Chapter 20 of Tangled Trails: A Western Detective Story is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Tangled Trails: A Western Detective Story is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
JAMES LOSES HIS TEMPER Cole grinned whimsically at his friend. "Do we light out now or wait for the cops?" he asked. "We wait. They'd probably find out, anyhow, that we'd been here." Five minutes later a patrol wagon clanged up to the Paradox.
Chapter 20 of Tangled Trails: A Western Detective Story is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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 hardy cabbage with coarse curly leaves that do not form a head
From this reading “JAMES LOSES HIS TEMPER Cole grinned whimsically at his friend.”
plural of “cop” — uncomplimentary terms for a policeman
From this reading “"Do we light out now or wait for the cops?" he asked.”
inflected form of “grin” — to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl
From this reading “JAMES LOSES HIS TEMPER Cole grinned whimsically at his friend.”
third-person singular of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading “JAMES LOSES HIS TEMPER Cole grinned whimsically at his friend.”
(logic) a statement that contradicts itself
From this reading “Five minutes later a patrol wagon clanged up to the Paradox.”
a detachment used for security or reconnaissance
From this reading “Five minutes later a patrol wagon clanged up to the Paradox.”
any of various kinds of wheeled vehicles drawn by an animal or a tractor
From this reading “Five minutes later a patrol wagon clanged up to the Paradox.”
in a fanciful manner
From this reading “JAMES LOSES HIS TEMPER Cole grinned whimsically at his friend.”
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 Five minutes later a patrol wagon clanged up to the Paradox.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading They'd probably find out, anyhow, that we'd been here."
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Do we light out now or wait for the cops?" he asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading JAMES LOSES HIS TEMPER Cole grinned whimsically at his friend.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading They'd probably find out, anyhow, that we'd been here."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Five minutes later a patrol wagon clanged up to the Paradox.
a hardy cabbage with coarse curly leaves that do not form a head
From this reading JAMES LOSES HIS TEMPER Cole grinned whimsically at his friend.
plural of “cop” — uncomplimentary terms for a policeman
From this reading "Do we light out now or wait for the cops?" he asked.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Do we light out now or wait for the cops?" he asked.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading They'd probably find out, anyhow, that we'd been here."
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading Five minutes later a patrol wagon clanged up to the Paradox.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Do we light out now or wait for the cops?" he asked.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading JAMES LOSES HIS TEMPER Cole grinned whimsically at his friend.
inflected form of “grin” — to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl
From this reading JAMES LOSES HIS TEMPER Cole grinned whimsically at his friend.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Do we light out now or wait for the cops?" he asked.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading They'd probably find out, anyhow, that we'd been here."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading JAMES LOSES HIS TEMPER Cole grinned whimsically at his friend.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading JAMES LOSES HIS TEMPER Cole grinned whimsically at his friend.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Five minutes later a patrol wagon clanged up to the Paradox.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading "Do we light out now or wait for the cops?" he asked.
third-person singular of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading JAMES LOSES HIS TEMPER Cole grinned whimsically at his friend.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading Five minutes later a patrol wagon clanged up to the Paradox.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Do we light out now or wait for the cops?" he asked.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Do we light out now or wait for the cops?" he asked.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Do we light out now or wait for the cops?" he asked.
(logic) a statement that contradicts itself
From this reading Five minutes later a patrol wagon clanged up to the Paradox.
a detachment used for security or reconnaissance
From this reading Five minutes later a patrol wagon clanged up to the Paradox.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading They'd probably find out, anyhow, that we'd been here."
a sudden outburst of anger
From this reading JAMES LOSES HIS TEMPER Cole grinned whimsically at his friend.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They'd probably find out, anyhow, that we'd been here."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Do we light out now or wait for the cops?" he asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They'd probably find out, anyhow, that we'd been here."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Five minutes later a patrol wagon clanged up to the Paradox.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Five minutes later a patrol wagon clanged up to the Paradox.
any of various kinds of wheeled vehicles drawn by an animal or a tractor
From this reading Five minutes later a patrol wagon clanged up to the Paradox.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading "Do we light out now or wait for the cops?" he asked.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Do we light out now or wait for the cops?" he asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They'd probably find out, anyhow, that we'd been here."
in a fanciful manner
From this reading JAMES LOSES HIS TEMPER Cole grinned whimsically at his friend.
Chapter 20 of Tangled Trails: A Western Detective Story by William MacLeod Raine holds 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 20 holds 159 sentences of Tangled Trails: A Western Detective Story, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Tangled Trails: A Western Detective Story by William MacLeod Raine exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 20 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 Tangled Trails: A Western Detective Story by William MacLeod Raine on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6325 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17066 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17066, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 527 minutes of reading across 1265 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tangled Trails: A Western Detective Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Tangled Trails: A Western Detective Story 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 Tangled Trails: A Western Detective Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
