Chapter 18 of The Spruce Street Tragedy is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Spruce Street Tragedy is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
OLD SPICER'S SPEAKING-TUBE. "Well, Crowley, what have you to offer?" asked Killett, with a great show of interest. "We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the answer. "And are they there now?" "Yes; closeted in No. 24 with a guest."
Chapter 18 of The Spruce Street Tragedy is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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 vaguely specified concern
From this reading “"We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the answer.”
past form of “closet” — confine to a small space, as for intensive work
From this reading “"Yes; closeted in No. 24 with a guest."”
a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading “"Yes; closeted in No. 24 with a guest."”
plural of “hawk” — diurnal bird of prey typically having short rounded wings and a long tail
From this reading “"We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the answer.”
make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading “"Well, Crowley, what have you to offer?" asked Killett, with a great show of interest.”
plural of “route” — an established line of travel or access
From this reading “"We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the answer.”
having tracks
From this reading “"We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the answer.”
a residential part of town away from the central commercial district
From this reading “"We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the answer.”
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 “"We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the 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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes; closeted in No. 24 with a guest."
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Well, Crowley, what have you to offer?" asked Killett, with a great show of interest.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the answer.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the answer.
react verbally
From this reading "We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the answer.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "And are they there now?"
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Well, Crowley, what have you to offer?" asked Killett, with a great show of interest.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the answer.
past form of “closet” — confine to a small space, as for intensive work
From this reading "Yes; closeted in No. 24 with a guest."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, Crowley, what have you to offer?" asked Killett, with a great show of interest.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading "We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the answer.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading "Well, Crowley, what have you to offer?" asked Killett, with a great show of interest.
a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading "Yes; closeted in No. 24 with a guest."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Well, Crowley, what have you to offer?" asked Killett, with a great show of interest.
plural of “hawk” — diurnal bird of prey typically having short rounded wings and a long tail
From this reading "We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the answer.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading "We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the answer.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Yes; closeted in No. 24 with a guest."
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading "Well, Crowley, what have you to offer?" asked Killett, with a great show of interest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, Crowley, what have you to offer?" asked Killett, with a great show of interest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the answer.
not any; not one
From this reading "Yes; closeted in No. 24 with a guest."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "And are they there now?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Well, Crowley, what have you to offer?" asked Killett, with a great show of interest.
make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading "Well, Crowley, what have you to offer?" asked Killett, with a great show of interest.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading OLD SPICER'S SPEAKING-TUBE.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading "We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the answer.
plural of “route” — an established line of travel or access
From this reading "We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the answer.
Identical; not different.
From this reading "We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the answer.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading "Well, Crowley, what have you to offer?" asked Killett, with a great show of interest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading OLD SPICER'S SPEAKING-TUBE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading OLD SPICER'S SPEAKING-TUBE.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the answer.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "And are they there now?"
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "And are they there now?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Well, Crowley, what have you to offer?" asked Killett, with a great show of interest.
having tracks
From this reading "We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the answer.
a residential part of town away from the central commercial district
From this reading "We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the answer.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the answer.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We have tracked Hawks and Klinkhammer, by different routes, to the same hotel--a quiet affair uptown," was the answer.
(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 "Well, Crowley, what have you to offer?" asked Killett, with a great show of interest.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Well, Crowley, what have you to offer?" asked Killett, with a great show of interest.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Well, Crowley, what have you to offer?" asked Killett, with a great show of interest.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes; closeted in No. 24 with a guest."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, Crowley, what have you to offer?" asked Killett, with a great show of interest.
Chapter 18 of The Spruce Street Tragedy by Norman L. [Publisher] Munro holds 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 18 holds 143 sentences of The Spruce Street Tragedy, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Spruce Street Tragedy by Norman L. [Publisher] Munro exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 18 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 Spruce Street Tragedy by Norman L. [Publisher] Munro on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3839 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46523 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46523, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 319 minutes of reading across 768 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Spruce Street Tragedy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Spruce Street Tragedy 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 Spruce Street Tragedy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
