Chapter 9 of Smoke Bellew is here in full — 248 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Smoke Bellew is here in full — 248 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The ball came to rest, and the game-keeper announced, "Thirty-four wins!" He swept the table, and alongside of Smoke's dollar, stacked thirty-five dollars. Smoke drew the money in, and Shorty slapped him on the shoulder. "Now, that was the real goods of a hunch, Smoke! How'd I know it?
Chapter 9 of Smoke Bellew is here in full — 248 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 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.
side by side
From this reading “He swept the table, and alongside of Smoke's dollar, stacked thirty-five dollars.”
the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading “He swept the table, and alongside of Smoke's dollar, stacked thirty-five dollars.”
plural of “good” — benefit
From this reading “"Now, that was the real goods of a hunch, Smoke!”
an impression that something might be the case
From this reading “"Now, that was the real goods of a hunch, Smoke!”
inflected form of “slap” — hit with something flat, like a paddle or the open hand
From this reading “Smoke drew the money in, and Shorty slapped him on the shoulder.”
arranged in a stack
From this reading “He swept the table, and alongside of Smoke's dollar, stacked thirty-five dollars.”
being five more than thirty
From this reading “He swept the table, and alongside of Smoke's dollar, stacked thirty-five dollars.”
plural of “win” — a victory (as in a race or other competition)
From this reading “The ball came to rest, and the game-keeper announced, "Thirty-four wins!"”
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 "Now, that was the real goods of a hunch, Smoke!
side by side
From this reading He swept the table, and alongside of Smoke's dollar, stacked thirty-five dollars.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The ball came to rest, and the game-keeper announced, "Thirty-four wins!"
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading The ball came to rest, and the game-keeper announced, "Thirty-four wins!"
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading The ball came to rest, and the game-keeper announced, "Thirty-four wins!"
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The ball came to rest, and the game-keeper announced, "Thirty-four wins!"
the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading He swept the table, and alongside of Smoke's dollar, stacked thirty-five dollars.
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading He swept the table, and alongside of Smoke's dollar, stacked thirty-five dollars.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading Smoke drew the money in, and Shorty slapped him on the shoulder.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ball came to rest, and the game-keeper announced, "Thirty-four wins!"
plural of “good” — benefit
From this reading "Now, that was the real goods of a hunch, Smoke!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He swept the table, and alongside of Smoke's dollar, stacked thirty-five dollars.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Smoke drew the money in, and Shorty slapped him on the shoulder.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How'd I know it?
an impression that something might be the case
From this reading "Now, that was the real goods of a hunch, Smoke!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading How'd I know it?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Smoke drew the money in, and Shorty slapped him on the shoulder.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading How'd I know it?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading How'd I know it?
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading Smoke drew the money in, and Shorty slapped him on the shoulder.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now, that was the real goods of a hunch, Smoke!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He swept the table, and alongside of Smoke's dollar, stacked thirty-five dollars.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Smoke drew the money in, and Shorty slapped him on the shoulder.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading "Now, that was the real goods of a hunch, Smoke!
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading The ball came to rest, and the game-keeper announced, "Thirty-four wins!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Smoke drew the money in, and Shorty slapped him on the shoulder.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading Smoke drew the money in, and Shorty slapped him on the shoulder.
inflected form of “slap” — hit with something flat, like a paddle or the open hand
From this reading Smoke drew the money in, and Shorty slapped him on the shoulder.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading Smoke drew the money in, and Shorty slapped him on the shoulder.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He swept the table, and alongside of Smoke's dollar, stacked thirty-five dollars.
arranged in a stack
From this reading He swept the table, and alongside of Smoke's dollar, stacked thirty-five dollars.
possessing sweep
From this reading He swept the table, and alongside of Smoke's dollar, stacked thirty-five dollars.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading He swept the table, and alongside of Smoke's dollar, stacked thirty-five dollars.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Now, that was the real goods of a hunch, Smoke!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The ball came to rest, and the game-keeper announced, "Thirty-four wins!"
being five more than thirty
From this reading He swept the table, and alongside of Smoke's dollar, stacked thirty-five dollars.
being four more than thirty
From this reading The ball came to rest, and the game-keeper announced, "Thirty-four wins!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The ball came to rest, and the game-keeper announced, "Thirty-four wins!"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Now, that was the real goods of a hunch, Smoke!
plural of “win” — a victory (as in a race or other competition)
From this reading The ball came to rest, and the game-keeper announced, "Thirty-four wins!"
Chapter 9 of Smoke Bellew by Jack London holds 248 sentences, grouped into 50 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 9 holds 248 sentences of Smoke Bellew, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Smoke Bellew by Jack London exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 248 sentences, grouped into 50 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 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 50 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 9 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 Smoke Bellew by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3407 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1596 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1596, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 283 minutes of reading across 682 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Smoke Bellew section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Smoke Bellew 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 Smoke Bellew, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
