The Project Gutenberg EBook of Sea Urchins, by W. W. Jacobs

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Title: Sea Urchins

Author: W. W. Jacobs

Release Date: June 25, 2007 [EBook #21931]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SEA URCHINS ***

Produced by David Widger

SEA URCHINS

By W. W. Jacobs

1899.

TO MY SISTER FLORENCE.

Contents:

SMOKED SKIPPER.

A SAFETY MATCH.

A RASH EXPERIMENT.

THE CABIN PASSENGER.

"CHOICE SPIRITS."

A DISCIPLINARIAN.

BROTHER HUTCHINS.

THE DISBURSEMENT SHEET.

RULE OF THREE.

PICKLED HERRING.

TWO OF A TRADE.

AN INTERVENTION.

THE GREY PARROT.

MONEY CHANGERS.

THE LOST SHIP.

SMOKED SKIPPER.

"Wapping Old Stairs?" said the rough individual, shouldering the
bran-new sea-chest, and starting off at a trot with it; "yus, I know the
place, captin. Fust v'y'ge, sir?"

"Ay, ay, my hearty," replied the owner of the chest, a small,
ill-looking lad of fourteen. "Not so fast with those timbers of yours.
D'ye hear?"

"All right, sir," said the man, and, slackening his pace, twisted his
head round to take stock of his companion.

"This ain't your fust v'y'ge, captin," he said admiringly; "don't tell
me. I could twig that directly I see you. Ho, what's the use o' trying
to come it over a poor 'ard-working man like that?"

"I don't think there's much about the sea I don't know," said the boy in
a satisfied voice. "Starboard, starboard your hellum a bit."

The man obeying promptly, they went the remainder of the distance in
this fashion, to the great inconvenience of people coming from the other
direction.

"And a cheap 'arf-crown's worth, too, captin," said the man, as he put
the chest down at the head of the stairs and thoughtfully sat on it
pending payment.

"I want to go off to the _Susan Jane_," said the boy, turning to a
waterman who was sitting in his boat, holding on to the side of the
steps with his hand.

"All right," said the man, "give us a hold o' your box."

"Put it aboard," said the boy to the other man.

"A' right, captin," said the man, with a cheerful smile, "b