Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-12-27
r. Pob's r.
Redemption
By w. W. JACOBS
Copyright, 1905. bv Wtutam ". Jacobs

~ RATITOODE!--sa the night
~ Waterman, with a hard laugh.
Hmf! Don't talk to me about
gratitoode. I've seen too much
of 1t. If people wot I've helped in my
time 'ad only done arr their dooty-arf,
mind you'll should be riding in my
carriage.
AIRY Thomson was one Of them-he
said at last. For over six months
wrote all Is love letters for him, he
being an iggernerant sort of man and
only being able to do the kisses at the
end, which he always insisted on doing
'imself, being jealous. Only three
weeks arter he was married he come
up to where l was standing one day
and set ABOUT me without saying
word. was single man at the time,
and 1 didn't understand 1t. My idea
was that he Fad gone mad, and. being
pretty artful and always 'aving hor-
ror Of mad people. let i'm chase me
into q police station. Leastways, I
would ha' let i'm, but he didn't come,
and all but got fourteen days for be-
ing drunk and disorderly.
Then there was Bill Clark. He 'ad
been keeping comp'ny with gal and
got tired Of 1t, and to oblige i'm went
to her and told 'er he was married
man with i've children. Bill was as
pleased 40 Punch at fust, but as soon
as she took up with another chap he
came round to see me and said az I'd
ruined rs life. We 'ad words about it,
naturally-and did ruin It then to the
extent OF couple O ribs. wentsto
see I'm in the horsepittle-a place I've
always been fond of-and the lang
widge he used to me was so bad that
they sent for the sister to ear 1t.
That's on'y two out of dozens could
name. ART the unpleasantnesses In my
life ave come out Of doing kindnesses
to people. and all the gratitcode I've
'ad for it I could put in pint pot with
a pint o. beer already in 1t.
The only case o. real gratitoode ever
heard Of 'appened to shipmate O.
mine, young chap named Bob Evans.
Coming home from Auckland In bark
called the Dragon Fly he fell over
board, and another chap named George
Crofts one O. the best swimmers ever
knew. went overheard AFTER Inn and
saved his life.
We were hardly moving at the time,
and the sea was like duck pond, but
to ear Bob Evans talk you'd ha'
thought that George Crofts was the
bravest 'arted chap that ever lived. BE
'adn't liked him afore, same as the rest
Of US, George being sly, mean sort o
chap, but after George 'ad saved his
life he couldn't praise i'm enough. He
said that so long as he had crust
George should share 1t, and woteyer
George asked I'm he should have.
The unfortnit part Of It was that
George took i'm ut his word, and all
the rest of the vy'ge he acted as though
Bob belonged to I'm, and by the time
we got into the London river Bob
couldn't call his soul his own. He used
to take room when he was ashore
and live very steady, as he was saving
up to get married. and as soon as he
found that out George invited 'imseH
to stay with him.
ut won't cost you q bit more" he
ses. mot II you work 1t properly"
Bob didn't work it properly, but
George having saved his life and never
letting i'm forget it he didn't like to
tell him so. He thought he'd let i'm
see gradual that he'd got to be careful
because Of 'is gal and the fust evening
they was ashore he took i'm alongwith
I'm there to tea.
Gerty Mitchell-that was the sal's
name-'adn't heard Of Bob's accident,
and when che did she gave little
scream and. putting FER arms around
his neck, began to kiss I'm right In
front Of George and her mother.
you ought to give him one too" go
Mrs. Mitchell. pointing to George.
George wiped is mouth on the back
Of his and. but Gerty pretended not to
ear.
.Fancy IL you'd been drownded!" she
ses, bngging Bob ag'in.
He was pretty near" ses George
shaking his 'ead. I'm pore SWIM
mer, but I made up my mind either to
save Inn or else 60 down to watery
grave myself"
He wiped his mouth on the back Of
his and ag'in, but all the notice Gerty
took Of it was to send her young broth
er Ted out for some beer. Then they
all 'ad supper together, and Mrs. Mitch
ell drank good luck to George in
glass O beer, and said she 'oped that
'er own boy would grow up like him.
LET I'm grow up good and brave
man. that's all I ask" she ses. "
don't care about lis looks"
"He might have BOTH" ses George,
sharplike. "Why notr'
Mrs. Mitchell said she supposed he
might, and then she cufed young
Ted's ears for making noise while he
was eating, and then cuffed I'm ag'in
for saying that he'd finished Is supper
five minutes ago.
George and Bob walked 'ome to-
gether, and all the way there George
said wot pretty gal Gerty was and
'ow lucky it was for Bob that he admit
been drownded. He went round to tea
with i'm the next day to Mrs. Mitch
ellis, and arter tea, when Bob and
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