Indian Tales"Or ever the knightly years were gone With the old world to the grave, I was a king in Babylon And you were a Christian slave," -W.E. Henley. His name was Charlie Mears; he was the only son of his mother who was a widow, and he lived in the north of London, coming into the City every day to work in a bank. He was twenty years old and suffered from aspirations. I met him in a public billiard-saloon where the marker called him by his given name, and he called the marker "Bullseyes." Charlie explained, a little nervously, that he had only come to the place to look on, and since looking on at games of skill is not a cheap amusement for the young, I suggested that Charlie should go back to his mother. That was our first step toward better acquaintance. He would call on me sometimes in the evenings instead of running about London with his fellow-clerks; and before long, speaking of himself as a young man must, he told me of his aspirations, which were all literary. He desired to make himself an undying name chiefly through verse, though he was not above sending stories of love and death to the drop-a-penny-in-the-slot journals. |
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Page 8
... played with the Chaplain's children and took classes in the Sunday School , and read all the books in the house , and grew more and more beautiful , like the Princesses in fairy tales . The Chaplain's wife said that the girl ought to ...
... played with the Chaplain's children and took classes in the Sunday School , and read all the books in the house , and grew more and more beautiful , like the Princesses in fairy tales . The Chaplain's wife said that the girl ought to ...
Page 11
... played with it when she was a child . She unearthed it again , and put it together of evenings , and cried to her- self , and tried to imagine where her Englishman was . As she had no ideas of distance or steamboats , her notions were ...
... played with it when she was a child . She unearthed it again , and put it together of evenings , and cried to her- self , and tried to imagine where her Englishman was . As she had no ideas of distance or steamboats , her notions were ...
Page 17
... play but , after two dances , he crossed over to his wife and asked for a dance . " I'm afraid you've come too late . Mister Bremmil , " she said with her eyes twinkling . Then he begged her to give him a dance , and , as a great favor ...
... play but , after two dances , he crossed over to his wife and asked for a dance . " I'm afraid you've come too late . Mister Bremmil , " she said with her eyes twinkling . Then he begged her to give him a dance , and , as a great favor ...
Page 34
... play while they are waiting outside the Government House or the Gaiety Theatre of nights ; he learned to smoke tobacco that was three - fourths cowdung ; and he heard the wisdom of the grizzled Jemadar of the Government House saises ...
... play while they are waiting outside the Government House or the Gaiety Theatre of nights ; he learned to smoke tobacco that was three - fourths cowdung ; and he heard the wisdom of the grizzled Jemadar of the Government House saises ...
Page 52
... play - at Saumarez's choice . I never knew anything so un - English in my life . Lastly , Saumarez said we must all go home or the Station would come out to look for us , and would I be good enough to ride home with Maud Copleigh ? Noth ...
... play - at Saumarez's choice . I never knew anything so un - English in my life . Lastly , Saumarez said we must all go home or the Station would come out to look for us , and would I be good enough to ride home with Maud Copleigh ? Noth ...
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Common terms and phrases
Aloud asked Aunty Rosa ayah bhoy Black Sheep bloomin Bobby Bremmil Bronckhorst Buldoo called CAPT Carnehan Colonel Coppy dead dear devil divil Dravot eyes face fool fwhat Gadsby girl give gone Gunga Gurkhas half hand Hauksbee Havildar head heard heart horse India Jakin Janki Judy Kafiristan kape Kitty knew Lalun laughed Learoyd Lispeth look Majesty the King Mamma married Marwar Miss Biddums Mulvaney Nafferton native never night niver once orf'cer Ortheris ould Peshawar Pinecoffin Pluffles Punch Ram Dass Reggie Regiment rickshaw rifle river round rupees Sahib Sargint sick Simla Sorr Subaltern Suddhoo talk tell There's thim things told took trouble turned Twas veranda voice Wali Dad walked Wee Willie Winkie whin wife wint woman Youghal young
Popular passages
Page 506 - Singing and murmuring in her feastful mirth, Joying to feel herself alive, Lord over Nature, Lord of the visible earth, Lord of the senses five ; Communing with herself : ' All these are mine, And let the world have peace or wars, Tis one to me.
Page 676 - Some talk of Alexander, And some of Hercules ; Of Hector and Lysander, And such great names as these...
Page 601 - BAA BAA, BLACK SHEEP. BAA Baa, Black Sheep, Have you any wool ? Yes, Sir, yes, Sir, three bags full.
Page 634 - Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?
Page 550 - I have been fellow to a beggar again and again under circumstances which prevented either of us finding out whether the other was worthy. I have still to be brother to a Prince, though I once came near to kinship with what might have been a veritable King and was promised the reversion of a Kingdom — army, law-courts, revenue, and policy all complete. But, to-day, I greatly fear that my King is dead, and if I want a crown I must go and hunt it for myself.
Page 760 - If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?
Page 582 - I wished then that we had explained about the loss of the genuine secrets of a Master-Mason at the first go-off; but I said nothing. All that night there was a blowing of horns in a little dark temple half-way down the hill, and I heard a girl crying fit to die. One of the priests told us that she was being prepared to marry the King. " ' I'll have no nonsense of that kind,
Page 723 - For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands ; even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord ; whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.
Page 600 - Up the hill under which Wee Willie Winkie's Bad Men were discussing the wisdom of carrying off the child and the girl, a look-out fired two shots. "What have I said?
Page 155 - A MAN should, whatever happens, keep to his own caste, race and breed. Let the White go to the White and the Black to the Black.