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Winning the Wilderness
Winning the Wilderness

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of Winning the Wilderness is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Winning the Wilderness
Context Illustration Reading 1/85 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.
--Lowell.
"Here's yo' letter from the Fillippians, Mis' Virginia; Mr. Champers done bring hit for you all."
Boanerges Peeperville fairly danced into the living room of the Sunflower Inn.
"They ain't no black mournin' aidge bindin' it round nuthah, thank the good Lawd foh that."
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Winning the Wilderness

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of Winning the Wilderness is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/85 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.
/ðə ˈkrʊkəd treɪl laɪf meɪ biː ˈɡɪvən ɪn ˈmeni weɪz ənd ˈlɔɪəlti tuː truːθ biː siːld æz ˈbreɪvli ɪn ðə ˈklɑːzət æz ðə fiːld/
Line 2
--Lowell.
/ˈloʊəl/
Line 3
"Here's yo' letter from the Fillippians, Mis' Virginia; Mr. Champers done bring hit for you all."
Line 4
Boanerges Peeperville fairly danced into the living room of the Sunflower Inn.
Line 5
"They ain't no black mournin' aidge bindin' it round nuthah, thank the good Lawd foh that."

Learner Dictionary

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.

bravely adverb US /ˈbreɪvli/

in a courageous manner

From this reading “THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.”

closet noun US /ˈklɑːzət/

a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space

From this reading “THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.”

crooked adjective US /ˈkrʊkəd/

having or marked by bends or angles; not straight or aligned

From this reading “THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.”

Lowell noun US /ˈloʊəl/

United States poet (1917-1977)

From this reading “--Lowell.”

loyalty noun US /ˈlɔɪəlti/

the quality of being loyal

From this reading “THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.”

Mis noun US /mɪs/

plural of “mi” — destruction of heart tissue resulting from obstruction of the blood supply to the heart muscle

From this reading “"Here's yo' letter from the Fillippians, Mis' Virginia; Mr. Champers done bring hit for you all."”

sealed adjective US /siːld/

established irrevocably

From this reading “THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.”

Sunflower noun US /ˈsʌnflaʊər/

any plant of the genus Helianthus having large flower heads with dark disk florets and showy yellow rays

From this reading “Boanerges Peeperville fairly danced into the living room of the Sunflower Inn.”

All words in this reading · 60

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.

aidge

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "They ain't no black mournin' aidge bindin' it round nuthah, thank the good Lawd foh that."

ain't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "They ain't no black mournin' aidge bindin' it round nuthah, thank the good Lawd foh that."

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading "Here's yo' letter from the Fillippians, Mis' Virginia; Mr. Champers done bring hit for you all."

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.

bindin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "They ain't no black mournin' aidge bindin' it round nuthah, thank the good Lawd foh that."

blackadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading "They ain't no black mournin' aidge bindin' it round nuthah, thank the good Lawd foh that."

Boanerges

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Boanerges Peeperville fairly danced into the living room of the Sunflower Inn.

bravelyadverbUS /ˈbreɪvli/

in a courageous manner

From this reading THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.

bringverbUS /brɪŋ/

take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading "Here's yo' letter from the Fillippians, Mis' Virginia; Mr. Champers done bring hit for you all."

Champers

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Here's yo' letter from the Fillippians, Mis' Virginia; Mr. Champers done bring hit for you all."

closetnounUS /ˈklɑːzət/

a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space

From this reading THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.

CROOKEDadjectiveUS /ˈkrʊkəd/

having or marked by bends or angles; not straight or aligned

From this reading THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.

dancedverbUS /dænst/

past form of “dance” — move in a graceful and rhythmical way

From this reading Boanerges Peeperville fairly danced into the living room of the Sunflower Inn.

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading "Here's yo' letter from the Fillippians, Mis' Virginia; Mr. Champers done bring hit for you all."

fairlyadverbUS /ˈferli/

to certain extent or degree

From this reading Boanerges Peeperville fairly danced into the living room of the Sunflower Inn.

fieldnounUS /fiːld/

a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed

From this reading THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.

Fillippians

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Here's yo' letter from the Fillippians, Mis' Virginia; Mr. Champers done bring hit for you all."

foh

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "They ain't no black mournin' aidge bindin' it round nuthah, thank the good Lawd foh that."

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "Here's yo' letter from the Fillippians, Mis' Virginia; Mr. Champers done bring hit for you all."

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading "Here's yo' letter from the Fillippians, Mis' Virginia; Mr. Champers done bring hit for you all."

givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/

acknowledged as a supposition

From this reading THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading "They ain't no black mournin' aidge bindin' it round nuthah, thank the good Lawd foh that."

