The sea took her from me but some day I 'll find her , Mary . It ca n't keep us apart forever . '' I had not been long at Golden Gate before I saw Uncle Jesse 's `` life-book , '' as he quaintly called it . He needed no coaxing to show it and he proudly gave it to me to read . It was an old leather-bound book filled with the record of his voyages and adventures . I thought what a veritable treasure trove it would be to a writer . Every sentence was a nugget . In itself the book had no literary merit ; Uncle Jesse 's charm of story-telling failed him when he came to pen and ink ; he could only jot down roughly the outlines of his famous tales , and both spelling and grammar were sadly askew . But I felt that if anyone possessing the gift could take that simple record of a brave , adventurous life , reading between the bald lines the tale of dangers staunchly faced and duties manfully done , a wonderful story might be made from it . Pure comedy and thrilling tragedy were both lying hidden in Uncle Jesse 's `` life-book , '' waiting for the touch of the magician 's hand to waken the laughter and grief and horror of thousands . I thought of my cousin , Robert Kennedy , who juggled with words in a masterly fashion , but complained that he found it hard to create incidents or characters . Here were both ready to his hand , but Robert was in Japan in the interests of his paper . In the fall , when the harbour lay black and sullen under November skies , Mother and I went back to town , parting with Uncle Jesse regretfully . We wanted him to visit us in town during the winter but he shook his head . `` It 's too far away , Mary . If lost Margaret called me I might n't hear her there . I must be here when my time comes . It ca n't be very far off now . '' I wrote often to Uncle Jesse through the winter and sent him books and magazines . He enjoyed them but he thought -- and truly enough -- that none of them came up to his life-book for real interest .
`` XXXXX my life-book could be took and writ by someone that knowed how , it would beat them holler , '' he wrote in one of his few letters to me .
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