Joe took a deep breath, mentally recalling the various twists and turns in his wild courtship of Pearl. In the silence of the moment, he knew he would do it all over again because she was worth every bit of it.

“I met her at the station, like the article said – but she was a mess, cryin’ all over.  I offered a hankercheif, and a kind word.  Even cryin’ she was the prettiest woman I’d ever seen.  That fool Robert Carrington accosted me cause he didn’t like him talkin’ to ‘is sister…”

Joe recounted the recent events of his life for the benefit of his brother with little side ramblings 

"I swore Kate not to tell a soul.. two bottles and sweets! bloody highway robbery.."

“…It’s also true that we met at Ward weddin’.  Turns out she knew Rose too. We danced in the Cragg, but it’s a weddin’, that’s what ye do, don't ye?!” Joe’s voice was thick with a plea of blantant obviousness. 

The tale continued..

“…That night at the whore ‘ouse.. that was stupid. I was only going to ask her to go to the football with me, but she had taken off to confront 'er brother.  I couldn’t let 'er go alone. No man would. We barely got in the room when ‘e put a pistol to is head.  That’s the truth…”

“…It just happened, we stood on the beach in the dark, I said we should marry. She said yes and it was a mad dash to Gretna Green from where we just returned.”

And now a return to the present moment. “We might 've cocked this up a bit, but I love ‘er. I'll fix it somehow.” Joe rose from the table to clean up his mess.

"She deserves a quiet and 'appy life." He said, gathering the sheets of paper off the floor. "She doesn't deserve this," he crumpled the paper in his hand in frustration.