Chapter 24 of The Desert Fiddler is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of The Desert Fiddler is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A little after daylight Bob was in El Centro. Jim Crill, always an early riser, was on the porch reading the morning paper. "Come and have breakfast with me," Bob called from the machine. "Got some things to talk over." He handed Crill the letter from the water company.
Chapter 24 of The Desert Fiddler is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/13 · 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.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading “A little after daylight Bob was in El Centro.”
eat an early morning meal
From this reading “"Come and have breakfast with me," Bob called from the machine.”
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading “A little after daylight Bob was in El Centro.”
having or involving the use of hands
From this reading “He handed Crill the letter from the water company.”
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading “"Come and have breakfast with me," Bob called from the machine.”
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading “Jim Crill, always an early riser, was on the porch reading the morning paper.”
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading “Jim Crill, always an early riser, was on the porch reading the morning paper.”
a person who rises (especially from bed)
From this reading “Jim Crill, always an early riser, was on the porch reading the morning paper.”
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 A little after daylight Bob was in El Centro.
later than; following
From this reading A little after daylight Bob was in El Centro.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Jim Crill, always an early riser, was on the porch reading the morning paper.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Jim Crill, always an early riser, was on the porch reading the morning paper.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Come and have breakfast with me," Bob called from the machine.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading A little after daylight Bob was in El Centro.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading "Come and have breakfast with me," Bob called from the machine.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Come and have breakfast with me," Bob called from the machine.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A little after daylight Bob was in El Centro.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Come and have breakfast with me," Bob called from the machine.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading He handed Crill the letter from the water company.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jim Crill, always an early riser, was on the porch reading the morning paper.
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading A little after daylight Bob was in El Centro.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading Jim Crill, always an early riser, was on the porch reading the morning paper.
angular distance above the horizon (especially of a celestial object)
From this reading A little after daylight Bob was in El Centro.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Come and have breakfast with me," Bob called from the machine.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Got some things to talk over."
having or involving the use of hands
From this reading He handed Crill the letter from the water company.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Come and have breakfast with me," Bob called from the machine.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He handed Crill the letter from the water company.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A little after daylight Bob was in El Centro.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jim Crill, always an early riser, was on the porch reading the morning paper.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading He handed Crill the letter from the water company.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A little after daylight Bob was in El Centro.
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading "Come and have breakfast with me," Bob called from the machine.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Come and have breakfast with me," Bob called from the machine.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Jim Crill, always an early riser, was on the porch reading the morning paper.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Jim Crill, always an early riser, was on the porch reading the morning paper.
above and across; more than
From this reading "Got some things to talk over."
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading Jim Crill, always an early riser, was on the porch reading the morning paper.
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading Jim Crill, always an early riser, was on the porch reading the morning paper.
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading Jim Crill, always an early riser, was on the porch reading the morning paper.
a person who rises (especially from bed)
From this reading Jim Crill, always an early riser, was on the porch reading the morning paper.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Got some things to talk over."
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "Got some things to talk over."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Jim Crill, always an early riser, was on the porch reading the morning paper.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "Got some things to talk over."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Got some things to talk over."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A little after daylight Bob was in El Centro.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading He handed Crill the letter from the water company.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Come and have breakfast with me," Bob called from the machine.
Chapter 24 of The Desert Fiddler by William H. (William Henry) Hamby holds 65 sentences, grouped into 13 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 24 holds 65 sentences of The Desert Fiddler, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of The Desert Fiddler by William H. (William Henry) Hamby exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 65 sentences, grouped into 13 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 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 13 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 24 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.
