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Smoke of the .45
Smoke of the .45

Chapter XI

Chapter 11 of Smoke of the .45 is here in full — 58 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Harry Sinclair Drago • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Smoke of the .45
Context Illustration Reading 1/11 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.
This suited Johnny.
Strolling up to the window he found Miss Nannie Price, the assistant postmistress, in the act of artistically dissecting an orange.
“Mr. Allerdyce!”
Nannie gurgled.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Smoke of the .45

Chapter XI

Chapter 11 of Smoke of the .45 is here in full — 58 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/11 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.
Line 2
This suited Johnny.
/ðɪs ˈsuːtɪd ˈdʒɑːni/
Line 3
Strolling up to the window he found Miss Nannie Price, the assistant postmistress, in the act of artistically dissecting an orange.
Line 4
“Mr. Allerdyce!”
Line 5
Nannie gurgled.

Learner Dictionary

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.

artistically adverb US /ɑːrˈtɪstɪkli/

in an artistic manner

From this reading “Strolling up to the window he found Miss Nannie Price, the assistant postmistress, in the act of artistically dissecting an orange.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
assistant noun US /əˈsɪstənt/

a person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose

From this reading “Strolling up to the window he found Miss Nannie Price, the assistant postmistress, in the act of artistically dissecting an orange.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dissecting verb US /daɪˈsektɪŋ/

-ing form of “dissect” — cut open or cut apart

From this reading “Strolling up to the window he found Miss Nannie Price, the assistant postmistress, in the act of artistically dissecting an orange.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
leisure noun US /ˈleʒər/

time available for ease and relaxation

From this reading “MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
orange noun US /ˈɔːrəndʒ/

round yellow to orange fruit of any of several citrus trees

From this reading “Strolling up to the window he found Miss Nannie Price, the assistant postmistress, in the act of artistically dissecting an orange.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Strolling verb US /ˈstroʊlɪŋ/

-ing form of “stroll” — walk leisurely and with no apparent aim

From this reading “Strolling up to the window he found Miss Nannie Price, the assistant postmistress, in the act of artistically dissecting an orange.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
suited adjective US /ˈsuːtɪd/

meant or adapted for an occasion or use

From this reading “This suited Johnny.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
trains noun US /treɪnz/

plural of “train” — public transport provided by a line of railway cars coupled together and drawn by a locomotive

From this reading “MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

post office verb + noun

a local branch where postal services are available

In this reading “MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.”

3,332 times in 426,211 chapters
early morning adjective + noun

In this reading “MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.”

7,183 times in 426,211 chapters
late afternoon adjective + noun

In this reading “MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.”

1,990 times in 426,211 chapters
without exception preposition + noun

In this reading “MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.”

1,229 times in 426,211 chapters
act of verb + particle

In this reading “Strolling up to the window he found Miss Nannie Price, the assistant postmistress, in the act of artistically dissecting an orange.”

28,018 times in 426,211 chapters
arrived in verb + particle counted as “arrive in”

In this reading “MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.”

12,822 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 53

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
actverbUS /ækt/

perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)

From this reading Strolling up to the window he found Miss Nannie Price, the assistant postmistress, in the act of artistically dissecting an orange.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
afternoonnounUS /ˌæftərˈnuːn/

the part of the day between noon and evening

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Allerdyce

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Mr. Allerdyce!”

Pending verification
andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
arrivedverbUS /ərˈaɪvd/

past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
artisticallyadverbUS /ɑːrˈtɪstɪkli/

in an artistic manner

From this reading Strolling up to the window he found Miss Nannie Price, the assistant postmistress, in the act of artistically dissecting an orange.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
assistantnounUS /əˈsɪstənt/

a person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose

From this reading Strolling up to the window he found Miss Nannie Price, the assistant postmistress, in the act of artistically dissecting an orange.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
BETverbUS /bet/

maintain with or as if with a bet

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dissectingverbUS /daɪˈsektɪŋ/

-ing form of “dissect” — cut open or cut apart

From this reading Strolling up to the window he found Miss Nannie Price, the assistant postmistress, in the act of artistically dissecting an orange.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dueadjectiveUS /duː/

owed and payable immediately or on demand

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/

at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eastnounUS /iːst/

the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
exceptionnounUS /ɪkˈsepʃən/

a deliberate act of omission

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
factnounUS /fækt/

a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading Strolling up to the window he found Miss Nannie Price, the assistant postmistress, in the act of artistically dissecting an orange.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gurgled

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Nannie gurgled.

