Chapter 12 of Way of the Lawless is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Way of the Lawless is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Ol' Bill!" grunted red-headed Jeff. "Well, I'll be hung! There's one good deed done. He was overdue, anyways." Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.
Chapter 12 of Way of the Lawless is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 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.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading “He was overdue, anyways."”
in a breathless manner
From this reading “Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.”
a legal document signed and sealed and delivered to effect a transfer of property and to show the legal right to possess it
From this reading “There's one good deed done.”
past form of “grunt” — issue a grunting, low, animal-like noise
From this reading “"Ol' Bill!" grunted red-headed Jeff.”
in order that something should not happen
From this reading “Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.”
someone who tells a story
From this reading “Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.”
past due; not paid at the scheduled time
From this reading “He was overdue, anyways."”
move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading “Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.”
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 Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading He was overdue, anyways."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Well, I'll be hung!
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading "Ol' Bill!" grunted red-headed Jeff.
in a breathless manner
From this reading Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.
a legal document signed and sealed and delivered to effect a transfer of property and to show the legal right to possess it
From this reading There's one good deed done.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading There's one good deed done.
the organ of sight
From this reading Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading There's one good deed done.
past form of “grunt” — issue a grunting, low, animal-like noise
From this reading "Ol' Bill!" grunted red-headed Jeff.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was overdue, anyways."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading "Well, I'll be hung!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, I'll be hung!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ol' Bill!" grunted red-headed Jeff.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.
in order that something should not happen
From this reading Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.
someone who tells a story
From this reading Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ol' Bill!" grunted red-headed Jeff.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading There's one good deed done.
past due; not paid at the scheduled time
From this reading He was overdue, anyways."
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ol' Bill!" grunted red-headed Jeff.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.
move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There's one good deed done.
in the direction of
From this reading Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was overdue, anyways."
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading Andy, waiting breathlessly, watched lest the eye of the narrator should swing toward him for the least part of a second.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, I'll be hung!
Chapter 12 of Way of the Lawless by Max Brand holds 115 sentences, grouped into 23 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 12 holds 115 sentences of Way of the Lawless, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Way of the Lawless by Max Brand exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 115 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 12 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 Way of the Lawless by Max Brand on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4796 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9903 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9903, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 399 minutes of reading across 960 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Way of the Lawless section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Way of the Lawless 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 Way of the Lawless, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
