Chapter 15 of The Lost Despatch is here in full — 130 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Lost Despatch is here in full — 130 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WHEN TRAGEDY GRINS "As usual, Tad, it is your stomach that is cutting up. Haven't you any other organ in your body?" Tad Lincoln pulled the bedclothes up about his shoulders, and smiled sheepishly at Doctor Boyd. "It was the cream puffs," he murmured apologetically. "And two weeks ago--candy.
Chapter 15 of The Lost Despatch is here in full — 130 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
in an apologetic manner
From this reading “"It was the cream puffs," he murmured apologetically.”
a rich sweet made of flavored sugar and often combined with fruit or nuts
From this reading “"And two weeks ago--candy.”
the best people or things in a group
From this reading “"It was the cream puffs," he murmured apologetically.”
plural of “grin” — a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “WHEN TRAGEDY GRINS "As usual, Tad, it is your stomach that is cutting up.”
a fully differentiated structural and functional unit in an animal that is specialized for some particular function
From this reading “Haven't you any other organ in your body?"”
plural of “puff” — a short light gust of air
From this reading “"It was the cream puffs," he murmured apologetically.”
in a sheepish manner
From this reading “Tad Lincoln pulled the bedclothes up about his shoulders, and smiled sheepishly at Doctor Boyd.”
a slight amount or degree of difference
From this reading “WHEN TRAGEDY GRINS "As usual, Tad, it is your stomach that is cutting up.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Tad Lincoln pulled the bedclothes up about his shoulders, and smiled sheepishly at Doctor Boyd.
in the past
From this reading "And two weeks ago--candy.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Tad Lincoln pulled the bedclothes up about his shoulders, and smiled sheepishly at Doctor Boyd.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Haven't you any other organ in your body?"
in an apologetic manner
From this reading "It was the cream puffs," he murmured apologetically.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading WHEN TRAGEDY GRINS "As usual, Tad, it is your stomach that is cutting up.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Tad Lincoln pulled the bedclothes up about his shoulders, and smiled sheepishly at Doctor Boyd.
coverings that are used on a bed
From this reading Tad Lincoln pulled the bedclothes up about his shoulders, and smiled sheepishly at Doctor Boyd.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading Haven't you any other organ in your body?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Tad Lincoln pulled the bedclothes up about his shoulders, and smiled sheepishly at Doctor Boyd.
a rich sweet made of flavored sugar and often combined with fruit or nuts
From this reading "And two weeks ago--candy.
the best people or things in a group
From this reading "It was the cream puffs," he murmured apologetically.
the activity of selecting the scenes to be shown and putting them together to create a film
From this reading WHEN TRAGEDY GRINS "As usual, Tad, it is your stomach that is cutting up.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading Tad Lincoln pulled the bedclothes up about his shoulders, and smiled sheepishly at Doctor Boyd.
plural of “grin” — a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading WHEN TRAGEDY GRINS "As usual, Tad, it is your stomach that is cutting up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Haven't you any other organ in your body?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It was the cream puffs," he murmured apologetically.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Tad Lincoln pulled the bedclothes up about his shoulders, and smiled sheepishly at Doctor Boyd.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Haven't you any other organ in your body?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading WHEN TRAGEDY GRINS "As usual, Tad, it is your stomach that is cutting up.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading WHEN TRAGEDY GRINS "As usual, Tad, it is your stomach that is cutting up.
16th President of the United States; saved the Union during the American Civil War and emancipated the slaves; was assassinated by Booth (1809-1865)
From this reading Tad Lincoln pulled the bedclothes up about his shoulders, and smiled sheepishly at Doctor Boyd.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading "It was the cream puffs," he murmured apologetically.
a fully differentiated structural and functional unit in an animal that is specialized for some particular function
From this reading Haven't you any other organ in your body?"
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Haven't you any other organ in your body?"
plural of “puff” — a short light gust of air
From this reading "It was the cream puffs," he murmured apologetically.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading Tad Lincoln pulled the bedclothes up about his shoulders, and smiled sheepishly at Doctor Boyd.
in a sheepish manner
From this reading Tad Lincoln pulled the bedclothes up about his shoulders, and smiled sheepishly at Doctor Boyd.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading Tad Lincoln pulled the bedclothes up about his shoulders, and smiled sheepishly at Doctor Boyd.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Tad Lincoln pulled the bedclothes up about his shoulders, and smiled sheepishly at Doctor Boyd.
an enlarged and muscular saclike organ of the alimentary canal; the principal organ of digestion
From this reading WHEN TRAGEDY GRINS "As usual, Tad, it is your stomach that is cutting up.
a slight amount or degree of difference
From this reading WHEN TRAGEDY GRINS "As usual, Tad, it is your stomach that is cutting up.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading WHEN TRAGEDY GRINS "As usual, Tad, it is your stomach that is cutting up.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Tad Lincoln pulled the bedclothes up about his shoulders, and smiled sheepishly at Doctor Boyd.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading WHEN TRAGEDY GRINS "As usual, Tad, it is your stomach that is cutting up.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "And two weeks ago--candy.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading WHEN TRAGEDY GRINS "As usual, Tad, it is your stomach that is cutting up.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading WHEN TRAGEDY GRINS "As usual, Tad, it is your stomach that is cutting up.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It was the cream puffs," he murmured apologetically.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading "And two weeks ago--candy.
at the time that
From this reading WHEN TRAGEDY GRINS "As usual, Tad, it is your stomach that is cutting up.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Haven't you any other organ in your body?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading WHEN TRAGEDY GRINS "As usual, Tad, it is your stomach that is cutting up.
Chapter 15 of The Lost Despatch by Natalie Sumner Lincoln holds 130 sentences, grouped into 26 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 15 holds 130 sentences of The Lost Despatch, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Lost Despatch by Natalie Sumner Lincoln exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 130 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 15 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 Lost Despatch by Natalie Sumner Lincoln on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4137 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24204 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24204, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 344 minutes of reading across 828 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Lost Despatch section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Lost Despatch 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 Lost Despatch, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
