Chapter 21 of Settling Day is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Settling Day is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A CLEVER ESCAPE 'They cannot well be ahead of us,' said Doonan. 'I have seen no one about.' 'Precious good care they would take you did not see them,' answered Silas. 'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go. 'I shall be left if you go at that rate,' he shouted to Willie.
Chapter 21 of Settling Day is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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 “care” — feel concern or interest
From this reading “'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.”
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading “A CLEVER ESCAPE 'They cannot well be ahead of us,' said Doonan.”
a lawman with less authority and jurisdiction than a sheriff
From this reading “'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.”
more quickly
From this reading “'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.”
the rate of moving (especially walking or running)
From this reading “'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.”
characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for
From this reading “'Precious good care they would take you did not see them,' answered Silas.”
a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit
From this reading “'I shall be left if you go at that rate,' he shouted to Willie.”
in a vehement outcry
From this reading “'I shall be left if you go at that rate,' he shouted to Willie.”
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.
In this reading “'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.”
In this reading “'Precious good care they would take you did not see them,' answered Silas.”
In this reading “'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.”
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 A CLEVER ESCAPE 'They cannot well be ahead of us,' said Doonan.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading 'I have seen no one about.'
at or in the front
From this reading A CLEVER ESCAPE 'They cannot well be ahead of us,' said Doonan.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading 'Precious good care they would take you did not see them,' answered Silas.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading 'I shall be left if you go at that rate,' he shouted to Willie.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading 'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading A CLEVER ESCAPE 'They cannot well be ahead of us,' said Doonan.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading 'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A CLEVER ESCAPE 'They cannot well be ahead of us,' said Doonan.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading 'Precious good care they would take you did not see them,' answered Silas.
past form of “care” — feel concern or interest
From this reading 'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading A CLEVER ESCAPE 'They cannot well be ahead of us,' said Doonan.
a lawman with less authority and jurisdiction than a sheriff
From this reading 'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading 'Precious good care they would take you did not see them,' answered Silas.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A CLEVER ESCAPE 'They cannot well be ahead of us,' said Doonan.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading A CLEVER ESCAPE 'They cannot well be ahead of us,' said Doonan.
more quickly
From this reading 'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading 'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading 'Precious good care they would take you did not see them,' answered Silas.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading 'I have seen no one about.'
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'I shall be left if you go at that rate,' he shouted to Willie.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading 'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'I have seen no one about.'
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading 'I shall be left if you go at that rate,' he shouted to Willie.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading 'I shall be left if you go at that rate,' he shouted to Willie.
engage in
From this reading 'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading 'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.
not any; not one
From this reading 'I have seen no one about.'
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading 'Precious good care they would take you did not see them,' answered Silas.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A CLEVER ESCAPE 'They cannot well be ahead of us,' said Doonan.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading 'I have seen no one about.'
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading 'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.
the rate of moving (especially walking or running)
From this reading 'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.
characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for
From this reading 'Precious good care they would take you did not see them,' answered Silas.
a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit
From this reading 'I shall be left if you go at that rate,' he shouted to Willie.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading A CLEVER ESCAPE 'They cannot well be ahead of us,' said Doonan.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading 'Precious good care they would take you did not see them,' answered Silas.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading 'I have seen no one about.'
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading 'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading 'I shall be left if you go at that rate,' he shouted to Willie.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading 'I shall be left if you go at that rate,' he shouted to Willie.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Precious good care they would take you did not see them,' answered Silas.
carry out
From this reading 'Precious good care they would take you did not see them,' answered Silas.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading 'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading 'I shall be left if you go at that rate,' he shouted to Willie.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading 'Precious good care they would take you did not see them,' answered Silas.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A CLEVER ESCAPE 'They cannot well be ahead of us,' said Doonan.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A CLEVER ESCAPE 'They cannot well be ahead of us,' said Doonan.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading 'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading 'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading A CLEVER ESCAPE 'They cannot well be ahead of us,' said Doonan.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'We must make the best of our way back,' said Willie, and set the pace faster than Constable Doonan's horse cared to go.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading 'Precious good care they would take you did not see them,' answered Silas.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'Precious good care they would take you did not see them,' answered Silas.
Chapter 21 of Settling Day by Nat Gould holds 142 sentences, grouped into 29 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 21 holds 142 sentences of Settling Day, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Settling Day by Nat Gould exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 142 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 21 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 Settling Day by Nat Gould on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4319 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35496 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35496, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 359 minutes of reading across 864 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Settling Day section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Settling Day 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 Settling Day, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
