 15 of Purple Springs by Nellie L. McClung holds 209 sentences, grouped into 42 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 15 holds 209 sentences of Purple Springs, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Purple Springs by Nellie L. McClung exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 209 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 15 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 Purple Springs by Nellie L. McClung on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4405 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10221 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10221, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 367 minutes of reading across 881 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Purple Springs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Purple Springs 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 Purple Springs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
