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Jimmy Wells
Bob, or “Silky Bob,” is a wanted criminal from Chicago as well as Jimmy’s best friend from childhood. When he was 18, he decided to move out West, leaving Jimmy behind in New York. Out West he became a hustler and a criminal, making his fortune— as evident by his diamond necklace and gold watch—but also becoming an enemy of the law. Unlike Jimmy, who confidently walks his beat in plain sight of everyone, Bob’s time as a criminal has made him covert and circumspect, evident in the way he lurks in the shadows. His life as a criminal seems to have affected him physically; he has a white scar and a pale face. Despite all this, he still reveals himself to be a loyal and reliable friend. Like Jimmy, he has come to their meeting on time, and even when Jimmy seems to be late, Bob does not lose any confidence that his friend will arrive. At the end of the story, Bob is arrested by a plainclothes police officer pretending to be Jimmy. Bob is upset when he learns the officer isn’t Jimmy, though it is not clear whether he feels betrayed by his friend or whether he is merely shaken by the revelation.
Bob Quotes in After Twenty Years
The After Twenty Years quotes below are all either spoken by Bob or refer to Bob. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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After Twenty Years Quotes
As the policeman walked up to him the man spoke up quickly.
“It’s alright, officer,” he said reassuringly. “I’m just waiting for a friend. It’s an appointment I made twenty years ago.”
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We figured that in twenty years each of us ought to have our destiny worked out and our fortunes made, whatever they were going to be.
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But I know Jimmy will meet me here if he’s alive, for he always was the truest staunchest chap in the world. He’ll never forget. I came a thousand miles to stand in this door to-night, and it’s worth it if my old partner shows up.
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You bet! I hope Jimmy has done half as well. He was a good kind of plodder, though, good fellow as he was. A man gets in a groove in New York. It takes the West to put a razor-edge on him.
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“You’re not Jimmy Wells,” he snapped. “Twenty years is a long time, but not long enough to change a man’s nose from a Roman to a pug.”
“It sometimes changes a good man into a bad one,” said the tall man. “You’ve been under arrest for ten minutes.”
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His hand was steady when he began to read, but it trembled a little by the time he had finished.
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Bob: I was at the appointed place on time. When you struck the match to light your cigar I saw it was the face of the man wanted in Chicago. Somehow I couldn’t do it myself, so I went around and got a plain clothes man to do the job.
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Bob Character Timeline in After Twenty Years
The timeline below shows where the character Bob appears in After Twenty Years. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
After Twenty Years
...arrive, but after 20 minutes a tall man shows up. The man asks if it’s Bob, and Bob asks if he’s Jimmy. They confirm who they are, and Jimmy expresses his...
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...two men walk under bright lights at the drug store and look at each other. Bob stops and lets go of Jimmy’s arm, telling him that he knows he’s not actually...
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Bob unfolds the note and begins to read it. His hand is steady at first, but...
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