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The Spirit of Sweetwater
The Spirit of Sweetwater

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Spirit of Sweetwater is here in full — 108 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Spirit of Sweetwater
Context Illustration Reading 1/21 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.
He walked because the stage fare seemed too high.
Two years and four months later he was pointed out to strangers by the people of Sweetwater Springs.
"That is Richard Clement, the sole owner of 'The Witch,' a mine valued at three millions of dollars."
This in itself was truly an epic.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Spirit of Sweetwater

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Spirit of Sweetwater is here in full — 108 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/21 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.
Line 2
He walked because the stage fare seemed too high.
/hiː wɔːkt bɪˈkɔːz ðə steɪdʒ fer siːmd tuː haɪ/
Line 3
Two years and four months later he was pointed out to strangers by the people of Sweetwater Springs.
Line 4
"That is Richard Clement, the sole owner of 'The Witch,' a mine valued at three millions of dollars."
Line 5
This in itself was truly an epic.
/ðɪs ɪn ˌɪtˈself wɑːz ˈtruːli æn ˈepɪk/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Clement adjective US /ˈklemənt/

(of weather or climate) physically mild

From this reading “"That is Richard Clement, the sole owner of 'The Witch,' a mine valued at three millions of dollars."”

Creek noun US /kriːk/

a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)

From this reading “One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.”

epic adjective US /ˈepɪk/

very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale)

From this reading “This in itself was truly an epic.”

fare noun US /fer/

an agenda of things to do

From this reading “He walked because the stage fare seemed too high.”

furnishing noun US /ˈfɜːrnɪʃɪŋ/

(usually plural) accessory wearing apparel

From this reading “One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.”

Springs noun US /sprɪŋz/

plural of “spring” — the season of growth

From this reading “Two years and four months later he was pointed out to strangers by the people of Sweetwater Springs.”

valued adjective US /ˈvæljuːd/

(usually used in combination) having value of a specified kind

From this reading “"That is Richard Clement, the sole owner of 'The Witch,' a mine valued at three millions of dollars."”

Witch noun US /wɪtʃ/

a female sorcerer or magician

From this reading “"That is Richard Clement, the sole owner of 'The Witch,' a mine valued at three millions of dollars."”

All words in this reading · 64

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading This in itself was truly an epic.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "That is Richard Clement, the sole owner of 'The Witch,' a mine valued at three millions of dollars."

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading He walked because the stage fare seemed too high.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Two years and four months later he was pointed out to strangers by the people of Sweetwater Springs.

ClementadjectiveUS /ˈklemənt/

(of weather or climate) physically mild

From this reading "That is Richard Clement, the sole owner of 'The Witch,' a mine valued at three millions of dollars."

CreeknounUS /kriːk/

a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

dollarsnounUS /ˈdɑːlərz/

plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents

From this reading "That is Richard Clement, the sole owner of 'The Witch,' a mine valued at three millions of dollars."

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

epicadjectiveUS /ˈepɪk/

very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale)

From this reading This in itself was truly an epic.

farenounUS /fer/

an agenda of things to do

From this reading He walked because the stage fare seemed too high.

fournounUS /fɔːr/

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

From this reading Two years and four months later he was pointed out to strangers by the people of Sweetwater Springs.

furnishingnounUS /ˈfɜːrnɪʃɪŋ/

(usually plural) accessory wearing apparel

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

GoldnounUS /ɡoʊld/

coins made of gold

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He walked because the stage fare seemed too high.

highadjectiveUS /haɪ/

greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading He walked because the stage fare seemed too high.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading This in itself was truly an epic.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "That is Richard Clement, the sole owner of 'The Witch,' a mine valued at three millions of dollars."

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading This in itself was truly an epic.

lateradverbUS /ˈleɪtər/

happening at a time subsequent to a reference time

From this reading Two years and four months later he was pointed out to strangers by the people of Sweetwater Springs.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

mentaladjectiveUS /ˈmentəl/

involving the mind or an intellectual process

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

millionsnounUS /ˈmɪljənz/

plural of “million” — the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros

From this reading "That is Richard Clement, the sole owner of 'The Witch,' a mine valued at three millions of dollars."

minepronounUS /maɪn/

the one or ones belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "That is Richard Clement, the sole owner of 'The Witch,' a mine valued at three millions of dollars."

Mogallon

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

monthsnounUS /mʌnθs/

plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

From this reading Two years and four months later he was pointed out to strangers by the people of Sweetwater Springs.

MountverbUS /maʊnt/

attach to a support

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Two years and four months later he was pointed out to strangers by the people of Sweetwater Springs.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

ownernounUS /ˈoʊnər/

(law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business

From this reading "That is Richard Clement, the sole owner of 'The Witch,' a mine valued at three millions of dollars."

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading Two years and four months later he was pointed out to strangers by the people of Sweetwater Springs.

pointedadjectiveUS /ˈpɔɪntɪd/

having a point

From this reading Two years and four months later he was pointed out to strangers by the people of Sweetwater Springs.

pursenounUS /pɜːrs/

a container used for carrying money and small personal items or accessories (especially by women)

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

Richard

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "That is Richard Clement, the sole owner of 'The Witch,' a mine valued at three millions of dollars."

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading He walked because the stage fare seemed too high.

shoulderverbUS /ˈʃoʊldər/

lift onto one's shoulders

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

slenderadjectiveUS /ˈslendər/

being of delicate or slender build

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

solenounUS /soʊl/

the underside of footwear or a golf club

From this reading "That is Richard Clement, the sole owner of 'The Witch,' a mine valued at three millions of dollars."

springnounUS /sprɪŋ/

the season of growth

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

SpringsnounUS /sprɪŋz/

plural of “spring” — the season of growth

From this reading Two years and four months later he was pointed out to strangers by the people of Sweetwater Springs.

stagenounUS /steɪdʒ/

any distinct time period in a sequence of events

From this reading He walked because the stage fare seemed too high.

strangersnounUS /ˈstreɪndʒərz/

plural of “stranger” — anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found

From this reading Two years and four months later he was pointed out to strangers by the people of Sweetwater Springs.

Sweetwater

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Two years and four months later he was pointed out to strangers by the people of Sweetwater Springs.

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "That is Richard Clement, the sole owner of 'The Witch,' a mine valued at three millions of dollars."

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading This in itself was truly an epic.

threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading "That is Richard Clement, the sole owner of 'The Witch,' a mine valued at three millions of dollars."

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading He walked because the stage fare seemed too high.

trailnounUS /treɪl/

a track or mark left by something that has passed

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

trulyadverbUS /ˈtruːli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading This in itself was truly an epic.

TwonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading Two years and four months later he was pointed out to strangers by the people of Sweetwater Springs.

valuedadjectiveUS /ˈvæljuːd/

(usually used in combination) having value of a specified kind

From this reading "That is Richard Clement, the sole owner of 'The Witch,' a mine valued at three millions of dollars."

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

walkedverbUS /wɔːkt/

past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Two years and four months later he was pointed out to strangers by the people of Sweetwater Springs.

WitchnounUS /wɪtʃ/

a female sorcerer or magician

From this reading "That is Richard Clement, the sole owner of 'The Witch,' a mine valued at three millions of dollars."

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading Two years and four months later he was pointed out to strangers by the people of Sweetwater Springs.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading One spring day a young man of good mental furnishing and very slender purse walked over the shoulder of Mount Mogallon and down the trail to Gold Creek.

Chapter 1 of The Spirit of Sweetwater by Hamlin Garland holds 108 sentences, grouped into 22 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.

What does chapter 1 of The Spirit of Sweetwater contain?

Chapter 1 holds 108 sentences of The Spirit of Sweetwater, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Spirit of Sweetwater by Hamlin Garland exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 108 sentences, grouped into 22 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of The Spirit of Sweetwater?

Work through the 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 22 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Spirit of Sweetwater

Common questions about reading The Spirit of Sweetwater by Hamlin Garland on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Spirit of Sweetwater?

Yes. All 1068 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20695 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Spirit of Sweetwater is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #20695, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Spirit of Sweetwater take to read?

About 89 minutes of reading across 214 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Spirit of Sweetwater section by section

How to work through The Spirit of Sweetwater section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Spirit of Sweetwater to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Spirit of Sweetwater

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Spirit of Sweetwater, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Spring
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Spirit of Sweetwater; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Young
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Spirit of Sweetwater; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mental
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Spirit of Sweetwater; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Furnishing
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Spirit of Sweetwater; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.