Frivolities, Especially Addressed to Those Who Are Tired of Being SeriousMarsh, Richard
General
Frivolities, Especially Addressed to Those Who Are Tired of Being Serious
Marsh, Richard
Fiction; Humorous stories, English; Short stories, English
"If you please, sir, seems as how this here boy's for you. Leastways,
it says so on his ticket." Turning round on his box the driver
addressed his fare. "This here's the schoolmaster, and this here's
Mulberry House."
The boy opened his mouth. Sounds issued forth. But they were sounds
without form, and void. He appeared, judging from the grimaces he was
making, to be suffering from an attack of facial convulsion. The
flyman descended from his box.
"Seems, sir, as how this here boy's got a stutter. It is a stutter
too. I never see nothing like it. They've been and stuck a lot of
tickets all over him, so that people might know where he was going to.
He'd never have made them understand."
When the boy came out of the fly Mr. Harland perceived that what the
coachman said was correct. A square, white card was sewed on his coat,
another on his waistcoat, and a third in a most prominent situation on
his breeches. The writing on this latter, by dint of constant
friction, had become so worn as to be unintelligible. On the other two
was written, in a bold round hand, so that he that ran might read:
"Frank J. Samuel Bindon,
Mulberry House School, Duddenham, England.
Note.--This Boy Stutters."
"I suppose," said Mr. Harland, as he eyed the youth, "that you are one
of the assorted lot."
The boy opened his mouth.
"B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b--"
"I wouldn't speak to him much if I was you, sir," said the flyman.
"Every time he opens his mouth I expect to see him have a fit. I've
seen some stutters, but I never see one which came within a hundred
mile of his."
"I think," said Mr. Harland, when he introduced Frank J. Samuel Bindon
to his wife, "that I begin to understand what Mr. Bindon meant when he
wrote that he was shipping an assorted lot of sons. In his family he
appears to have samples of every kind."
"Hollo!" cried John F. Ernest, as Frank J. Samuel put in an appearance
in the playground, "here's Stammering Sam!"
"Maria," said Mr. Harland, about an hour later, to his wife,
"Stammering Sam can fight. He has polished off John G. William. He is
taking on John B. David for a change. What an interesting family those
Bindons are."
On the Friday the fly which had conveyed Stammering Sam again drove up
to the doors of Mulberry House. The same flyman was on the box.
"Sarah," he observed to the servant who opened the door, "I've been
bringing you a queer lot of young gentlemen of late. Wednesday I
brought you up one with a stutter, now I've brought you one what's
only got one leg, and another what's only got one arm. You'll soon be
able to keep a museum of living curiosities."
As he was speaking the flyman stood at the door of his fly, his back
turned to his fares. Suddenly the servant gave an exclamation.
"Look out, Mr. Stubbs," she cried.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account