Chapter 21 of The Young Firemen of Lakeville is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Young Firemen of Lakeville is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE STENOGRAPHER'S SUSPICIONS Herbert stood gazing at the slip of paper in his hand. He did not know what to make of it. Then he looked up at the window whence it had been thrown. There was no sign of life there. Whoever had tossed out the mysterious message had disappeared again behind the dark shutters.
Chapter 21 of The Young Firemen of Lakeville is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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 “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “THE STENOGRAPHER'S SUSPICIONS Herbert stood gazing at the slip of paper in his hand.”
United States musician and composer and conductor noted for his comic operas (1859-1924)
From this reading “THE STENOGRAPHER'S SUSPICIONS Herbert stood gazing at the slip of paper in his hand.”
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading “Whoever had tossed out the mysterious message had disappeared again behind the dark shutters.”
plural of “shutter” — a mechanical device on a camera that opens and closes to control the time of a photographic exposure
From this reading “Whoever had tossed out the mysterious message had disappeared again behind the dark shutters.”
move stealthily
From this reading “THE STENOGRAPHER'S SUSPICIONS Herbert stood gazing at the slip of paper in his hand.”
plural of “suspicion” — an impression that something might be the case
From this reading “THE STENOGRAPHER'S SUSPICIONS Herbert stood gazing at the slip of paper in his hand.”
past form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading “Whoever had tossed out the mysterious message had disappeared again behind the dark shutters.”
an old word meaning “from where”
From this reading “Then he looked up at the window whence it had been thrown.”
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.
anew
From this reading Whoever had tossed out the mysterious message had disappeared again behind the dark shutters.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE STENOGRAPHER'S SUSPICIONS Herbert stood gazing at the slip of paper in his hand.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Then he looked up at the window whence it had been thrown.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Whoever had tossed out the mysterious message had disappeared again behind the dark shutters.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Whoever had tossed out the mysterious message had disappeared again behind the dark shutters.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not know what to make of it.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading Whoever had tossed out the mysterious message had disappeared again behind the dark shutters.
-ing form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading THE STENOGRAPHER'S SUSPICIONS Herbert stood gazing at the slip of paper in his hand.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Then he looked up at the window whence it had been thrown.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading THE STENOGRAPHER'S SUSPICIONS Herbert stood gazing at the slip of paper in his hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He did not know what to make of it.
United States musician and composer and conductor noted for his comic operas (1859-1924)
From this reading THE STENOGRAPHER'S SUSPICIONS Herbert stood gazing at the slip of paper in his hand.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE STENOGRAPHER'S SUSPICIONS Herbert stood gazing at the slip of paper in his hand.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE STENOGRAPHER'S SUSPICIONS Herbert stood gazing at the slip of paper in his hand.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He did not know what to make of it.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He did not know what to make of it.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading There was no sign of life there.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Then he looked up at the window whence it had been thrown.
engage in
From this reading He did not know what to make of it.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading Whoever had tossed out the mysterious message had disappeared again behind the dark shutters.
of an obscure nature
From this reading Whoever had tossed out the mysterious message had disappeared again behind the dark shutters.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no sign of life there.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He did not know what to make of it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE STENOGRAPHER'S SUSPICIONS Herbert stood gazing at the slip of paper in his hand.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Whoever had tossed out the mysterious message had disappeared again behind the dark shutters.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading THE STENOGRAPHER'S SUSPICIONS Herbert stood gazing at the slip of paper in his hand.
plural of “shutter” — a mechanical device on a camera that opens and closes to control the time of a photographic exposure
From this reading Whoever had tossed out the mysterious message had disappeared again behind the dark shutters.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading There was no sign of life there.
move stealthily
From this reading THE STENOGRAPHER'S SUSPICIONS Herbert stood gazing at the slip of paper in his hand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE STENOGRAPHER'S SUSPICIONS Herbert stood gazing at the slip of paper in his hand.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading THE STENOGRAPHER'S SUSPICIONS Herbert stood gazing at the slip of paper in his hand.
plural of “suspicion” — an impression that something might be the case
From this reading THE STENOGRAPHER'S SUSPICIONS Herbert stood gazing at the slip of paper in his hand.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE STENOGRAPHER'S SUSPICIONS Herbert stood gazing at the slip of paper in his hand.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he looked up at the window whence it had been thrown.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no sign of life there.
caused to fall to the ground
From this reading Then he looked up at the window whence it had been thrown.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He did not know what to make of it.
past form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading Whoever had tossed out the mysterious message had disappeared again behind the dark shutters.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Then he looked up at the window whence it had been thrown.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was no sign of life there.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He did not know what to make of it.
an old word meaning “from where”
From this reading Then he looked up at the window whence it had been thrown.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Whoever had tossed out the mysterious message had disappeared again behind the dark shutters.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Then he looked up at the window whence it had been thrown.
Chapter 21 of The Young Firemen of Lakeville by Frank V. Webster holds 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 21 holds 143 sentences of The Young Firemen of Lakeville, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Young Firemen of Lakeville by Frank V. Webster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 21 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 Firemen of Lakeville by Frank V. Webster on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2993 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6114 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6114, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 249 minutes of reading across 599 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Young Firemen of Lakeville section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Young Firemen of Lakeville 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 Firemen of Lakeville, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
