Chapter 3 of The Young Bank Messenger is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Young Bank Messenger is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A SUCCESSFUL ROBBERY. The tramp stood with his face glued to the pane, looking in at the boy. He could not quite understand what had taken place, but gathered that the old man was dead. "So much the better!" he said. "It will make my task easier."
Chapter 3 of The Young Bank Messenger is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
comparative of “easy” — posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading “"It will make my task easier."”
brought together in one place
From this reading “He could not quite understand what had taken place, but gathered that the old man was dead.”
affixed or as if affixed with glue or paste
From this reading “The tramp stood with his face glued to the pane, looking in at the boy.”
sheet glass cut in shapes for windows or doors
From this reading “The tramp stood with his face glued to the pane, looking in at the boy.”
larceny by threat of violence
From this reading “A SUCCESSFUL ROBBERY.”
having succeeded or being marked by a favorable outcome
From this reading “A SUCCESSFUL ROBBERY.”
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading “"It will make my task easier."”
a vagrant
From this reading “The tramp stood with his face glued to the pane, looking in at the boy.”
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 SUCCESSFUL ROBBERY.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The tramp stood with his face glued to the pane, looking in at the boy.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "So much the better!" he said.
a youthful male person
From this reading The tramp stood with his face glued to the pane, looking in at the boy.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He could not quite understand what had taken place, but gathered that the old man was dead.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He could not quite understand what had taken place, but gathered that the old man was dead.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading He could not quite understand what had taken place, but gathered that the old man was dead.
comparative of “easy” — posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading "It will make my task easier."
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The tramp stood with his face glued to the pane, looking in at the boy.
brought together in one place
From this reading He could not quite understand what had taken place, but gathered that the old man was dead.
affixed or as if affixed with glue or paste
From this reading The tramp stood with his face glued to the pane, looking in at the boy.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He could not quite understand what had taken place, but gathered that the old man was dead.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He could not quite understand what had taken place, but gathered that the old man was dead.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The tramp stood with his face glued to the pane, looking in at the boy.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The tramp stood with his face glued to the pane, looking in at the boy.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It will make my task easier."
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading The tramp stood with his face glued to the pane, looking in at the boy.
engage in
From this reading "It will make my task easier."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He could not quite understand what had taken place, but gathered that the old man was dead.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "So much the better!" he said.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "It will make my task easier."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He could not quite understand what had taken place, but gathered that the old man was dead.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading He could not quite understand what had taken place, but gathered that the old man was dead.
sheet glass cut in shapes for windows or doors
From this reading The tramp stood with his face glued to the pane, looking in at the boy.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading He could not quite understand what had taken place, but gathered that the old man was dead.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading He could not quite understand what had taken place, but gathered that the old man was dead.
larceny by threat of violence
From this reading A SUCCESSFUL ROBBERY.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "So much the better!" he said.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So much the better!" he said.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The tramp stood with his face glued to the pane, looking in at the boy.
having succeeded or being marked by a favorable outcome
From this reading A SUCCESSFUL ROBBERY.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading He could not quite understand what had taken place, but gathered that the old man was dead.
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading "It will make my task easier."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He could not quite understand what had taken place, but gathered that the old man was dead.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The tramp stood with his face glued to the pane, looking in at the boy.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The tramp stood with his face glued to the pane, looking in at the boy.
a vagrant
From this reading The tramp stood with his face glued to the pane, looking in at the boy.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading He could not quite understand what had taken place, but gathered that the old man was dead.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He could not quite understand what had taken place, but gathered that the old man was dead.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He could not quite understand what had taken place, but gathered that the old man was dead.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "It will make my task easier."
in the company of; together with
From this reading The tramp stood with his face glued to the pane, looking in at the boy.
Chapter 3 of The Young Bank Messenger by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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 3 holds 98 sentences of The Young Bank Messenger, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Young Bank Messenger by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 3 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 Young Bank Messenger by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4829 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25150 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25150, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 402 minutes of reading across 966 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Young Bank Messenger section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of The Young Bank Messenger 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 Young Bank Messenger, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
