FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123  
124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   >>   >|  
had a column headed "What I Want to Know," and signed "Senob." in which such pertinent queries appeared as: "When will the naughty old lord who owns a sky-blue motor-car, and wears pink spats, realise that his treatment of his tenants is a disgrace to his ancient lineage?" This was one of James Jacobus Jelf's contributed efforts. It happened on this particular occasion that there was only one lord in England who owned a sky-blue car and blush-rose spats, and it cost Bones two hundred pounds to settle his lordship. Soon after this, Bones disposed of the paper, and instructed Mr. Jelf not to call again unless he called in an ambulance--an instruction which afterwards filled him with apprehension, since he knew that J. J. J. would charge up the ambulance to the office. Thus matters stood two days after his car had made its public appearance, and Bones sat confronting the busy pages of his garage bill. On this day he had had his lunch brought into the office, and he was in a maze of calculation, when there came a knock at the door. "Come in!" he yelled, and, as there was no answer, walked to the door and opened it. A young man stood in the doorway--a young man very earnest and very mysterious--none other than James Jacobus Jelf. "Oh, it's you, is it?" said Bones unfavourably "I thought it was somebody important." Jelf tiptoed into the room and closed the door securely behind him. "Old man," he said, in tones little above a whisper, "I've got a fortune for you." "Dear old libeller, leave it with the lift-man," said Bones. "He has a wife and three children." Mr. Jelf examined his watch. "I've got to get away at three o'clock, old man," he said. "Don't let me keep you, old writer," said Bones with insolent indifference. Jelf smiled. "I'd rather not say where I'm going," he volunteered. "It's a scoop, and if it leaked out, there would be the devil to pay." "Oh!" said Bones, who knew Mr. Jelf well. "I thought it was something like that." "I'd like to tell you, Tibbetts," said Jelf regretfully, "but you know how particular one has to be when one is dealing with matters affecting the integrity of ministers." "I know, I know," responded Bones, wilfully dense, "especially huffy old vicars, dear old thing." "Oh, them!" said Jelf, extending his contempt to the rules which govern the employment of the English language. "I don't worry about those poor funny things. No, I am speakin
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123  
124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

ambulance

 
thought
 

matters

 

office

 

Jacobus

 

volunteered

 
indifference
 
insolent
 

writer

 
smiled

examined

 

pertinent

 

fortune

 

whisper

 

libeller

 

signed

 

children

 

govern

 
employment
 

English


contempt

 

extending

 

vicars

 

language

 
things
 

speakin

 
headed
 

Tibbetts

 

leaked

 
regretfully

ministers

 

responded

 

wilfully

 

integrity

 

affecting

 

column

 
dealing
 

important

 

filled

 

disgrace


tenants

 

apprehension

 

instruction

 

called

 
lineage
 
ancient
 

treatment

 

realise

 
charge
 

happened