Chapter 28 of Smoke of the .45 is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVIII
Chapter 28 of Smoke of the .45 is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
JOHNNY TALKS AT LAST Big Jim greeted Johnny with a laugh. People said that the district attorney knew more and said less than any one in the county. A look of almost infinite wisdom was in his eyes as he studied Johnny. “Well,” he questioned, “you’re goin’ to bust if you don’t talk, Johnny? Let’s have it.”
Chapter 28 of Smoke of the .45 is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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 professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading “People said that the district attorney knew more and said less than any one in the county.”
ruin completely
From this reading ““Well,” he questioned, “you’re goin’ to bust if you don’t talk, Johnny?”
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading “People said that the district attorney knew more and said less than any one in the county.”
past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading “JOHNNY TALKS AT LAST Big Jim greeted Johnny with a laugh.”
having no limits or boundaries in time or space or extent or magnitude
From this reading “A look of almost infinite wisdom was in his eyes as he studied Johnny.”
“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 “JOHNNY TALKS AT LAST Big Jim greeted Johnny with a laugh.”
past form of “question” — challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading ““Well,” he questioned, “you’re goin’ to bust if you don’t talk, Johnny?”
a discussion intended to produce an agreement
From this reading “JOHNNY TALKS AT LAST Big Jim greeted Johnny with a laugh.”
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.
an official prosecutor for a judicial district
In this reading “People said that the district attorney knew more and said less than any one in the county.”
In this reading “A look of almost infinite wisdom was in his eyes as he studied Johnny.”
In this reading “People said that the district attorney knew more and said less than any one in the county.”
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 JOHNNY TALKS AT LAST Big Jim greeted Johnny with a laugh.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading A look of almost infinite wisdom was in his eyes as he studied Johnny.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading People said that the district attorney knew more and said less than any one in the county.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading People said that the district attorney knew more and said less than any one in the county.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A look of almost infinite wisdom was in his eyes as he studied Johnny.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading JOHNNY TALKS AT LAST Big Jim greeted Johnny with a laugh.
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading People said that the district attorney knew more and said less than any one in the county.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading JOHNNY TALKS AT LAST Big Jim greeted Johnny with a laugh.
ruin completely
From this reading “Well,” he questioned, “you’re goin’ to bust if you don’t talk, Johnny?
(United Kingdom) a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government
From this reading People said that the district attorney knew more and said less than any one in the county.
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading People said that the district attorney knew more and said less than any one in the county.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well,” he questioned, “you’re goin’ to bust if you don’t talk, Johnny?
opinion or judgment
From this reading A look of almost infinite wisdom was in his eyes as he studied Johnny.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well,” he questioned, “you’re goin’ to bust if you don’t talk, Johnny?
past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading JOHNNY TALKS AT LAST Big Jim greeted Johnny with a laugh.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Let’s have it.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A look of almost infinite wisdom was in his eyes as he studied Johnny.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A look of almost infinite wisdom was in his eyes as he studied Johnny.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Well,” he questioned, “you’re goin’ to bust if you don’t talk, Johnny?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading People said that the district attorney knew more and said less than any one in the county.
having no limits or boundaries in time or space or extent or magnitude
From this reading A look of almost infinite wisdom was in his eyes as he studied Johnny.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Let’s have it.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JOHNNY TALKS AT LAST Big Jim greeted Johnny with a laugh.
“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 JOHNNY TALKS AT LAST Big Jim greeted Johnny with a laugh.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading People said that the district attorney knew more and said less than any one in the county.
immediately past
From this reading JOHNNY TALKS AT LAST Big Jim greeted Johnny with a laugh.
the sound of laughing
From this reading JOHNNY TALKS AT LAST Big Jim greeted Johnny with a laugh.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading People said that the district attorney knew more and said less than any one in the county.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Let’s have it.”
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading A look of almost infinite wisdom was in his eyes as he studied Johnny.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading People said that the district attorney knew more and said less than any one in the county.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A look of almost infinite wisdom was in his eyes as he studied Johnny.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading People said that the district attorney knew more and said less than any one in the county.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading People said that the district attorney knew more and said less than any one in the county.
past form of “question” — challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading “Well,” he questioned, “you’re goin’ to bust if you don’t talk, Johnny?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading People said that the district attorney knew more and said less than any one in the county.
produced or marked by conscious design or premeditation
From this reading A look of almost infinite wisdom was in his eyes as he studied Johnny.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “Well,” he questioned, “you’re goin’ to bust if you don’t talk, Johnny?
a discussion intended to produce an agreement
From this reading JOHNNY TALKS AT LAST Big Jim greeted Johnny with a laugh.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading People said that the district attorney knew more and said less than any one in the county.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading People said that the district attorney knew more and said less than any one in the county.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading People said that the district attorney knew more and said less than any one in the county.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Well,” he questioned, “you’re goin’ to bust if you don’t talk, Johnny?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A look of almost infinite wisdom was in his eyes as he studied Johnny.
(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 “Well,” he questioned, “you’re goin’ to bust if you don’t talk, Johnny?
accumulated knowledge or erudition or enlightenment
From this reading A look of almost infinite wisdom was in his eyes as he studied Johnny.
in the company of; together with
From this reading JOHNNY TALKS AT LAST Big Jim greeted Johnny with a laugh.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Well,” he questioned, “you’re goin’ to bust if you don’t talk, Johnny?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well,” he questioned, “you’re goin’ to bust if you don’t talk, Johnny?
Chapter 28 of Smoke of the .45 by Harry Sinclair Drago holds 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 28 holds 90 sentences of Smoke of the .45, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 28 of Smoke of the .45 by Harry Sinclair Drago exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 28 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 of the .45 by Harry Sinclair Drago on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5164 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63072 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63072, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 430 minutes of reading across 1033 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Smoke of the .45 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Smoke of the .45 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 of the .45, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
