Spring-Heel'd Jack, The Terror of London — page 284: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

—_s- upon one Jack and then upon the other! ! CHAPTER XCVII. THE ANGLER AND OUR HERO—A BAD TEMPER AND A SUBMISSIVE HUSBAND. Jack could not refrain from laughter, although he felt sorry at the misfortune of the old gentle- man, and his sensibility was not a little enhanced when the aged angler, in his anxiety to secure the fish, which seemed of more importance to himself than anything else, received a severe bite on the finger from the voracious jack, as he attempted to take it from the hook. “Who the devil are you, sir?” cried the old sentleman, angrily. “Confound you for a fool, sir. There’s my finger half off, and all throu oh you, sir. Do you know you are trespassing, sir ? —do you know that, sir ?’ The old centleman had unhooked the fish and slipped it quietly into the tin can. “You ask too many questions at once, my ancient fr oe “ Ancient !—who do you call ancient? I'd have you to know, sir, that I am only sixty-five, and a young man at that, Sir. as I was, sir, twenty years ago, or ’d—what do you think T’d do, sir?” . - Positively, T cannot say, ’ replied Jack. “Then, [ll tell you, sir,” said the old gentle- man, fiercely. ‘* | should be happy to hear ? ” ‘* Pd—l'd—yes, damn it, sir, ’d flmg you into - that stream, sir, and make bate of you for the fish, sir—that’s what I would’ do.” “You are very kind, certainly,” ““T am very glad indeed that you are twenty years older ; for, upon my word, old gentleman, [ should cut a sorry figure after I sot out, with the mud and.the slime clinging to me, as it dods to you.. But, don’t be angry. Take my advice, and go home. A change of dress would not he out of place, [am sure,” “Go home!” cried the old man. “ And my day’s sport spoilt by an idiot who walks about with a mask on his face.’’ “Surely, you had no intention of remaining at the end of that rod all day?” said Jack. “Yes, I did; and your confounded fooling has robbed me of my sport,’ said the old gentle- man, sadly. “ Believe me, sir, I sincerely regret” “Bah! What's the use of that?) Now I must go home, and a pretty scene there will be wit my wife,” said the old gentleman, despair- ingly. “Never mind, siv, A woman's sympathy ” “A woman's fiddlestick,’ growled the other. ‘Mrs. Tomkins is not the woman to sympa- thine. No, sir, her tongue will go thirteen to the dozen, L warrant you. I’das soon meet the said Jack. I’m not so strong. A A I Jack. “A tongue ? rod. J shall never hear the last of it—never.” And the old gentleman’s face became more sloomy as he spoke, and he looked despairingly at his soaked and soiled habiliments. ‘‘ Perhaps she don’t admire fishing ? 1 said Jack. °3 Confound her, no. What woman does ? Angling, sir, requires an amount of patience that no woman in the-world ever yet possessed. No, sir, not one of them from the time of Eve down- wards.”’ ‘And many men, too,” said Jack, ‘“ aie have you far to go home ? ’ ‘“ About half a mile,” said the old gentleman, “and here’s a pretty figure to move alang the high road !”’ “‘ Certainly your appearance has not been i im- proved by your ducking.” “Tmproved! Damn it! sir, I look like. a drowned rat. with my things clinging to me. My appearance ”—— - ‘‘Ts laughable, at least, ” interrupted Jack 5 + ‘““ but no one will see you.” ““ No one see me!” “No, sir—not if you will take nly advice”? said J ack, with a smile. hy “What is that?” | ‘ Hide yourself behind your Aukinieeodl ale “Eh !—what? What the devil do you mean by poking your fun at me, sir?” said the old sentleman, turning very red in the face. “ Tndeed, you might escape a deal of observa- tion by so doing,” said Jack. ‘* Your usually attenuated frame is so much thinner since your misfortune that, if you will ohly walk in the shadow of your fishing.rod, I am sure you will not be seen.”’ ‘You rascal, you!” cried the old man, un- clasping the first joint of the rod, and raising it above his head threateningly, ‘ T've pals a mind to lay this over your shoulders.” ‘‘So long as the other half inclines 48 mind not to attempt it, I don’t care,’ said Jack, ‘But come, old centleman, don’t let us be bad friends, for ib sincerely regret your ill luck.” “hen what the devil did you pop on me so suddenly for ?”’ ALLL. “Fal stood beside you for some time ere you saw me.’ “Then why didn’t you speak 2” “ T did more—I positively bellowed, to attract your attention,’ was Jack’s reply ; “but you were so intent upon the capture of ‘the jack in the water that you would neither see nor hear the Jack on shore. Your whole mind was so absorbed in the sport, as you term it, that you had neither eyes nor ears for anything else. Come, sir, lower your rod, and let us he friends.” “Friends! Uve a good mind to hide you as long as [ can stand over yous But there, [— | well, there—I won't be angry! And the old man lowered the upraised cane, and extended his hand to Jack, who shook it warmly. Yes, longer than my fishing- es 4 286 SPRING-HEEL'D JACK: THE TERROR OF LONDON. Sa 7 lake him by the ee sin we him on nib bank, | devil himself as meet ae in this state. ‘And. | ee, where he stood, a mostcomical picture to behold, yet, how can I avoid it? ”’ gk Ih A dripping wet and smothered with mud, glaring} - ‘‘So the old lady has a tongue, has she?” said: 4 — om eee ei 7 — * - ry , = ‘comicbook: