Chapter 14 of The Law of Hemlock Mountain is here in full — 152 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of The Law of Hemlock Mountain is here in full — 152 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was a hopeless game and a grim one. He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship. Now, two men had reached broad-girthed oaks, halfway between thicket and house. There they were safe for the next rush. So this was the end of the matter!
Chapter 14 of The Law of Hemlock Mountain is here in full — 152 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
more than enough in size or scope or capacity
From this reading “He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.”
the state of being with someone
From this reading “He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.”
plural of “defense” — (military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies
From this reading “He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.”
equally distant from the extremes
From this reading “Now, two men had reached broad-girthed oaks, halfway between thicket and house.”
without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success
From this reading “It was a hopeless game and a grim one.”
plural of “oak” — the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring
From this reading “Now, two men had reached broad-girthed oaks, halfway between thicket and house.”
unsupported by other people
From this reading “He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.”
a dense growth of bushes
From this reading “Now, two men had reached broad-girthed oaks, halfway between thicket and house.”
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.
In this reading “Now, two men had reached broad-girthed oaks, halfway between thicket and house.”
In this reading “He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.”
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 It was a hopeless game and a grim one.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.
more than enough in size or scope or capacity
From this reading He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was a hopeless game and a grim one.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Now, two men had reached broad-girthed oaks, halfway between thicket and house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now, two men had reached broad-girthed oaks, halfway between thicket and house.
the state of being with someone
From this reading He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.
provide with a covering or cause to be covered
From this reading He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.
plural of “defense” — (military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies
From this reading He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading So this was the end of the matter!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading It was a hopeless game and a grim one.
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading It was a hopeless game and a grim one.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Now, two men had reached broad-girthed oaks, halfway between thicket and house.
equally distant from the extremes
From this reading Now, two men had reached broad-girthed oaks, halfway between thicket and house.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.
without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success
From this reading It was a hopeless game and a grim one.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Now, two men had reached broad-girthed oaks, halfway between thicket and house.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a hopeless game and a grim one.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading So this was the end of the matter!
the force of workers available
From this reading Now, two men had reached broad-girthed oaks, halfway between thicket and house.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading There they were safe for the next rush.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now, two men had reached broad-girthed oaks, halfway between thicket and house.
plural of “oak” — the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring
From this reading Now, two men had reached broad-girthed oaks, halfway between thicket and house.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading So this was the end of the matter!
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It was a hopeless game and a grim one.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Now, two men had reached broad-girthed oaks, halfway between thicket and house.
move hurridly
From this reading There they were safe for the next rush.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading There they were safe for the next rush.
unsupported by other people
From this reading He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So this was the end of the matter!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There they were safe for the next rush.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There they were safe for the next rush.
a dense growth of bushes
From this reading Now, two men had reached broad-girthed oaks, halfway between thicket and house.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading So this was the end of the matter!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He could not cover all the defenses long in single-handed effort, and the best he could hope for was to die in ample companionship.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Now, two men had reached broad-girthed oaks, halfway between thicket and house.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a hopeless game and a grim one.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There they were safe for the next rush.
Chapter 14 of The Law of Hemlock Mountain by Hugh Lundsford holds 152 sentences, grouped into 31 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 14 holds 152 sentences of The Law of Hemlock Mountain, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of The Law of Hemlock Mountain by Hugh Lundsford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 152 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 14 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 Law of Hemlock Mountain by Hugh Lundsford on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4146 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34208 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34208, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 345 minutes of reading across 830 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Law of Hemlock Mountain section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Law of Hemlock Mountain 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 Law of Hemlock Mountain, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
