Chapter 24 of The Mystery of Lost River Canyon is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of The Mystery of Lost River Canyon is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
OFF FOR CAMP. “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself. “He has no right to open his head. My father is boss here now, and Bob and Mr. Jacobs will find it out before they are many days older. I wonder if that’s Sam?”
Chapter 24 of The Mystery of Lost River Canyon is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
elected vice president and became 21st President of the United States when Garfield was assassinated (1830-1886)
From this reading ““I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.”
a person who exercises control over workers
From this reading “My father is boss here now, and Bob and Mr. Jacobs will find it out before they are many days older.”
having your services engaged for; or having a job especially one that pays wages or a salary
From this reading ““I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.”
English writer of macabre short stories (1863-1943)
From this reading “My father is boss here now, and Bob and Mr. Jacobs will find it out before they are many days older.”
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading “My father is boss here now, and Bob and Mr. Jacobs will find it out before they are many days older.”
third-person singular of “presume” — take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
From this reading ““I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.”
farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle)
From this reading ““I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.”
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading “I wonder if that’s Sam?””
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 “My father is boss here now, and Bob and Mr. Jacobs will find it out before they are many days older.”
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 “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading My father is boss here now, and Bob and Mr. Jacobs will find it out before they are many days older.
elected vice president and became 21st President of the United States when Garfield was assassinated (1830-1886)
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading My father is boss here now, and Bob and Mr. Jacobs will find it out before they are many days older.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
a person who exercises control over workers
From this reading My father is boss here now, and Bob and Mr. Jacobs will find it out before they are many days older.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading OFF FOR CAMP.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading My father is boss here now, and Bob and Mr. Jacobs will find it out before they are many days older.
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
having your services engaged for; or having a job especially one that pays wages or a salary
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading My father is boss here now, and Bob and Mr. Jacobs will find it out before they are many days older.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading My father is boss here now, and Bob and Mr. Jacobs will find it out before they are many days older.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading OFF FOR CAMP.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “He has no right to open his head.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading “He has no right to open his head.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading My father is boss here now, and Bob and Mr. Jacobs will find it out before they are many days older.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “He has no right to open his head.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I wonder if that’s Sam?”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading My father is boss here now, and Bob and Mr. Jacobs will find it out before they are many days older.
English writer of macabre short stories (1863-1943)
From this reading My father is boss here now, and Bob and Mr. Jacobs will find it out before they are many days older.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading My father is boss here now, and Bob and Mr. Jacobs will find it out before they are many days older.
a form of address for a man
From this reading My father is boss here now, and Bob and Mr. Jacobs will find it out before they are many days older.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My father is boss here now, and Bob and Mr. Jacobs will find it out before they are many days older.
not any; not one
From this reading “He has no right to open his head.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading My father is boss here now, and Bob and Mr. Jacobs will find it out before they are many days older.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading OFF FOR CAMP.
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading My father is boss here now, and Bob and Mr. Jacobs will find it out before they are many days older.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading “He has no right to open his head.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading My father is boss here now, and Bob and Mr. Jacobs will find it out before they are many days older.
third-person singular of “presume” — take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle)
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
precisely, exactly
From this reading “He has no right to open his head.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading I wonder if that’s Sam?”
express in words
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I wonder if that’s Sam?”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading My father is boss here now, and Bob and Mr. Jacobs will find it out before they are many days older.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
at the time that
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
which person or people
From this reading “I think Bob is taking a good deal upon himself when he presumes to say who shall be employed on this ranch, and who shall not,” said Arthur to himself.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading My father is boss here now, and Bob and Mr. Jacobs will find it out before they are many days older.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading I wonder if that’s Sam?”
Chapter 24 of The Mystery of Lost River Canyon by Harry Castlemon holds 104 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 24 holds 104 sentences of The Mystery of Lost River Canyon, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of The Mystery of Lost River Canyon by Harry Castlemon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 104 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 24 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 Mystery of Lost River Canyon by Harry Castlemon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3450 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60407 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60407, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 287 minutes of reading across 690 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mystery of Lost River Canyon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of The Mystery of Lost River Canyon 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 Mystery of Lost River Canyon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
