ou think I could
ever forget my father's button, sir? I'd rather have it back than
anything else in the world! And I'm going to get it back, too!'

'But it's at the bottom of the river, isn't it?'

'I don't know where it is, but God does, and I ask Him every day to send
it back to me. I'm quite sure He will, and I think it will be this
Christmas.'

The ladies exchanged glances.

'"Fact is stranger than fiction," certainly,' said the colonel. 'Now, my
boy, come here.'

He was standing on the hearthrug with his back to the fire, and putting
his hand into his pocket he drew out a small box and placed it in the
child's hand.

'Open it, and tell me if you recognise the contents.'

Teddy lifted the lid, and then a gasp, and a cry of ecstasy broke from
him.

'Oh, my button, my own button! Oh, sir!'

And here the tears welled up in the blue eyes, and, utterly regardless
of the place he was in, he flung himself down on the hearthrug and
buried his head, face foremost, in his arms. He lay there so still for a
moment that Mrs. Graham bent forward to touch him, fearing that the
excitement might be too much for him, but he was only trying to hide his
emotion from those looking on. In another minute he rose to his feet,
and with a face perfectly radiant he turned to, the colonel, 'It's
lovely, sir, it's lovely!'

The colonel had had it set in a little gold framework with blue ribbon
attached, making it look as much like a medal as possible, and Mrs.
Graham now came forward and pinned it to his coat.

'Now, my boy, I don't think you will ever guess how it came into our
possession. The other day I brought home a few fish, and in preparing one
of these for table our cook discovered your button inside it--I wonder
the fish had not come to an untimely end before from such an indigestible
meal! She told us of it, not recognising what a valuable treasure she
had brought to light, and directly we saw it, we knew it was the
redoubtable button that has been the means of causing such interest in
our neighbourhood.'

Teddy listened eagerly. 'No wonder no one couldn't find it!' he said,
fingering his adornment proudly. 'It's like the fish that brought Peter
some money once.'

Then the colonel turned to one of his friends.

'Now, major, what do you think of this youngster? Would you like to take
him as a drummer boy into your regiment?'

The major scanned the boy from head to foot, then answered emphatically,
'I wouldn't take