Chapter 15 of The Sealed Valley is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Sealed Valley is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Jim Sholto, busy with the furnaces, turned a grim, hard face at his entrance. "Will you sell me food and a gun and a blanket?" asked Ralph stiffly. "It's waiting for you in the kitchen," was the harsh answer. "No dog shall starve through me." Ralph swallowed the affront.
Chapter 15 of The Sealed Valley is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
a deliberately offensive act or something producing the effect of deliberate disrespect
From this reading “Ralph swallowed the affront.”
bedding that keeps a person warm in bed
From this reading “"Will you sell me food and a gun and a blanket?" asked Ralph stiffly.”
plural of “furnace” — an enclosed chamber in which heat is produced to heat buildings, destroy refuse, smelt or refine ores, etc.
From this reading “Jim Sholto, busy with the furnaces, turned a grim, hard face at his entrance.”
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading “Jim Sholto, busy with the furnaces, turned a grim, hard face at his entrance.”
unpleasantly stern
From this reading “"It's waiting for you in the kitchen," was the harsh answer.”
be hungry; go without food
From this reading “"No dog shall starve through me."”
in a stiff manner
From this reading “"Will you sell me food and a gun and a blanket?" asked Ralph stiffly.”
past form of “swallow” — pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading “Ralph swallowed the affront.”
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 “Jim Sholto, busy with the furnaces, turned a grim, hard face at his entrance.”
In this reading “"It's waiting for you in the kitchen," was the harsh answer.”
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 Jim Sholto, busy with the furnaces, turned a grim, hard face at his entrance.
a deliberately offensive act or something producing the effect of deliberate disrespect
From this reading Ralph swallowed the affront.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Will you sell me food and a gun and a blanket?" asked Ralph stiffly.
react verbally
From this reading "It's waiting for you in the kitchen," was the harsh answer.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Will you sell me food and a gun and a blanket?" asked Ralph stiffly.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Jim Sholto, busy with the furnaces, turned a grim, hard face at his entrance.
bedding that keeps a person warm in bed
From this reading "Will you sell me food and a gun and a blanket?" asked Ralph stiffly.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading Jim Sholto, busy with the furnaces, turned a grim, hard face at his entrance.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading "No dog shall starve through me."
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading Jim Sholto, busy with the furnaces, turned a grim, hard face at his entrance.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Jim Sholto, busy with the furnaces, turned a grim, hard face at his entrance.
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading "Will you sell me food and a gun and a blanket?" asked Ralph stiffly.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "It's waiting for you in the kitchen," was the harsh answer.
plural of “furnace” — an enclosed chamber in which heat is produced to heat buildings, destroy refuse, smelt or refine ores, etc.
From this reading Jim Sholto, busy with the furnaces, turned a grim, hard face at his entrance.
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading Jim Sholto, busy with the furnaces, turned a grim, hard face at his entrance.
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading "Will you sell me food and a gun and a blanket?" asked Ralph stiffly.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Jim Sholto, busy with the furnaces, turned a grim, hard face at his entrance.
unpleasantly stern
From this reading "It's waiting for you in the kitchen," was the harsh answer.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Jim Sholto, busy with the furnaces, turned a grim, hard face at his entrance.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "It's waiting for you in the kitchen," was the harsh answer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's waiting for you in the kitchen," was the harsh answer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jim Sholto, busy with the furnaces, turned a grim, hard face at his entrance.
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading "It's waiting for you in the kitchen," was the harsh answer.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Will you sell me food and a gun and a blanket?" asked Ralph stiffly.
not any; not one
From this reading "No dog shall starve through me."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Will you sell me food and a gun and a blanket?" asked Ralph stiffly.
exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent
From this reading "Will you sell me food and a gun and a blanket?" asked Ralph stiffly.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "No dog shall starve through me."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jim Sholto, busy with the furnaces, turned a grim, hard face at his entrance.
be hungry; go without food
From this reading "No dog shall starve through me."
in a stiff manner
From this reading "Will you sell me food and a gun and a blanket?" asked Ralph stiffly.
past form of “swallow” — pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading Ralph swallowed the affront.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Jim Sholto, busy with the furnaces, turned a grim, hard face at his entrance.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "No dog shall starve through me."
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Jim Sholto, busy with the furnaces, turned a grim, hard face at his entrance.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading "It's waiting for you in the kitchen," was the harsh answer.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It's waiting for you in the kitchen," was the harsh answer.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Will you sell me food and a gun and a blanket?" asked Ralph stiffly.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Jim Sholto, busy with the furnaces, turned a grim, hard face at his entrance.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Will you sell me food and a gun and a blanket?" asked Ralph stiffly.
Chapter 15 of The Sealed Valley by Hulbert Footner holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of The Sealed Valley, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Sealed Valley by Hulbert Footner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Sealed Valley by Hulbert Footner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7294 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57139 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57139, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1459 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sealed Valley section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Sealed Valley 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 Sealed Valley, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
