Chapter XXII of The Red Lure, “Magic Power,” is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXII
Chapter XXII of The Red Lure, “Magic Power,” is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
In strained silence the brother and sister stood listening, waiting in the dark. Roderick had snapped off the small pocket light which he carried. The sounding footsteps in the distance became hesitant, uncertain. “Sounds as if the person, whoever he may be, were a stranger to the place,” whispered Jean. “Why shouldn’t he be?
Chapter XXII of The Red Lure, “Magic Power,” is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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 “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading “The sounding footsteps in the distance became hesitant, uncertain.”
lacking decisiveness of character; unable to act or decide quickly or firmly
From this reading “The sounding footsteps in the distance became hesitant, uncertain.”
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading ““Sounds as if the person, whoever he may be, were a stranger to the place,” whispered Jean.”
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading “Roderick had snapped off the small pocket light which he carried.”
appearing to be as specified; usually used as combining forms
From this reading “The sounding footsteps in the distance became hesitant, uncertain.”
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading ““Sounds as if the person, whoever he may be, were a stranger to the place,” whispered Jean.”
lacking natural ease
From this reading “In strained silence the brother and sister stood listening, waiting in the dark.”
lacking or indicating lack of confidence or assurance
From this reading “The sounding footsteps in the distance became hesitant, uncertain.”
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 “In strained silence the brother and sister stood listening, waiting in the dark.”
break a piece from a whole
In this reading “Roderick had snapped off the small pocket light which he carried.”
In this reading “In strained silence the brother and sister stood listening, waiting in the dark.”
In this reading “The sounding footsteps in the distance became hesitant, uncertain.”
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 “Sounds as if the person, whoever he may be, were a stranger to the place,” whispered Jean.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In strained silence the brother and sister stood listening, waiting in the dark.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Sounds as if the person, whoever he may be, were a stranger to the place,” whispered Jean.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Sounds as if the person, whoever he may be, were a stranger to the place,” whispered Jean.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading The sounding footsteps in the distance became hesitant, uncertain.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading In strained silence the brother and sister stood listening, waiting in the dark.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading Roderick had snapped off the small pocket light which he carried.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading In strained silence the brother and sister stood listening, waiting in the dark.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading The sounding footsteps in the distance became hesitant, uncertain.
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading The sounding footsteps in the distance became hesitant, uncertain.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Roderick had snapped off the small pocket light which he carried.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Roderick had snapped off the small pocket light which he carried.
lacking decisiveness of character; unable to act or decide quickly or firmly
From this reading The sounding footsteps in the distance became hesitant, uncertain.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Sounds as if the person, whoever he may be, were a stranger to the place,” whispered Jean.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In strained silence the brother and sister stood listening, waiting in the dark.
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading “Sounds as if the person, whoever he may be, were a stranger to the place,” whispered Jean.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Roderick had snapped off the small pocket light which he carried.
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading In strained silence the brother and sister stood listening, waiting in the dark.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “Sounds as if the person, whoever he may be, were a stranger to the place,” whispered Jean.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Roderick had snapped off the small pocket light which he carried.
a human being
From this reading “Sounds as if the person, whoever he may be, were a stranger to the place,” whispered Jean.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading “Sounds as if the person, whoever he may be, were a stranger to the place,” whispered Jean.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading Roderick had snapped off the small pocket light which he carried.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Roderick had snapped off the small pocket light which he carried.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Why shouldn’t he be?
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading In strained silence the brother and sister stood listening, waiting in the dark.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading In strained silence the brother and sister stood listening, waiting in the dark.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Roderick had snapped off the small pocket light which he carried.
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading Roderick had snapped off the small pocket light which he carried.
appearing to be as specified; usually used as combining forms
From this reading The sounding footsteps in the distance became hesitant, uncertain.
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading “Sounds as if the person, whoever he may be, were a stranger to the place,” whispered Jean.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading In strained silence the brother and sister stood listening, waiting in the dark.
lacking natural ease
From this reading In strained silence the brother and sister stood listening, waiting in the dark.
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading “Sounds as if the person, whoever he may be, were a stranger to the place,” whispered Jean.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In strained silence the brother and sister stood listening, waiting in the dark.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Sounds as if the person, whoever he may be, were a stranger to the place,” whispered Jean.
lacking or indicating lack of confidence or assurance
From this reading The sounding footsteps in the distance became hesitant, uncertain.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading In strained silence the brother and sister stood listening, waiting in the dark.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Sounds as if the person, whoever he may be, were a stranger to the place,” whispered Jean.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Roderick had snapped off the small pocket light which he carried.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading “Sounds as if the person, whoever he may be, were a stranger to the place,” whispered Jean.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Sounds as if the person, whoever he may be, were a stranger to the place,” whispered Jean.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why shouldn’t he be?
Chapter 22 of The Red Lure by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell holds 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 22 holds 121 sentences of The Red Lure, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 22 of The Red Lure by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 22 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 Red Lure by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3763 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42688 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42688, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 313 minutes of reading across 753 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Red Lure section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Red Lure 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 Red Lure, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
