The Project Gutenberg EBook of Paying Off, by W.W. Jacobs

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Title: Paying Off
Deep Waters, Part 2.

Author: W.W. Jacobs

Release Date: March 6, 2004 [EBook #11472]

Language: English

Character set encoding: US-ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PAYING OFF ***




Produced by David Widger






DEEP WATERS

By W.W. JACOBS




PAYING OFF

My biggest fault, said the night-watchman, gloomily, has been good
nature. I've spent the best part of my life trying to do my fellow-
creeturs a good turn. And what do I get for it? If all the people I've
helped was to come 'ere now there wouldn't be standing room for them on
this wharf. 'Arf of them would be pushed overboard--and a good place for
'em, too.

I've been like it all my life. I was good-natured enough to go to sea as
a boy because a skipper took a fancy to me and wanted my 'elp, and when I
got older I was good-natured enough to get married. All my life I've
given 'elp and advice free, and only a day or two ago one of 'em wot I
'ad given it to came round here with her 'usband and 'er two brothers and
'er mother and two or three people from the same street, to see her give
me "wot for."

Another fault o' mine has been being sharp. Most people make mistakes,
and they can't bear to see anybody as don't. Over and over agin I have
showed people 'ow silly they 'ave been to do certain things, and told 'em
wot I should ha' done in their place, but I can't remember one that ever
gave me a "thank you" for it.

There was a man 'ere 'arf an hour ago that reminded me of both of these
faults. He came in a-purpose to remind me, and 'e brought a couple o'
grinning, brass-faced monkeys with 'im to see 'im do it. I was sitting
on that barrel when

William Wymark Jacobs (September 8, 1863 September 1, 1943), was an English author of short stories and novels. He is now best remembered for his macabre tales The Monkeys Paw (published 1902) and The Toll House (in the collection of short stories The Lady of the Barge). However the majority of his output was humorous in tone. His favourite subjects were marine life: men who go down to the sea in ships of moderate tonnage said Punch, reviewing his first collection of stories, Many Cargoes, which achieved great popular success on its publication in 1896.

William Wymark Jacobs (September 8, 1863 September 1, 1943), was an English author of short stories and novels. He is now best remembered for his macabre tales The Monkeys Paw (published 1902) and The Toll House (in the collection of short stories The Lady of the Barge). However the majority of his output was humorous in tone. His favourite subjects were marine life: men who go down to the sea in ships of moderate tonnage said Punch, reviewing his first collection of stories, Many Cargoes, which achieved great popular success on its publication in 1896.

William Wymark Jacobs (September 8, 1863 September 1, 1943), was an English author of short stories and novels. He is now best remembered for his macabre tales The Monkeys Paw (published 1902) and The Toll House (in the collection of short stories The Lady of the Barge). However the majority of his output was humorous in tone. His favourite subjects were marine life: men who go down to the sea in ships of moderate tonnage said Punch, reviewing his first collection of stories, Many Cargoes, which achieved great popular success on its publication in 1896.