Chapter 21 of The Erie Train Boy is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Erie Train Boy is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
LUELLA'S PAINFUL DISCOVERY. "What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house. "She told you," answered the father evasively. "Is it true that you were trustee of any property belonging to her?" "Well, there is some truth in it.
Chapter 21 of The Erie Train Boy is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
happiness felt in a secure relationship
From this reading “"Is it true that you were trustee of any property belonging to her?"”
the act of discovering something
From this reading “LUELLA'S PAINFUL DISCOVERY.”
the trait of being rude and impertinent; inclined to take liberties
From this reading “"What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.”
causing physical or psychological pain
From this reading “LUELLA'S PAINFUL DISCOVERY.”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “"What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.”
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading “"What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.”
aroused to impatience or anger
From this reading “"What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.”
a person (or institution) to whom legal title to property is entrusted to use for another's benefit
From this reading “"Is it true that you were trustee of any property belonging to her?"”
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.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "She told you," answered the father evasively.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Is it true that you were trustee of any property belonging to her?"
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.
happiness felt in a secure relationship
From this reading "Is it true that you were trustee of any property belonging to her?"
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading "What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.
the act of discovering something
From this reading LUELLA'S PAINFUL DISCOVERY.
with evasion; in an evasive manner
From this reading "She told you," answered the father evasively.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "She told you," answered the father evasively.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.
a young female
From this reading "What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Well, there is some truth in it.
the trait of being rude and impertinent; inclined to take liberties
From this reading "What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is it true that you were trustee of any property belonging to her?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Is it true that you were trustee of any property belonging to her?"
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading "What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LUELLA'S PAINFUL DISCOVERY.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Is it true that you were trustee of any property belonging to her?"
causing physical or psychological pain
From this reading LUELLA'S PAINFUL DISCOVERY.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading "What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.
something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone
From this reading "Is it true that you were trustee of any property belonging to her?"
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading "What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "She told you," answered the father evasively.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Well, there is some truth in it.
aroused to impatience or anger
From this reading "What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Well, there is some truth in it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Is it true that you were trustee of any property belonging to her?"
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "She told you," answered the father evasively.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading "Is it true that you were trustee of any property belonging to her?"
a person (or institution) to whom legal title to property is entrusted to use for another's benefit
From this reading "Is it true that you were trustee of any property belonging to her?"
a fact that has been verified
From this reading "Well, there is some truth in it.
(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, there is some truth in it.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Is it true that you were trustee of any property belonging to her?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.
at the time that
From this reading "What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What business had that girl with you, papa?" asked Luella Ferguson, when, stung by her insolence, Ruth had left the house.
Chapter 21 of The Erie Train Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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 21 holds 149 sentences of The Erie Train Boy, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Erie Train Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 21 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 Erie Train Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4563 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26075 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26075, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 380 minutes of reading across 913 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Erie Train Boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of The Erie Train Boy 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 Erie Train Boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
