A Black Affair

by W.W. Jacobs

“A Black Affair,” a humorous ghost story, originally appeared in the April 1896 issue of The Idler.

ebook

First published April 1, 1896

About the author

William Wymark Jacobs was an English author of short stories and novels. Quite popular in his lifetime primarily for his amusing maritime tales of life along the London docks (many of them humorous as well as sardonic in tone). Today he is best known for a few short works of horror fiction. One being "The Monkey's Paw"(published 1902). It has in its own right become a well-known and widely anthologized classic.


~Literary Works

Many Cargoes (1896)
The Skipper's Wooing (1897)
Sea Urchins (1898) /aka More Cargoes (US) (1898)
A Master of Craft (1900)
The Monkey's Paw (1902)
The Toll House (1902)
Light Freights (1901)
At Sunwich Port (1902)
The Barge (1902)
Odd Craft (1903) : contains The Money Box, basis of Laurel and Hardy film Our Relations (1935)
Dialstone Lane (1902)
Captain's All (1905)
Short Cruises (1907)
Salthaven (1908)
Sailors' Knots (1909)
The Toll House (1909)
Ship's Company (1911)
Night Watches (1914)
The Castaways (1916)
Deep Waters (1919)
Sea Whispers (1926)

Reviews

[Althea Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Those with more delicate sensibilities may find themselves put off by the rough humor here - but I found it believable and appropriate for the attitudes of the characters - 19th century sailors.
Cats and birds have always been a bad mix - and there's certainly no exception when both are on board ship. Here, a beloved ship's cat encounters the captain's new parrot - and not all ends well.
This is by the author of the famous horror story, 'The Monkey's Paw' - apparently, during his career, he was more well known for his nautical tales, such as this one.

[Tym · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amusing sailor’s tale involving 2 black cats, a ghost?, and an overly friendly parrot who meets an untimely demise