In June Robert came . I took him promptly over to see Uncle Jesse , who was very much excited when he found that Robert was a `` real writing man . '' `` Robert wants to hear some of your stories , Uncle Jesse , '' I said . `` Tell him the one about the captain who went crazy and imagined he was the Flying Dutchman . '' This was Uncle Jesse 's best story . It was a compound of humour and horror , and though I had heard it several times , I laughed as heartily and shivered as fearsomely over it as Robert did . Other tales followed ; Uncle Jesse told how his vessel had been run down by a steamer , how he had been boarded by Malay pirates , how his ship had caught fire , how he had helped a political prisoner escape from a South American republic . He never said a boastful word , but it was impossible to help seeing what a hero the man had been -- brave , true , resourceful , unselfish , skilful . He sat there in his poor little room and made those things live again for us . By a lift of the eyebrow , a twist of the lip , a gesture , a word , he painted some whole scene or character so that we saw it as it was . Finally , he lent Robert his life-book . Robert sat up all night reading it and came to the breakfast table in great excitement . `` Mary , this is a wonderful book . If I could take it and garb it properly -- work it up into a systematic whole and string it on the thread of Uncle Jesse 's romance of lost Margaret , it would be the novel of the year . Do you suppose he would let me do it ? '' `` Let you ! I think he would be delighted , '' I answered . And he was . He was as excited as a schoolboy over it . At last his cherished dream was to be realized and his life-book given to the world .
`` We 'll collaborate , '' XXXXX Robert .
cherished found lent reading realized run said saw shivered suppose