Chapter 9 of The Desert Fiddler is here in full — 85 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Desert Fiddler is here in full — 85 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reedy Jenkins and Mrs. Barnett sat in a cool, shadowed corner of the porch. Reedy took a plump yellow cigar from his vest pocket, and with a deferential bow: "Will you permit me?" "Certainly, Mr. Jenkins." Mrs. Barnett spoke in a liberal-minded tone.
Chapter 9 of The Desert Fiddler is here in full — 85 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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 roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading “Reedy took a plump yellow cigar from his vest pocket, and with a deferential bow:”
showing deference
From this reading “Reedy took a plump yellow cigar from his vest pocket, and with a deferential bow:”
a legal document giving official permission to do something
From this reading “"Will you permit me?"”
sufficiently fat so as to have a pleasing fullness of figure
From this reading “Reedy took a plump yellow cigar from his vest pocket, and with a deferential bow:”
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading “Reedy Jenkins and Mrs. Barnett sat in a cool, shadowed corner of the porch.”
having a tone of a reed instrument
From this reading “Reedy Jenkins and Mrs. Barnett sat in a cool, shadowed corner of the porch.”
filled with shade
From this reading “Reedy Jenkins and Mrs. Barnett sat in a cool, shadowed corner of the porch.”
provide with power and authority
From this reading “Reedy took a plump yellow cigar from his vest pocket, and with a deferential bow:”
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 Reedy Jenkins and Mrs. Barnett sat in a cool, shadowed corner of the porch.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Reedy Jenkins and Mrs. Barnett sat in a cool, shadowed corner of the porch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Reedy Jenkins and Mrs. Barnett sat in a cool, shadowed corner of the porch.
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading Reedy took a plump yellow cigar from his vest pocket, and with a deferential bow:
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "Certainly, Mr. Jenkins."
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading Reedy took a plump yellow cigar from his vest pocket, and with a deferential bow:
neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat
From this reading Reedy Jenkins and Mrs. Barnett sat in a cool, shadowed corner of the porch.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading Reedy Jenkins and Mrs. Barnett sat in a cool, shadowed corner of the porch.
showing deference
From this reading Reedy took a plump yellow cigar from his vest pocket, and with a deferential bow:
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Reedy took a plump yellow cigar from his vest pocket, and with a deferential bow:
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Reedy took a plump yellow cigar from his vest pocket, and with a deferential bow:
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Reedy Jenkins and Mrs. Barnett sat in a cool, shadowed corner of the porch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Reedy Jenkins and Mrs. Barnett sat in a cool, shadowed corner of the porch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Barnett spoke in a liberal-minded tone.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Will you permit me?"
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Certainly, Mr. Jenkins."
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Reedy Jenkins and Mrs. Barnett sat in a cool, shadowed corner of the porch.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Reedy Jenkins and Mrs. Barnett sat in a cool, shadowed corner of the porch.
a legal document giving official permission to do something
From this reading "Will you permit me?"
sufficiently fat so as to have a pleasing fullness of figure
From this reading Reedy took a plump yellow cigar from his vest pocket, and with a deferential bow:
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading Reedy took a plump yellow cigar from his vest pocket, and with a deferential bow:
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading Reedy Jenkins and Mrs. Barnett sat in a cool, shadowed corner of the porch.
having a tone of a reed instrument
From this reading Reedy Jenkins and Mrs. Barnett sat in a cool, shadowed corner of the porch.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Reedy Jenkins and Mrs. Barnett sat in a cool, shadowed corner of the porch.
filled with shade
From this reading Reedy Jenkins and Mrs. Barnett sat in a cool, shadowed corner of the porch.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Mrs. Barnett spoke in a liberal-minded tone.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Reedy Jenkins and Mrs. Barnett sat in a cool, shadowed corner of the porch.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading Mrs. Barnett spoke in a liberal-minded tone.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Reedy took a plump yellow cigar from his vest pocket, and with a deferential bow:
provide with power and authority
From this reading Reedy took a plump yellow cigar from his vest pocket, and with a deferential bow:
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Will you permit me?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading Reedy took a plump yellow cigar from his vest pocket, and with a deferential bow:
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading Reedy took a plump yellow cigar from his vest pocket, and with a deferential bow:
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Will you permit me?"
Chapter 9 of The Desert Fiddler by William H. (William Henry) Hamby holds 85 sentences, grouped into 17 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 9 holds 85 sentences of The Desert Fiddler, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Desert Fiddler by William H. (William Henry) Hamby exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 85 sentences, grouped into 17 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 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 17 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 9 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.
