Bobby Gillian is a man in love and he seems to be willing to do anything to express that love, including giving up, first a thousand dollars and then fifty thousand dollars to the woman he loves without her ever knowing about it. As in another O. Henry short story, "Gift of the Magi", Gillian's generosity is quite in line with the best principles of Christianity. He knows that neither money nor appearing to be rich will win the heart of Miss Hayden. He is self-deprecating and magnanimous. He displays incredible generosity and a carefree style which indicates that for Gillian, love is more important than money. In the end, it is doubtful whether Miss Hayden will ever love Gillian. When he confesses that he loves her, she simply says she is sorry. Gillian, however, cannot resist giving her the money anyway. It is for him only important that she be happy. Although he is initially portrayed as irresponsible and somewhat of a bore, he turns out to be quite passionate and honorable in the treatment of his inheritance.
Does anybody know the etymology of the phrase "sweet dreams"? I tried googling but did not find anything satisfying. Is this a relatively new phrase of the modern world or has this been in use for some time? I think it's the latter one. Answer The OED has the interjection as "a farewell to someone going to bed" from the 20th century: 1908 Sears Roebuck Catal. 198/1 Tenor Solos..Good Bye, Sweet Dreams, Good Bye. But it goes back until at least the 19th and possibly 18th centuries. John Wolcot, writing under the pseudonym of Peter Pindar, used it in his poem "Orson and Ellen; A Legendary Tale" published in 1801: Also from 1801 in The infernal Quixote (Page 287) by Charles Lucas: In the March 1776 of The Universal Magazine was published "The Serenade. A Pastoral Tale. From the German of Gesner" , where the shepherd Daphnis watches over his beloved as she sleeps and sings: The same tale appears in 1776's as Idyl XI, " Daphnis ...
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