Chapter 1 of The Lure of the Dim Trails is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Lure of the Dim Trails is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“And I notice you hate like the mischief to fail, even though.” “Only I never have failed,” put in Reeve-Howard, with the amused complacency born of much adulation. Thurston kicked a foot-rest out of his way. “Well, I have. The fashion now is for swashbuckling tales with a haze of powder smoke rising to high heaven.
Chapter 1 of The Lure of the Dim Trails is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 2/21 · 5 reading units · Lines 6–10
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.
servile flattery; exaggerated and hypocritical praise
From this reading ““Only I never have failed,” put in Reeve-Howard, with the amused complacency born of much adulation.”
the feeling you have when you are satisfied with yourself
From this reading ““Only I never have failed,” put in Reeve-Howard, with the amused complacency born of much adulation.”
atmospheric moisture or dust or smoke that causes reduced visibility
From this reading “The fashion now is for swashbuckling tales with a haze of powder smoke rising to high heaven.”
past form of “kick” — drive or propel with the foot
From this reading “Thurston kicked a foot-rest out of his way.”
reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
From this reading ““And I notice you hate like the mischief to fail, even though.””
a solid substance in the form of tiny loose particles; a solid that has been pulverized
From this reading “The fashion now is for swashbuckling tales with a haze of powder smoke rising to high heaven.”
flamboyantly reckless and boastful behavior
From this reading “The fashion now is for swashbuckling tales with a haze of powder smoke rising to high heaven.”
plural of “tale” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “The fashion now is for swashbuckling tales with a haze of powder smoke rising to high heaven.”
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 Thurston kicked a foot-rest out of his way.
servile flattery; exaggerated and hypocritical praise
From this reading “Only I never have failed,” put in Reeve-Howard, with the amused complacency born of much adulation.
pleasantly occupied
From this reading “Only I never have failed,” put in Reeve-Howard, with the amused complacency born of much adulation.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And I notice you hate like the mischief to fail, even though.”
brought into existence
From this reading “Only I never have failed,” put in Reeve-Howard, with the amused complacency born of much adulation.
the feeling you have when you are satisfied with yourself
From this reading “Only I never have failed,” put in Reeve-Howard, with the amused complacency born of much adulation.
divisible by two
From this reading “And I notice you hate like the mischief to fail, even though.”
fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading “And I notice you hate like the mischief to fail, even though.”
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading “Only I never have failed,” put in Reeve-Howard, with the amused complacency born of much adulation.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The fashion now is for swashbuckling tales with a haze of powder smoke rising to high heaven.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thurston kicked a foot-rest out of his way.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The fashion now is for swashbuckling tales with a haze of powder smoke rising to high heaven.
the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action
From this reading “And I notice you hate like the mischief to fail, even though.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Only I never have failed,” put in Reeve-Howard, with the amused complacency born of much adulation.
atmospheric moisture or dust or smoke that causes reduced visibility
From this reading The fashion now is for swashbuckling tales with a haze of powder smoke rising to high heaven.
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading The fashion now is for swashbuckling tales with a haze of powder smoke rising to high heaven.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The fashion now is for swashbuckling tales with a haze of powder smoke rising to high heaven.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Thurston kicked a foot-rest out of his way.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “And I notice you hate like the mischief to fail, even though.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Only I never have failed,” put in Reeve-Howard, with the amused complacency born of much adulation.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The fashion now is for swashbuckling tales with a haze of powder smoke rising to high heaven.
past form of “kick” — drive or propel with the foot
From this reading Thurston kicked a foot-rest out of his way.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “And I notice you hate like the mischief to fail, even though.”
reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
From this reading “And I notice you hate like the mischief to fail, even though.”
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “Only I never have failed,” put in Reeve-Howard, with the amused complacency born of much adulation.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “Only I never have failed,” put in Reeve-Howard, with the amused complacency born of much adulation.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading “And I notice you hate like the mischief to fail, even though.”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The fashion now is for swashbuckling tales with a haze of powder smoke rising to high heaven.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Only I never have failed,” put in Reeve-Howard, with the amused complacency born of much adulation.
and nothing more
From this reading “Only I never have failed,” put in Reeve-Howard, with the amused complacency born of much adulation.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Thurston kicked a foot-rest out of his way.
a solid substance in the form of tiny loose particles; a solid that has been pulverized
From this reading The fashion now is for swashbuckling tales with a haze of powder smoke rising to high heaven.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “Only I never have failed,” put in Reeve-Howard, with the amused complacency born of much adulation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Only I never have failed,” put in Reeve-Howard, with the amused complacency born of much adulation.
advancing or becoming higher or greater in degree or value or status
From this reading The fashion now is for swashbuckling tales with a haze of powder smoke rising to high heaven.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading The fashion now is for swashbuckling tales with a haze of powder smoke rising to high heaven.
flamboyantly reckless and boastful behavior
From this reading The fashion now is for swashbuckling tales with a haze of powder smoke rising to high heaven.
plural of “tale” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading The fashion now is for swashbuckling tales with a haze of powder smoke rising to high heaven.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “And I notice you hate like the mischief to fail, even though.”
in spite of the fact that
From this reading “And I notice you hate like the mischief to fail, even though.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thurston kicked a foot-rest out of his way.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “And I notice you hate like the mischief to fail, even though.”
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Thurston kicked a foot-rest out of his way.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well, I have.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Only I never have failed,” put in Reeve-Howard, with the amused complacency born of much adulation.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “And I notice you hate like the mischief to fail, even though.”
Chapter 1 of The Lure of the Dim Trails by B. M. Bower holds 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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 1 holds 105 sentences of The Lure of the Dim Trails, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Lure of the Dim Trails by B. M. Bower exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 1 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 Lure of the Dim Trails by B. M. Bower on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1598 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1014 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1014, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 133 minutes of reading across 320 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Lure of the Dim Trails section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Lure of the Dim Trails 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 Lure of the Dim Trails, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
