The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-06-30

talk TO me about gratitOOde: I've seen
too much Of It. III people wot I've
helped In my time d only done ART
their doOty-arf, mind you'll should
be riding In my carriage"
Forgetful Of the limitations OF SOAP
boxes he attempted to illustrate his
remark by lolling. and nearly went
over backwards. Recovering himself
by an effort he gazed sternIy across
the river and smoked fiercely. Il was
evident that he was broOding over an
Unused past.
ATTY Thomson was one Of them, he
said. at last For over six months
wrote all Is love-letters for him. q
being ma 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 q come
up to where ! was standing one day
and set about me without saying q
word. was a single man at the time
and didn't understand Il. My idea
was that he 'ad gone mad, and, being
pretty arfful and always 'aving hor.
ror OF mad people, I let i'm chase me
into police-statiOn. Leastways. l
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 company with q gal and
got tired Of II. and to oblige Inn went
to her and told 'er he was a married
man with five children. Bill was as
pleased as Punch at fust, but as soon
as she took up with another chap he
came round to see me and said as I'd
ruined his life. We 'ad words about
acknowledgement I did ruin IL then
to the extent Of couple o. ribs.
went to see i'm In the horsepittle--a
place I've always been fond of-aud
the langwidge he used to me was 80
bad that thy sent for the Sister to
ear It.
That's on'y two out Of dozens
could name. Arr the unpleasantness
In my life 'av come out Of doing kind
nesses to people. and all the graft
toOde I've 'ad for Il I could put in a
pint-pot with pint O. beer already
in II.
The only case o. real gratitoode I
ever heard OF 'appened to shipmate
o mine-a young chap named Bob
Evans. Coming home from Auckland
in a barque called the Dragon Fly he
fell overheard, and another chap
named George Crofts. one o. the best
swimmers l ever knew. went over
board after i'm and saved his life.
We was 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.
He 'adnt liked him afore, same as the
rest OF us, George being a sly, mean
sort @ chap; but arter George 'ad
saved his life q couldn't praise i'm
enough. He said that so long az he
'ad crust George should share Il, and
wotever George asked I'm he should
have.
The unfortnit part Of II was that
George took i'm at his word. and all
the rest Of the v'y'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 Is own.
He used to take q room when he was
ashore and live very steady, as q was
saving up to get married. and as soon
as he found that out George invited
imself to stay with him.
1T won't cost you a bit more" he
ses, mot II you work II properly"
Bob didn't work II 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 were ashore q took i'm
along with I'm there to tea.
Gerty Mitchell-that was the gals
name-'adn't heard OF Bob's accident,
and when she did she gave q little