Chapter 18 of The Trail Horde is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Trail Horde is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DEATH AT A DOOR Lawler smiled. "Then I reckon we're both surprised, ma'am," he said. "I certainly wasn't expecting the norther to bring you. You had a mighty narrow squeeze. You were pretty near all in when I opened the door and saw you."
Chapter 18 of The Trail Horde is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “"I certainly wasn't expecting the norther to bring you.”
a woman of refinement
From this reading “"Then I reckon we're both surprised, ma'am," he said.”
having or showing great strength or force or intensity
From this reading “You had a mighty narrow squeeze.”
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading “You had a mighty narrow squeeze.”
a wind that blows from the north
From this reading “"I certainly wasn't expecting the norther to bring you.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “"Then I reckon we're both surprised, ma'am," he said.”
to compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition
From this reading “You had a mighty narrow squeeze.”
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading “"Then I reckon we're both surprised, ma'am," he said.”
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 DEATH AT A DOOR Lawler smiled.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading You were pretty near all in when I opened the door and saw you."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading You were pretty near all in when I opened the door and saw you."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading DEATH AT A DOOR Lawler smiled.
the two together, not just one
From this reading "Then I reckon we're both surprised, ma'am," he said.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading "I certainly wasn't expecting the norther to bring you.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "I certainly wasn't expecting the norther to bring you.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading DEATH AT A DOOR Lawler smiled.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading DEATH AT A DOOR Lawler smiled.
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading "I certainly wasn't expecting the norther to bring you.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading You had a mighty narrow squeeze.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Then I reckon we're both surprised, ma'am," he said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Then I reckon we're both surprised, ma'am," he said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading You were pretty near all in when I opened the door and saw you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DEATH AT A DOOR Lawler smiled.
a woman of refinement
From this reading "Then I reckon we're both surprised, ma'am," he said.
having or showing great strength or force or intensity
From this reading You had a mighty narrow squeeze.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading You had a mighty narrow squeeze.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading You were pretty near all in when I opened the door and saw you."
a wind that blows from the north
From this reading "I certainly wasn't expecting the norther to bring you.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading You were pretty near all in when I opened the door and saw you."
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading You were pretty near all in when I opened the door and saw you."
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading "Then I reckon we're both surprised, ma'am," he said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Then I reckon we're both surprised, ma'am," he said.
cut with a saw
From this reading You were pretty near all in when I opened the door and saw you."
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading DEATH AT A DOOR Lawler smiled.
to compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition
From this reading You had a mighty narrow squeeze.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading "Then I reckon we're both surprised, ma'am," he said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I certainly wasn't expecting the norther to bring you.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then I reckon we're both surprised, ma'am," he said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I certainly wasn't expecting the norther to bring you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I certainly wasn't expecting the norther to bring you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then I reckon we're both surprised, ma'am," he said.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You were pretty near all in when I opened the door and saw you."
at the time that
From this reading You were pretty near all in when I opened the door and saw you."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I certainly wasn't expecting the norther to bring you.
Chapter 18 of The Trail Horde by Charles Alden Seltzer holds 205 sentences, grouped into 41 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 205 sentences of The Trail Horde, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Trail Horde by Charles Alden Seltzer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 205 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 Trail Horde by Charles Alden Seltzer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5156 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17477 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17477, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 429 minutes of reading across 1032 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Trail Horde section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Trail Horde 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 Trail Horde, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
