Chapter I

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

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

distinctive manner of oral expression

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire:

the part of the day between noon and evening

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

happening at a time subsequent to a reference time

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire:

a native or inhabitant of the United States

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire:

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

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

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

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

having life or vigor or spirit

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading BY MARGARET VANDERCOOK Author of “The Ranch Girls” Series, “The Red Cross Girls” Series, etc.

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire:

processing that involves blowing a gas

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

a slight wind (usually refreshing)

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

of short duration or distance

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire:

emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts

From this reading “Bright is our fireside’s glowing, Sing sweet, sing low, sing high, Fragrant the wind now blowing Over the fields nearby.

the act of burning something

From this reading “The fire of our camp is burning, Sing sweet, sing low, sing far, From the long, long trail returning Led by the evening star.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading BY MARGARET VANDERCOOK Author of “The Ranch Girls” Series, “The Red Cross Girls” Series, etc.

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire:

rural regions

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire:

travel across or pass over

From this reading BY MARGARET VANDERCOOK Author of “The Ranch Girls” Series, “The Red Cross Girls” Series, etc.

plural of “curtain” — hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

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

From this reading BY MARGARET VANDERCOOK Author of “The Ranch Girls” Series, “The Red Cross Girls” Series, etc.

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading “The fire of our camp is burning, Sing sweet, sing low, sing far, From the long, long trail returning Led by the evening star.

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading “The fire of our camp is burning, Sing sweet, sing low, sing far, From the long, long trail returning Led by the evening star.

house for a farmer and family

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)

From this reading “Bright is our fireside’s glowing, Sing sweet, sing low, sing high, Fragrant the wind now blowing Over the fields nearby.

start firing a weapon

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire:

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

From this reading “Bright is our fireside’s glowing, Sing sweet, sing low, sing high, Fragrant the wind now blowing Over the fields nearby.

plural of “flag” — emblem usually consisting of a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

of concern to or concerning the affairs of other nations (other than your own)

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire:

pleasant-smelling

From this reading “Bright is our fireside’s glowing, Sing sweet, sing low, sing high, Fragrant the wind now blowing Over the fields nearby.

the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

plural of “girl” — a young female

From this reading BY MARGARET VANDERCOOK Author of “The Ranch Girls” Series, “The Red Cross Girls” Series, etc.

highly enthusiastic

From this reading “Bright is our fireside’s glowing, Sing sweet, sing low, sing high, Fragrant the wind now blowing Over the fields nearby.

perceive (sound) via the auditory sense

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire:

greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading “Bright is our fireside’s glowing, Sing sweet, sing low, sing high, Fragrant the wind now blowing Over the fields nearby.

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

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

within a building

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

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

From this reading “The fire of our camp is burning, Sing sweet, sing low, sing far, From the long, long trail returning Led by the evening star.

diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used

From this reading “The fire of our camp is burning, Sing sweet, sing low, sing far, From the long, long trail returning Led by the evening star.

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

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 “The fire of our camp is burning, Sing sweet, sing low, sing far, From the long, long trail returning Led by the evening star.

less than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading “The fire of our camp is burning, Sing sweet, sing low, sing far, From the long, long trail returning Led by the evening star.

march in a procession

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

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

From this reading BY MARGARET VANDERCOOK Author of “The Ranch Girls” Series, “The Red Cross Girls” Series, etc.

a particular point in time

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire:

a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

close at hand

From this reading “Bright is our fireside’s glowing, Sing sweet, sing low, sing high, Fragrant the wind now blowing Over the fields nearby.

immediately following in time or order

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire:

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading “Bright is our fireside’s glowing, Sing sweet, sing low, sing high, Fragrant the wind now blowing Over the fields nearby.

the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

not divisible by two

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire:

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading BY MARGARET VANDERCOOK Author of “The Ranch Girls” Series, “The Red Cross Girls” Series, etc.

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

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

To move from a closed position.

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading “The fire of our camp is burning, Sing sweet, sing low, sing far, From the long, long trail returning Led by the evening star.

above and across; more than

From this reading “Bright is our fireside’s glowing, Sing sweet, sing low, sing high, Fragrant the wind now blowing Over the fields nearby.

farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle)

From this reading BY MARGARET VANDERCOOK Author of “The Ranch Girls” Series, “The Red Cross Girls” Series, etc.

red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood

From this reading BY MARGARET VANDERCOOK Author of “The Ranch Girls” Series, “The Red Cross Girls” Series, etc.

tending to return to an earlier state

From this reading “The fire of our camp is burning, Sing sweet, sing low, sing far, From the long, long trail returning Led by the evening star.

similar things placed in order or happening one after another

From this reading BY MARGARET VANDERCOOK Author of “The Ranch Girls” Series, “The Red Cross Girls” Series, etc.

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire:

deliver by singing

From this reading “The fire of our camp is burning, Sing sweet, sing low, sing far, From the long, long trail returning Led by the evening star.

the act of singing vocal music

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire:

a short musical composition with words

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire:

the utterance of intelligible speech

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

(astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior

From this reading “The fire of our camp is burning, Sing sweet, sing low, sing far, From the long, long trail returning Led by the evening star.

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire:

having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar

From this reading “The fire of our camp is burning, Sing sweet, sing low, sing far, From the long, long trail returning Led by the evening star.

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

From this reading BY MARGARET VANDERCOOK Author of “The Ranch Girls” Series, “The Red Cross Girls” Series, etc.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire:

in or at that place or location

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire:

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

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire:

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

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire:

a track or mark left by something that has passed

From this reading “The fire of our camp is burning, Sing sweet, sing low, sing far, From the long, long trail returning Led by the evening star.

a state of peace agreed to between opponents so they can discuss peace terms

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

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

From this reading BY MARGARET VANDERCOOK Author of “The Ranch Girls” Series, “The Red Cross Girls” Series, etc.

plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

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

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire:

during the time that

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

a Caucasian

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure

From this reading “Bright is our fireside’s glowing, Sing sweet, sing low, sing high, Fragrant the wind now blowing Over the fields nearby.

(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface

From this reading One afternoon in March, the windows of an old French farmhouse stood open, the curtains blowing in the breeze like white flags of truce, while from indoors came the murmur of a number of voices, girls’ voices, gay and animated and speaking in English, not French.

in the company of; together with

From this reading The next moment there was a brief silence; afterwards one of them began singing, with an odd foreign accent, a song strange to hear in this French countryside, the song of an American camp fire: