Sweethearts at HomeCrockett, S. R. (Samuel Rutherford)
General
Sweethearts at Home
Crockett, S. R. (Samuel Rutherford)
Girls -- Diaries
Instead, he left a letter full of consolatory texts for Thomasina, which
I would quote, but Fuz says I must not. Only he concluded by saying that
his dear Tommy was not half a bad little thing, only her company and
conversation were wearing for a man of his tastes and antecedents. If
she had only seen her way to giving him a "let up" every ten days or so,
he might have stayed on. But as it was, there was nothing left for him
but to borrow her father's fur-lined overcoat, and bid Thomasina a long,
last farewell through floods of burning tears. She was to remember,
however, that, in spite of all appearances to the contrary, he was ever
her own Harry. Also that the next time he needed nursing and advice,
both of superior quality, he would not fail to think of the happy days
in the convalescent ward of Edam Borough Hospital.
"Harry Smith" was seen no more on Esk waterside, and by last accounts
Dr. Morton is still awaiting the return of his fur-lined overcoat.
XVI
HUGH JOHN, AMBASSADOR PLENIPOTENTIARY
I don't think that Dr. Morton ever really got over the loss of his
fur-lined overcoat. You see, it gave him a tone, making many a suffering
household feel quite chirpy and consoled only to see him getting
carefully out of his gig, and laying back the lapels so as to show the
best pieces of fur. But he was never the same man in plain tweed, even
when he took to a high velvet collar. People had not the old confidence.
He had two favorite methods of treatment--leeches and fly-blisters--and
when he began to leech the blister people and blister the leech people,
all felt that the end was near.
So Mr. Liddesdale persuaded him to sell his practice while he had one to
sell--the stock of leeches and Spanish flies being taken at a valuation.
So there came a young doctor to Edam, and his name was Dr. Weir Douglas.
At first it was feared that he would not be a success, because he went
about in gray tweeds and a straw hat. Worse than all, he made 84 in the
cricket match against Lockermaben. This showed how little serious he
could be, and how little he had to do in his profession. Dr. Morton was
often called out of church twice on the same Sunday, and though
everybody knew that he kept a boy for the purpose, yet, after all, the
summons might be real. No one could tell. At any rate it waked up a
sleepy congregation better than peppermint drops, and people whispered
that it must be Sandy Paterson's wife, or that loon of Jock Malcolm's
who was always climbing and coming to grief.
However, when Jock Malcolm did fall from the scaffolding of the
Established Church (then being repaired parsimoniously by reluctant
heritors) Dr. Weir Douglas saved the boy's life by carrying him to his
own house across the way, and, after setting the shoulder, sent to ask
Miss Thomasina Morton to come over and nurse Master Jock Malcolm.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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