Chapter 31 of The Store Boy is here in full — 125 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of The Store Boy is here in full — 125 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BEN SELLS THE FARM The farmer stared at Ben panic-stricken. He had thought success within his grasp. He was to be a rich man--independent for life--as the result of the trick which he was playing upon Mrs. Hamilton. His disappointment was intense, and he looked the picture of discomfiture. "I don't believe you," he faltered after a pause.
Chapter 31 of The Store Boy is here in full — 125 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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 feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized
From this reading “His disappointment was intense, and he looked the picture of discomfiture.”
past form of “falter” — be unsure or weak
From this reading “"I don't believe you," he faltered after a pause.”
hold firmly
From this reading “He had thought success within his grasp.”
Irish mathematician (1806-1865)
From this reading “He was to be a rich man--independent for life--as the result of the trick which he was playing upon Mrs. Hamilton.”
free from external control and constraint
From this reading “He was to be a rich man--independent for life--as the result of the trick which he was playing upon Mrs. Hamilton.”
possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree
From this reading “His disappointment was intense, and he looked the picture of discomfiture.”
plural of “sell” — the activity of persuading someone to buy
From this reading “BEN SELLS THE FARM The farmer stared at Ben panic-stricken.”
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading “He was to be a rich man--independent for life--as the result of the trick which he was playing upon Mrs. Hamilton.”
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 He was to be a rich man--independent for life--as the result of the trick which he was playing upon Mrs. Hamilton.
later than; following
From this reading "I don't believe you," he faltered after a pause.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His disappointment was intense, and he looked the picture of discomfiture.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He was to be a rich man--independent for life--as the result of the trick which he was playing upon Mrs. Hamilton.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading BEN SELLS THE FARM The farmer stared at Ben panic-stricken.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He was to be a rich man--independent for life--as the result of the trick which he was playing upon Mrs. Hamilton.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading "I don't believe you," he faltered after a pause.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading BEN SELLS THE FARM The farmer stared at Ben panic-stricken.
a feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized
From this reading His disappointment was intense, and he looked the picture of discomfiture.
anxious embarrassment
From this reading His disappointment was intense, and he looked the picture of discomfiture.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't believe you," he faltered after a pause.
past form of “falter” — be unsure or weak
From this reading "I don't believe you," he faltered after a pause.
be a farmer; work as a farmer
From this reading BEN SELLS THE FARM The farmer stared at Ben panic-stricken.
a person who operates a farm
From this reading BEN SELLS THE FARM The farmer stared at Ben panic-stricken.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He was to be a rich man--independent for life--as the result of the trick which he was playing upon Mrs. Hamilton.
hold firmly
From this reading He had thought success within his grasp.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had thought success within his grasp.
Irish mathematician (1806-1865)
From this reading He was to be a rich man--independent for life--as the result of the trick which he was playing upon Mrs. Hamilton.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had thought success within his grasp.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had thought success within his grasp.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't believe you," he faltered after a pause.
free from external control and constraint
From this reading He was to be a rich man--independent for life--as the result of the trick which he was playing upon Mrs. Hamilton.
possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree
From this reading His disappointment was intense, and he looked the picture of discomfiture.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading He was to be a rich man--independent for life--as the result of the trick which he was playing upon Mrs. Hamilton.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading His disappointment was intense, and he looked the picture of discomfiture.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He was to be a rich man--independent for life--as the result of the trick which he was playing upon Mrs. Hamilton.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading He was to be a rich man--independent for life--as the result of the trick which he was playing upon Mrs. Hamilton.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was to be a rich man--independent for life--as the result of the trick which he was playing upon Mrs. Hamilton.
thrown into a state of intense fear or desperation
From this reading BEN SELLS THE FARM The farmer stared at Ben panic-stricken.
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading "I don't believe you," he faltered after a pause.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading His disappointment was intense, and he looked the picture of discomfiture.
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading He was to be a rich man--independent for life--as the result of the trick which he was playing upon Mrs. Hamilton.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading He was to be a rich man--independent for life--as the result of the trick which he was playing upon Mrs. Hamilton.
possessing material wealth
From this reading He was to be a rich man--independent for life--as the result of the trick which he was playing upon Mrs. Hamilton.
plural of “sell” — the activity of persuading someone to buy
From this reading BEN SELLS THE FARM The farmer stared at Ben panic-stricken.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading BEN SELLS THE FARM The farmer stared at Ben panic-stricken.
an event that accomplishes its intended purpose
From this reading He had thought success within his grasp.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading BEN SELLS THE FARM The farmer stared at Ben panic-stricken.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He had thought success within his grasp.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was to be a rich man--independent for life--as the result of the trick which he was playing upon Mrs. Hamilton.
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading He was to be a rich man--independent for life--as the result of the trick which he was playing upon Mrs. Hamilton.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He was to be a rich man--independent for life--as the result of the trick which he was playing upon Mrs. Hamilton.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was to be a rich man--independent for life--as the result of the trick which he was playing upon Mrs. Hamilton.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He was to be a rich man--independent for life--as the result of the trick which he was playing upon Mrs. Hamilton.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading He had thought success within his grasp.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I don't believe you," he faltered after a pause.
Chapter 31 of The Store Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 125 sentences, grouped into 25 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 31 holds 125 sentences of The Store Boy, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of The Store Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 125 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 31 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 Store Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3659 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10724 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10724, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 304 minutes of reading across 732 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Store Boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of The Store Boy 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 Store Boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
