Chapter 1 of The Sheriff of Pecos is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Sheriff of Pecos is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place. One of the three was a stranger. He sat drowsily at the corner table, hat pulled over his eyes, whisky untasted. The other two stood at the bar. The tall, dangerous man who had a rattler skin about his white Stetson was speaking:
Chapter 1 of The Sheriff of Pecos is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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 room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading “Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.”
(United Kingdom) a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government
From this reading “Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.”
a port city in western Ireland on Galway Bay
From this reading “Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.”
device for converting sound waves into electrical energy
From this reading “Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.”
possessive form of “mike” — device for converting sound waves into electrical energy
pit viper with horny segments at the end of the tail that rattle when shaken
From this reading “The tall, dangerous man who had a rattler skin about his white Stetson was speaking:”
a hat made of felt with a creased crown
From this reading “The tall, dangerous man who had a rattler skin about his white Stetson was speaking:”
a liquor made from fermented mash of grain
From this reading “He sat drowsily at the corner table, hat pulled over his eyes, whisky untasted.”
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 “Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.”
In this reading “Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.”
In this reading “The other two stood at the bar.”
In this reading “He sat drowsily at the corner table, hat pulled over his eyes, whisky untasted.”
In this reading “The other two stood at the bar.”
In this reading “The other two stood at the bar.”
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 One of the three was a stranger.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The tall, dangerous man who had a rattler skin about his white Stetson was speaking:
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He sat drowsily at the corner table, hat pulled over his eyes, whisky untasted.
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.
in addition to; as well as
From this reading Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading He sat drowsily at the corner table, hat pulled over his eyes, whisky untasted.
(United Kingdom) a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government
From this reading Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.
involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm
From this reading The tall, dangerous man who had a rattler skin about his white Stetson was speaking:
in a drowsy manner
From this reading He sat drowsily at the corner table, hat pulled over his eyes, whisky untasted.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He sat drowsily at the corner table, hat pulled over his eyes, whisky untasted.
a port city in western Ireland on Galway Bay
From this reading Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The tall, dangerous man who had a rattler skin about his white Stetson was speaking:
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading He sat drowsily at the corner table, hat pulled over his eyes, whisky untasted.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He sat drowsily at the corner table, hat pulled over his eyes, whisky untasted.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He sat drowsily at the corner table, hat pulled over his eyes, whisky untasted.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The tall, dangerous man who had a rattler skin about his white Stetson was speaking:
the force of workers available
From this reading Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.
device for converting sound waves into electrical energy
From this reading Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.
possessive form of “mike” — device for converting sound waves into electrical energy
From this reading Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.
information about recent and important events
From this reading Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading One of the three was a stranger.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One of the three was a stranger.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The other two stood at the bar.
above and across; more than
From this reading He sat drowsily at the corner table, hat pulled over his eyes, whisky untasted.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading He sat drowsily at the corner table, hat pulled over his eyes, whisky untasted.
pit viper with horny segments at the end of the tail that rattle when shaken
From this reading The tall, dangerous man who had a rattler skin about his white Stetson was speaking:
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading He sat drowsily at the corner table, hat pulled over his eyes, whisky untasted.
a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch
From this reading The tall, dangerous man who had a rattler skin about his white Stetson was speaking:
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading The tall, dangerous man who had a rattler skin about his white Stetson was speaking:
a hat made of felt with a creased crown
From this reading The tall, dangerous man who had a rattler skin about his white Stetson was speaking:
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The other two stood at the bar.
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading One of the three was a stranger.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading He sat drowsily at the corner table, hat pulled over his eyes, whisky untasted.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading The tall, dangerous man who had a rattler skin about his white Stetson was speaking:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The other two stood at the bar.
still full
From this reading He sat drowsily at the corner table, hat pulled over his eyes, whisky untasted.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.
a liquor made from fermented mash of grain
From this reading He sat drowsily at the corner table, hat pulled over his eyes, whisky untasted.
a Caucasian
From this reading The tall, dangerous man who had a rattler skin about his white Stetson was speaking:
which person or people
From this reading Besides “Galway” Mike, who was reading the Pahrump County _News_ behind the bar, there were three men in Mike’s Place.
Chapter 1 of The Sheriff of Pecos by H. (Henry) Bedford-Jones holds 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 204 sentences of The Sheriff of Pecos, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Sheriff of Pecos by H. (Henry) Bedford-Jones exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 Sheriff of Pecos by H. (Henry) Bedford-Jones on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2559 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60797 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60797, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 213 minutes of reading across 512 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sheriff of Pecos section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Sheriff of Pecos 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 Sheriff of Pecos, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
