Chapter 4 of The Rainy Day Railroad War is here in full — 489 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Rainy Day Railroad War is here in full — 489 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I'll pay ye for that! Now see here!” He jammed a paper into Parker's hands. “Sign that docyment, there an' now. Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
Chapter 4 of The Rainy Day Railroad War is here in full — 489 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/97 · 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.
the statement (oral or written) of an exchange of promises
From this reading “Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!””
extremely crowed or filled to capacity
From this reading “He jammed a paper into Parker's hands.”
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading “Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!””
possessive form of “parker” — United States saxophonist and leader of the bop style of jazz (1920-1955)
From this reading “He jammed a paper into Parker's hands.”
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading ““Sign that docyment, there an' now.”
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading “Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!””
utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading “Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!””
a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another
From this reading “Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!””
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 He jammed a paper into Parker's hands.
the statement (oral or written) of an exchange of promises
From this reading Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “Sign that docyment, there an' now.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Sign that docyment, there an' now.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “I'll pay ye for that!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading He jammed a paper into Parker's hands.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He jammed a paper into Parker's hands.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Now see here!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I'll pay ye for that!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He jammed a paper into Parker's hands.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
extremely crowed or filled to capacity
From this reading He jammed a paper into Parker's hands.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now see here!”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading He jammed a paper into Parker's hands.
possessive form of “parker” — United States saxophonist and leader of the bop style of jazz (1920-1955)
From this reading He jammed a paper into Parker's hands.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading “I'll pay ye for that!
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Now see here!”
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading “Sign that docyment, there an' now.
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I'll pay ye for that!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Sign that docyment, there an' now.
a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another
From this reading Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person
From this reading “I'll pay ye for that!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Sign it an' swear ye'll stick by your agreement; 'cause if ye go back on it, may the Lord have mercy on your soul, for Gid Ward never will!”
Chapter 4 of The Rainy Day Railroad War by Holman Day holds 489 sentences, grouped into 98 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 489 sentences of The Rainy Day Railroad War, unabridged, divided into 98 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Rainy Day Railroad War by Holman Day exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 489 sentences, grouped into 98 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 98 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 98 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 Rainy Day Railroad War by Holman Day on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2390 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22666 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22666, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 199 minutes of reading across 478 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Rainy Day Railroad War section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Rainy Day Railroad War 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 Rainy Day Railroad War, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
