Chapter 9 of The Four Stragglers is here in full — 789 sentences across 158 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Four Stragglers is here in full — 789 sentences across 158 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Money!" he cried out abruptly. "Hah! We know its power, young man, you and I!" He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again. "Did I not tell you I was being followed, always being followed?
Chapter 9 of The Four Stragglers is here in full — 789 sentences across 158 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/157 · 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.
quickly and without warning
From this reading “"Money!" he cried out abruptly.”
past form of “commence” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.”
a line made of twisted fibers or threads
From this reading “He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.”
feel about uncertainly or blindly
From this reading “He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.”
a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading “He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.”
possession of controlling influence
From this reading “We know its power, young man, you and I!"”
bound or secured closely
From this reading “He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.”
laugh nervously
From this reading “He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
a teenager or a young adult male
In this reading “We know its power, young man, you and I!"”
utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
In this reading “"Money!" he cried out abruptly.”
In this reading “He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.”
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.
quickly and without warning
From this reading "Money!" he cried out abruptly.
anew
From this reading He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "Did I not tell you I was being followed, always being followed?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We know its power, young man, you and I!"
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading "Did I not tell you I was being followed, always being followed?
past form of “commence” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.
a line made of twisted fibers or threads
From this reading He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Money!" he cried out abruptly.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Did I not tell you I was being followed, always being followed?
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading "Did I not tell you I was being followed, always being followed?
feel about uncertainly or blindly
From this reading He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hah!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Money!" he cried out abruptly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading We know its power, young man, you and I!"
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading We know its power, young man, you and I!"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading We know its power, young man, you and I!"
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading We know its power, young man, you and I!"
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading "Money!" he cried out abruptly.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Did I not tell you I was being followed, always being followed?
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Money!" he cried out abruptly.
a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading We know its power, young man, you and I!"
happening unexpectedly
From this reading He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.
express in words
From this reading "Did I not tell you I was being followed, always being followed?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.
bound or secured closely
From this reading He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.
laugh nervously
From this reading He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We know its power, young man, you and I!"
in the company of; together with
From this reading He began to fumble with the cord that was tied around the package; and then suddenly commenced to titter again.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading We know its power, young man, you and I!"
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading We know its power, young man, you and I!"
Chapter 9 of The Four Stragglers by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard holds 789 sentences, grouped into 158 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 789 sentences of The Four Stragglers, unabridged, divided into 158 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Four Stragglers by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 789 sentences, grouped into 158 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 158 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 158 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 Four Stragglers by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Four Stragglers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Four Stragglers 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 Four Stragglers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