Here's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Here's yo' letter from the Fillippians, Mis' Virginia; Mr. Champers done bring hit for you all."

hitverbUS /hɪt/

cause to move by striking

From this reading "Here's yo' letter from the Fillippians, Mis' Virginia; Mr. Champers done bring hit for you all."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.

InnnounUS /ɪn/

a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers

From this reading Boanerges Peeperville fairly danced into the living room of the Sunflower Inn.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Boanerges Peeperville fairly danced into the living room of the Sunflower Inn.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "They ain't no black mournin' aidge bindin' it round nuthah, thank the good Lawd foh that."

Lawd

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "They ain't no black mournin' aidge bindin' it round nuthah, thank the good Lawd foh that."

letternounUS /ˈletər/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

From this reading "Here's yo' letter from the Fillippians, Mis' Virginia; Mr. Champers done bring hit for you all."

LifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.

livingnounUS /ˈlɪvɪŋ/

the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities

From this reading Boanerges Peeperville fairly danced into the living room of the Sunflower Inn.

LowellnounUS /ˈloʊəl/

United States poet (1917-1977)

From this reading --Lowell.

loyaltynounUS /ˈlɔɪəlti/

the quality of being loyal

From this reading THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.

MisnounUS /mɪs/

plural of “mi” — destruction of heart tissue resulting from obstruction of the blood supply to the heart muscle

From this reading "Here's yo' letter from the Fillippians, Mis' Virginia; Mr. Champers done bring hit for you all."

mournin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "They ain't no black mournin' aidge bindin' it round nuthah, thank the good Lawd foh that."

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading "Here's yo' letter from the Fillippians, Mis' Virginia; Mr. Champers done bring hit for you all."

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading "They ain't no black mournin' aidge bindin' it round nuthah, thank the good Lawd foh that."

nuthah

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "They ain't no black mournin' aidge bindin' it round nuthah, thank the good Lawd foh that."

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Boanerges Peeperville fairly danced into the living room of the Sunflower Inn.

Peeperville

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Boanerges Peeperville fairly danced into the living room of the Sunflower Inn.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading Boanerges Peeperville fairly danced into the living room of the Sunflower Inn.

roundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading "They ain't no black mournin' aidge bindin' it round nuthah, thank the good Lawd foh that."

sealedadjectiveUS /siːld/

established irrevocably

From this reading THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.

SunflowernounUS /ˈsʌnflaʊər/

any plant of the genus Helianthus having large flower heads with dark disk florets and showy yellow rays

From this reading Boanerges Peeperville fairly danced into the living room of the Sunflower Inn.

thankverbUS /θæŋk/

express gratitude or show appreciation to

From this reading "They ain't no black mournin' aidge bindin' it round nuthah, thank the good Lawd foh that."

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "They ain't no black mournin' aidge bindin' it round nuthah, thank the good Lawd foh that."

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "They ain't no black mournin' aidge bindin' it round nuthah, thank the good Lawd foh that."

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.

TRAILnounUS /treɪl/

a track or mark left by something that has passed

From this reading THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.

truthnounUS /truːθ/

a fact that has been verified

From this reading THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.

VirginianounUS /vərˈdʒɪnjə/

a state in the eastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies; one of the Confederate States in the American Civil War

From this reading "Here's yo' letter from the Fillippians, Mis' Virginia; Mr. Champers done bring hit for you all."

waysnounUS /weɪz/

structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired

From this reading THE CROOKED TRAIL Life may be given in many ways, And loyalty to truth be sealed As bravely in the closet as the field.

yo

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Here's yo' letter from the Fillippians, Mis' Virginia; Mr. Champers done bring hit for you all."

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Here's yo' letter from the Fillippians, Mis' Virginia; Mr. Champers done bring hit for you all."

Chapter 21 of Winning the Wilderness by Margaret Hill McCarter holds 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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.

What does chapter 21 of Winning the Wilderness contain?

Chapter 21 holds 428 sentences of Winning the Wilderness, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 21 of Winning the Wilderness by Margaret Hill McCarter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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.

How do I study chapter 21 of Winning the Wilderness?

Work through the 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 86 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.

Can chapter 21 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Winning the Wilderness

Common questions about reading Winning the Wilderness by Margaret Hill McCarter on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Winning the Wilderness?

Yes. All 7422 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27505 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Winning the Wilderness is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #27505, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Winning the Wilderness take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1485 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Winning the Wilderness section by section

How to work through Winning the Wilderness section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 25 chapters of Winning the Wilderness to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Winning the Wilderness

Words and structures a reader meets early in Winning the Wilderness, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Story
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Winning the Wilderness; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
World
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Winning the Wilderness; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Blazed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Winning the Wilderness; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Greater
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Winning the Wilderness; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.