Chapter 3 of The Cheerful Smugglers is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Cheerful Smugglers is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You have been looking into my closet!" she declared. "You sit there and try to look innocent, and you know everything that I have, down to the last ribbon! Well, I just can't afford to pay your old tariff. It would simply ruin me. And the men will never know, anyway.
Chapter 3 of The Cheerful Smugglers is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
be able to spare or give up
From this reading “Well, I just can't afford to pay your old tariff.”
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading “And the men will never know, anyway.”
a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space
From this reading “"You have been looking into my closet!" she declared.”
free from evil or guilt
From this reading “"You sit there and try to look innocent, and you know everything that I have, down to the last ribbon!”
any long object resembling a thin line
From this reading “"You sit there and try to look innocent, and you know everything that I have, down to the last ribbon!”
an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading “It would simply ruin me.”
and nothing more
From this reading “It would simply ruin me.”
a government tax on imports or exports
From this reading “Well, I just can't afford to pay your old tariff.”
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.
be able to spare or give up
From this reading Well, I just can't afford to pay your old tariff.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "You sit there and try to look innocent, and you know everything that I have, down to the last ribbon!
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading And the men will never know, anyway.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "You have been looking into my closet!" she declared.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, I just can't afford to pay your old tariff.
a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space
From this reading "You have been looking into my closet!" she declared.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading "You have been looking into my closet!" she declared.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "You sit there and try to look innocent, and you know everything that I have, down to the last ribbon!
all things; all of a situation
From this reading "You sit there and try to look innocent, and you know everything that I have, down to the last ribbon!
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You have been looking into my closet!" she declared.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "You sit there and try to look innocent, and you know everything that I have, down to the last ribbon!
free from evil or guilt
From this reading "You sit there and try to look innocent, and you know everything that I have, down to the last ribbon!
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "You have been looking into my closet!" she declared.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It would simply ruin me.
and nothing more
From this reading Well, I just can't afford to pay your old tariff.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "You sit there and try to look innocent, and you know everything that I have, down to the last ribbon!
immediately past
From this reading "You sit there and try to look innocent, and you know everything that I have, down to the last ribbon!
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "You sit there and try to look innocent, and you know everything that I have, down to the last ribbon!
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "You have been looking into my closet!" she declared.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It would simply ruin me.
the force of workers available
From this reading And the men will never know, anyway.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "You have been looking into my closet!" she declared.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading And the men will never know, anyway.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Well, I just can't afford to pay your old tariff.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading Well, I just can't afford to pay your old tariff.
any long object resembling a thin line
From this reading "You sit there and try to look innocent, and you know everything that I have, down to the last ribbon!
an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading It would simply ruin me.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You have been looking into my closet!" she declared.
and nothing more
From this reading It would simply ruin me.
be seated
From this reading "You sit there and try to look innocent, and you know everything that I have, down to the last ribbon!
a government tax on imports or exports
From this reading Well, I just can't afford to pay your old tariff.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "You sit there and try to look innocent, and you know everything that I have, down to the last ribbon!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You sit there and try to look innocent, and you know everything that I have, down to the last ribbon!
in or at that place or location
From this reading "You sit there and try to look innocent, and you know everything that I have, down to the last ribbon!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You sit there and try to look innocent, and you know everything that I have, down to the last ribbon!
make an effort or attempt
From this reading "You sit there and try to look innocent, and you know everything that I have, down to the last ribbon!
(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, I just can't afford to pay your old tariff.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading And the men will never know, anyway.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would simply ruin me.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You have been looking into my closet!" she declared.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Well, I just can't afford to pay your old tariff.
Chapter 3 of The Cheerful Smugglers by Ellis Parker Butler holds 440 sentences, grouped into 88 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 3 holds 440 sentences of The Cheerful Smugglers, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Cheerful Smugglers by Ellis Parker Butler exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 440 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 3 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 The Cheerful Smugglers by Ellis Parker Butler on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1757 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27317 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27317, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 146 minutes of reading across 352 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Cheerful Smugglers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Cheerful Smugglers 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 The Cheerful Smugglers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
