Chapter XIV · Chapter 14

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

From this reading "And I guess the old feller's got enough information in his head to last him a long spell," remarked Giraffe.

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading There was considerable of a laugh at this proposition, which struck the boys as about as absurd as anything they had heard for a long time.

inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense

From this reading There was considerable of a laugh at this proposition, which struck the boys as about as absurd as anything they had heard for a long time.

past form of “afford” — be able to spare or give up

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

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

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

any thing at all

From this reading There was considerable of a laugh at this proposition, which struck the boys as about as absurd as anything they had heard for a long time.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading There was considerable of a laugh at this proposition, which struck the boys as about as absurd as anything they had heard for a long time.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

the past participle of “be”

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

move up and down repeatedly

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

a youthful male person

From this reading "Say, p'raps he's seriously considerin' starting a troop of Boy Scouts here in the Blue Ridge country," suggested Step Hen, who sometimes did have brilliant ideas flash through his brain.

plural of “boy” — a youthful male person

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord

From this reading "Say, p'raps he's seriously considerin' starting a troop of Boy Scouts here in the Blue Ridge country," suggested Step Hen, who sometimes did have brilliant ideas flash through his brain.

of surpassing excellence

From this reading "Say, p'raps he's seriously considerin' starting a troop of Boy Scouts here in the Blue Ridge country," suggested Step Hen, who sometimes did have brilliant ideas flash through his brain.

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

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

large or relatively large in number or amount or extent or degree

From this reading There was considerable of a laugh at this proposition, which struck the boys as about as absurd as anything they had heard for a long time.

carefully weighed

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

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

From this reading "Say, p'raps he's seriously considerin' starting a troop of Boy Scouts here in the Blue Ridge country," suggested Step Hen, who sometimes did have brilliant ideas flash through his brain.

a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading "Say, p'raps he's seriously considerin' starting a troop of Boy Scouts here in the Blue Ridge country," suggested Step Hen, who sometimes did have brilliant ideas flash through his brain.

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

coming next after the seventh and just before the ninth in position

From this reading THE RETURN OF THE EIGHTH SCOUT.

an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose

From this reading "And I guess the old feller's got enough information in his head to last him a long spell," remarked Giraffe.

an activity that is diverting and that holds the attention

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

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

From this reading "And I guess the old feller's got enough information in his head to last him a long spell," remarked Giraffe.

start firing a weapon

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

gleam or glow intermittently

From this reading "Say, p'raps he's seriously considerin' starting a troop of Boy Scouts here in the Blue Ridge country," suggested Step Hen, who sometimes did have brilliant ideas flash through his brain.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

inflected form of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

tallest living quadruped; having a spotted coat and small horns and very long neck and legs; of savannahs of tropical Africa

From this reading "And I guess the old feller's got enough information in his head to last him a long spell," remarked Giraffe.

destroyed or killed

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading "And I guess the old feller's got enough information in his head to last him a long spell," remarked Giraffe.

expect, believe, or suppose

From this reading "And I guess the old feller's got enough information in his head to last him a long spell," remarked Giraffe.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading There was considerable of a laugh at this proposition, which struck the boys as about as absurd as anything they had heard for a long time.

be suspended or hanging

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

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

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading There was considerable of a laugh at this proposition, which struck the boys as about as absurd as anything they had heard for a long time.

adult female chicken

From this reading "Say, p'raps he's seriously considerin' starting a troop of Boy Scouts here in the Blue Ridge country," suggested Step Hen, who sometimes did have brilliant ideas flash through his brain.

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading "Say, p'raps he's seriously considerin' starting a troop of Boy Scouts here in the Blue Ridge country," suggested Step Hen, who sometimes did have brilliant ideas flash through his brain.

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "And I guess the old feller's got enough information in his head to last him a long spell," remarked Giraffe.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "And I guess the old feller's got enough information in his head to last him a long spell," remarked Giraffe.

plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading "Say, p'raps he's seriously considerin' starting a troop of Boy Scouts here in the Blue Ridge country," suggested Step Hen, who sometimes did have brilliant ideas flash through his brain.

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

From this reading "And I guess the old feller's got enough information in his head to last him a long spell," remarked Giraffe.

a message received and understood

From this reading "And I guess the old feller's got enough information in his head to last him a long spell," remarked Giraffe.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

immediately past

From this reading "And I guess the old feller's got enough information in his head to last him a long spell," remarked Giraffe.

the sound of laughing

From this reading There was considerable of a laugh at this proposition, which struck the boys as about as absurd as anything they had heard for a long time.

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading "And I guess the old feller's got enough information in his head to last him a long spell," remarked Giraffe.

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

an organization of missionaries in a foreign land sent to carry on religious work

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

someone who makes or sells illegal liquor

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE RETURN OF THE EIGHTH SCOUT.

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

and nothing more

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

above and across; more than

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

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

From this reading "Say, p'raps he's seriously considerin' starting a troop of Boy Scouts here in the Blue Ridge country," suggested Step Hen, who sometimes did have brilliant ideas flash through his brain.

a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

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

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

the state of being present; current existence

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

(logic) a statement that affirms or denies something and is either true or false

From this reading There was considerable of a laugh at this proposition, which struck the boys as about as absurd as anything they had heard for a long time.

feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

past form of “remark” — make mention of

From this reading "And I guess the old feller's got enough information in his head to last him a long spell," remarked Giraffe.

go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading THE RETURN OF THE EIGHTH SCOUT.

a long narrow natural elevation or striation

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

express in words

From this reading "Say, p'raps he's seriously considerin' starting a troop of Boy Scouts here in the Blue Ridge country," suggested Step Hen, who sometimes did have brilliant ideas flash through his brain.

a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event

From this reading THE RETURN OF THE EIGHTH SCOUT.

plural of “scout” — a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event

From this reading "Say, p'raps he's seriously considerin' starting a troop of Boy Scouts here in the Blue Ridge country," suggested Step Hen, who sometimes did have brilliant ideas flash through his brain.

in a serious manner

From this reading "Say, p'raps he's seriously considerin' starting a troop of Boy Scouts here in the Blue Ridge country," suggested Step Hen, who sometimes did have brilliant ideas flash through his brain.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always

From this reading "Say, p'raps he's seriously considerin' starting a troop of Boy Scouts here in the Blue Ridge country," suggested Step Hen, who sometimes did have brilliant ideas flash through his brain.

orally recite the letters of or give the spelling of

From this reading "And I guess the old feller's got enough information in his head to last him a long spell," remarked Giraffe.

(especially of eyes) bulging or protruding as with fear

From this reading "Say, p'raps he's seriously considerin' starting a troop of Boy Scouts here in the Blue Ridge country," suggested Step Hen, who sometimes did have brilliant ideas flash through his brain.

any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal

From this reading "Say, p'raps he's seriously considerin' starting a troop of Boy Scouts here in the Blue Ridge country," suggested Step Hen, who sometimes did have brilliant ideas flash through his brain.

(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming

From this reading There was considerable of a laugh at this proposition, which struck the boys as about as absurd as anything they had heard for a long time.

past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something

From this reading "Say, p'raps he's seriously considerin' starting a troop of Boy Scouts here in the Blue Ridge country," suggested Step Hen, who sometimes did have brilliant ideas flash through his brain.

express in words

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

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

From this reading THE RETURN OF THE EIGHTH SCOUT.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

in or at that place or location

From this reading There was considerable of a laugh at this proposition, which struck the boys as about as absurd as anything they had heard for a long time.

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading There was considerable of a laugh at this proposition, which struck the boys as about as absurd as anything they had heard for a long time.

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

From this reading There was considerable of a laugh at this proposition, which struck the boys as about as absurd as anything they had heard for a long time.

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading "Say, p'raps he's seriously considerin' starting a troop of Boy Scouts here in the Blue Ridge country," suggested Step Hen, who sometimes did have brilliant ideas flash through his brain.

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading There was considerable of a laugh at this proposition, which struck the boys as about as absurd as anything they had heard for a long time.

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

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

a group of soldiers

From this reading "Say, p'raps he's seriously considerin' starting a troop of Boy Scouts here in the Blue Ridge country," suggested Step Hen, who sometimes did have brilliant ideas flash through his brain.

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

From this reading There was considerable of a laugh at this proposition, which struck the boys as about as absurd as anything they had heard for a long time.

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading There was considerable of a laugh at this proposition, which struck the boys as about as absurd as anything they had heard for a long time.

a Caucasian

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

which person or people

From this reading "Say, p'raps he's seriously considerin' starting a troop of Boy Scouts here in the Blue Ridge country," suggested Step Hen, who sometimes did have brilliant ideas flash through his brain.

the words that are spoken

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading "HE'S gone!" exclaimed Bumpus; and it would have been hard to tell whether relief or regret lay back of his words; for some of the boys, forgetting the peril that might hang over the head of Bob White, did the moonshiner know of his presence, and his mission to the Blue Ridge, only considered the entertainment afforded by having Old Phin at their fire.