Chapter 26 of Sandburrs is here in full — 15 sentences across 3 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of Sandburrs is here in full — 15 sentences across 3 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Sometimes I doubt the longevity of our bliss,” he said. “Despair rides on the crupper of my hopes at times. The Witch of Waco told how in a trance she saw my future spread before me like a faro layout. 'And,' said the Witch of Waco, I saw the pale hand of Fate put a copper on the queen. You may be lynched, but you will never wed.'
Chapter 26 of Sandburrs is here in full — 15 sentences across 3 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/3 · 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 card game in which players bet against the dealer on the cards he will draw from a dealing box
From this reading “The Witch of Waco told how in a trance she saw my future spread before me like a faro layout.”
a plan or design of something that is laid out
From this reading “The Witch of Waco told how in a trance she saw my future spread before me like a faro layout.”
duration of service
From this reading “Sometimes I doubt the longevity of our bliss,” he said.”
past form of “lynch” — kill without legal sanction
From this reading “You may be lynched, but you will never wed.'”
plural of “ride” — a journey in a vehicle (usually an automobile)
From this reading ““Despair rides on the crupper of my hopes at times.”
a psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation
From this reading “The Witch of Waco told how in a trance she saw my future spread before me like a faro layout.”
a city in east central Texas
From this reading “The Witch of Waco told how in a trance she saw my future spread before me like a faro layout.”
take in marriage
From this reading “You may be lynched, but you will never wed.'”
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.
sporadically and infrequently
In this reading ““Despair rides on the crupper of my hopes at times.”
In this reading “The Witch of Waco told how in a trance she saw my future spread before me like a faro layout.”
In this reading ““Despair rides on the crupper of my hopes at times.”
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 The Witch of Waco told how in a trance she saw my future spread before me like a faro layout.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 'And,' said the Witch of Waco, I saw the pale hand of Fate put a copper on the queen.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Despair rides on the crupper of my hopes at times.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading You may be lynched, but you will never wed.'
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The Witch of Waco told how in a trance she saw my future spread before me like a faro layout.
a state of extreme happiness
From this reading Sometimes I doubt the longevity of our bliss,” he said.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading You may be lynched, but you will never wed.'
a ductile malleable reddish-brown corrosion-resistant diamagnetic metallic element; occurs in various minerals but is the only metal that occurs abundantly in large masses; used as an electrical and thermal conductor
From this reading 'And,' said the Witch of Waco, I saw the pale hand of Fate put a copper on the queen.
a strap from the back of a saddle passing under the horse's tail; prevents saddle from slipping forward
From this reading “Despair rides on the crupper of my hopes at times.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading “Despair rides on the crupper of my hopes at times.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading Sometimes I doubt the longevity of our bliss,” he said.
a card game in which players bet against the dealer on the cards he will draw from a dealing box
From this reading The Witch of Waco told how in a trance she saw my future spread before me like a faro layout.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading 'And,' said the Witch of Waco, I saw the pale hand of Fate put a copper on the queen.
yet to be or coming
From this reading The Witch of Waco told how in a trance she saw my future spread before me like a faro layout.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading 'And,' said the Witch of Waco, I saw the pale hand of Fate put a copper on the queen.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Sometimes I doubt the longevity of our bliss,” he said.
plural of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading “Despair rides on the crupper of my hopes at times.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Witch of Waco told how in a trance she saw my future spread before me like a faro layout.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Sometimes I doubt the longevity of our bliss,” he said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Witch of Waco told how in a trance she saw my future spread before me like a faro layout.
a plan or design of something that is laid out
From this reading The Witch of Waco told how in a trance she saw my future spread before me like a faro layout.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The Witch of Waco told how in a trance she saw my future spread before me like a faro layout.
duration of service
From this reading Sometimes I doubt the longevity of our bliss,” he said.
past form of “lynch” — kill without legal sanction
From this reading You may be lynched, but you will never wed.'
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading You may be lynched, but you will never wed.'
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The Witch of Waco told how in a trance she saw my future spread before me like a faro layout.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Despair rides on the crupper of my hopes at times.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading You may be lynched, but you will never wed.'
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Sometimes I doubt the longevity of our bliss,” he said.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Despair rides on the crupper of my hopes at times.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Sometimes I doubt the longevity of our bliss,” he said.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading 'And,' said the Witch of Waco, I saw the pale hand of Fate put a copper on the queen.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading 'And,' said the Witch of Waco, I saw the pale hand of Fate put a copper on the queen.
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading 'And,' said the Witch of Waco, I saw the pale hand of Fate put a copper on the queen.
plural of “ride” — a journey in a vehicle (usually an automobile)
From this reading “Despair rides on the crupper of my hopes at times.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Sometimes I doubt the longevity of our bliss,” he said.
cut with a saw
From this reading The Witch of Waco told how in a trance she saw my future spread before me like a faro layout.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The Witch of Waco told how in a trance she saw my future spread before me like a faro layout.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading Sometimes I doubt the longevity of our bliss,” he said.
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading The Witch of Waco told how in a trance she saw my future spread before me like a faro layout.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Sometimes I doubt the longevity of our bliss,” he said.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading “Despair rides on the crupper of my hopes at times.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading The Witch of Waco told how in a trance she saw my future spread before me like a faro layout.
a psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation
From this reading The Witch of Waco told how in a trance she saw my future spread before me like a faro layout.
a city in east central Texas
From this reading The Witch of Waco told how in a trance she saw my future spread before me like a faro layout.
take in marriage
From this reading You may be lynched, but you will never wed.'
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading You may be lynched, but you will never wed.'
a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading The Witch of Waco told how in a trance she saw my future spread before me like a faro layout.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You may be lynched, but you will never wed.'
Chapter 26 of Sandburrs by Alfred Henry Lewis holds 15 sentences, grouped into 3 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 26 holds 15 sentences of Sandburrs, unabridged, divided into 3 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of Sandburrs by Alfred Henry Lewis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 15 sentences, grouped into 3 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 3 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 3 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 26 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 Sandburrs by Alfred Henry Lewis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5260 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51981 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51981, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 438 minutes of reading across 1052 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sandburrs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Sandburrs 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 Sandburrs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
