FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34  
35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   >>   >|  
t. It was a big place; big enough to 'ave a dozen Orange Villas, but pore Sam couldn't find one. It wasn't for want of trying neither. He asked at over twenty shops, and the post-office, and even went to the police-station. He must ha' walked six or seven miles looking for it, and at last, 'arf ready to drop, 'e took the train back. He 'ad some sausages and mashed potatoes with a pint o' stout at a place in Bishopsgate, and then 'e started to walk 'ome. The only comfort he 'ad was the thought of the ten pounds Ginger and Peter 'ad paid 'im; and when he remembered that he began to cheer up and even smile. By the time he got 'ome 'e was beaming all over 'is face. "Where've you been?" ses Ginger. "Enjoying myself by myself," ses Sam. "Please yourself," ses Peter, very severe, "but where'd you ha' been if we 'ad sold the locket and skipped, eh?" "You wouldn't 'ave enjoyed yourself by yourself then," ses Ginger. "Yes, you may laugh!" Sam didn't answer 'im, but he sat down on 'is bed and 'is shoulders shook till Ginger lost his temper and gave him a couple o' thumps on the back that pretty near broke it. "All right," ses Sam, very firm. "Now you 'ave done for yourselves. I 'ad a'most made up my mind to go shares; now you sha'n't 'ave a ha'penny." Ginger laughed then. "Ho!" he ses, "and 'ow are you going to prevent it?" "We've got the locket, Sam," ses Peter, smiling and shaking his 'ead at 'im. "And we'll mind it till it's sold," ses Ginger. Sam laughed agin, short and nasty. Then he undressed 'imself very slow and got into bed. At twelve o'clock, just as Ginger was dropping off, he began to laugh agin, and 'e only stopped when 'e heard Ginger getting out of bed to 'im. He stayed in bed next morning, 'cos he said 'is sides was aching, but 'e laughed agin as they was going out, and when they came back he 'ad gorn. We never know 'ow much we' like anything till we lose it. A week arterwards, as Ginger was being 'elped out of a pawnshop by Peter, he said 'e would give all he 'adn't got for the locket to be near enough to Sam to hear 'im laugh agin. 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 pus
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34  
35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Ginger

 

locket

 
laughed
 

wouldn

 

smiling

 

prevent

 

stayed

 
morning
 

shaking

 

stopped


dropping

 

twelve

 

undressed

 
imself
 
fellow
 

creeturs

 

gloomily

 
nature
 

standing

 

people


helped
 

watchman

 
aching
 

arterwards

 

biggest

 

PAYING

 

pawnshop

 

sausages

 

mashed

 
potatoes

comfort

 

thought

 

started

 
Bishopsgate
 

couldn

 
Orange
 
Villas
 

twenty

 

station

 
walked

police

 
office
 
pounds
 

couple

 

thumps

 

pretty

 

temper

 
shoulders
 
shares
 

answer