Digital heart book

"A pretty mess we've had!" said he. "Half the stores
were wrong; I'll wring John Smith's neck for him some
of these days. Then two newspaper beasts came down,
and tried to raise copy out of me, till I threatened
them with the first thing handy; and then some kind of
missionary bug, wanting to work his passage to Raiatea
or somewhere. I told him I would take him off the
wharf with the butt end of my boot, and he went away
cursing. This vessel's been depreciated by the look of
him."
While the captain spoke, with his strange, humorous,
arrogant abruptness, I observed Jim to be sizing him
up, like a thing at once quaint and familiar, and with
a scrutiny that was both curious and knowing.
"One word, dear boy," he said, turning suddenly to me.
And when he had drawn me on deck--"That man," says he,
"will carry sail till your hair grows white; but never
you let on--never breathe a word. I know his line:
he'll die before he'll take advice; and if you get his
back up, he'll run you right under. I don't often jam
in my advice, Loudon; and when I do, it means I'm
thoroughly posted.


Pages:
282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306