He was as refreshing as a sea breeze , as interesting as some ancient chronicle . She was never tired of listening to his stories , and his quaint remarks and comments were a continual delight to her . Captain Jim was one of those rare and interesting people who `` never speak but they say something . '' The milk of human kindness and the wisdom of the serpent were mingled in his composition in delightful proportions . Nothing ever seemed to put Captain Jim out or depress him in any way . `` I 've kind of contracted a habit of enj ` ying things , '' he remarked once , when Anne had commented on his invariable cheerfulness . `` It 's got so chronic that I believe I even enj ' y the disagreeable things . It 's great fun thinking they ca n't last . ` Old rheumatiz , ' says I , when it grips me hard , ` you 've GOT to stop aching sometime . The worse you are the sooner you 'll stop , mebbe . I 'm bound to get the better of you in the long run , whether in the body or out of the body . ' '' One night , by the fireside at the light Anne saw Captain Jim 's `` life-book . '' He needed no coaxing to show it and proudly gave it to her to read . `` I writ it to leave to little Joe , '' he said . `` I do n't like the idea of everything I 've done and seen being clean forgot after I 've shipped for my last v ` yage . Joe , he 'll remember it , and tell the yarns to his children . '' It was an old leather-bound book filled with the record of his voyages and adventures . Anne thought what a treasure trove it would be to a writer . Every sentence was a nugget . In itself the book had no literary merit ; Captain Jim 's charm of storytelling failed him when he came to pen and ink ; he could only jot roughly down the outline of his famous tales , and both spelling and grammar were sadly askew .
But XXXXX felt that if anyone possessed of the gift could take that simple record of a brave , adventurous life , reading between the bald lines the tales of dangers staunchly faced and duty manfully done , a wonderful story might be made from it .
Anne Jim Joe enj life-book mebbe night rheumatiz storytelling yage