Chapter 4 of The Missing Pocket-Book is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Missing Pocket-Book is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Coyote Bill!” I kept repeating to myself. That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him. What his other name was I didn’t know. While I was turning the matter over in my mind Bill came around the corner.
Chapter 4 of The Missing Pocket-Book is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading ““Coyote Bill!””
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading “While I was turning the matter over in my mind Bill came around the corner.”
small wolf native to western North America
From this reading ““Coyote Bill!””
the act of doing or performing again
From this reading “I kept repeating to myself.”
inflected form of “rob” — take something away by force or without the consent of the owner
From this reading “That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.”
marked by skill in deception
From this reading “That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.”
not openly expressed
From this reading “That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.”
plural of “texan” — a native or resident of Texas
From this reading “That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.”
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 “I kept repeating to myself.”
In this reading “While I was turning the matter over in my mind Bill came around the corner.”
In this reading “That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.”
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.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading While I was turning the matter over in my mind Bill came around the corner.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “Coyote Bill!”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading While I was turning the matter over in my mind Bill came around the corner.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading While I was turning the matter over in my mind Bill came around the corner.
small wolf native to western North America
From this reading “Coyote Bill!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What his other name was I didn’t know.
at any time
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I kept repeating to myself.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading While I was turning the matter over in my mind Bill came around the corner.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading I kept repeating to myself.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading What his other name was I didn’t know.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading While I was turning the matter over in my mind Bill came around the corner.
the force of workers available
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading While I was turning the matter over in my mind Bill came around the corner.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading While I was turning the matter over in my mind Bill came around the corner.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I kept repeating to myself.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
not one, and not any
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading What his other name was I didn’t know.
above and across; more than
From this reading While I was turning the matter over in my mind Bill came around the corner.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
the act of doing or performing again
From this reading I kept repeating to myself.
inflected form of “rob” — take something away by force or without the consent of the owner
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
marked by skill in deception
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
not openly expressed
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
plural of “texan” — a native or resident of Texas
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading That name had probably been given to him by the Texans on account of his being so sneaking and sly--so sly that none of the men he had robbed had ever been able to see him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I kept repeating to myself.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading While I was turning the matter over in my mind Bill came around the corner.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What his other name was I didn’t know.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What his other name was I didn’t know.
during the time that
From this reading While I was turning the matter over in my mind Bill came around the corner.
Chapter 4 of The Missing Pocket-Book by Harry Castlemon holds 226 sentences, grouped into 46 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 4 holds 226 sentences of The Missing Pocket-Book, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Missing Pocket-Book by Harry Castlemon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 226 sentences, grouped into 46 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 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 46 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 4 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 Missing Pocket-Book by Harry Castlemon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4390 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60322 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60322, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 365 minutes of reading across 878 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Missing Pocket-Book section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Missing Pocket-Book 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 Missing Pocket-Book, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
