Three Men and a MaidWodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville)
General
Three Men and a Maid
Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville)
Humorous stories
One says that the man hurled the bills in the direction of the deck,
and that was exactly what he did. But the years had robbed his
pitching-arm of the limber strength which, forty summers back, had made
him the terror of opposing boys' baseball teams. He still retained a
fair control but he lacked steam. The handkerchief with its precious
contents shot in a graceful arc towards the deck, fell short by a good
six feet and dropped into the water, where it unfolded like a lily,
sending twenty-dollar bills, ten-dollar bills, five-dollar bills, and
an assortment of ones floating over the wavelets. The cheers of the
citizenry changed to cries of horror. The girl uttered a plaintive
shriek. The boat moved on.
It was at this moment that Mr. Oscar Swenson, one of the thriftiest
souls who ever came out of Sweden, perceived that the chance of a
lifetime had arrived for adding substantially to his little savings. By
profession he was one of those men who eke out a precarious livelihood
by rowing dreamily about the waterfront in skiffs. He was doing so now:
and, as he sat meditatively in his skiff, having done his best to give
the liner a good send-off by paddling round her in circles, the
pleading face of a twenty-dollar bill peered up at him. Mr. Swenson was
not the man to resist the appeal. He uttered a sharp bark of ecstasy,
pressed his Derby hat firmly upon his brow and dived in. A moment later
he had risen to the surface and was gathering up money with both hands.
He was still busy with this congenial task when a tremendous splash at
his side sent him under again; and, rising for a second time, he
observed with not a little chagrin that he had been joined by a young
man in a blue flannel suit with an invisible stripe.
"Svensk!" exclaimed Mr. Swenson, or whatever it is that natives of
Sweden exclaim in moments of justifiable annoyance. He resented the
advent of this newcomer. He had been getting along fine and had had the
situation well in hand. To him Sam Marlowe represented Competition, and
Mr. Swenson desired no competitors in his treasure-seeking enterprise.
He travels, thought Mr. Swenson, the fastest who travels alone.
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.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account