Chapter 18 of The Steel Horse: The Rambles of a Bicycle is here in full — 251 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Steel Horse: The Rambles of a Bicycle is here in full — 251 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CONCLUSION. "Benny is old man Willis's son," Tony hastened to explain. "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness. That's our story, sir. You know what happened after we got aboard the White Squall."
Chapter 18 of The Steel Horse: The Rambles of a Bicycle is here in full — 251 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/50 · 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.
on a ship, train, plane or other vehicle
From this reading “You know what happened after we got aboard the White Squall."”
East Indian annual erect herb; source of sesame seed or benniseed and sesame oil
From this reading “"Benny is old man Willis's son," Tony hastened to explain.”
a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration
From this reading “CONCLUSION.”
past form of “hasten” — act or move at high speed
From this reading “"Benny is old man Willis's son," Tony hastened to explain.”
the quality of being deliberately mean
From this reading “"If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.”
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading “"If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.”
make high-pitched, whiney noises
From this reading “You know what happened after we got aboard the White Squall."”
possessive form of “willis” — English physician who was a pioneer in the study of the brain (1621-1675)
From this reading “"Benny is old man Willis's son," Tony hastened to explain.”
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.
a man who is very old
In this reading “"Benny is old man Willis's son," Tony hastened to explain.”
In this reading “You know what happened after we got aboard the White Squall."”
appear or become visible; make a showing
In this reading “"If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.”
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 "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.
on a ship, train, plane or other vehicle
From this reading You know what happened after we got aboard the White Squall."
later than; following
From this reading You know what happened after we got aboard the White Squall."
East Indian annual erect herb; source of sesame seed or benniseed and sesame oil
From this reading "Benny is old man Willis's son," Tony hastened to explain.
the two together, not just one
From this reading "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.
a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration
From this reading CONCLUSION.
a quad with a square body
From this reading "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading "Benny is old man Willis's son," Tony hastened to explain.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading You know what happened after we got aboard the White Squall."
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading You know what happened after we got aboard the White Squall."
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.
past form of “hasten” — act or move at high speed
From this reading "Benny is old man Willis's son," Tony hastened to explain.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Benny is old man Willis's son," Tony hastened to explain.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading You know what happened after we got aboard the White Squall."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Benny is old man Willis's son," Tony hastened to explain.
the quality of being deliberately mean
From this reading "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Benny is old man Willis's son," Tony hastened to explain.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading That's our story, sir.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.
term of address for a man
From this reading That's our story, sir.
a male human offspring
From this reading "Benny is old man Willis's son," Tony hastened to explain.
make high-pitched, whiney noises
From this reading You know what happened after we got aboard the White Squall."
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading That's our story, sir.
express in words
From this reading "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That's our story, sir.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading You know what happened after we got aboard the White Squall."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Benny is old man Willis's son," Tony hastened to explain.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Benny is old man Willis's son," Tony hastened to explain.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading You know what happened after we got aboard the White Squall."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading You know what happened after we got aboard the White Squall."
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.
a Caucasian
From this reading You know what happened after we got aboard the White Squall."
possessive form of “willis” — English physician who was a pioneer in the study of the brain (1621-1675)
From this reading "Benny is old man Willis's son," Tony hastened to explain.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "If you was to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em would come out first for meanness.
Chapter 18 of The Steel Horse: The Rambles of a Bicycle by Harry Castlemon holds 251 sentences, grouped into 51 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 251 sentences of The Steel Horse: The Rambles of a Bicycle, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Steel Horse: The Rambles of a Bicycle by Harry Castlemon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 251 sentences, grouped into 51 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 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 51 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 Steel Horse: The Rambles of a Bicycle by Harry Castlemon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3967 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61486 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61486, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 330 minutes of reading across 794 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Steel Horse: The Rambles of a Bicycle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Steel Horse: The Rambles of a Bicycle 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 Steel Horse: The Rambles of a Bicycle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
