Terry: A Tale of the Hill PeopleThomson, Charles Goff
General
Terry: A Tale of the Hill People
Thomson, Charles Goff
Love stories; Philippines -- Fiction; Young men -- Fiction
"Yes, I do, Governor. Civilization means doctors, less suffering,
longer life: schools and books: agriculture and better diet: commerce
and clothes: churches, and morality--and soap!"
The day came when Terry and Deane drove down the San Ramon road where
the Governor had preceded them, with Ellis and Susan and a score of
the new friends they had made in Zamboanga. Wade had insisted that his
spacious bungalow be the scene of their wedding.
Even before he had wrought the house into a fairy-land of palm and
cadena and hibiscus the great flowered sweeps of lawn and grove set by
the sea had been an ideal setting. Ellis, given his choice of
functions, had elected to officiate as best man, so the Governor was
happy in giving the bride away. Susan cried, as matrons of honor
always do, as she stood with them in the fret-work of shadows under
the palms which stirred gently in the off-sea breeze.
None of those most concerned remembered many of the details of the
evening, excepting Matak, who met there a young Moro maid and found
her fair.
They returned to Zamboanga under enchanting stars, and at nine o'clock
they saw Ellis and Susan leave, for they were returning home at once
through the Suez, taking steamer first for Borneo and Java. Their own
boat left an hour later for Manila, Hong Kong and Nagasaki.
Bidding Ellis good-by, Terry woke from the dream in which he had moved
through the afternoon.
"Ellis, do not sell the shoe store. We may be home in a year, and I'll
want to pitch into something."
"But you'd never fool with that after--after all this over here!"
Terry laughed happily: "You never can tell, Ellis. I am learning
lessons every day!"
Later, Ellis sought to dry Susan's tears. "Dick, you're a fine lover!
After all these years of search for things for Deane you failed to
give her a wedding gift!"
Terry flushed miserably, for it was true. But Deane thrilled the more
happily for the utter absorption in her that had expelled all other
things from his mind: she knew that Susan had prompted him to both
engagement and wedding rings.
From the pier they watched Ellis and Susan at the rail till the
altering course of the brilliantly lighted steamer swept them from
sight.
An hour later their own liner carried them northward through the dark
Straits.
The deck was deserted, dark. They sat close, in long steamer chairs,
watching the mysterious coastline of Mindanao, the shadowy masses of
distant mountains that seemed less substance than opaque obstruction
of the warm, starry sky. Neither spoke. It was the hour of fullest
gratitude, of mutual dedication. The night about them was filled with
that humming heard only on a big ship plowing through a calm sea after
sundown, the drone of light winds through lofty rigging, the heavy
slipping of displaced water, the muffled roar of great engines
throbbing in the deep hold.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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