The Mystery of The Barranca

Chapter XXVIII

Chapter 28 of The Mystery of The Barranca is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Herman Whitaker • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Mystery of The Barranca

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.

During the moment that the horses rested their thoughts reverted to the last occasion when they had overlooked the great void, and if the thought of Sebastien brought a touch of sadness into the girl's reflections it caused no bitterness.

She turned with a low laugh when Seyd produced from an inner pocket the handkerchief he had picked up that day on the trail.

"It did," she said, when he told how it seemed to drip tears.

"I had cried all the way up the trail to the rim."

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XXVIII Reading 1/20

The Mystery of The Barranca Herman Whitaker

Chapter XXVIII

Chapter 28 of The Mystery of The Barranca is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas. During the moment that the horses rested their thoughts reverted to the last occasion when they had overlooked the great void, and if the thought of Sebastien brought a touch of sadness into the girl's reflections it caused no bitterness. She turned with a low laugh when Seyd produced from an inner pocket the handkerchief he had picked up that day on the trail. "It did," she said, when he told how it seemed to drip tears. "I had cried all the way up the trail to the rim."

The Mystery of The Barranca

Chapter XXVIII

Chapter 28 of The Mystery of The Barranca 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

Line 1

At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.

Line 2

Line 3

She turned with a low laugh when Seyd produced from an inner pocket the handkerchief he had picked up that day on the trail.

Line 4

"It did," she said, when he told how it seemed to drip tears.

Line 5

"I had cried all the way up the trail to the rim."

/aɪ hæd kraɪd ɔːl ðə weɪ ʌp ðə treɪl tuː ðə rɪm/

Learner Dictionary

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.

drip verb US /drɪp/

fall in drops

From this reading “"It did," she said, when he told how it seemed to drip tears.”

overlooked adjective US /ˈoʊvərlʊkt/

not taken into account

From this reading “During the moment that the horses rested their thoughts reverted to the last occasion when they had overlooked the great void, and if the thought of Sebastien brought a touch of sadness into the girl's reflections it caused no bitterness.”

reflections noun US /rɪˈflekʃənz/

plural of “reflection” — a calm, lengthy, intent consideration

rein verb US /reɪn/

control and direct with or as if by reins

From this reading “At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.”

reverted verb US /rɪˈvɜːrtɪd/

past form of “revert” — go back to a previous state

rim noun US /rɪm/

the shape of a raised edge of a more or less circular object

From this reading “At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.”

thereafter adverb US /ðeˈræftər/

from that time on

From this reading “At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.”

void adjective US /vɔɪd/

lacking any legal or binding force

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

inner pocket adjective + noun

In this reading “She turned with a low laugh when Seyd produced from an inner pocket the handkerchief he had picked up that day on the trail.”

picked up verb + adjective counted as “pick up”

take and lift upward

In this reading “She turned with a low laugh when Seyd produced from an inner pocket the handkerchief he had picked up that day on the trail.”

high noon adjective + noun

the middle of the day

In this reading “At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.”

two days noun + noun

In this reading “At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.”

on the trail preposition + article + noun counted as “on … trail”

In this reading “She turned with a low laugh when Seyd produced from an inner pocket the handkerchief he had picked up that day on the trail.”

touch of verb + particle

In this reading “During the moment that the horses rested their thoughts reverted to the last occasion when they had overlooked the great void, and if the thought of Sebastien brought a touch of sadness into the girl's reflections it caused no bitterness.”

All words in this reading · 77

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading During the moment that the horses rested their thoughts reverted to the last occasion when they had overlooked the great void, and if the thought of Sebastien brought a touch of sadness into the girl's reflections it caused no bitterness.

aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading "I had cried all the way up the trail to the rim."

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading She turned with a low laugh when Seyd produced from an inner pocket the handkerchief he had picked up that day on the trail.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.

Barranca

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.

bitternessnounUS /ˈbɪtərnəs/

a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will

broughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

causedverbUS /kɑːzd/

past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally

criedverbUS /kraɪd/

inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading "I had cried all the way up the trail to the rim."

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading She turned with a low laugh when Seyd produced from an inner pocket the handkerchief he had picked up that day on the trail.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading "It did," she said, when he told how it seemed to drip tears.

drewnounUS /druː/

United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)

From this reading At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.

dripverbUS /drɪp/

fall in drops

From this reading "It did," she said, when he told how it seemed to drip tears.

DuringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

Francesca

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading She turned with a low laugh when Seyd produced from an inner pocket the handkerchief he had picked up that day on the trail.

girl'snounUS /ɡɜːrlz/

possessive form of “girl” — a young female

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

handkerchiefnounUS /ˈhæŋkərtʃɪf/

a square piece of cloth used for wiping the eyes or nose or as a costume accessory

From this reading She turned with a low laugh when Seyd produced from an inner pocket the handkerchief he had picked up that day on the trail.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She turned with a low laugh when Seyd produced from an inner pocket the handkerchief he had picked up that day on the trail.

highadjectiveUS /haɪ/

greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.

horsesnounUS /ˈhɔːrsəz/

plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times

how

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "It did," she said, when he told how it seemed to drip tears.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "I had cried all the way up the trail to the rim."

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

inneradjectiveUS /ˈɪnər/

located inward

From this reading She turned with a low laugh when Seyd produced from an inner pocket the handkerchief he had picked up that day on the trail.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

laughnounUS /læf/

the sound of laughing

From this reading She turned with a low laugh when Seyd produced from an inner pocket the handkerchief he had picked up that day on the trail.

lowadjectiveUS /loʊ/

less than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading She turned with a low laugh when Seyd produced from an inner pocket the handkerchief he had picked up that day on the trail.

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

Nicolas

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

noonnounUS /nuːn/

the middle of the day

From this reading At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.

occasionnounUS /əˈkeɪʒən/

an event that occurs at a critical time

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.

overlookedadjectiveUS /ˈoʊvərlʊkt/

not taken into account

pickedverbUS /pɪkt/

past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group

From this reading She turned with a low laugh when Seyd produced from an inner pocket the handkerchief he had picked up that day on the trail.

pocketnounUS /ˈpɑːkət/

a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles

From this reading She turned with a low laugh when Seyd produced from an inner pocket the handkerchief he had picked up that day on the trail.

producedverbUS /prəˈduːst/

past form of “produce” — bring forth or yield

From this reading She turned with a low laugh when Seyd produced from an inner pocket the handkerchief he had picked up that day on the trail.

reflectionsnounUS /rɪˈflekʃənz/

plural of “reflection” — a calm, lengthy, intent consideration

reinverbUS /reɪn/

control and direct with or as if by reins

From this reading At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.

restedadjectiveUS /ˈrestəd/

not tired; refreshed as by sleeping or relaxing

revertedverbUS /rɪˈvɜːrtɪd/

past form of “revert” — go back to a previous state

rimnounUS /rɪm/

the shape of a raised edge of a more or less circular object

From this reading At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.

sadnessnounUS /ˈsædnəs/

emotions experienced when not in a state of well-being

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "It did," she said, when he told how it seemed to drip tears.

San

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.

Sebastien

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading "It did," she said, when he told how it seemed to drip tears.

Seyd

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She turned with a low laugh when Seyd produced from an inner pocket the handkerchief he had picked up that day on the trail.

tearsnounUS /terz/

the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)

From this reading "It did," she said, when he told how it seemed to drip tears.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

thereafteradverbUS /ðeˈræftər/

from that time on

From this reading At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

thoughtsnounUS /θɔːts/

plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading "It did," she said, when he told how it seemed to drip tears.

touchverbUS /tʌtʃ/

make physical contact with, come in contact with

trailnounUS /treɪl/

a track or mark left by something that has passed

From this reading She turned with a low laugh when Seyd produced from an inner pocket the handkerchief he had picked up that day on the trail.

turnedadjectiveUS /tɜːrnd/

moved around an axis or center

From this reading She turned with a low laugh when Seyd produced from an inner pocket the handkerchief he had picked up that day on the trail.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading At high noon two days thereafter Seyd and Francesca drew rein on the rim of the Barranca above San Nicolas.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading She turned with a low laugh when Seyd produced from an inner pocket the handkerchief he had picked up that day on the trail.

voidadjectiveUS /vɔɪd/

lacking any legal or binding force

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading "I had cried all the way up the trail to the rim."

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading She turned with a low laugh when Seyd produced from an inner pocket the handkerchief he had picked up that day on the trail.

Chapter 28 of The Mystery of The Barranca by Herman Whitaker 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.

What does chapter 28 of The Mystery of The Barranca contain?

Chapter 28 holds 104 sentences of The Mystery of The Barranca, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 28 of The Mystery of The Barranca by Herman Whitaker 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.

How do I study chapter 28 of The Mystery of The Barranca?

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.

Can chapter 28 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 28 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.

Questions about reading The Mystery of The Barranca

Common questions about reading The Mystery of The Barranca by Herman Whitaker on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Mystery of The Barranca?

Yes. All 4042 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36198 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Mystery of The Barranca is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #36198, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Mystery of The Barranca take to read?

About 336 minutes of reading across 809 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Mystery of The Barranca section by section

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Vocabulary met early in The Mystery of The Barranca

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Mystery of The Barranca, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Daughter: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mystery of The Barranca; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Gentle: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mystery of The Barranca; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Collaborator: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mystery of The Barranca; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Whose: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mystery of The Barranca; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XXVIII

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