Chapter 31 of The Missing Tin Box is here in full — 89 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of The Missing Tin Box is here in full — 89 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HARDWICK'S DASH FOR LIBERTY. Hal and the others listened with keen interest to Hardwick's words. The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage. "Now is the time to capture the gang," thought Hal. "I wish my hands were free."
Chapter 31 of The Missing Tin Box is here in full — 89 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
plural of “bond” — an electrical force linking atoms
From this reading “The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage.”
succeed in representing or expressing something intangible
From this reading “"Now is the time to capture the gang," thought Hal.”
run or move very quickly or hastily
From this reading “HARDWICK'S DASH FOR LIBERTY.”
an association of criminals
From this reading “"Now is the time to capture the gang," thought Hal.”
not able to be found
From this reading “The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage.”
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading “The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage.”
plural of “samuel” — (Old Testament) Hebrew prophet and judge who anointed Saul as king
From this reading “The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage.”
transfer somebody to a different position or location of work
From this reading “The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage.”
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 “Hal and the others listened with keen interest to Hardwick's words.”
In this reading “The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage.”
In this reading “HARDWICK'S DASH FOR LIBERTY.”
In this reading “Hal and the others listened with keen interest to Hardwick's words.”
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.
the quality of having a superior or more favorable position
From this reading The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Hal and the others listened with keen interest to Hardwick's words.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage.
plural of “bond” — an electrical force linking atoms
From this reading The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage.
succeed in representing or expressing something intangible
From this reading "Now is the time to capture the gang," thought Hal.
run or move very quickly or hastily
From this reading HARDWICK'S DASH FOR LIBERTY.
having made preparations
From this reading The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading HARDWICK'S DASH FOR LIBERTY.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading "I wish my hands were free."
an association of criminals
From this reading "Now is the time to capture the gang," thought Hal.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hal and the others listened with keen interest to Hardwick's words.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading "I wish my hands were free."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HARDWICK'S DASH FOR LIBERTY.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I wish my hands were free."
resulting from one's intentions
From this reading The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading Hal and the others listened with keen interest to Hardwick's words.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Now is the time to capture the gang," thought Hal.
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading Hal and the others listened with keen interest to Hardwick's words.
The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions on one's way of life.
From this reading HARDWICK'S DASH FOR LIBERTY.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading Hal and the others listened with keen interest to Hardwick's words.
not able to be found
From this reading The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I wish my hands were free."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now is the time to capture the gang," thought Hal.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hal and the others listened with keen interest to Hardwick's words.
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage.
plural of “samuel” — (Old Testament) Hebrew prophet and judge who anointed Saul as king
From this reading The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Hal and the others listened with keen interest to Hardwick's words.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "Now is the time to capture the gang," thought Hal.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "Now is the time to capture the gang," thought Hal.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Hal and the others listened with keen interest to Hardwick's words.
transfer somebody to a different position or location of work
From this reading The ex-book-keeper had the missing railroad bonds with him, and he intended to transfer them to Samuels, to be disposed of to the best advantage.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "I wish my hands were free."
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "I wish my hands were free."
in the company of; together with
From this reading Hal and the others listened with keen interest to Hardwick's words.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Hal and the others listened with keen interest to Hardwick's words.
Chapter 31 of The Missing Tin Box by Edward Stratemeyer holds 89 sentences, grouped into 18 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 31 holds 89 sentences of The Missing Tin Box, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of The Missing Tin Box by Edward Stratemeyer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 89 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 31 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 Tin Box by Edward Stratemeyer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4507 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30864 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30864, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 375 minutes of reading across 902 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Missing Tin Box section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of The Missing Tin Box 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 Tin Box, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
