Chapter 23 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HOW PETER BRUSH CAME TO THE RESCUE. “We sha’n’t miss him much, Tom,” said Brush, as Percy Burnett--as he called himself--disappeared from view. Tom breathed a sigh of relief. “I never want to see him again,” he said. “Nor I, unless I see him in the prisoner’s dock.
Chapter 23 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
uttered without voice
From this reading “Tom breathed a sigh of relief.”
rub with a brush, or as if with a brush
From this reading “HOW PETER BRUSH CAME TO THE RESCUE.”
United States writer (born in England) remembered for her novels for children (1849-1924)
From this reading ““We sha’n’t miss him much, Tom,” said Brush, as Percy Burnett--as he called himself--disappeared from view.”
an enclosure in a court of law where the defendant sits during the trial
From this reading ““Nor I, unless I see him in the prisoner’s dock.”
United States writer whose novels explored human alienation (1916-1990)
From this reading ““We sha’n’t miss him much, Tom,” said Brush, as Percy Burnett--as he called himself--disappeared from view.”
possessive form of “prisoner” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
free from harm or evil
From this reading “HOW PETER BRUSH CAME TO THE RESCUE.”
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “Tom breathed a sigh of relief.”
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 ““We sha’n’t miss him much, Tom,” said Brush, as Percy Burnett--as he called himself--disappeared from view.”
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 Tom breathed a sigh of relief.
anew
From this reading “I never want to see him again,” he said.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “We sha’n’t miss him much, Tom,” said Brush, as Percy Burnett--as he called himself--disappeared from view.
uttered without voice
From this reading Tom breathed a sigh of relief.
rub with a brush, or as if with a brush
From this reading HOW PETER BRUSH CAME TO THE RESCUE.
United States writer (born in England) remembered for her novels for children (1849-1924)
From this reading “We sha’n’t miss him much, Tom,” said Brush, as Percy Burnett--as he called himself--disappeared from view.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “We sha’n’t miss him much, Tom,” said Brush, as Percy Burnett--as he called himself--disappeared from view.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading HOW PETER BRUSH CAME TO THE RESCUE.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading “We sha’n’t miss him much, Tom,” said Brush, as Percy Burnett--as he called himself--disappeared from view.
an enclosure in a court of law where the defendant sits during the trial
From this reading “Nor I, unless I see him in the prisoner’s dock.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “We sha’n’t miss him much, Tom,” said Brush, as Percy Burnett--as he called himself--disappeared from view.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “We sha’n’t miss him much, Tom,” said Brush, as Percy Burnett--as he called himself--disappeared from view.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “We sha’n’t miss him much, Tom,” said Brush, as Percy Burnett--as he called himself--disappeared from view.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading “We sha’n’t miss him much, Tom,” said Brush, as Percy Burnett--as he called himself--disappeared from view.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOW PETER BRUSH CAME TO THE RESCUE.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I never want to see him again,” he said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Nor I, unless I see him in the prisoner’s dock.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading “We sha’n’t miss him much, Tom,” said Brush, as Percy Burnett--as he called himself--disappeared from view.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “We sha’n’t miss him much, Tom,” said Brush, as Percy Burnett--as he called himself--disappeared from view.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “I never want to see him again,” he said.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading “Nor I, unless I see him in the prisoner’s dock.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Tom breathed a sigh of relief.
United States writer whose novels explored human alienation (1916-1990)
From this reading “We sha’n’t miss him much, Tom,” said Brush, as Percy Burnett--as he called himself--disappeared from view.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading HOW PETER BRUSH CAME TO THE RESCUE.
possessive form of “prisoner” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading “Nor I, unless I see him in the prisoner’s dock.
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading Tom breathed a sigh of relief.
free from harm or evil
From this reading HOW PETER BRUSH CAME TO THE RESCUE.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “We sha’n’t miss him much, Tom,” said Brush, as Percy Burnett--as he called himself--disappeared from view.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “I never want to see him again,” he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We sha’n’t miss him much, Tom,” said Brush, as Percy Burnett--as he called himself--disappeared from view.
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading Tom breathed a sigh of relief.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading HOW PETER BRUSH CAME TO THE RESCUE.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading HOW PETER BRUSH CAME TO THE RESCUE.
male cat
From this reading “We sha’n’t miss him much, Tom,” said Brush, as Percy Burnett--as he called himself--disappeared from view.
except if; if not
From this reading “Nor I, unless I see him in the prisoner’s dock.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading “We sha’n’t miss him much, Tom,” said Brush, as Percy Burnett--as he called himself--disappeared from view.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “I never want to see him again,” he said.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We sha’n’t miss him much, Tom,” said Brush, as Percy Burnett--as he called himself--disappeared from view.
Chapter 23 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 23 holds 119 sentences of Tom Thatcher's Fortune, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Tom Thatcher's Fortune by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 23 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.
