Chapter 2 of The Story of Waitstill Baxter is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Story of Waitstill Baxter is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Waitstill paused a moment in her task of bread-kneading. “Well,” she answered critically, “at least we know where our father is.” “We do, indeed! We also know that he is thoroughly alive!” “And though people do talk about him, they can't say the things they say of Master Aaron Boynton.
Chapter 2 of The Story of Waitstill Baxter is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
United States professional baseball player who hit more home runs than Babe Ruth (born in 1934)
From this reading ““And though people do talk about him, they can't say the things they say of Master Aaron Boynton.”
possessing life
From this reading “We also know that he is thoroughly alive!””
in a critical manner
From this reading ““Well,” she answered critically, “at least we know where our father is.””
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading ““And though people do talk about him, they can't say the things they say of Master Aaron Boynton.”
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading “Waitstill paused a moment in her task of bread-kneading.”
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading ““And though people do talk about him, they can't say the things they say of Master Aaron Boynton.”
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading “Waitstill paused a moment in her task of bread-kneading.”
in an exhaustive manner
From this reading “We also know that he is thoroughly alive!””
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 Waitstill paused a moment in her task of bread-kneading.
United States professional baseball player who hit more home runs than Babe Ruth (born in 1934)
From this reading “And though people do talk about him, they can't say the things they say of Master Aaron Boynton.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “And though people do talk about him, they can't say the things they say of Master Aaron Boynton.
possessing life
From this reading We also know that he is thoroughly alive!”
in addition
From this reading We also know that he is thoroughly alive!”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And though people do talk about him, they can't say the things they say of Master Aaron Boynton.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “Well,” she answered critically, “at least we know where our father is.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Well,” she answered critically, “at least we know where our father is.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “And though people do talk about him, they can't say the things they say of Master Aaron Boynton.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Waitstill paused a moment in her task of bread-kneading.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “And though people do talk about him, they can't say the things they say of Master Aaron Boynton.
in a critical manner
From this reading “Well,” she answered critically, “at least we know where our father is.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “We do, indeed!
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “Well,” she answered critically, “at least we know where our father is.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading We also know that he is thoroughly alive!”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Waitstill paused a moment in her task of bread-kneading.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “And though people do talk about him, they can't say the things they say of Master Aaron Boynton.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Waitstill paused a moment in her task of bread-kneading.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading “We do, indeed!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Well,” she answered critically, “at least we know where our father is.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Well,” she answered critically, “at least we know where our father is.”
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading “Well,” she answered critically, “at least we know where our father is.”
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading “And though people do talk about him, they can't say the things they say of Master Aaron Boynton.
a particular point in time
From this reading Waitstill paused a moment in her task of bread-kneading.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Waitstill paused a moment in her task of bread-kneading.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “Well,” she answered critically, “at least we know where our father is.”
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading Waitstill paused a moment in her task of bread-kneading.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading “And though people do talk about him, they can't say the things they say of Master Aaron Boynton.
express in words
From this reading “And though people do talk about him, they can't say the things they say of Master Aaron Boynton.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Well,” she answered critically, “at least we know where our father is.”
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “And though people do talk about him, they can't say the things they say of Master Aaron Boynton.
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading Waitstill paused a moment in her task of bread-kneading.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading We also know that he is thoroughly alive!”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “And though people do talk about him, they can't say the things they say of Master Aaron Boynton.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “And though people do talk about him, they can't say the things they say of Master Aaron Boynton.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading “And though people do talk about him, they can't say the things they say of Master Aaron Boynton.
in an exhaustive manner
From this reading We also know that he is thoroughly alive!”
in spite of the fact that
From this reading “And though people do talk about him, they can't say the things they say of Master Aaron Boynton.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Waitstill paused a moment in her task of bread-kneading.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “Well,” she answered critically, “at least we know where our father is.”
(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,” she answered critically, “at least we know where our father is.”
in or at the place that
From this reading “Well,” she answered critically, “at least we know where our father is.”
Chapter 2 of The Story of Waitstill Baxter by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin holds 165 sentences, grouped into 33 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 2 holds 165 sentences of The Story of Waitstill Baxter, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Story of Waitstill Baxter by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 165 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 2 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 Story of Waitstill Baxter by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3538 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1701 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1701, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 294 minutes of reading across 708 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Story of Waitstill Baxter section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Story of Waitstill Baxter 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 Story of Waitstill Baxter, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
