Chapter 2 of The Jimmyjohn Boss, and Other Stories is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Jimmyjohn Boss, and Other Stories is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Yes,” said Vogel. “Those poor, deluded fellows, they buy such stuff.” And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there. “Do you play that concertina yet, Uncle?” he inquired. “Yes, yes.
Chapter 2 of The Jimmyjohn Boss, and Other Stories is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
coiled barbed wire used as an obstacle
From this reading ““Do you play that concertina yet, Uncle?” he inquired.”
past form of “delude” — be false to; be dishonest with
From this reading ““Those poor, deluded fellows, they buy such stuff.””
plural of “fellow” — a boy or man
From this reading ““Those poor, deluded fellows, they buy such stuff.””
a wilderness at the edge of a settled area of a country
From this reading “And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.”
a crosspiece between the legs of a chair
From this reading “And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.”
full of seeds
From this reading “And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.”
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading ““Those poor, deluded fellows, they buy such stuff.””
a person given to fanciful speculations and enthusiasms with little regard for what is actually possible
From this reading “And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.
the lower side of anything
From this reading And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.
obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading “Those poor, deluded fellows, they buy such stuff.”
coiled barbed wire used as an obstacle
From this reading “Do you play that concertina yet, Uncle?” he inquired.
past form of “delude” — be false to; be dishonest with
From this reading “Those poor, deluded fellows, they buy such stuff.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Do you play that concertina yet, Uncle?” he inquired.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.
plural of “fellow” — a boy or man
From this reading “Those poor, deluded fellows, they buy such stuff.”
a wilderness at the edge of a settled area of a country
From this reading And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “Do you play that concertina yet, Uncle?” he inquired.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.
participate in games or sport
From this reading “Do you play that concertina yet, Uncle?” he inquired.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading “Those poor, deluded fellows, they buy such stuff.”
a crosspiece between the legs of a chair
From this reading And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Yes,” said Vogel.
full of seeds
From this reading And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading “Those poor, deluded fellows, they buy such stuff.”
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “Those poor, deluded fellows, they buy such stuff.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Do you play that concertina yet, Uncle?” he inquired.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.
in or at that place or location
From this reading And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Those poor, deluded fellows, they buy such stuff.”
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading “Those poor, deluded fellows, they buy such stuff.”
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading “Do you play that concertina yet, Uncle?” he inquired.
a person given to fanciful speculations and enthusiasms with little regard for what is actually possible
From this reading And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Yes,” said Vogel.
which person or people
From this reading And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading And he laughed at the seedy visionary who had begun frontier life with him on the bottom rung and would end it there.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes,” said Vogel.
but in spite of that
From this reading “Do you play that concertina yet, Uncle?” he inquired.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Do you play that concertina yet, Uncle?” he inquired.
Chapter 2 of The Jimmyjohn Boss, and Other Stories by Owen Wister holds 206 sentences, grouped into 42 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 2 holds 206 sentences of The Jimmyjohn Boss, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Jimmyjohn Boss, and Other Stories by Owen Wister exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 206 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 2 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 Jimmyjohn Boss, and Other Stories by Owen Wister on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4856 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1390 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1390, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 404 minutes of reading across 972 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Jimmyjohn Boss, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Jimmyjohn Boss, and Other Stories 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 Jimmyjohn Boss, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
