Sweethearts at HomeCrockett, S. R. (Samuel Rutherford)
General
Sweethearts at Home
Crockett, S. R. (Samuel Rutherford)
Girls -- Diaries
But you will see the funny thing that happened. Among all the imaginary
sons of purple colonels and sad, saintly clergymen whom Thomasina had
corralled into her hospital ward, there happened to be a real one. His
name, he said, was Henry Smith--which is just one of those names that
people take, like Jones and Wood and Robinson in England, and Dubois,
Durand, Duval in France, thinking to be unknown, and lo! every
hotel-keeper and policeman immediately is on the qui vive to find out
what bank they have robbed.
Well, this young fellow's real name did not matter to anybody. Thomasina
called him "dear Harry," and had him to sit beside her in the
dining-room of the convalescent home (one of her pet hunting-grounds).
And one day after he had been in training to be good for quite a while,
he came in to dinner as usual, and, just as he was sitting down at the
table, up jumps Master Harry Smith and bolts out of the room! Naturally
enough, Nurse Webb thought there was something wrong with him, and would
have gone to see, but Thomasina restrained her with a motion of the
hand--very solemn, impressive, and "I-know-all-about-it-if-_you_-don't!"
"He has forgotten to say his prayers!" she whispered. "He promised me!"
And Nurse Webb sank back appalled, wondering what they would have said
at "King's." But Thomasina was quite calm, and laid her hand soothingly
on that of "dear Harry" when he returned from his (very short)
devotions.
And do you know, all the time he was what Sir Toady calls "a regular
rip." Only he was a real colonel's son, and had been tried
everywhere--only no one would have him about on any account.
But old Dr. Morton did what Thomasina said, and got this young fellow
dressed out in new clothes, till he looked as smart as a paper of new
pins. Then who so proud as Thomasina! She was so glad that Harry had
turned out so well that she said she would marry him. Then he was
fearfully noble, and said that he wasn't worthy of her, but that he
would wait for the day when he would lay the world at her feet. Oh, he
said ever such a heap of what the boys call, with a certain rude
correctness, "tommy-rot."
And old Papa Morton got him a place in a ginger-beer factory, to manage
the accounts, where Mr. Harry Smith behaved pretty well for three
months. But on the eve of his marriage with Thomasina he disappeared,
taking with him a whole fortnight's wages of the ginger-beer factory
workmen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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