Tomasos Fortune and Other Stories

Tomaso's Fortune and Other
Stories

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Title: Tomaso's Fortune and Other Stories
Author: Henry Seton Merriman
Release Date: November, 2004 [EBook #6974] [This file was first
posted on February 19, 2003]

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Language: English
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, TOMASO'S
FORTUNE AND OTHER STORIES ***

This etext was prepared by Les Bowler, St. Ives, Dorset.

TOMASO'S FORTUNE and other stories by HENRY SETON
MERRIMAN.

"The common problem, yours, mine, every one's, Is--not to fancy what
were fair in life Provided it could be,--but, finding first What may be,
then find how to make it fair . . ."

CONTENTS.
SISTER. A SMALL WORLD. IN A CROOKED WAY. THE TALE
OF A SCORPION. ON THE ROCKS. "GOLOSSA-A-L". THE MULE.
IN LOVE AND WAR. TOMASO'S FORTUNE. STRANDED.
PUTTING THINGS RIGHT. FOR JUANITA'S SAKE. AT THE
FRONT. THE END OF THE "MOOROO". IN A CARAVAN. IN THE
TRACK OF THE WANDERING JEW. THROUGH THE GATE OF
TEARS. A PARIAH. THE PRODIGAL'S RETURN.

SISTER

It does not matter where it was. I do not want other people--that is to
say, those who were around us--to recognize Sister or myself. It is not
likely that she will see this, and I am not sure that she knows my name.
Of course, some one may draw her attention to this paper, and she may
remember that the name affixed to it is that which I signed at the foot
of a document we made out together-- namely, a return of deaths. At
the foot of this paper our names stood one beneath the other--stand

there still, perhaps, in some forgotten bundle of papers at the War
Office.
I only hope that she will not see this, for she might consider it a breach
of professional etiquette; and I attach great importance to the opinion of
this woman, whom I have only seen once in my whole life. Moreover,
on that occasion she was subordinate to me--more or less in the
position of a servant.
Suffice it to say, therefore, that it was war-time, and our trade was what
the commercial papers call brisk. A war better remembered of the
young than of the old, because it was, comparatively speaking, recent.
The old fellows seem to remember the old fights better--those fights
that were fought when their blood was still young and the vessels
thereof unclogged.
It was, by the way, my first campaign, but I was not new to the
business of blood; for I am no soldier--only a doctor. My only
uniform--my full-parade dress--is a red cross on the arm of an old blue
serge jacket--such jacket being much stained with certain dull patches
which are better not investigated.
All who have taken part in war--doing the damage or repairing it--
know that things are not done in quite the same way when ball-
cartridge is served out instead of blank. The correspondents are very
fond of reporting that the behaviour of the men suggested a
parade--which simile, it is to be presumed, was borne in upon their
fantastic brains by its utter inapplicability. The parade may be
suggested before the real work begins--when it is a question of
marching away from the landing-stage; but after the work--our work--
has begun, there is remarkably little resemblance to a review.
We are served with many official papers which we never fill in,
because, on the spur of the moment, it is apt to suggest itself that men's
lives are more important. We misapply a vast majority of our surgical
supplies, because the most important item is usually left behind at
headquarters or at the seaport depot. In fact, we do many things that we
should leave undone, and omit to do more which we are expected
(officially) to do.
For some reason--presumably the absence of better men--I was