Chapter 15 of The Phantom Town Mystery is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Phantom Town Mystery is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN THE BARN LOFT “Jerry, what did you do with the box?” Mary managed to whisper as the cowboy drew out a chair for her at the supper table. “In the old barn loft, snug and safe,” he replied. Then he sat beside her. Dora and Dick, on the opposite side of the long table, beamed across, eager anticipation in their eyes.
Chapter 15 of The Phantom Town Mystery is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
an expectation
From this reading “Dora and Dick, on the opposite side of the long table, beamed across, eager anticipation in their eyes.”
an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals
From this reading “IN THE BARN LOFT “Jerry, what did you do with the box?””
past form of “beam” — smile radiantly; express joy through one's facial expression
From this reading “Dora and Dick, on the opposite side of the long table, beamed across, eager anticipation in their eyes.”
a hired hand who tends cattle and performs other duties on horseback
From this reading “Mary managed to whisper as the cowboy drew out a chair for her at the supper table.”
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading “IN THE BARN LOFT “Jerry, what did you do with the box?””
floor consisting of a large unpartitioned space over a factory or warehouse or other commercial space
From this reading “IN THE BARN LOFT “Jerry, what did you do with the box?””
offering safety; well protected or concealed
From this reading ““In the old barn loft, snug and safe,” he replied.”
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading “Mary managed to whisper as the cowboy drew out a chair for her at the supper table.”
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 “Dora and Dick, on the opposite side of the long table, beamed across, eager anticipation in their eyes.”
In this reading “Dora and Dick, on the opposite side of the long table, beamed across, eager anticipation in their eyes.”
In this reading “Mary managed to whisper as the cowboy drew out a chair for her at the supper table.”
In this reading ““In the old barn loft, snug and safe,” he replied.”
In this reading “Dora and Dick, on the opposite side of the long table, beamed across, eager anticipation in their eyes.”
In this reading “IN THE BARN LOFT “Jerry, what did you do with the box?””
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 Mary managed to whisper as the cowboy drew out a chair for her at the supper table.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Dora and Dick, on the opposite side of the long table, beamed across, eager anticipation in their eyes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “In the old barn loft, snug and safe,” he replied.
an expectation
From this reading Dora and Dick, on the opposite side of the long table, beamed across, eager anticipation in their eyes.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Mary managed to whisper as the cowboy drew out a chair for her at the supper table.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Mary managed to whisper as the cowboy drew out a chair for her at the supper table.
an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals
From this reading IN THE BARN LOFT “Jerry, what did you do with the box?”
past form of “beam” — smile radiantly; express joy through one's facial expression
From this reading Dora and Dick, on the opposite side of the long table, beamed across, eager anticipation in their eyes.
next to; at the side of
From this reading Then he sat beside her.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading IN THE BARN LOFT “Jerry, what did you do with the box?”
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Mary managed to whisper as the cowboy drew out a chair for her at the supper table.
a hired hand who tends cattle and performs other duties on horseback
From this reading Mary managed to whisper as the cowboy drew out a chair for her at the supper table.
someone who is a detective
From this reading Dora and Dick, on the opposite side of the long table, beamed across, eager anticipation in their eyes.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading IN THE BARN LOFT “Jerry, what did you do with the box?”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading IN THE BARN LOFT “Jerry, what did you do with the box?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dora and Dick, on the opposite side of the long table, beamed across, eager anticipation in their eyes.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading Mary managed to whisper as the cowboy drew out a chair for her at the supper table.
having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy
From this reading Dora and Dick, on the opposite side of the long table, beamed across, eager anticipation in their eyes.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Dora and Dick, on the opposite side of the long table, beamed across, eager anticipation in their eyes.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Mary managed to whisper as the cowboy drew out a chair for her at the supper table.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “In the old barn loft, snug and safe,” he replied.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mary managed to whisper as the cowboy drew out a chair for her at the supper table.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN THE BARN LOFT “Jerry, what did you do with the box?”
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading IN THE BARN LOFT “Jerry, what did you do with the box?”
floor consisting of a large unpartitioned space over a factory or warehouse or other commercial space
From this reading IN THE BARN LOFT “Jerry, what did you do with the box?”
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Dora and Dick, on the opposite side of the long table, beamed across, eager anticipation in their eyes.
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading Mary managed to whisper as the cowboy drew out a chair for her at the supper table.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading Mary managed to whisper as the cowboy drew out a chair for her at the supper table.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Dora and Dick, on the opposite side of the long table, beamed across, eager anticipation in their eyes.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “In the old barn loft, snug and safe,” he replied.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Dora and Dick, on the opposite side of the long table, beamed across, eager anticipation in their eyes.
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading Dora and Dick, on the opposite side of the long table, beamed across, eager anticipation in their eyes.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Mary managed to whisper as the cowboy drew out a chair for her at the supper table.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “In the old barn loft, snug and safe,” he replied.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading “In the old barn loft, snug and safe,” he replied.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Then he sat beside her.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Dora and Dick, on the opposite side of the long table, beamed across, eager anticipation in their eyes.
offering safety; well protected or concealed
From this reading “In the old barn loft, snug and safe,” he replied.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading Mary managed to whisper as the cowboy drew out a chair for her at the supper table.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Mary managed to whisper as the cowboy drew out a chair for her at the supper table.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN THE BARN LOFT “Jerry, what did you do with the box?”
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Dora and Dick, on the opposite side of the long table, beamed across, eager anticipation in their eyes.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he sat beside her.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mary managed to whisper as the cowboy drew out a chair for her at the supper table.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading IN THE BARN LOFT “Jerry, what did you do with the box?”
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading Mary managed to whisper as the cowboy drew out a chair for her at the supper table.
in the company of; together with
From this reading IN THE BARN LOFT “Jerry, what did you do with the box?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading IN THE BARN LOFT “Jerry, what did you do with the box?”
Chapter 15 of The Phantom Town Mystery by Carol Norton holds 118 sentences, grouped into 24 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 15 holds 118 sentences of The Phantom Town Mystery, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Phantom Town Mystery by Carol Norton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 118 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 15 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 Phantom Town Mystery by Carol Norton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3745 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43699 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43699, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 312 minutes of reading across 749 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Phantom Town Mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Phantom Town Mystery 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 Phantom Town Mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
