Chapter 6 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE MIDNIGHT FIRE. Fire! When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes. “Where are you going, Tom?” asked his mother, as she saw him pass her chamber door. “To the fire, mother.”
Chapter 6 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
plural of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading “When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.”
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading ““Where are you going, Tom?” asked his mother, as she saw him pass her chamber door.”
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading “THE MIDNIGHT FIRE.”
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading “When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.”
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.”
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading “When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.”
so remarkably different or sudden as to cause momentary shock or alarm
From this reading “When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.”
British stateswoman; first woman to serve as Prime Minister (born in 1925)
From this reading “When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.”
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.
the sound of someone playing a set of bells
In this reading “When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.”
In this reading ““Where are you going, Tom?” asked his mother, as she saw him pass her chamber door.”
In this reading “When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.”
In this reading “When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Where are you going, Tom?” asked his mother, as she saw him pass her chamber door.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Where are you going, Tom?” asked his mother, as she saw him pass her chamber door.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Where are you going, Tom?” asked his mother, as she saw him pass her chamber door.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
plural of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading “Where are you going, Tom?” asked his mother, as she saw him pass her chamber door.
clothing in general
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
the quality of being sharp and clear
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading “Where are you going, Tom?” asked his mother, as she saw him pass her chamber door.
start firing a weapon
From this reading THE MIDNIGHT FIRE.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
the act of departing
From this reading “Where are you going, Tom?” asked his mother, as she saw him pass her chamber door.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Where are you going, Tom?” asked his mother, as she saw him pass her chamber door.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Where are you going, Tom?” asked his mother, as she saw him pass her chamber door.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading THE MIDNIGHT FIRE.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “Where are you going, Tom?” asked his mother, as she saw him pass her chamber door.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
go across or through
From this reading “Where are you going, Tom?” asked his mother, as she saw him pass her chamber door.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
cut with a saw
From this reading “Where are you going, Tom?” asked his mother, as she saw him pass her chamber door.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Where are you going, Tom?” asked his mother, as she saw him pass her chamber door.
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
so remarkably different or sudden as to cause momentary shock or alarm
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
British stateswoman; first woman to serve as Prime Minister (born in 1925)
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MIDNIGHT FIRE.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “To the fire, mother.”
male cat
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
at the time that
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
in or at the place that
From this reading “Where are you going, Tom?” asked his mother, as she saw him pass her chamber door.
in the company of; together with
From this reading When Tom Thatcher heard the bells ringing, and the ominous cry of “Fire!” rang with startling distinctness through the streets of the village, he sprang from his bed and hurried on his clothes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Where are you going, Tom?” asked his mother, as she saw him pass her chamber door.
Chapter 6 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 6 holds 155 sentences of Tom Thatcher's Fortune, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 6 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 Tom Thatcher's Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5824 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56896 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56896, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 485 minutes of reading across 1165 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom Thatcher's Fortune section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Tom Thatcher's Fortune 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 Tom Thatcher's Fortune, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
