Jack London - The Red One

“Now I don’t know what happened to the others, but I know what I did. I got turned about. Did you ever stem a strawberry and throw the strawberry away and pop the stem into your mouth? That’s what I did. I threw the fire-stick into the water after the mullet and held on to the dynamite. And my arm went off with the stick when it went off… ”

Slim investigated the tomato-can for water to mix himself a drink, but found it empty. He stood up.

“Heigh ho,” he yawned, and started down the path to the river.

In several minutes he was back. He mixed the due quantity of river slush with the alcohol, took a long, solitary drink, and stared with bitter moodiness into the fire.

“Yes, but… ” Fatty suggested. “What happened then?”

“Oh,” sad Slim. “Then the princess married me, of course.”

“But you were the only person left, and there wasn’t any princess… ” Whiskers cried out abruptly, and then let his voice trail away to embarrassed silence.

Slim stared unblinkingly into the fire.

Percival Delaney and Chauncey Delarouse looked at each other. Quietly, in solemn silence, each with his one arm aided the one arm of the other in rolling and tying his bundle. And in silence, bundles slung on shoulders, they went away out of the circle of firelight. Not until they reached the top of the railroad embankment did they speak.

“No gentleman would have done it,” said Whiskers.

“No gentleman would have done it,” Fatty agreed.

Glen Ellen, California,

September 26, 1916.