'
Situation after situation failed him; then followed the depression of
trade, and for months he had hung round with other idlers, playing
marbles all day in the West Park, and going home at night to tell his
landlady how he had been seeking for a job. I believe this kind of
existence was not unpleasant to Alick himself, and he might have long
continued to enjoy idleness and a life on tick; but he had a comrade,
let us call him Brown, who grew restive. This fellow was continually
threatening to slip his cable for the States, and at last, one
Wednesday, Glasgow was left widowed of her Brown. Some months
afterwards, Alick met another old chum in Sauchiehall Street.
'By the bye, Alick,' said he, 'I met a gentleman in New York who was
asking for you.'
'Who was that?' asked Alick.
'The new second engineer on board the SO-AND-SO,' was the reply.
'Well, and who is he?'
'Brown, to be sure.'
For Brown had been one of the fortunate quartette aboard the
CIRCASSIA. If that was the way of it in the States, Alick thought it
was high time to follow Brown's example. He spent his last day, as
he put it, 'reviewing the yeomanry,' and the next morning says he to
his landlady, 'Mrs.
Pages:
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95