Chapter 17 of The Two-Gun Man is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Two-Gun Man is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE DIM TRAIL. A shadow fell upon the rock. Ferguson turned his head and looked toward the west, where the sun had already descended over the mountains. "Why it's sundown!" he said, smiling into Miss Radford's eyes. "I reckon the days must be gettin' shorter."
Chapter 17 of The Two-Gun Man is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading “Ferguson turned his head and looked toward the west, where the sun had already descended over the mountains.”
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading “THE DIM TRAIL.”
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading “Ferguson turned his head and looked toward the west, where the sun had already descended over the mountains.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “"I reckon the days must be gettin' shorter."”
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading “A shadow fell upon the rock.”
comparative of “short” — primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading “"I reckon the days must be gettin' shorter."”
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading “"Why it's sundown!" he said, smiling into Miss Radford's eyes.”
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading “THE DIM TRAIL.”
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 A shadow fell upon the rock.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading Ferguson turned his head and looked toward the west, where the sun had already descended over the mountains.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Ferguson turned his head and looked toward the west, where the sun had already descended over the mountains.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I reckon the days must be gettin' shorter."
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading "I reckon the days must be gettin' shorter."
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading Ferguson turned his head and looked toward the west, where the sun had already descended over the mountains.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading THE DIM TRAIL.
opinion or judgment
From this reading "Why it's sundown!" he said, smiling into Miss Radford's eyes.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading A shadow fell upon the rock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ferguson turned his head and looked toward the west, where the sun had already descended over the mountains.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I reckon the days must be gettin' shorter."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Ferguson turned his head and looked toward the west, where the sun had already descended over the mountains.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Why it's sundown!" he said, smiling into Miss Radford's eyes.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Ferguson turned his head and looked toward the west, where the sun had already descended over the mountains.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Ferguson turned his head and looked toward the west, where the sun had already descended over the mountains.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I reckon the days must be gettin' shorter."
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "Why it's sundown!" he said, smiling into Miss Radford's eyes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why it's sundown!" he said, smiling into Miss Radford's eyes.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Ferguson turned his head and looked toward the west, where the sun had already descended over the mountains.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "Why it's sundown!" he said, smiling into Miss Radford's eyes.
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading Ferguson turned his head and looked toward the west, where the sun had already descended over the mountains.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "I reckon the days must be gettin' shorter."
above and across; more than
From this reading Ferguson turned his head and looked toward the west, where the sun had already descended over the mountains.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why it's sundown!" he said, smiling into Miss Radford's eyes.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading "I reckon the days must be gettin' shorter."
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading A shadow fell upon the rock.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Why it's sundown!" he said, smiling into Miss Radford's eyes.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading A shadow fell upon the rock.
comparative of “short” — primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading "I reckon the days must be gettin' shorter."
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading "Why it's sundown!" he said, smiling into Miss Radford's eyes.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading Ferguson turned his head and looked toward the west, where the sun had already descended over the mountains.
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading "Why it's sundown!" he said, smiling into Miss Radford's eyes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE DIM TRAIL.
in the direction of
From this reading Ferguson turned his head and looked toward the west, where the sun had already descended over the mountains.
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading THE DIM TRAIL.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Ferguson turned his head and looked toward the west, where the sun had already descended over the mountains.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading A shadow fell upon the rock.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading Ferguson turned his head and looked toward the west, where the sun had already descended over the mountains.
in or at the place that
From this reading Ferguson turned his head and looked toward the west, where the sun had already descended over the mountains.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why it's sundown!" he said, smiling into Miss Radford's eyes.
Chapter 17 of The Two-Gun Man by Charles Alden Seltzer holds 161 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.
Chapter 17 holds 161 sentences of The Two-Gun Man, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Two-Gun Man by Charles Alden Seltzer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 161 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 17 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 Two-Gun Man by Charles Alden Seltzer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3886 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19012 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19012, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 323 minutes of reading across 778 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Two-Gun Man section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Two-Gun Man 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 Two-Gun Man, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
