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The Desert Valley
The Desert Valley

Chapter VI · Chapter 6

Chapter 6 of The Desert Valley is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Desert Valley
Context Illustration Reading 1/30 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.
Life was new and golden, viewed from this fresh viewpoint.
Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.
The days passed all too swiftly.
As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Desert Valley

Chapter VI · Chapter 6

Chapter 6 of The Desert Valley is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/30 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.
Line 2
Life was new and golden, viewed from this fresh viewpoint.
/laɪf wɑːz nuː ənd ˈɡoʊldən vjuːd frʌm ðɪs freʃ ˈvjuːpɔɪnt/
Line 3
Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.
Line 4
The days passed all too swiftly.
/ðə deɪz pæst ɔːl tuː ˈswɪftli/
Line 5
As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.

Learner Dictionary

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.

fraught adjective US /frɔːt/

marked by distress

From this reading “The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.”

genuinely adverb US /ˈdʒenjəwənli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading “Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.”

Helen's noun US /ˈhelɪnz/

possessive form of “helen” — (Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War

From this reading “As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.”

optimistic adjective US /ˌɑːptəˈmɪstɪk/

expecting the best in this best of all possible worlds

From this reading “Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.”

primarily adverb US /praɪˈmerəli/

for the most part

From this reading “As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.”

reprehensible adjective US /ˌreprɪˈhensəbəl/

bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure

From this reading “As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.”

trepidation noun US /ˌtrepɪˈdeɪʃən/

a feeling of alarm or dread

From this reading “Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.”

viewpoint noun US /ˈvjuːpɔɪnt/

a mental position from which things are viewed

From this reading “Life was new and golden, viewed from this fresh viewpoint.”

All words in this reading · 73

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.

agenounUS /eɪdʒ/

how long something has existed

From this reading As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading The days passed all too swiftly.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.

beautynounUS /ˈbjuːti/

the qualities that give pleasure to the senses

From this reading As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.

bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.

charmnounUS /tʃɑːrm/

attractiveness that interests or pleases or stimulates

From this reading As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.

citynounUS /ˈsɪti/

a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.

crownnounUS /kraʊn/

the Crown (or the reigning monarch) as the symbol of the power and authority of a monarchy

From this reading Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

delightedadjectiveUS /dɪˈlaɪtəd/

greatly pleased

From this reading Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.

DesertverbUS /ˈdezərt/

leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

fraughtadjectiveUS /frɔːt/

marked by distress

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

freshadjectiveUS /freʃ/

recently made, produced, or harvested

From this reading Life was new and golden, viewed from this fresh viewpoint.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Life was new and golden, viewed from this fresh viewpoint.

genuinelyadverbUS /ˈdʒenjəwənli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.

goldenadjectiveUS /ˈɡoʊldən/

having the deep slightly brownish color of gold

From this reading Life was new and golden, viewed from this fresh viewpoint.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.

hauntsnounUS /hɔːnts/

plural of “haunt” — a frequently visited place

From this reading Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.

HeartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

heldadjectiveUS /held/

occupied or in the control of; often used in combination

From this reading As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.

HelennounUS /ˈhelən/

(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

Helen'snounUS /ˈhelɪnz/

possessive form of “helen” — (Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War

From this reading As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.

hitherward

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

From this reading Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.

hotadjectiveUS /hɑːt/

used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.

interestnounUS /ˈɪntrəst/

a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

labournounUS /ˈleɪbər/

a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages

From this reading Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.

LifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading Life was new and golden, viewed from this fresh viewpoint.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

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 Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

Longstreet

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

From this reading Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.

maidenlyadjective

befitting or characteristic of a maiden

From this reading As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

newadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.

optimisticadjectiveUS /ˌɑːptəˈmɪstɪk/

expecting the best in this best of all possible worlds

From this reading Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.

passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading The days passed all too swiftly.

primarilyadverbUS /praɪˈmerəli/

for the most part

From this reading As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.

RanchnounUS /ræntʃ/

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

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

regardingverbUS /rɪˈɡɑːrdɪŋ/

-ing form of “regard” — deem to be

From this reading Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.

reprehensibleadjectiveUS /ˌreprɪˈhensəbəl/

bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure

From this reading As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.

serenelyadverbUS /sərˈiːnəli/

in a peacefully serene manner

From this reading Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

successnounUS /səkˈses/

an event that accomplishes its intended purpose

From this reading Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.

swiftlyadverbUS /ˈswɪftli/

in a swift manner

From this reading The days passed all too swiftly.

tarrying

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

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading Life was new and golden, viewed from this fresh viewpoint.

ToparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading The days passed all too swiftly.

trepidationnounUS /ˌtrepɪˈdeɪʃən/

a feeling of alarm or dread

From this reading Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.

ultimateadjectiveUS /ˈʌltəmət/

furthest or highest in degree or order; utmost or extreme

From this reading Helen had come hitherward from her city haunts with trepidation; even Longstreet, serenely optimistic regarding the ultimate crown of success to his labour, was genuinely delighted.

ValleynounUS /ˈvæli/

a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

viewedverbUS /vjuːd/

past form of “view” — deem to be

From this reading Life was new and golden, viewed from this fresh viewpoint.

viewpointnounUS /ˈvjuːpɔɪnt/

a mental position from which things are viewed

From this reading Life was new and golden, viewed from this fresh viewpoint.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Life was new and golden, viewed from this fresh viewpoint.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading As can in no way be held reprehensible in one of her age and maidenly beauty and charm, Helen's interest had to do primarily with men, two men.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

YouthfuladjectiveUS /ˈjuːθfəl/

suggestive of youth; vigorous and fresh

From this reading The Youthful Heart To both Helen and her father, tarrying at Desert Valley Ranch, the long, still, hot days were fraught with much new interest.

Chapter 6 of The Desert Valley by Jackson Gregory holds 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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.

What does chapter 6 of The Desert Valley contain?

Chapter 6 holds 151 sentences of The Desert Valley, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 6 of The Desert Valley by Jackson Gregory exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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.

How do I study chapter 6 of The Desert Valley?

Work through the 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 31 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.

Can chapter 6 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 6 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.

Questions about reading The Desert Valley

Common questions about reading The Desert Valley by Jackson Gregory on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Desert Valley?

Yes. All 5490 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15502 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Desert Valley is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #15502, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Desert Valley take to read?

About 457 minutes of reading across 1098 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Desert Valley section by section

How to work through The Desert Valley section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Desert Valley to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Desert Valley

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Desert Valley, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Pack-horse
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Desert Valley; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Crested
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Desert Valley; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Low-lying
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Desert Valley; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sand-ridge
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Desert Valley; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.