Chapter 4 of The Desert Fiddler is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Desert Fiddler is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was a little after sundown when Bob rode up to the Chandler ranch. The girl was out under the cottonwood trees by the irrigation canal gathering up dry sticks for stove wood. He hitched his horse and went to her. "Good evening," he said. "Where is your fiddle?"
Chapter 4 of The Desert Fiddler is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
(astronomy) an indistinct surface feature of Mars once thought to be a system of channels; they are now believed to be an optical illusion
From this reading “The girl was out under the cottonwood trees by the irrigation canal gathering up dry sticks for stove wood.”
United States writer of detective thrillers featuring the character of Philip Marlowe (1888-1959)
From this reading “It was a little after sundown when Bob rode up to the Chandler ranch.”
any of several North American trees of the genus Populus having a tuft of cottony hairs on the seed
From this reading “The girl was out under the cottonwood trees by the irrigation canal gathering up dry sticks for stove wood.”
bowed stringed instrument that is the highest member of the violin family; this instrument has four strings and a hollow body and an unfretted fingerboard and is played with a bow
From this reading “"Where is your fiddle?"”
past form of “hitch” — to hook or entangle
From this reading “He hitched his horse and went to her.”
supplying dry land with water by means of ditches etc
From this reading “The girl was out under the cottonwood trees by the irrigation canal gathering up dry sticks for stove wood.”
farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle)
From this reading “It was a little after sundown when Bob rode up to the Chandler ranch.”
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading “It was a little after sundown when Bob rode up to the Chandler ranch.”
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 It was a little after sundown when Bob rode up to the Chandler ranch.
later than; following
From this reading It was a little after sundown when Bob rode up to the Chandler ranch.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He hitched his horse and went to her.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading It was a little after sundown when Bob rode up to the Chandler ranch.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The girl was out under the cottonwood trees by the irrigation canal gathering up dry sticks for stove wood.
(astronomy) an indistinct surface feature of Mars once thought to be a system of channels; they are now believed to be an optical illusion
From this reading The girl was out under the cottonwood trees by the irrigation canal gathering up dry sticks for stove wood.
United States writer of detective thrillers featuring the character of Philip Marlowe (1888-1959)
From this reading It was a little after sundown when Bob rode up to the Chandler ranch.
any of several North American trees of the genus Populus having a tuft of cottony hairs on the seed
From this reading The girl was out under the cottonwood trees by the irrigation canal gathering up dry sticks for stove wood.
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading The girl was out under the cottonwood trees by the irrigation canal gathering up dry sticks for stove wood.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading "Good evening," he said.
bowed stringed instrument that is the highest member of the violin family; this instrument has four strings and a hollow body and an unfretted fingerboard and is played with a bow
From this reading "Where is your fiddle?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The girl was out under the cottonwood trees by the irrigation canal gathering up dry sticks for stove wood.
a group of persons together in one place
From this reading The girl was out under the cottonwood trees by the irrigation canal gathering up dry sticks for stove wood.
a young female
From this reading The girl was out under the cottonwood trees by the irrigation canal gathering up dry sticks for stove wood.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Good evening," he said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He hitched his horse and went to her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He hitched his horse and went to her.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He hitched his horse and went to her.
past form of “hitch” — to hook or entangle
From this reading He hitched his horse and went to her.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading He hitched his horse and went to her.
supplying dry land with water by means of ditches etc
From this reading The girl was out under the cottonwood trees by the irrigation canal gathering up dry sticks for stove wood.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Where is your fiddle?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a little after sundown when Bob rode up to the Chandler ranch.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It was a little after sundown when Bob rode up to the Chandler ranch.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The girl was out under the cottonwood trees by the irrigation canal gathering up dry sticks for stove wood.
farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle)
From this reading It was a little after sundown when Bob rode up to the Chandler ranch.
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading It was a little after sundown when Bob rode up to the Chandler ranch.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Good evening," he said.
plural of “stick” — an implement consisting of a length of wood
From this reading The girl was out under the cottonwood trees by the irrigation canal gathering up dry sticks for stove wood.
a kitchen appliance used for cooking food
From this reading The girl was out under the cottonwood trees by the irrigation canal gathering up dry sticks for stove wood.
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading It was a little after sundown when Bob rode up to the Chandler ranch.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was a little after sundown when Bob rode up to the Chandler ranch.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was a little after sundown when Bob rode up to the Chandler ranch.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The girl was out under the cottonwood trees by the irrigation canal gathering up dry sticks for stove wood.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The girl was out under the cottonwood trees by the irrigation canal gathering up dry sticks for stove wood.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It was a little after sundown when Bob rode up to the Chandler ranch.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a little after sundown when Bob rode up to the Chandler ranch.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He hitched his horse and went to her.
at the time that
From this reading It was a little after sundown when Bob rode up to the Chandler ranch.
in or at the place that
From this reading "Where is your fiddle?"
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading The girl was out under the cottonwood trees by the irrigation canal gathering up dry sticks for stove wood.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Where is your fiddle?"
Chapter 4 of The Desert Fiddler by William H. (William Henry) Hamby holds 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 4 holds 103 sentences of The Desert Fiddler, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Desert Fiddler by William H. (William Henry) Hamby exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 4 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 Desert Fiddler by William H. (William Henry) Hamby on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3016 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25960 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25960, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 251 minutes of reading across 604 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Desert Fiddler section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Desert Fiddler 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 Desert Fiddler, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
