Alan Paton, the author works in a reformatory. Reformatory is an institution for reforming young offenders especially minors.
There were 600 boys at reformatory; about 100 were from 10-14 yrs of age. The department expressed the intension of establishing a special institution more like an industrial institution. There, the small boys turn instinctively towards affection and some of them control them naturally and easily. The secret relation with them were a source of continuous relation with them were source of continues pleasure to author.The boys after 14 yrs of age were allowed for outing. So the would take some boys who are under 14 for a ride in his car to Potchefstroom road and talk to them about their families, their parents their brothers and sisters.
Among those boys one of them was Ha’penny. he was about 12 yrs old and came from Bloemfontein and was biggest talker of them all. He said his mother worked in a white person’s house and has two brothers and 2 sisters. (Richard and Dickie, Anna and Mina) when they returned to reformatory, Author sent for Ha’pennys papers.
There it was written plainly that he was waif with no relatives at all. He was naughty & uncontrollable and eventually had taken to pilfering at the market. then author sent for letter book and found that he wrote regularly or rather that others wrote for him till he could write himself, to Mrs. Betty Maarman,of 48 Vlak street,Bloemfontein but she had never once replied to him. So seeing this, the author wrote a letter to society welfare office in Bloemfontein asking him to investigate. The next time author took Ha’penny out in the car and again questioned him about his family.
Here he came to know that his deception has been revealed. the other day the letter came from social welfare officer in Bloemfontein saying that Mrs. Betty Marmon and her 4 children really does exists but Hapenny was not her child but a derelict of the street. She never answered to his letters because he wrote to her as his mother.
She was decent woman and faithful member of the church.When Ha’pennys deception was revealed he stood there exposed,” not as a liar, but as a homeless child who surrounded himself with other, brothers and sisters, who did not exist” After some days,Hapenny fell sick and the doctor said it was tuberculosis. then the author immediately wrote to mrs. Maarman explaining about the whole situation.
she wrote back saying that she couldn’t take responsibility for him. For that point author felt that just because he was mosuto and she was colored woman she is not adopting him. The doctor said there was little hope. In desperation author sent money for Mrs.
Maarman to come. Seeing that the situation was worse she adopted Ha’penny for her own. The whole reformatory accepted him as his mother.Then whole day she sat with him and talked to him of Richard, Dicke, Anna and Mina. She poured out her affection and nor did she allowed to prevent her from satisfying his hunger to be owned and Ha’penny gave full attention to her.
But unfortunately he passed out from this world this made author feel guilty that he should have done something early. (But God have different plans: P)Ha’penny was buried in the reformatory farm and she gave her name. The lady left Bloemfontein after her visit to the reformatory. Waifs always need affection rather than basic necessities.
