FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   >>  
, Mr. Clemens, but I remember you very well. I was a cadet at West Point when you and Rev. Joseph H. Twichell came there some years ago and talked to us on a Hundredth Night. I am a lieutenant in the regular army now, and my name is H. I am in Europe, all alone, for a modest little tour; my regiment is in Arizona." We became friendly and sociable, and in the course of the talk he told me of an adventure which had befallen him--about to this effect: "I was at Bellagio, stopping at the big hotel there, and ten days ago I lost my letter of credit. I did not know what in the world to do. I was a stranger; I knew no one in Europe; I hadn't a penny in my pocket; I couldn't even send a telegram to London to get my lost letter replaced; my hotel bill was a week old, and the presentation of it imminent--so imminent that it could happen at any moment now. I was so frightened that my wits seemed to leave me. I tramped and tramped, back and forth, like a crazy person. If anybody approached me I hurried away, for no matter what a person looked like, I took him for the head waiter with the bill. "I was at last in such a desperate state that I was ready to do any wild thing that promised even the shadow of help, and so this is the insane thing that I did. I saw a family lunching at a small table on the veranda, and recognized their nationality--Americans--father, mother, and several young daughters--young, tastefully dressed, and pretty--the rule with our people. I went straight there in my civilian costume, named my name, said I was a lieutenant in the army, and told my story and asked for help. "What do you suppose the gentleman did? But you would not guess in twenty years. He took out a handful of gold coin and told me to help myself--freely. That is what he did." The next morning the lieutenant told me his new letter of credit had arrived in the night, so we strolled to Cook's to draw money to pay back the benefactor with. We got it, and then went strolling through the great arcade. Presently he said, "Yonder they are; come and be introduced." I was introduced to the parents and the young ladies; then we separated, and I never saw him or them any m--- "Here we are at Farmington," said Twichell, interrupting. We left the trolley-car and tramped through the mud a hundred yards or so to the school, talking about the time we and Warner walked out there years ago, and the pleasant time we had. We had a visit with my ni
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   >>  



Top keywords:

lieutenant

 

letter

 

tramped

 

introduced

 
credit
 

person

 

imminent

 

Twichell

 

Europe

 

freely


handful

 

arrived

 

twenty

 
morning
 
people
 
pretty
 

dressed

 

daughters

 

tastefully

 

straight


civilian

 

suppose

 

gentleman

 
strolled
 

costume

 

interrupting

 
trolley
 
Farmington
 

Clemens

 
hundred

walked
 

pleasant

 
Warner
 

school

 
talking
 

separated

 

strolling

 
benefactor
 

mother

 

arcade


parents

 
ladies
 

remember

 

Presently

 
Yonder
 

recognized

 

pocket

 

couldn

 
stranger
 

telegram