The Project Gutenberg eBook, Fables, by Robert Louis Stevenson

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Title: Fables

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson

Release Date: February 28, 2007 [eBook #343]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FABLES***

Transcribed from the 1901 Longmans, Green & Co. edition by David Price,
email ccx074@pglaf.org

FABLES

BY
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

I.--THE PERSONS OF THE TALE.

After the 32nd chapter of _Treasure Island_, two of the puppets strolled
out to have a pipe before business should begin again, and met in an open
place not far from the story.

"Good-morning, Cap'n," said the first, with a man-o'-war salute, and a
beaming countenance.

"Ah, Silver!" grunted the other. "You're in a bad way, Silver."

"Now, Cap'n Smollett," remonstrated Silver, "dooty is dooty, as I knows,
and none better; but we're off dooty now; and I can't see no call to keep
up the morality business."

"You're a damned rogue, my man," said the Captain.

"Come, come, Cap'n, be just," returned the other. "There's no call to be
angry with me in earnest. I'm on'y a chara'ter in a sea story. I don't
really exist."

"Well, I don't really exist either," says the Captain, "which seems to
meet that."

"I wouldn't set no limits to what a virtuous chara'ter might consider
argument," responded Silver. "But I'm the villain of this tale, I am;
and speaking as one sea-faring man to another, what I want to know is,
what's the odds?"

"Were you never taught your catechism?" said the Captain. "Don't you
know there's such a thing as an Author?"

"Such a thing as a Author?" returned John, derisively. "And who better'n
me? And the p'int is, if the Author made you, he made Long John, and he
made Hands, and Pew, and George Merry--not that George is up to much, for
he's little more'n a name; and he made Flint, what there is of him; and
he made this here mutiny, you keep such a work about; and he had Tom
Redruth shot; and--well, if that's a Author, give me Pew!"

"Don't you believe in a future state?" said Smollett. "Do you think
there's nothing but the present story-paper?"

"I don't righ