Cover of Yollop

Yollop

  • Free to read
  • 2 hours to read
  • 6 chapters
  • Reading level: 6th grade

"Yollop" by George Barr McCutcheon is a comedic novel written in the early 20th century. The story revolves around the unlikely encounter between Crittenden Yollop, an earnest and somewhat naive man, and Cassius Smilk, an inept but self-aware burglar. Their interaction begins under peculiar circumstances, leading to a humorous exploration of crime, identity, and moral dilemmas in a whimsical narrative. At the start of the novel, Mr. Yollop accidentally overpowers a burglar, Cassius Smilk, who is disarmed and bewildered by Yollop's actions. The opening chapter sets a comedic tone, showcasing Yollop's deafness and his strange, bumbling attempts to communicate while holding Smilk at bay with a revolver. As they engage in a banter of misunderstandings and absurd exchanges, readers are introduced to the contrasting personalities of Yollop's innocence and Smilk's roguish charm. This unique introductory scenario hints at the larger exploration of societal norms, the absurdities of life, and the unexpected friendships that can form in the most unlikely situations.

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  • Satire
  • Burglars
  • Crime
  • Jury
  • Reformers

Read the opening

Chapter One

In the first place, Mr. Yollop knew nothing about firearms. And so, after he had overpowered the burglar and relieved him of a fully loaded thirty-eight, he was singularly unimpressed by the following tribute from the bewildered and somewhat exasperated captive:

"Say, ain't you got any more sense than to tackle a man with a gun, you chuckle-headed idiot?" (Only he did not say "chuckle-headed," and he inserted several expletives between "say" and "ain't.")

The dazed intruder was hunched limply, in a sitting posture, over against the wall, one hand clamped tightly to his jaw, the other being elevated in obedience to a command that had to be thrice repeated before it found lodgment in his whirling brain. Mr. Yollop, who seemed to be satisfied with the holding up of but one hand, cupped his own hand at the back of one ear, and demanded querulously:

"What say!"

"Are you hard o' hearin'?"

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Contents

  1. Chapter One
  2. Chapter Two
  3. Chapter Three
  4. Chapter Four
  5. Chapter Five
  6. Chapter Six

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About this edition

This free edition of Yollop by George Barr McCutcheon comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #5866, released 2004-06-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Crime, Thrillers and Mystery, Humour, Novels, American Literature.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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