Chapter 20 of The Maid of the Whispering Hills is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Maid of the Whispering Hills is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“M'sieu,” said De Courtenay, “what think you? It would seem that something stirs in this camp of squaws and old men. Gaiety and festive garb appear. Behold yonder brave with a double allowance of painted feathers and more animation than seems warrantable. What's to do?”
Chapter 20 of The Maid of the Whispering Hills is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
an amount allowed or granted (as during a given period)
From this reading “Behold yonder brave with a double allowance of painted feathers and more animation than seems warrantable.”
the condition of living or the state of being alive
From this reading “Behold yonder brave with a double allowance of painted feathers and more animation than seems warrantable.”
plural of “feather” — the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds
From this reading “Behold yonder brave with a double allowance of painted feathers and more animation than seems warrantable.”
offering fun and gaiety
From this reading “Gaiety and festive garb appear.”
clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion
From this reading “Gaiety and festive garb appear.”
coated with paint
From this reading “Behold yonder brave with a double allowance of painted feathers and more animation than seems warrantable.”
plural of “stir” — a prominent or sensational but short-lived news event
From this reading “It would seem that something stirs in this camp of squaws and old men.”
distant but within sight (“yon” is dialectal)
From this reading “Behold yonder brave with a double allowance of painted feathers and more animation than seems warrantable.”
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 Behold yonder brave with a double allowance of painted feathers and more animation than seems warrantable.
an amount allowed or granted (as during a given period)
From this reading Behold yonder brave with a double allowance of painted feathers and more animation than seems warrantable.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It would seem that something stirs in this camp of squaws and old men.
the condition of living or the state of being alive
From this reading Behold yonder brave with a double allowance of painted feathers and more animation than seems warrantable.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Gaiety and festive garb appear.
see with attention
From this reading Behold yonder brave with a double allowance of painted feathers and more animation than seems warrantable.
possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching
From this reading Behold yonder brave with a double allowance of painted feathers and more animation than seems warrantable.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading It would seem that something stirs in this camp of squaws and old men.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “M'sieu,” said De Courtenay, “what think you?
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading “M'sieu,” said De Courtenay, “what think you?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What's to do?”
increase twofold
From this reading Behold yonder brave with a double allowance of painted feathers and more animation than seems warrantable.
plural of “feather” — the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds
From this reading Behold yonder brave with a double allowance of painted feathers and more animation than seems warrantable.
offering fun and gaiety
From this reading Gaiety and festive garb appear.
a gay feeling
From this reading Gaiety and festive garb appear.
clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion
From this reading Gaiety and festive garb appear.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It would seem that something stirs in this camp of squaws and old men.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It would seem that something stirs in this camp of squaws and old men.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “M'sieu,” said De Courtenay, “what think you?
the force of workers available
From this reading It would seem that something stirs in this camp of squaws and old men.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Behold yonder brave with a double allowance of painted feathers and more animation than seems warrantable.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It would seem that something stirs in this camp of squaws and old men.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading It would seem that something stirs in this camp of squaws and old men.
coated with paint
From this reading Behold yonder brave with a double allowance of painted feathers and more animation than seems warrantable.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “M'sieu,” said De Courtenay, “what think you?
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It would seem that something stirs in this camp of squaws and old men.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Behold yonder brave with a double allowance of painted feathers and more animation than seems warrantable.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading It would seem that something stirs in this camp of squaws and old men.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It would seem that something stirs in this camp of squaws and old men.
plural of “stir” — a prominent or sensational but short-lived news event
From this reading It would seem that something stirs in this camp of squaws and old men.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Behold yonder brave with a double allowance of painted feathers and more animation than seems warrantable.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It would seem that something stirs in this camp of squaws and old men.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “M'sieu,” said De Courtenay, “what think you?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It would seem that something stirs in this camp of squaws and old men.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What's to do?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behold yonder brave with a double allowance of painted feathers and more animation than seems warrantable.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “M'sieu,” said De Courtenay, “what think you?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What's to do?”
in the company of; together with
From this reading Behold yonder brave with a double allowance of painted feathers and more animation than seems warrantable.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would seem that something stirs in this camp of squaws and old men.
distant but within sight (“yon” is dialectal)
From this reading Behold yonder brave with a double allowance of painted feathers and more animation than seems warrantable.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “M'sieu,” said De Courtenay, “what think you?
Chapter 20 of The Maid of the Whispering Hills by Vingie E. (Vingie Eve) Roe holds 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 20 holds 158 sentences of The Maid of the Whispering Hills, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Maid of the Whispering Hills by Vingie E. (Vingie Eve) Roe exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 20 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 Maid of the Whispering Hills by Vingie E. (Vingie Eve) Roe on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3495 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5253 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5253, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 291 minutes of reading across 699 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Maid of the Whispering Hills section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Maid of the Whispering Hills 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 Maid of the Whispering Hills, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
