The sun., 1901-12-21
NEW BOOKs.
Continued from Sepenth Page

Of a preoccupled policeman. Turning TO
the tale entitled Hard Labor the third
OF the sixteen tales included In the book,
We learn that the foremost figure is Police
Constable c 40. who is pacing slowly up
Wrapping High street in the cool OF the
evening, and that the figure behind ia Mr.
Charles Pinner, ships fireman, who Is
thinking Of -bonneting' the policeman -
that is, Of knocking his helmet down over
his eyes. This he does presently. We
read: &C 4s's first thought was that a Chin
ney had fallen, and his one idea was to
catch 1t In the act. He made desperate
grab. even before pushing his helmet up,
and caught Mr.. Pinner by the arm. Lego
said that gentleman, struggling. 'Ho,
said G 40, crimson with wrath, as he phsheu
his helmet up. Now you come along
O me. my lad Mr.. Pinner, regretting the
natural impulse which had led 10 his undo
ing, wrenched himself free and staggered
against the fence which surrounded tue
waste ground. Then he ducked SIDEWAYS,
and as c 40 renewed his invitation, coupled
with warning concerning the futiiity OF
resistance, struck him full and square on
the temple The constable went down as
though he had been shot. His helmet
rolled OF as he fell, and his head struck
the pavement. Mr.. Pinner, his taste Tor
bonneting policemen all gone. passed an
sdmirng small boy at the double, and then,
turning the corner rapidly, slackened his
pace TO something less conspicuous, and
30 reached home, where he threw himself
IN a chair in the presence OF his wife and
breathcd heavily.
Such is the beginning of a tale which
goes on 10 show us how an incident OF the
sort NAV correct the independent and
selfish habits of ships fireman, and may
set in operation the great latent ingenuity
OF a ships ireman's wife. Trembling,
Mr. Pinner told his wife what he had done.
She put him 10 bed, where he lay all night
carefully concealed under the bedclothcs.
In the morning she bought a newspaper
and read to him he himself was illiterate-
the following dreadful paragraph
A violent assault was committed last
night on a policeman down at Mapping,
who was knocked down by seafaring
man until he got a conclusion OF the brain.
The injured constable states that he can
identify the man what attacked him, and
has given a full description OF him at the
police station. where search is now being
made for i'm. The public houses are being
watched
Mr. Pinner was naturally much alarmed,
I'm in n nice ole | don't think" he said.
He STAYED in the house all day and did
job Of necessary whitewashing and paper
ing. which ho had never found time 10 do
before On succeeding days he made
peramhulator lor the baby out of a soap
box and did number Of things which
won for him the admiration Of the wives
of his fellow tenants, who testified warmly
before their husbands 20 his being the very
best and most valuable family man that
had evor como under their observation
Mrs Pinner had no difficulty in finding
other paragraphs in the paper, which served
TO keep Mr.. Pinner in the house and hard
at work during the whole period OF his
shore leave. Toward The last he had his
suspiciou.. but he was without proof. and
any way. tho papering and the whitewash-
ing and the other things had been at
tended TO.
Much ingenuity has also been brought
10 bear by Mr. Jacobs on all the other
stories