Doctor Syn by Russell Thorndike

Author:Russell Thorndike [Thorndike, Russell]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Renaissance E Books
Published: 2001-08-24T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XXIII

A YOUNG RECRUIT

"TALK about an 'ealthy child, and there he is," said Mrs. Waggetts, entering the sanded parlour with Sexton Mipps. "And eat! Nothing like eating to increase your fat, is there, Mister Mipps? But there, I suppose you never had no fat on you to speak of, 'cos if ever a man was one of Pharaoh's lean kine, you was."

"It's hard work what's kept me thin, Missus Waggetts," replied the sinister sexton – "hard work and scheming; and a little of both would do our young Jerry here no harm."

"As to work," replied Jerry, gulping down more food, "there ain't been no complaints against me, I believes, Missus Waggetts?"

"Certainly not, Jerry," replied that lady affably.

"That's good," said Jerk. Then, turning to the sexton, he added, "And as to scheming, Mister Sexton, how do you know I don't scheme? Some folks are so took up with their own schemes that p'raps they don't get time to notice wot others are a-doing. I has lots of schemes, I has. I thinks about 'em by day, and dreams of 'em at night."

"And they gives you a rare knack of putting away Missus Waggetts's victuals, I'm a-noticing," dryly remarked the sexton.

"Lor', I'm sure he's heartily welcome to anything I've got," returned the landlady. "It fair cheers me up to see him eat well, and it'll be a fine man he'll be making in a year or so."

"Ay, that I will," cried young Jerk. "And when I'm a hangman I ain't a-goin' to forget my old friend. I'll come along from the town every Sunday, I will, and we'll go and hear Parson Syn preach just the same as we does now, and Mister Mipps will show us into the pew, and everybody will turn round and stare at us, and say, 'Why, there goes Hangman Jerk! Then we'll come back and have a bite of supper together, providing I don't have to sup with the Squire at the Court House."

"That 'ud be likely," interrupted Mipps.

"And after we've had supper I'll tell you stories about horrible sights I've seen in the week, and terrible things I've done, and it'll go hard with Sexton Mipps to keep even with me with his yarns, I tell you."

"Ha, ha!" chuckled Mipps, "strike me dead and knock me up slipshod in a buckram coffin if this lad Jerry Jerk don't please me! Look at him, Missus Waggetts, Will you do me the favour of looking at him hard – though don't let it put you off your feed, Jerry. Why, at your age I had just such notions as you've got; but there, I never had your advantages. Why, at thirteen years of age I was as grow'd up in my fancies as this Jerk. Sweet-meats to the devil, eh, Jerry? for it's some who grows above such garbage from their first rocking in the cradle. This Jerry Jerk is a man. Why, bless you, he's more a man than lots of 'em what thinks they be – ay, more a man than some of 'em wot's a-doin' man's work.

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