He wuz drippin’ wet when he come back to the hotel, and I sez, “Martin, how sorry I am you ventered out there!”
And he sez, with his teeth a-chatterin’ and the water a-drippin’ off of him, that he wasn’t sorry, for a friend of hisen, a very rich and very influential man, had been caught in jest the same way.
And he gin me to understand that he anticipated a great treat in talkin’ over the experience with him.
Wall, there is sunthin’ in that—there is comfort in talkin’ over past troubles and dangers, and I couldn’t dispute it.
But I sez: “For mercy sakes! do change your clothes and git dried off.”
But he hadn’t any other clothes with him, and the upshot of it wuz, he had to go to bed while his clothes wuz dryin’.
But Josiah wuz sorry for him, and blamed himself for not thinkin’ to bring along his dressin’-gown. Sez he, “I wouldn’t think of lendin’ it on a common occasion, but,” sez he, lookin’ round on sech big work as the Giants had done there, sez he, “I wouldn’t want to act small, and refuse to let Martin put it on for an hour or two.”
Wall, as soon as Martin wuz dried off, we sot sail back to Port Rush, and it wuz there that night that I had a severe trial and fright.
We had had a good supper, and Josiah had eat more than wuz good for him, I believe, and drinked too much coffee.
He is used to tea at night, but bein’ so wore out and kinder chilly, Martin ordered strong coffee.