Pending verification
hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Strolling up to the window he found Miss Nannie Price, the assistant postmistress, in the act of artistically dissecting an orange.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hournounUS /ˈaʊər/

a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
JohnnynounUS /ˈdʒɑːni/

“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms

From this reading This suited Johnny.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lateadjectiveUS /leɪt/

being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
leisurenounUS /ˈleʒər/

time available for ease and relaxation

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mailnounUS /meɪl/

the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MissverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading Strolling up to the window he found Miss Nannie Price, the assistant postmistress, in the act of artistically dissecting an orange.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MOREadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading “Mr. Allerdyce!”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Nannie

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Strolling up to the window he found Miss Nannie Price, the assistant postmistress, in the act of artistically dissecting an orange.

Pending verification
Noontime

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

Pending verification
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
officenounUS /ˈɔːfɪs/

place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
orangenounUS /ˈɔːrəndʒ/

round yellow to orange fruit of any of several citrus trees

From this reading Strolling up to the window he found Miss Nannie Price, the assistant postmistress, in the act of artistically dissecting an orange.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
postverbUS /poʊst/

affix in a public place or for public notice

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
postmistressnoun

a woman postmaster

From this reading Strolling up to the window he found Miss Nannie Price, the assistant postmistress, in the act of artistically dissecting an orange.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PricenounUS /praɪs/

the property of having material worth (often indicated by the amount of money something would bring if sold)

From this reading Strolling up to the window he found Miss Nannie Price, the assistant postmistress, in the act of artistically dissecting an orange.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
StrollingverbUS /ˈstroʊlɪŋ/

-ing form of “stroll” — walk leisurely and with no apparent aim

From this reading Strolling up to the window he found Miss Nannie Price, the assistant postmistress, in the act of artistically dissecting an orange.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
suitedadjectiveUS /ˈsuːtɪd/

meant or adapted for an occasion or use

From this reading This suited Johnny.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
THANconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading This suited Johnny.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
trainsnounUS /treɪnz/

plural of “train” — public transport provided by a line of railway cars coupled together and drawn by a locomotive

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Strolling up to the window he found Miss Nannie Price, the assistant postmistress, in the act of artistically dissecting an orange.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
westnounUS /west/

the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
windownounUS /ˈwɪndoʊ/

a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air

From this reading Strolling up to the window he found Miss Nannie Price, the assistant postmistress, in the act of artistically dissecting an orange.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading MORE THAN A BET Noontime was an hour of leisure at the post office, due to the fact that without exception the east and west mail trains arrived in the very early morning or late afternoon.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 11 of Smoke of the .45 by Harry Sinclair Drago holds 58 sentences, grouped into 12 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.

What does chapter 11 of Smoke of the .45 contain?

Chapter 11 holds 58 sentences of Smoke of the .45, unabridged, divided into 12 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 11 of Smoke of the .45 by Harry Sinclair Drago exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 58 sentences, grouped into 12 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.

How do I study chapter 11 of Smoke of the .45?

Work through the 12 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 12 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.

Can chapter 11 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 11 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.

Questions about reading Smoke of the .45

Common questions about reading Smoke of the .45 by Harry Sinclair Drago on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Smoke of the .45?

Yes. All 5164 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63072 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Smoke of the .45 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #63072, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Smoke of the .45 take to read?

About 430 minutes of reading across 1033 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Smoke of the .45 section by section

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  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in Smoke of the .45

Words and structures a reader meets early in Smoke of the .45, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Through
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Smoke of the .45; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Whose
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Smoke of the .45; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Learned
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Smoke of the .45; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Desert
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Smoke of the .45; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.