Chapter 3 of The Last Stetson is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Last Stetson is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Old Gabe was waiting for him. He did not answer the old man's querulous inquiry, but stumbled towards a bed. An hour later, when the miller was rubbing his forehead, he opened his eyes, shut them, and began to talk. "I reckon I hain't much better 'n Eli, Und' Gabe," he said, plaintively. "I've been abusin' him down thar in the woods.
Chapter 3 of The Last Stetson is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading “An hour later, when the miller was rubbing his forehead, he opened his eyes, shut them, and began to talk.”
a search for knowledge
From this reading “He did not answer the old man's querulous inquiry, but stumbled towards a bed.”
United States bandleader of a popular big band (1909-1944)
From this reading “An hour later, when the miller was rubbing his forehead, he opened his eyes, shut them, and began to talk.”
in a plaintive manner
From this reading “"I reckon I hain't much better 'n Eli, Und' Gabe," he said, plaintively.”
habitually complaining
From this reading “He did not answer the old man's querulous inquiry, but stumbled towards a bed.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “"I reckon I hain't much better 'n Eli, Und' Gabe," he said, plaintively.”
the resistance encountered when one body is moved in contact with another
From this reading “An hour later, when the miller was rubbing his forehead, he opened his eyes, shut them, and began to talk.”
past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading “He did not answer the old man's querulous inquiry, but stumbled towards a bed.”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He did not answer the old man's querulous inquiry, but stumbled towards a bed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've been abusin' him down thar in the woods.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An hour later, when the miller was rubbing his forehead, he opened his eyes, shut them, and began to talk.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading An hour later, when the miller was rubbing his forehead, he opened his eyes, shut them, and began to talk.
react verbally
From this reading He did not answer the old man's querulous inquiry, but stumbled towards a bed.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading He did not answer the old man's querulous inquiry, but stumbled towards a bed.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "I've been abusin' him down thar in the woods.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading An hour later, when the miller was rubbing his forehead, he opened his eyes, shut them, and began to talk.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "I reckon I hain't much better 'n Eli, Und' Gabe," he said, plaintively.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He did not answer the old man's querulous inquiry, but stumbled towards a bed.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not answer the old man's querulous inquiry, but stumbled towards a bed.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "I've been abusin' him down thar in the woods.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I reckon I hain't much better 'n Eli, Und' Gabe," he said, plaintively.
opinion or judgment
From this reading An hour later, when the miller was rubbing his forehead, he opened his eyes, shut them, and began to talk.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Old Gabe was waiting for him.
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading An hour later, when the miller was rubbing his forehead, he opened his eyes, shut them, and began to talk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Old Gabe was waiting for him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I reckon I hain't much better 'n Eli, Und' Gabe," he said, plaintively.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He did not answer the old man's querulous inquiry, but stumbled towards a bed.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Old Gabe was waiting for him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading An hour later, when the miller was rubbing his forehead, he opened his eyes, shut them, and began to talk.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading An hour later, when the miller was rubbing his forehead, he opened his eyes, shut them, and began to talk.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I reckon I hain't much better 'n Eli, Und' Gabe," he said, plaintively.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've been abusin' him down thar in the woods.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I've been abusin' him down thar in the woods.
a search for knowledge
From this reading He did not answer the old man's querulous inquiry, but stumbled towards a bed.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading An hour later, when the miller was rubbing his forehead, he opened his eyes, shut them, and began to talk.
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He did not answer the old man's querulous inquiry, but stumbled towards a bed.
United States bandleader of a popular big band (1909-1944)
From this reading An hour later, when the miller was rubbing his forehead, he opened his eyes, shut them, and began to talk.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "I reckon I hain't much better 'n Eli, Und' Gabe," he said, plaintively.
a common nonmetallic element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless inert diatomic gas; constitutes 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume; a constituent of all living tissues
From this reading "I reckon I hain't much better 'n Eli, Und' Gabe," he said, plaintively.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He did not answer the old man's querulous inquiry, but stumbled towards a bed.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Old Gabe was waiting for him.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading An hour later, when the miller was rubbing his forehead, he opened his eyes, shut them, and began to talk.
in a plaintive manner
From this reading "I reckon I hain't much better 'n Eli, Und' Gabe," he said, plaintively.
habitually complaining
From this reading He did not answer the old man's querulous inquiry, but stumbled towards a bed.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading "I reckon I hain't much better 'n Eli, Und' Gabe," he said, plaintively.
the resistance encountered when one body is moved in contact with another
From this reading An hour later, when the miller was rubbing his forehead, he opened his eyes, shut them, and began to talk.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I reckon I hain't much better 'n Eli, Und' Gabe," he said, plaintively.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading An hour later, when the miller was rubbing his forehead, he opened his eyes, shut them, and began to talk.
past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading He did not answer the old man's querulous inquiry, but stumbled towards a bed.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading An hour later, when the miller was rubbing his forehead, he opened his eyes, shut them, and began to talk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've been abusin' him down thar in the woods.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He did not answer the old man's querulous inquiry, but stumbled towards a bed.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading An hour later, when the miller was rubbing his forehead, he opened his eyes, shut them, and began to talk.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading An hour later, when the miller was rubbing his forehead, he opened his eyes, shut them, and began to talk.
in the direction of
From this reading He did not answer the old man's querulous inquiry, but stumbled towards a bed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I reckon I hain't much better 'n Eli, Und' Gabe," he said, plaintively.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Old Gabe was waiting for him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Old Gabe was waiting for him.
at the time that
From this reading An hour later, when the miller was rubbing his forehead, he opened his eyes, shut them, and began to talk.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading "I've been abusin' him down thar in the woods.
Chapter 3 of The Last Stetson by John, Jr. Fox holds 200 sentences, grouped into 40 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 3 holds 200 sentences of The Last Stetson, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Last Stetson by John, Jr. Fox exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 3 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 Last Stetson by John, Jr. Fox on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 606 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3024 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3024, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 50 minutes of reading across 122 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Last Stetson section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Last Stetson 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 Last Stetson, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
