Chapter 1 of The She Boss: A Western Story is here in full — 85 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The She Boss: A Western Story is here in full — 85 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Near the fireplace lay an unsightly pile of wood and chips. The doors of the cracked and rusty stove were gaping wide. The remains of his breakfast were on the clothless, homemade table. His rifle, the only thing well kept, stood in a corner. He passed through into the other room, separated from this by a thin board partition.
Chapter 1 of The She Boss: A Western Story is here in full — 85 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 10/17 · 5 reading units · Lines 46–50
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.
strips of potato fried in deep fat
From this reading “Near the fireplace lay an unsightly pile of wood and chips.”
used of skin roughened as a result of cold or exposure
From this reading “The doors of the cracked and rusty stove were gaping wide.”
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading “Near the fireplace lay an unsightly pile of wood and chips.”
with the mouth wide open as in wonder or awe
From this reading “The doors of the cracked and rusty stove were gaping wide.”
made or produced in the home or by yourself
From this reading “The remains of his breakfast were on the clothless, homemade table.”
a vertical structure that divides or separates (as a wall divides one room from another)
From this reading “He passed through into the other room, separated from this by a thin board partition.”
covered with or consisting of rust
From this reading “The doors of the cracked and rusty stove were gaping wide.”
unpleasant to look at
From this reading “Near the fireplace lay an unsightly pile of wood and chips.”
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.
make a passage or journey from one place to another
In this reading “He passed through into the other room, separated from this by a thin board partition.”
In this reading “His rifle, the only thing well kept, stood in a corner.”
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 His rifle, the only thing well kept, stood in a corner.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Near the fireplace lay an unsightly pile of wood and chips.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Near the fireplace lay an unsightly pile of wood and chips.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading He passed through into the other room, separated from this by a thin board partition.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading The remains of his breakfast were on the clothless, homemade table.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He passed through into the other room, separated from this by a thin board partition.
strips of potato fried in deep fat
From this reading Near the fireplace lay an unsightly pile of wood and chips.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The remains of his breakfast were on the clothless, homemade table.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading His rifle, the only thing well kept, stood in a corner.
used of skin roughened as a result of cold or exposure
From this reading The doors of the cracked and rusty stove were gaping wide.
plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The doors of the cracked and rusty stove were gaping wide.
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading Near the fireplace lay an unsightly pile of wood and chips.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He passed through into the other room, separated from this by a thin board partition.
with the mouth wide open as in wonder or awe
From this reading The doors of the cracked and rusty stove were gaping wide.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He passed through into the other room, separated from this by a thin board partition.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The remains of his breakfast were on the clothless, homemade table.
made or produced in the home or by yourself
From this reading The remains of his breakfast were on the clothless, homemade table.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading His rifle, the only thing well kept, stood in a corner.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He passed through into the other room, separated from this by a thin board partition.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading His rifle, the only thing well kept, stood in a corner.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Near the fireplace lay an unsightly pile of wood and chips.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Near the fireplace lay an unsightly pile of wood and chips.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Near the fireplace lay an unsightly pile of wood and chips.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The remains of his breakfast were on the clothless, homemade table.
and nothing more
From this reading His rifle, the only thing well kept, stood in a corner.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading He passed through into the other room, separated from this by a thin board partition.
a vertical structure that divides or separates (as a wall divides one room from another)
From this reading He passed through into the other room, separated from this by a thin board partition.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading He passed through into the other room, separated from this by a thin board partition.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading Near the fireplace lay an unsightly pile of wood and chips.
any object that is left unused or still extant
From this reading The remains of his breakfast were on the clothless, homemade table.
steal goods; take as spoils
From this reading His rifle, the only thing well kept, stood in a corner.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading He passed through into the other room, separated from this by a thin board partition.
covered with or consisting of rust
From this reading The doors of the cracked and rusty stove were gaping wide.
being or feeling set or kept apart from others
From this reading He passed through into the other room, separated from this by a thin board partition.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading His rifle, the only thing well kept, stood in a corner.
a kitchen appliance used for cooking food
From this reading The doors of the cracked and rusty stove were gaping wide.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading The remains of his breakfast were on the clothless, homemade table.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Near the fireplace lay an unsightly pile of wood and chips.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading He passed through into the other room, separated from this by a thin board partition.
a special situation
From this reading His rifle, the only thing well kept, stood in a corner.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He passed through into the other room, separated from this by a thin board partition.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading He passed through into the other room, separated from this by a thin board partition.
unpleasant to look at
From this reading Near the fireplace lay an unsightly pile of wood and chips.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading His rifle, the only thing well kept, stood in a corner.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The doors of the cracked and rusty stove were gaping wide.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading The doors of the cracked and rusty stove were gaping wide.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading Near the fireplace lay an unsightly pile of wood and chips.
Chapter 1 of The She Boss: A Western Story by Arthur Preston Hankins holds 85 sentences, grouped into 17 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 85 sentences of The She Boss: A Western Story, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The She Boss: A Western Story by Arthur Preston Hankins exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 85 sentences, grouped into 17 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 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 17 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 She Boss: A Western Story by Arthur Preston Hankins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5299 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19129 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19129, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 441 minutes of reading across 1060 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The She Boss: A Western Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of The She Boss: A Western Story 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 She Boss: A Western Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
