The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Parthenon By Way Of Papendrecht, by
F. Hopkinson Smith

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Title: The Parthenon By Way Of Papendrecht
1909

Author: F. Hopkinson Smith

Illustrator: F. Hopkinson Smith

Release Date: December 3, 2007 [EBook #23703]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PARTHENON ***

Produced by David Widger

THE PARTHENON BY WAY OF PAPENDRECHT

By F. Hopkinson Smith

1909

"WILYUM!....._Wilyum!_.....WILYUM!"

It was mine host of the Ferry Inn at Cook-ham who was calling, and at
the top of his voice--and a big-chested voice it was--the sound leaping
into crescendo as the object of his search remained hidden. Then he
turned to me:

"He's somewheres 'round the boat house--you can't miss him--there's too
much of him!"

"Are ye wantin' me, sor?" came another shout as I rounded the squat
building stuffed with boats--literally so--bottom, top, and sides.

"Yes--are you the boatman?"

"I am, sor--and bloody sick of me job. Do ye see that wherry shovin'
off--the one with the lady in a sweater? Yes--that's right--just slipped
under the bridge. Well, sor, what d'ye think the bloke did for me? Look
at it, sor!" (Here he held out his hand, in which lay a half-penny.)
"And me a-washin' out 'is boat, feedin' of 'is dog, and keepin' an eye
on 'is togs and 'is ladies--and then shoves off and 'ands me this--a
'a'penny, sor--_a 'a'penny_--from the likes o' 'im to the likes o' me!
Damn 'im!"--and away went the coin into the river. "You'll excuse me,
sor, but i couldn't choke it down. Is it a punt ye're lookin' for?"

The landlord was right--there was a good deal of him--six feet and an
inch, I should think; straight as an oar, his bared arms swinging free;
waist, thighs, and back tough as a saw-log. To this was added two big
blue eyes set in a clean-shaven face bronzed by the sun, and a double
row of teeth that would have shamed an ear of corn. I caught, too, the
muscles of his chest rounding out his boating shirt, and particularly
the muscles of the neck supporting the round head crowned with closely
cropped hair--evidently a young Englishman of that great middle clas