THE LITTLE BROWN MAN 



" Care, that troubles all the world, was forgotten in his compo- 

 sition." — Charles Lamb. 



If you chance to visit the Chief Protector of Aborigines 

 on board his yacht the Melbidir, one of the first to 

 greet you, be you an old acquaintance or a stranger, 

 may be "Jimmy," the cook. 



He is a httle brown man who wears blue shoes, which 

 are also socks, and a perpetual smile. The shoes, which 

 are of some soft material, have a separate compartment 

 for the great-toe, and hook down the heel. The Chief 

 Protector has a similar pair of combination shoes — 

 a gift from "Jimmy" — and is given to smiling; but 

 he does not pretend to compete with his cook in that 

 quality. "Jimmy's" smile is almost a fixture. It is 

 set, yet not professional. It is the smile of a happy man, 

 and of one who is a diplomat as well as a ship's cook. 

 His customary costume is of holland. When on duty 

 he wears an exaggerated bib, and "Jimmy" without 

 his bib would be as little conceivable as "Jimmy" 

 without his smile. He may discard it when he puts on 

 his sky-blue pyjamas for the night, but that he smiles 

 in his sleep is sure. The honourable wrinkles on his 

 mahogany-hued face forbid him to relax the appearance 

 of unceasing good-humour, and who would suggest that 

 his serenity is artificial ? 



When he takes a hand with the whole of the ship's 



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