Chapter 7 of The Trail of the Axe is here in full — 323 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Trail of the Axe is here in full — 323 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE WORK AT THE MILLS It was sundown. The evening shadows, long drawn out, were rapidly merging into the purple shades of twilight. The hush of night was stealing upon the valley. There was one voice alone, one discordant note, to jar upon the peace of Nature's repose. It was the voice of Dave's mills, a voice that was never silent.
Chapter 7 of The Trail of the Axe is here in full — 323 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/64 · 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.
not in agreement or harmony
From this reading “There was one voice alone, one discordant note, to jar upon the peace of Nature's repose.”
be incompatible; be or come into conflict
From this reading “There was one voice alone, one discordant note, to jar upon the peace of Nature's repose.”
the act of joining together as one
From this reading “The evening shadows, long drawn out, were rapidly merging into the purple shades of twilight.”
United States architect who was the presidentially appointed architect of Washington D.C. (1781-1855)
From this reading “THE WORK AT THE MILLS It was sundown.”
possessive form of “nature” — the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading “There was one voice alone, one discordant note, to jar upon the peace of Nature's repose.”
(plural) something that reminds you of someone or something
From this reading “The evening shadows, long drawn out, were rapidly merging into the purple shades of twilight.”
the act of taking something from someone unlawfully
From this reading “The hush of night was stealing upon the valley.”
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading “THE WORK AT THE MILLS It was sundown.”
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.
In this reading “There was one voice alone, one discordant note, to jar upon the peace of Nature's repose.”
In this reading “There was one voice alone, one discordant note, to jar upon the peace of Nature's repose.”
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 It was the voice of Dave's mills, a voice that was never silent.
Having no one else present.
From this reading There was one voice alone, one discordant note, to jar upon the peace of Nature's repose.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE WORK AT THE MILLS It was sundown.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the voice of Dave's mills, a voice that was never silent.
not in agreement or harmony
From this reading There was one voice alone, one discordant note, to jar upon the peace of Nature's repose.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading The evening shadows, long drawn out, were rapidly merging into the purple shades of twilight.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading The evening shadows, long drawn out, were rapidly merging into the purple shades of twilight.
become quiet or still; fall silent
From this reading The hush of night was stealing upon the valley.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The evening shadows, long drawn out, were rapidly merging into the purple shades of twilight.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE WORK AT THE MILLS It was sundown.
be incompatible; be or come into conflict
From this reading There was one voice alone, one discordant note, to jar upon the peace of Nature's repose.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The evening shadows, long drawn out, were rapidly merging into the purple shades of twilight.
the act of joining together as one
From this reading The evening shadows, long drawn out, were rapidly merging into the purple shades of twilight.
United States architect who was the presidentially appointed architect of Washington D.C. (1781-1855)
From this reading THE WORK AT THE MILLS It was sundown.
possessive form of “nature” — the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading There was one voice alone, one discordant note, to jar upon the peace of Nature's repose.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading It was the voice of Dave's mills, a voice that was never silent.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The hush of night was stealing upon the valley.
a brief written record
From this reading There was one voice alone, one discordant note, to jar upon the peace of Nature's repose.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The evening shadows, long drawn out, were rapidly merging into the purple shades of twilight.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading There was one voice alone, one discordant note, to jar upon the peace of Nature's repose.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The evening shadows, long drawn out, were rapidly merging into the purple shades of twilight.
the state prevailing during the absence of war
From this reading There was one voice alone, one discordant note, to jar upon the peace of Nature's repose.
a purple color or pigment
From this reading The evening shadows, long drawn out, were rapidly merging into the purple shades of twilight.
with speed
From this reading The evening shadows, long drawn out, were rapidly merging into the purple shades of twilight.
put or confide something in a person or thing
From this reading There was one voice alone, one discordant note, to jar upon the peace of Nature's repose.
(plural) something that reminds you of someone or something
From this reading The evening shadows, long drawn out, were rapidly merging into the purple shades of twilight.
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading The evening shadows, long drawn out, were rapidly merging into the purple shades of twilight.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading It was the voice of Dave's mills, a voice that was never silent.
the act of taking something from someone unlawfully
From this reading The hush of night was stealing upon the valley.
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading THE WORK AT THE MILLS It was sundown.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was the voice of Dave's mills, a voice that was never silent.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE WORK AT THE MILLS It was sundown.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was one voice alone, one discordant note, to jar upon the peace of Nature's repose.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There was one voice alone, one discordant note, to jar upon the peace of Nature's repose.
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading The evening shadows, long drawn out, were rapidly merging into the purple shades of twilight.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The hush of night was stealing upon the valley.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading The hush of night was stealing upon the valley.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading There was one voice alone, one discordant note, to jar upon the peace of Nature's repose.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE WORK AT THE MILLS It was sundown.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The evening shadows, long drawn out, were rapidly merging into the purple shades of twilight.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading THE WORK AT THE MILLS It was sundown.
Chapter 7 of The Trail of the Axe by Ridgwell Cullum holds 323 sentences, grouped into 65 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 7 holds 323 sentences of The Trail of the Axe, unabridged, divided into 65 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Trail of the Axe by Ridgwell Cullum exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 323 sentences, grouped into 65 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 65 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 65 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 7 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 of the Axe by Ridgwell Cullum on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7845 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36522 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36522, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1569 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Trail of the Axe section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Trail of the Axe 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 of the Axe, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
