The Lady of the Barge The Lady of the Barge and Others, Part 1.

"The Lady of the Barge" by W. W. Jacobs is a book of funny short stories that give smart observations about people and how they act with each other. The stories happen in normal, everyday situations, often near the rivers and canals of England. The main ideas are romance troubles, jealousy, and characters getting the wrong idea about things. In the title story, Captain Gibbs lets his brother-in-law's crush, Lucy Harris, come on his boat, the Arabella, for a trip. The mood gets tense between the first mate, Ted, and the captain, leading to funny mix-ups about what Lucy wants and what Ted is planning. The way people talk is funny and playful, and the story ends in a humorous mess with a lost purse and a badly-timed jump into the water. Jacobs does a great job of mixing humor with real insights about relationships, making this collection a fun look at life on the river.