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Down the Slope
Down the Slope

Chapter XXIV

Cover illustration for Down the Slope
Context Illustration Reading 1/23 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.
"I've bought the land!" he cried, exultantly.
"The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.
There's a mortgage of three hundred to be paid in a year, an' that'll be jest the same as nothin' after we show up what's there."
"Did you see Fred?" the widow asked, anxiously, paying but little attention to the good news.
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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.

Down the Slope

Chapter XXIV

Reading 1/23 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.
Line 2
"I've bought the land!" he cried, exultantly.
Line 3
"The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.
Line 4
There's a mortgage of three hundred to be paid in a year, an' that'll be jest the same as nothin' after we show up what's there."
Line 5
"Did you see Fred?" the widow asked, anxiously, paying but little attention to the good news.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.”

Asked noun US /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"Did you see Fred?" the widow asked, anxiously, paying but little attention to the good news.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “"The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “"The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.”

Cried noun US /cried/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"I've bought the land!" he cried, exultantly.”

Directly noun US /ˈdirectly/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.”

Good noun US /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"Did you see Fred?" the widow asked, anxiously, paying but little attention to the good news.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “"The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"Did you see Fred?" the widow asked, anxiously, paying but little attention to the good news.”

Morning noun US /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.”

Returned noun US /ˈreturned/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.”

Same noun US /same/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There's a mortgage of three hundred to be paid in a year, an' that'll be jest the same as nothin' after we show up what's there."”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.”

Went noun US /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.”

All words in this reading · 83

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

anxiously

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

From this reading "Did you see Fred?" the widow asked, anxiously, paying but little attention to the good news.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading There's a mortgage of three hundred to be paid in a year, an' that'll be jest the same as nothin' after we show up what's there."

askednounUS /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "Did you see Fred?" the widow asked, anxiously, paying but little attention to the good news.

attention

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

From this reading "Did you see Fred?" the widow asked, anxiously, paying but little attention to the good news.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading There's a mortgage of three hundred to be paid in a year, an' that'll be jest the same as nothin' after we show up what's there."

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

Bill

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

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

BILL'S

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

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

bought

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

From this reading "I've bought the land!" he cried, exultantly.

Brace

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

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "Did you see Fred?" the widow asked, anxiously, paying but little attention to the good news.

Byram's

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

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

cashier

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

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

chance

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

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

criednounUS /cried/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "I've bought the land!" he cried, exultantly.

Didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading "Did you see Fred?" the widow asked, anxiously, paying but little attention to the good news.

directlynounUS /ˈdirectly/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

dollars

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

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

down

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

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

exultantly

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

From this reading "I've bought the land!" he cried, exultantly.

Farley's

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

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

farmer

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

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

five

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

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

four

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

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

Fred

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

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

glad

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

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

goodnounUS /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "Did you see Fred?" the widow asked, anxiously, paying but little attention to the good news.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

hundred

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

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

I'd

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

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

I've

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

From this reading "I've bought the land!" he cried, exultantly.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading There's a mortgage of three hundred to be paid in a year, an' that'll be jest the same as nothin' after we show up what's there."

intended

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

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

jest

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

From this reading There's a mortgage of three hundred to be paid in a year, an' that'll be jest the same as nothin' after we show up what's there."

Joe

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

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

land

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

From this reading "I've bought the land!" he cried, exultantly.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "Did you see Fred?" the widow asked, anxiously, paying but little attention to the good news.

mighty

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

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

MISHAP

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

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

more

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

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

morningnounUS /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

mortgage

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

From this reading There's a mortgage of three hundred to be paid in a year, an' that'll be jest the same as nothin' after we show up what's there."

Mrs

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

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

news

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

From this reading "Did you see Fred?" the widow asked, anxiously, paying but little attention to the good news.

nothin

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

From this reading There's a mortgage of three hundred to be paid in a year, an' that'll be jest the same as nothin' after we show up what's there."

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

paid

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

From this reading There's a mortgage of three hundred to be paid in a year, an' that'll be jest the same as nothin' after we show up what's there."

paying

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

From this reading "Did you see Fred?" the widow asked, anxiously, paying but little attention to the good news.

price

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

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

returnednounUS /ˈreturned/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

samenounUS /same/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There's a mortgage of three hundred to be paid in a year, an' that'll be jest the same as nothin' after we show up what's there."

see

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

From this reading "Did you see Fred?" the widow asked, anxiously, paying but little attention to the good news.

sell

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

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

show

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

From this reading There's a mortgage of three hundred to be paid in a year, an' that'll be jest the same as nothin' after we show up what's there."

that'll

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

From this reading There's a mortgage of three hundred to be paid in a year, an' that'll be jest the same as nothin' after we show up what's there."

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

there

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

From this reading There's a mortgage of three hundred to be paid in a year, an' that'll be jest the same as nothin' after we show up what's there."

There's

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

From this reading There's a mortgage of three hundred to be paid in a year, an' that'll be jest the same as nothin' after we show up what's there."

three

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

From this reading There's a mortgage of three hundred to be paid in a year, an' that'll be jest the same as nothin' after we show up what's there."

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

up

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

From this reading There's a mortgage of three hundred to be paid in a year, an' that'll be jest the same as nothin' after we show up what's there."

warned

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

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading There's a mortgage of three hundred to be paid in a year, an' that'll be jest the same as nothin' after we show up what's there."

wentnounUS /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading BILL'S MISHAP Joe Brace returned to Farley's on the morning after he warned Bill and Fred of what the cashier intended to do, and went directly to Mrs. Byram's.

what's

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

From this reading There's a mortgage of three hundred to be paid in a year, an' that'll be jest the same as nothin' after we show up what's there."

whittled

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

From this reading "The farmer was mighty glad of a chance to sell for five hundred dollars, an' if I'd had more time the price could have been whittled down to four.

widow

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

From this reading "Did you see Fred?" the widow asked, anxiously, paying but little attention to the good news.

year

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

From this reading There's a mortgage of three hundred to be paid in a year, an' that'll be jest the same as nothin' after we show up what's there."

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Did you see Fred?" the widow asked, anxiously, paying but little attention to the good news.