Project Gutenberg 2004-01-01 Public domain in the USA. 60 Jacobs, W. W. (William Wymark) 1863 1943 Jacobs, William Wymark Owen, Will 1869 1957 Friends in Need Ship's Company, Part 2. Produced by David Widger "Friends in Need" by W. W. Jacobs is a comedic short story written in the early 20th century. The book explores themes of friendship, deception, and the often absurd nature of human relationships. Set against a backdrop of working-class life in early 20th century England, the narrative follows the interactions of a group of friends as they navigate through a series of events surrounding a fabricated tragedy. In the story, the main character, Mr. Joseph Gibbs, fakes his own drowning to escape the troubles of his life, leaving his friends in a state of grief and concern for his widow. As his friends arrange a collection to support Mrs. Gibbs after the alleged tragedy, Mr. Gibbs enjoys his newfound freedom across the river. Meanwhile, the comedic miscommunication culminates in a farcical attempt to reintegrate him into society without revealing his deception to his wife. The plot reveals layers of irony and humor as Gibbs's plans unravel, ultimately leading to an unexpectedly hilarious conclusion when his wife decides to move on with her life, believing her husband is truly dead. Through witty dialogue and a blend of farce and camaraderie, Jacobs captures the essence of human folly and the unpredictability of life. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 94.0 (5th grade). Very easy to read. en Humorous stories, English England -- Social life and customs -- Fiction PR Text Category: Short Stories Category: Humour Category: British Literature 52093 2025-07-05T03:57:52.037321 text/html 46401 2020-12-20T01:21:49 text/html 749752 2025-07-05T03:57:53.706312 application/epub+zip 748447 2025-07-05T03:57:52.350330 application/epub+zip 85329 2025-07-05T03:57:52.170322 application/epub+zip 783668 2025-07-05T03:57:54.922335 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 775789 2025-07-05T03:57:53.525337 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 111740 2022-09-05T08:31:26.803348 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 42037 2025-07-05T03:57:51.898342 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 22338 2024-10-28T17:52:46 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 43427 2020-12-20T01:21:49 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19783 2025-07-05T03:57:55.047308 application/rdf+xml 16137 2025-07-05T03:57:52.243362 image/jpeg 2711 2025-07-05T03:57:52.206330 image/jpeg 715571 2020-12-20T01:21:49 application/octet-stream application/zip 16886 2020-12-20T01:21:49 application/octet-stream application/zip 723017 2025-07-05T03:57:52.061358 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia en.wikipedia