Chapter 13 of The Mail Carrier is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The Mail Carrier is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BURNING OF THE SAM KENDALL. “THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked. “Impossible to stay here any longer. Too much smoke. Can’t breathe!”
Chapter 13 of The Mail Carrier is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs
From this reading “Can’t breathe!””
stopped up; clogged up
From this reading ““THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.”
plural of “engineer” — a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
From this reading ““THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.”
dance a quick dance with leaping and kicking motions
From this reading ““THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.”
United States biochemist who discovered cortisone (1886-1972)
From this reading “THE BURNING OF THE SAM KENDALL.”
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading “THE BURNING OF THE SAM KENDALL.”
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading ““THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.”
proclaim on, or as if on, a trumpet
From this reading ““THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.”
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 ““Impossible to stay here any longer.”
In this reading ““THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading “Impossible to stay here any longer.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.
draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs
From this reading Can’t breathe!”
the act of burning something
From this reading THE BURNING OF THE SAM KENDALL.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Can’t breathe!”
stopped up; clogged up
From this reading “THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.
plural of “engineer” — a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
From this reading “THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading “THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “Impossible to stay here any longer.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading “Impossible to stay here any longer.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.
dance a quick dance with leaping and kicking motions
From this reading “THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.
United States biochemist who discovered cortisone (1886-1972)
From this reading THE BURNING OF THE SAM KENDALL.
for more time
From this reading “Impossible to stay here any longer.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Too much smoke.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE BURNING OF THE SAM KENDALL.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading THE BURNING OF THE SAM KENDALL.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading “THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading Too much smoke.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading “THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “Impossible to stay here any longer.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BURNING OF THE SAM KENDALL.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading “THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Impossible to stay here any longer.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Too much smoke.
proclaim on, or as if on, a trumpet
From this reading “THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “THE jig is up!” shouted one of the engineers through the trumpet, and his voice sounded as if he were half choked.
Chapter 13 of The Mail Carrier by Harry Castlemon holds 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 13 holds 196 sentences of The Mail Carrier, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The Mail Carrier by Harry Castlemon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 13 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 Mail Carrier by Harry Castlemon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3509 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56408 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56408, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 292 minutes of reading across 702 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mail Carrier section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Mail Carrier 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 Mail Carrier, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
