TY - BOOK AU - Jacobs,W.W. AU - Owen,Will TI - Paying Off: Deep Waters, Part 2 AV - PR PY - 2004/// CY - Salt Lake City, UT PB - Project Gutenberg KW - Humorous stories, English KW - England -- Social life and customs -- Fiction KW - Sailors -- Fiction N1 - Release date is 2004-03-01; Produced by David Widger; Original publication data not identified N2 - "Paying Off" by W. W. Jacobs is a humorous short story set in the early 20th century. The narrative revolves around the experiences of a night-watchman who reflects on his nature of helping others, often to his disadvantage. The story touches on themes of trust, foolishness, and the consequences of one's actions, all presented through Jacobs' characteristic wit and engaging prose. The plot follows the night-watchman as he is unwittingly drawn into a scheme involving a fellow worker, George Tebb, who entrusts him with a box containing £25. As the watchman goes to a pub with George, he becomes the target of two drunken sailors who ultimately rob him of the box. When George confronts him for the loss, he is subjected to mockery and the ultimatum of repaying the money at a rate of five shillings a week. The story culminates in a twist, revealing that the watchman may have never even seen the money he was supposedly safeguarding, exposing the ridiculousness of his trusting nature and the folly of his situation. Through this comedic turn of events, Jacobs illustrates the pitfalls of naivety and misplaced trust in human interactions. (This is an automatically generated summary.) UR - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11472 ER -