He
is to be a sort of traveling officer to take out recruits, you see.
He's delighted with the appointment, but his father was lost in a
monsoon on the Indian Ocean, a few years ago, and it nearly killed his
mother to let him go--she is sort of superstitious about it. Don't you
remember how she fainted?"
"Yes, indeed. Poor lady! And he is nice, is he?"
"Yes and intelligent, but bashful. He said he had often watched us,
and can never tell us apart, but he thinks he'll be able to, after
this."
"Oh, he does?" giggled Hope. "I'll wager I could fool him any day, if
I tried. Well, you gave me a nice fright while you were having such a
good time," and thereupon she told her tale as you have just heard it,
and so short a step is it from tragedy to comedy, especially in youth,
that they both laughed over it until they fell asleep.
Meanwhile, on deck, a watchful father saw a young man standing near the
gunwale in idle contemplation of the horizon, and accosted him with a
pleasant word to which the other responded with readiness, though his
manner was somewhat diffident. The two talked some time, the older man
becoming more and more interested in a youth who, with a real manliness
of character, was yet as bashful as a schoolboy. Before the
conversation ended Captain Hosmer was convinced there was not only "no
harm in the fellow," but that he was a young man worth cultivating,
and, as he finally left him, chuckled to himself.
"Ah! these girls.
Pages:
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91