The Man Who Did the Right Thing: A RomanceJohnston, Harry
General
The Man Who Did the Right Thing: A Romance
Johnston, Harry
British -- Africa, East -- Fiction; Missions -- Tanzania -- Fiction
_Roger_: "Does he work for us or for the Mission?"
_Mrs. Stott_: "He is his father’s assistant in the Carpentering school;
but he’s too much given to larking with the boys, who look upon him as a
kind of hero. Of course, he speaks their language almost as if it came
natural to him. His real bent is for Natural History ... that’s the
only excuse for his sport. We sell the collections he makes to the
Germans. One of your mining engineers has taught him photography. He
takes wonderful pictures of wild life. We posted some home to the
_Graphic_, and with the money they paid, Edgar sent to Unguja and bought
himself a snap-shot camera.... Am I keeping you from your work?"
_Roger_: "You are: but we don’t often meet nowadays for a talk. Let’s
thrash this matter out. Well?"
_Mrs. Stott_: "Well, I was going on to say, with all this Edgar’s mind
is turning away from religion. We have hard work to get him to attend
our services... He even shocked his father the other day by saying he
was sick of the Bible.... I say, ’even,’ because ever since my dear
James has been getting up these industrial schools you were so keen on,
he has become less and less spiritually minded, more and more interested
in the material things of this world. He only _pretends_ to care for
the Second Coming of Christ ... just to please me. He is much more
interested in his new turning lathe" ... (dabs her eyes and blows her
nose). "His prayers have become very trite. If it wasn’t for my
daughters...."
_Roger_: "Let me see: you have two daughters out here—Pretty girls....
They must be growing up...."
_Mrs. Stott_: "Yes. Carrie’s nearly nineteen; and Lulu is sixteen. We
called her ’Luisa,’ not from the English name, but because ’Luisa’ means
’darkness’ in Kagulu, and when she was born she had dark hair and dark
eyes ... she’s fairer now.... And the way, then, seemed dark before
us.... I was very ill at the time...."
_Roger_: "And then the eldest of all is at home, I mean in England....?"
Mrs. Stott: "Yes. Rosamund, named after me. She’s a school teacher in
Ireland, and practically a stranger to us. That’s one of the sorrows of
our life out here. Not that we haven’t many blessings to
counter-balance it—I’m sure the way we’ve kept our health in the Happy
Valley—But we have either to send our children away to England or
Australia, or bring them up here, with many disadvantages, it would be a
pity to bring Rosamund away from a career where she is doing very
well...."
_Roger_: "Quite so. Well then, we have only to deal with Carrie as a
possible wife to one of our young men...."
_Mrs. Stott_: "As a matter of fact, Riemer proposed to her a few months
ago. But Carrie is very particular; and besides, she wouldn’t marry a
German...."
_Roger_: "What nonsense! In what way are they inferior to Englishmen or
Australians? I’m sure Riemer..."
_Mrs. Stott_ (tightening her lips): "Not to be thought of. Riemer is an
avowed atheist..."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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