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The Story of Waitstill Baxter
The Story of Waitstill Baxter

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The Story of Waitstill Baxter is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Story of Waitstill Baxter
Context Illustration Reading 1/32 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Stop, Patty, stop, dear!
You shall have your bit of pasture, at least.
I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.
Take the broken knife and a milkpan and don't bring in so much earth with them as you did last time.
Dry your eyes and look at the green things growing.
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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 Story of Waitstill Baxter

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The Story of Waitstill Baxter is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/32 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Stop, Patty, stop, dear!
/stɑːp ˈpæti stɑːp dɪr/
Line 2
You shall have your bit of pasture, at least.
/juː ʃæl hæv jɔːr bɪt ʌv ˈpæstʃər æt liːst/
Line 3
I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.
Line 4
Take the broken knife and a milkpan and don't bring in so much earth with them as you did last time.
Line 5
Dry your eyes and look at the green things growing.
/draɪ jɔːr aɪz ənd lʊk æt ðə ɡriːn θɪŋz ˈɡroʊɪŋ/

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.

dandelion noun US /ˈdændəlaɪən/

any of several herbs of the genus Taraxacum having long tap roots and deeply notched leaves and bright yellow flowers followed by fluffy seed balls

From this reading “I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.”

dig verb US /dɪɡ/

turn up, loosen, or remove earth

From this reading “I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.”

greens noun US /ɡriːnz/

any of various leafy plants or their leaves and stems eaten as vegetables

From this reading “I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.”

indoor adjective US /ˈɪndɔːr/

located, suited for, or taking place within a building

From this reading “I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.”

knife noun US /naɪf/

edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle

From this reading “Take the broken knife and a milkpan and don't bring in so much earth with them as you did last time.”

pasture noun US /ˈpæstʃər/

a field covered with grass or herbage and suitable for grazing by livestock

From this reading “You shall have your bit of pasture, at least.”

Patty noun US /ˈpæti/

small flat mass of chopped food

From this reading ““Stop, Patty, stop, dear!”

tasks noun US /tæsks/

plural of “task” — any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted

From this reading “I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.”

All words in this reading · 52

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 Take the broken knife and a milkpan and don't bring in so much earth with them as you did last time.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Take the broken knife and a milkpan and don't bring in so much earth with them as you did last time.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading You shall have your bit of pasture, at least.

bitnounUS /bɪt/

a small piece or quantity of something

From this reading You shall have your bit of pasture, at least.

bringverbUS /brɪŋ/

take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading Take the broken knife and a milkpan and don't bring in so much earth with them as you did last time.

brokenadjectiveUS /ˈbroʊkən/

physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split

From this reading Take the broken knife and a milkpan and don't bring in so much earth with them as you did last time.

dandelionnounUS /ˈdændəlaɪən/

any of several herbs of the genus Taraxacum having long tap roots and deeply notched leaves and bright yellow flowers followed by fluffy seed balls

From this reading I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading “Stop, Patty, stop, dear!

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading Take the broken knife and a milkpan and don't bring in so much earth with them as you did last time.

digverbUS /dɪɡ/

turn up, loosen, or remove earth

From this reading I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.

dinnernounUS /ˈdɪnər/

the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday

From this reading I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.

don't

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

From this reading Take the broken knife and a milkpan and don't bring in so much earth with them as you did last time.

DryadjectiveUS /draɪ/

free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet

From this reading Dry your eyes and look at the green things growing.

earthnounUS /ɜːrθ/

the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on

From this reading Take the broken knife and a milkpan and don't bring in so much earth with them as you did last time.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading Dry your eyes and look at the green things growing.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.

greennounUS /ɡriːn/

green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass

From this reading Dry your eyes and look at the green things growing.

greensnounUS /ɡriːnz/

any of various leafy plants or their leaves and stems eaten as vegetables

From this reading I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.

growingnounUS /ˈɡroʊɪŋ/

(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level

From this reading Dry your eyes and look at the green things growing.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading You shall have your bit of pasture, at least.

I'll

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

From this reading I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Take the broken knife and a milkpan and don't bring in so much earth with them as you did last time.

indooradjectiveUS /ˈɪndɔːr/

located, suited for, or taking place within a building

From this reading I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.

knifenounUS /naɪf/

edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle

From this reading Take the broken knife and a milkpan and don't bring in so much earth with them as you did last time.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading Take the broken knife and a milkpan and don't bring in so much earth with them as you did last time.

leastadjectiveUS /liːst/

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 You shall have your bit of pasture, at least.

lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading Dry your eyes and look at the green things growing.

milkpan

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

From this reading Take the broken knife and a milkpan and don't bring in so much earth with them as you did last time.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading Take the broken knife and a milkpan and don't bring in so much earth with them as you did last time.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading You shall have your bit of pasture, at least.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.

pasturenounUS /ˈpæstʃər/

a field covered with grass or herbage and suitable for grazing by livestock

From this reading You shall have your bit of pasture, at least.

PattynounUS /ˈpæti/

small flat mass of chopped food

From this reading “Stop, Patty, stop, dear!

putverbUS /pʊt/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading You shall have your bit of pasture, at least.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Take the broken knife and a milkpan and don't bring in so much earth with them as you did last time.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.

StopverbUS /stɑːp/

come to a halt, stop moving

From this reading “Stop, Patty, stop, dear!

sunbonnetnoun

a large bonnet that shades the face; worn by girls and women

From this reading I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.

TakeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading Take the broken knife and a milkpan and don't bring in so much earth with them as you did last time.

tasksnounUS /tæsks/

plural of “task” — any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted

From this reading I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading I'll do some of your indoor tasks for you, and you shall put on your sunbonnet and go out and dig the dandelion greens for dinner.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Take the broken knife and a milkpan and don't bring in so much earth with them as you did last time.

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading Dry your eyes and look at the green things growing.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Take the broken knife and a milkpan and don't bring in so much earth with them as you did last time.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Take the broken knife and a milkpan and don't bring in so much earth with them as you did last time.

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading You shall have your bit of pasture, at least.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading You shall have your bit of pasture, at least.

Chapter 4 of The Story of Waitstill Baxter by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin holds 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 4 of The Story of Waitstill Baxter contain?

Chapter 4 holds 162 sentences of The Story of Waitstill Baxter, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of The Story of Waitstill Baxter by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 162 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of The Story of Waitstill Baxter?

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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 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 Story of Waitstill Baxter

Common questions about reading The Story of Waitstill Baxter by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Story of Waitstill Baxter?

Yes. All 3538 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1701 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Story of Waitstill Baxter is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1701, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Story of Waitstill Baxter take to read?

About 294 minutes of reading across 708 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Story of Waitstill Baxter section by section

How to work through The Story of Waitstill Baxter section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Story of Waitstill Baxter 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 Story of Waitstill Baxter

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Story of Waitstill Baxter, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Illustrations
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Story of Waitstill Baxter; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Brett
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Story of Waitstill Baxter; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Bosom
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Story of Waitstill Baxter; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Hampshire's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Story of Waitstill Baxter; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.