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.
“The thing to do, then,” he drawled, “is to go out and study up on it. Get in touch with that country, and your local color will convince. Personally though, I like those little society skits you do--” “Skits!” exploded Thurston. “My last was a four-part serial. I never did a skit in my life.”
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 6/21 · 5 reading units · Lines 26–30
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.
make (someone) agree, understand, or realize the truth or validity of something
From this reading “Get in touch with that country, and your local color will convince.”
past form of “drawl” — lengthen and slow down or draw out
From this reading ““The thing to do, then,” he drawled, “is to go out and study up on it.”
showing the parts of something separated but in positions that show their correct relation to one another
From this reading “Personally though, I like those little society skits you do--” “Skits!” exploded Thurston.”
relating to or applicable to or concerned with the administration of a city or town or district rather than a larger area
From this reading “Get in touch with that country, and your local color will convince.”
as yourself
From this reading “Personally though, I like those little society skits you do--” “Skits!” exploded Thurston.”
in regular succession without gaps
From this reading ““My last was a four-part serial.”
a short theatrical episode
From this reading “I never did a skit in my life.””
plural of “skit” — a short theatrical episode
From this reading “Personally though, I like those little society skits you do--” “Skits!” exploded Thurston.”
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 “My last was a four-part serial.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “The thing to do, then,” he drawled, “is to go out and study up on it.
a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect
From this reading Get in touch with that country, and your local color will convince.
make (someone) agree, understand, or realize the truth or validity of something
From this reading Get in touch with that country, and your local color will convince.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading Get in touch with that country, and your local color will convince.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading I never did a skit in my life.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “The thing to do, then,” he drawled, “is to go out and study up on it.
past form of “drawl” — lengthen and slow down or draw out
From this reading “The thing to do, then,” he drawled, “is to go out and study up on it.
showing the parts of something separated but in positions that show their correct relation to one another
From this reading Personally though, I like those little society skits you do--” “Skits!” exploded Thurston.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “My last was a four-part serial.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Get in touch with that country, and your local color will convince.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “The thing to do, then,” he drawled, “is to go out and study up on it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “The thing to do, then,” he drawled, “is to go out and study up on it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Personally though, I like those little society skits you do--” “Skits!” exploded Thurston.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Get in touch with that country, and your local color will convince.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “The thing to do, then,” he drawled, “is to go out and study up on it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “The thing to do, then,” he drawled, “is to go out and study up on it.
immediately past
From this reading “My last was a four-part serial.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading I never did a skit in my life.”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Personally though, I like those little society skits you do--” “Skits!” exploded Thurston.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Personally though, I like those little society skits you do--” “Skits!” exploded Thurston.
relating to or applicable to or concerned with the administration of a city or town or district rather than a larger area
From this reading Get in touch with that country, and your local color will convince.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “My last was a four-part serial.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I never did a skit in my life.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “The thing to do, then,” he drawled, “is to go out and study up on it.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “The thing to do, then,” he drawled, “is to go out and study up on it.
as yourself
From this reading Personally though, I like those little society skits you do--” “Skits!” exploded Thurston.
in regular succession without gaps
From this reading “My last was a four-part serial.
a short theatrical episode
From this reading I never did a skit in my life.”
plural of “skit” — a short theatrical episode
From this reading Personally though, I like those little society skits you do--” “Skits!” exploded Thurston.
an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading Personally though, I like those little society skits you do--” “Skits!” exploded Thurston.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading “The thing to do, then,” he drawled, “is to go out and study up on it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Get in touch with that country, and your local color will convince.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “The thing to do, then,” he drawled, “is to go out and study up on it.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “The thing to do, then,” he drawled, “is to go out and study up on it.
a special situation
From this reading “The thing to do, then,” he drawled, “is to go out and study up on it.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Personally though, I like those little society skits you do--” “Skits!” exploded Thurston.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Personally though, I like those little society skits you do--” “Skits!” exploded Thurston.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Personally though, I like those little society skits you do--” “Skits!” exploded Thurston.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “The thing to do, then,” he drawled, “is to go out and study up on it.
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading Get in touch with that country, and your local color will convince.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “The thing to do, then,” he drawled, “is to go out and study up on it.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “My last was a four-part serial.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Get in touch with that country, and your local color will convince.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Get in touch with that country, and your local color will convince.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Personally though, I like those little society skits you do--” “Skits!” exploded Thurston.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Get in touch with that country, and your local color will convince.
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.
