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The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of
The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of

Chapter XXIV · Chapter 24

Chapter 24 of The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of is here in full — 107 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of
Context Illustration Reading 1/21 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.
There was not yet any courthouse.
The sheriff was the law.
Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.
His right hand had found somewhat to do, and he had done it with his might.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of

Chapter XXIV · Chapter 24

Chapter 24 of The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of is here in full — 107 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/21 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.
Line 2
There was not yet any courthouse.
/ðer wɑːz nɑːt jet ˈeni ˈkɔːrthaʊs/
Line 3
The sheriff was the law.
/ðə ˈʃerəf wɑːz ðə lɔː/
Line 4
Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.
Line 5
His right hand had found somewhat to do, and he had done it with his might.
/hɪz raɪt hænd hæd faʊnd ˈsʌmˈwʌt tuː duː ənd hiː hæd dʌn ɪt wɪð hɪz maɪt/

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.

boom verb US /buːm/

make a resonant sound, like artillery

From this reading “Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.”

cleaning noun US /ˈkliːnɪŋ/

the act of making something clean

From this reading “BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.”

courthouse noun US /ˈkɔːrthaʊs/

a government building that houses the offices of a county government

From this reading “There was not yet any courthouse.”

executed adjective US /ˈeksəkjuːtɪd/

put to death as punishment

From this reading “Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.”

hillside noun US /ˈhɪlsaɪd/

the side or slope of a hill

From this reading “Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.”

mounds noun US /maʊndz/

plural of “mound” — (baseball) the slight elevation on which the pitcher stands

From this reading “Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.”

oiling verb US /ˈɔɪlɪŋ/

-ing form of “oil” — cover with oil, as if by rubbing

From this reading “BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.”

watson noun US /ˈwɑːtsən/

United States telephone engineer who assisted Alexander Graham Bell in his experiments (1854-1934)

From this reading “BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.”

All words in this reading · 60

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.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading There was not yet any courthouse.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

beginningnounUS /bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ/

the event consisting of the start of something

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

BILLnounUS /bɪl/

a statute in draft before it becomes law

From this reading BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.

boomverbUS /buːm/

make a resonant sound, like artillery

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

cleaningnounUS /ˈkliːnɪŋ/

the act of making something clean

From this reading BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.

CottagenounUS /ˈkɑːtədʒ/

a small house with a single story

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

courthousenounUS /ˈkɔːrthaʊs/

a government building that houses the offices of a county government

From this reading There was not yet any courthouse.

cownounUS /kaʊ/

female of domestic cattle: "“moo-cow” is a child's term"

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading His right hand had found somewhat to do, and he had done it with his might.

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading His right hand had found somewhat to do, and he had done it with his might.

dutiesnounUS /ˈduːtiz/

plural of “duty” — the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

Ellisville

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

From this reading BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.

executedadjectiveUS /ˈeksəkjuːtɪd/

put to death as punishment

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

faithfullyadverbUS /ˈfeɪθfəli/

in a faithful manner

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading His right hand had found somewhat to do, and he had done it with his might.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading His right hand had found somewhat to do, and he had done it with his might.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

hillsidenounUS /ˈhɪlsaɪd/

the side or slope of a hill

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.

HotelnounUS /hoʊˈtel/

a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

how

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

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading His right hand had found somewhat to do, and he had done it with his might.

judgeverbUS /dʒʌdʒ/

determine the result of (a competition)

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

jurynounUS /ˈdʒʊri/

a body of citizens sworn to give a true verdict according to the evidence presented in a court of law

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

lawnounUS /lɔː/

the collection of rules imposed by authority

From this reading BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.

machinerynounUS /məˈʃiːnəri/

machines or machine systems collectively

From this reading BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading His right hand had found somewhat to do, and he had done it with his might.

moundsnounUS /maʊndz/

plural of “mound” — (baseball) the slight elevation on which the pitcher stands

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

newadjectiveUS /nuː/

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

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading There was not yet any courthouse.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.

officenounUS /ˈɔːfɪs/

place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed

From this reading BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.

oilingverbUS /ˈɔɪlɪŋ/

-ing form of “oil” — cover with oil, as if by rubbing

From this reading BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

revolvernounUS /rɪˈvɑːlvər/

a pistol with a revolving cylinder (usually having six chambers for bullets)

From this reading BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading His right hand had found somewhat to do, and he had done it with his might.

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.

sheriffnounUS /ˈʃerəf/

the principal law-enforcement officer in a county

From this reading BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.

showedverbUS /ʃoʊd/

past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

somewhatadverbUS /ˈsʌmˈwʌt/

to a small degree or extent

From this reading His right hand had found somewhat to do, and he had done it with his might.

takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There was not yet any courthouse.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.

TwelvenounUS /twelv/

the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Twelve new mounds on the hillside back of the Cottage Hotel showed how faithfully he had executed his duties as judge and jury since he had taken up his office at the beginning of the "cow boom" of Ellisville.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading There was not yet any courthouse.

WATSONnounUS /ˈwɑːtsən/

United States telephone engineer who assisted Alexander Graham Bell in his experiments (1854-1934)

From this reading BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading BILL WATSON The sheriff of Ellisville sat in his office oiling the machinery of the law; which is to say, cleaning his revolver.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading His right hand had found somewhat to do, and he had done it with his might.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading There was not yet any courthouse.

Chapter 24 of The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of by Emerson Hough holds 107 sentences, grouped into 22 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 24 of The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of contain?

Chapter 24 holds 107 sentences of The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 24 of The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of by Emerson Hough exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 107 sentences, grouped into 22 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 24 of The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of?

Work through the 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 22 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 24 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of

Common questions about reading The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of by Emerson Hough on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of?

Yes. All 4875 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14948 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #14948, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of take to read?

About 406 minutes of reading across 975 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of section by section

How to work through The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Major
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Twenty
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Miles
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Front
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.