Chapter 1 of The Secret Cache is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Secret Cache is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Large 12 mo. Cloth. Illustrated. On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current. The fresh wind reddened his cheeks and the roaring of the rapids filled his ears.
Chapter 1 of The Secret Cache is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
hard close-grained wood of any of various birch trees; used especially in furniture and interior finishes and plywood
From this reading “On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.”
inflected form of “bob” — move up and down repeatedly
From this reading “On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.”
plural of “canoe” — small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle
From this reading “On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.”
a flow of electricity through a conductor
From this reading “On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.”
past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
From this reading “Illustrated.”
plural of “rapid” — a part of a river where the current is very fast
From this reading “The fresh wind reddened his cheeks and the roaring of the rapids filled his ears.”
a deep prolonged loud noise
From this reading “The fresh wind reddened his cheeks and the roaring of the rapids filled his ears.”
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading “On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.”
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 “On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.”
In this reading “On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.”
In this reading “On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.”
In this reading “On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.”
In this reading “The fresh wind reddened his cheeks and the roaring of the rapids filled his ears.”
In this reading “On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Large 12 mo.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The fresh wind reddened his cheeks and the roaring of the rapids filled his ears.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.
hard close-grained wood of any of various birch trees; used especially in furniture and interior finishes and plywood
From this reading On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.
inflected form of “bob” — move up and down repeatedly
From this reading On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.
a youthful male person
From this reading On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.
plural of “canoe” — small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle
From this reading On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.
plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading The fresh wind reddened his cheeks and the roaring of the rapids filled his ears.
artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers
From this reading Cloth.
a flow of electricity through a conductor
From this reading On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading The fresh wind reddened his cheeks and the roaring of the rapids filled his ears.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading The fresh wind reddened his cheeks and the roaring of the rapids filled his ears.
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading The fresh wind reddened his cheeks and the roaring of the rapids filled his ears.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The fresh wind reddened his cheeks and the roaring of the rapids filled his ears.
past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
From this reading Illustrated.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Large 12 mo.
an indefinitely short time
From this reading Large 12 mo.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The fresh wind reddened his cheeks and the roaring of the rapids filled his ears.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.
plural of “rapid” — a part of a river where the current is very fast
From this reading The fresh wind reddened his cheeks and the roaring of the rapids filled his ears.
(especially of the face) reddened or suffused with or as if with blood from emotion or exertion
From this reading The fresh wind reddened his cheeks and the roaring of the rapids filled his ears.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.
a deep prolonged loud noise
From this reading The fresh wind reddened his cheeks and the roaring of the rapids filled his ears.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.
moving very fast
From this reading On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading On the river bank a boy sat watching the slender birch canoes bobbing about in the swift current.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading The fresh wind reddened his cheeks and the roaring of the rapids filled his ears.
Chapter 1 of The Secret Cache by Ethel C. (Ethel Claire) Brill holds 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 1 holds 430 sentences of The Secret Cache, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Secret Cache by Ethel C. (Ethel Claire) Brill exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 1 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 Secret Cache by Ethel C. (Ethel Claire) Brill on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5120 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43293 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43293, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 426 minutes of reading across 1024 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret Cache section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Secret Cache 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 Secret Cache, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
